Payroll Version 17 Manual
 
 
Chapter 2 - Company
The following information is covered in this chapter:
•    The Company Info window
•    Direct Deposit
•    Other features
 
The Company Info window
The Company info window contains information about your company, departments, and groups. Perhaps you have already utilized the Payroll Setup Utility discussed in the previous chapter to create your company. If you haven't and still need to set up a new company, clicking the New Company button will launch the Setup Utility. You can create as many additional companies as needed.
The list on the left-hand side of the window displays the names of your companies. Unless you have created your own company, the list will contain the sample company, Rock Castle Construction. You can use the sample company to become familiar with the program and to experiment with different payroll options.
To switch to a different company, click the name of the company you want to open. Any changes you make to the company setup are automatically saved by the program.
Following is a brief description of the other features provided in the Company tab window.
MICR Info
Click this button to enter banking information such as the name of your bank, account number, and other banking related information. The information can be used for printing your checks on blank check stock with the MICR line. For more information, refer to MICR Check Printing located in the Appendix section of this manual.
Direct Deposit
Direct Deposit manages the information you enter and store to make electronic deposits and transfers. Direct Deposit is discussed in detail in the next section.
Preferences
Clicking this button opens the Preferences window where you can set up the preferences for all phases of the application. Preferences are discussed in detail in Chapter 1, Getting Started.
Calendar
Clicking this button opens the Reminders Calendar window. Reminders are a handy way to remember employee anniversaries, employee birthdays, and due dates for state and federal tax forms. For details, refer Setting up reminders
Checkstock
Clicking this button opens the Checkstock Watcher. It is here that you can set up the program to warn you when the number of checks you have on hand are running low. For details, refer to the Checkstock Watcher
Error Check
Clicking this button opens a dialogue where you can setup error checking rules that will stop payroll processing errors from occurring. Error checking discusses this feature in detail.
 
Direct Deposit
Direct Deposit is the electronic transfer of a payment from a company's bank account into the checking or savings account of certain individuals or businesses. Because of its convenience and time saving ability, Direct Deposit is widely used by employers who process their own payroll.
With Direct Deposit, the employer does not need to sign paychecks, re-issue paychecks damaged from printing, separate and stuff paychecks into envelopes, or mail paychecks. This is a cost savings to the employer because no money is spent on such things as check stock, envelopes, postage or stop payment fees.
Direct Deposit also provides advantages to the employee. For example, paychecks are always deposited on payday regardless of vacation or sickness. There are no trips to their bank or the risk of lost or stolen checks.
This section discusses setting up the company for direct deposit. To set up individual employees for direct deposit, see Chapter 3, Employees.
You can print payment stubs in your payroll program that are similar to the paychecks you provide to employees who want paper checks.
 
Set up company's direct deposit
 
1.    In the Company tab window, click the Direct Deposit button.
 
2.    Enter the bank account information for this company.
Bank routing number
Enter the bank's routing number. This number is sometimes referred to as the transit number.
Account number
Enter the number of the bank account from which the payroll funds are to be withdrawn from.
Savings account
Click this checkbox if the account is a savings account.
Processing window
Your bank will provide you with this information.
3.    Enter any Supplemental data.
Description
The text you enter here will appear on your employee's bank statements. You are limited to 10 characters, so you may want to enter something such as DIRECT PAY.
Discretionary data (Optional)
This optional text field, which is limited to 20 characters, allows Originators and/or Originating Depository Financial Institutions to include codes (one or more), of significance only to them, to enable specialized handling of all subsequent entries in the transmission file. There is no standardized interpretation for the value of the field.
4.    Enter the Automatic Clearing House (ACH) Routing Information.
Immediate Destination/Name
The information you enter here is used to identify the party to which the transmission file is being delivered. In the Destination Routing # field, enter the Routing Number of the party receiving the ACH file. If you wish, you can enter the name of this party in the Name field (limited to 23 characters).
Immediate Origin/Name
The information you enter here is used to identify the sender of the transmission file. In the Origin Routing # field, your bank's Routing Number. If you wish, you can enter your company name in the Name field (limited to 23 characters).
5.    Click the OK button.
 
Creating prenotification files
IMPORTANT: Once your company and employees are set up for direct deposit but before you actually use the Direct Deposit feature, you must create a prenotification (prenote) file and have it verified as to the accuracy of your setup information.
A prenotification is a non-dollar transmission file that is sent through the ACH (Automated Clearing House) Network to a Receiving Depository Financial Institution. It contains the same information (with the exception of the dollar amount and transaction code) that will be used in subsequent ACH transmission files. It allows the Receiving Depository Financial Institution to verify your company and employee information. This will help to catch any possible mistakes on the bank information you entered for your company and employees before any pay information is sent.
Creating a prenotification file
You may issue a prenotification at any time. However, you may not initiate your first "live" transmission with dollar entries until your bank has given you the okay that everything is in order.
1.    In the Company tab window, click the Direct Deposit button (or select Edit > ACH Direct Deposit).
2.    Click the Create Prenotification File button.
3.    Review the information in the window that appears, then click Continue. A second alert message will tell you where to find the prenotification file.
4.    Click the OK button to return to the Company tab window.
Note: Before you locate and send the prenote file to your bank, you Must Quit the payroll program for the Prenote file to finish being created.
Now, all you need to do is locate the file that was created and deliver it to your financial institution. Your financial institution will tell you how they want this file to be delivered, CD-ROM, upload on their ftp site, etc.
Locate the Employee Files ƒ folder (Hard Drive/User/House/Documents Aatrix Top Pay (Paycheck or Ultimate)/Company name/Employee Files ƒ) on your computer's hard drive. Locate the file called ACH Prenote File.txt and take it to your bank or other ACH provider.
Your bank or other ACH provider will tell you how they want you to deliver this file (e.g., CD-ROM, email, FTP).
Once your prenote has been verified as to its accuracy, you can use the payroll program to pay your direct deposit employees. Each time you process payroll, the program will create an ACH transmission file for you. Refer to the Direct Deposit section of the manual for details.
 
Company information
The company information that was entered in the Setup Utility displays in this window. If you need to enter any additional company information, enter it manually at any time into the appropriate fields.
Taxpayer ID Number (TIN)
A Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is an identification number used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the administration of tax laws. It is issued either by the Social Security Administration (SSA) or by the IRS. A Social Security number (SSN) is issued by the SSA whereas all other TINs are issued by the IRS.
What can be used as your Taxpayer Identification Number?
•    Social Security Number "SSN"
•    Employer Identification Number "EIN"
•    Individual Taxpayer Identification Number "ITIN"
•    Taxpayer Identification Number for Pending U. S. Adoptions "ATIN"
•    Preparer Taxpayer Identification Number "PTIN"
The temporary IRS Numbers previously assigned are no longer valid.
State and Unemployment IDs
To enter your State and Unemployment IDs, click into each column, entering the two-letter abbreviation for your state in the first column, your state ID in the middle column, and your state unemployment ID in the last column.
Defaults
Your payroll program will default to the selections you make in the Checkform, Register, and Employee List pop-up menus. If needed, you can change a default on-the-fly. For example, when you print checks, the program defaults to the checkform you have selected here. However, you have the option to change to a different checkform in the Print Checks dialog.
Departments/Groups
Setting up Departments and/or Groups is optional. For more information, refer to Departments and Groups
 
Departments and Groups
You can set up a list of departments and/or groups and assign each employee to a department and/or group. This can help you to organize your payroll and provide you with detailed reporting options, such as generating reports combining employees from more than one Employee List.
 
Creating departments
Departmentalization is mainly used for distinguishing groups of employees for reporting purposes. After determining all the departments your company has, you are ready to set them up in the payroll program.
 
In the Company Info window, click the Departments radio button.
1.    Click the New button.
2.    In the dialogue that appears, enter the name of the department into the text area.
You cannot remove the names of the departments from the list. You can, however, change the names of existing departments.
4.    Click the OK button.
The department name appears in the scrolling list.
5.    Follow steps 2 to 4 until all your departments are created.
You are now ready to assign your employees to departments. For information on how to assign employees to departments, please refer to Entering a new employee and / or Assigning employees to departments and groups.
 
Editing department names
There may be times, due to company re-organization or company marketing plans, that you will need to edit the name of an existing department.
1.    In the Company Info window, click the Departments radio button.
2.    Select the department you want to edit.
3.    Click the Edit button.
4.    In the dialogue that appears, edit the department name.
5.    Click the OK button.
The department will be listed with its new name.
If a department is assigned to an employee, the program automatically changes the name of the department in the Personal Info dialogue too.
 
Groups
Many employers need to designate which group an employee belongs to for the purposes of certified payroll. Since the titles for these groups may be different in every state, you can enter your own titles.
 
Creating a group
1.    In the Company Info window, click the Groups radio button.
2.    Click the New button.
3.    In the dialogue that appears, enter the name of the group in the text area.
You cannot remove the names of the groups from the list. You can, however, change the names of existing groups.
4.    Click the OK button.
The group name appears in the scrolling list.
5.    Follow steps 2 to 4 until all your groups are created.
You are now ready to assign your employees to groups.
 
Editing a group name
There may be times when you may need to edit the name of an existing group.
1.    In the Company Info window, click the Groups radio button.
2.    Select the name of the group you want to edit.
3.    Click the Edit button.
4.    In the dialogue that appears, edit the group name.
5.    Click the OK button.
The group will be listed with its new name.
If a group is assigned to an employee, the program will automatically changes the name of the group in the Personal Info dialogue as well.
 
Other features
There are other payroll related features in your payroll program that you may find helpful. These features are:
•    Checkstock Watcher
•    Preferences
•    Error Checking
•    Mailing labels
 
Checkstock Watcher
The Checkstock feature is a unique function of your payroll program. When set up, the program will warn you when the number of checks you have on hand is running low when you quit the payroll program.
 
Setting up the Checkstock Watcher
1.    In the Company tab window, click the Checkstock button.
2.    In the Checkstock Watcher Setup dialogue, select the Turn Checkstock Watcher On! checkbox.
3.    Set up the options as needed.
Checkstock is used for paychecks only
Select this option if you only print paychecks.
Checkstock is used for paychecks and misc. checks
Select this option if you print both paychecks and miscellaneous checks. In the text box, enter the average number of miscellaneous checks you write per week.
Highest check number of checkstock on hand
Look at your existing checkstock and enter the highest check number.
Warn "x" weeks ahead of time
Enter how many weeks in advance you want to be warned when your checkstock is running low.
4.    Click the OK button.
 
How the Checkstock Watcher works
Each time you quit the payroll program, the number of checks you printed is tracked. If your checkstock is running low, a dialogue will appear projecting when you are most likely to need more checkstock.
If you have not ordered more checkstock and you don't want to order any at this time, Click the OK button to exit the program. If you've already ordered more checkstock, enter the highest check number in the Highest check # text box, then Click the OK button. The Checkstock Watcher will be reset with the check number you entered.
Clicking the Order Supplies button allows you to order checks directly from Aatrix. After printing out your order form, enter how many checks you ordered. The Checkstock Watcher will reset with the appropriate check number. If you didn't order any checks, leave the text box blank.
 
Preferences
You have the option of setting program preferences here, in the Company Info window, by clicking the Preferences button. However, Preferences can be modified or set any time by selecting the Preferences... option in the Program menu. (For example, select Aatrix Top Pay > Preferences... from the top file menu. ) Preferences are discussed in depth in Chapter One.
 
Error checking
The Error Checking feature enables you to catch errors before recording your payroll into Pay History. You can set up your own error checking rules that will catch errors when you process payroll. For example, you can create a rule to warn you if the deduction called Social Security isn't being deducted from an employee paycheck or if the net pay of an employee paycheck is over $2500.00. Although not required, using the Error Checking feature can help you avoid problems.
 
Setting rules for specific payroll items
This can be used to create a rule that warns you if a particular deduction or employer paid contribution is not included on an employee paycheck. You can even limit the warning to employees of specific cities and/or states.
 
Error checking for specific payroll items
1.    In the Company Info window, click the Error Checking button.
This displays the Error Checking Rules dialogue. Any rules pertaining to specific payroll items that already exist display in the top list box.
2.    To create a new rule, click the New button.
A New Error Checking Rule dialogue displays.
3.    From the first (left hand) pop-up list, select the category (Income, Deduction, Employer Paid) which applies to the rule you are creating.
4.    In the second (right hand) pop-up list, select the corresponding Payroll Item.
5.    Set options for the selection.
Warn me, but let processing continue
Sends up a warning dialog when you process payroll.
Warn me, and stop payroll processing
Sends a warning dialogue and does not allow you to complete payroll processing until the error is corrected.
Only for employees in the state of:
Marking this checkbox limits the application of the rule only to employees from a state you specify.
Only for employees in the city of:
Marking this checkbox limits the application of the rule to employees from the city you specify. Be sure to spell the name of the city exactly the way it appears on the employee records!
6.    After setting up your error checking rule, click the OK button.
The rule will be displayed in the scrolling list where it can be edited or removed from the list.
 
Creating error checking rules for gross and net pay
1.    (OPTIONAL) Create rules to warn for various options.
Warn me if "Gross Pay" is OVER/UNDER
If marked, the program will alert you if an employee's gross pay is over or under the dollar amount you enter in the text box.
Warn me if "Net Pay" is OVER/UNDER
Mark this checkbox if you want the application to alert you if an employee's net pay is over or under the dollar amount you enter.
2.    Click the OK button when you have finished setting up your error checking rules.
 
 
Printing mailing labels
The Print Mailing Labels feature allows you to print one label or multiple labels for both your employees and your company. Labels can be printed for direct employee mailings, notices, return addresses, and many other uses as well.
 
1.    Select File > Print Mailing Labels.
The Print button will not be active until you click the Label Setup button and set up your label printing specifications.
2.    Choose the option for which you need to print labels.
Current company information
Select the Current company information radio button to print labels that contain your company name and address.
Selected employees
To print labels that contain your employee's name and address, select the Selected employees radio button, then select the employee(s) you want to print labels for from the scrolling list. Only those employees who are selected will be printed.
3.    Enter the number of copies you want printed of each label.
If you need more than one copy of a particular label (e.g., 30 company labels for the return address on 30 envelopes), enter the number of copies you need in the text box.
4.    Click the Print button.
The Print dialog opens.
5.    Ensure the correct paper is inserted and aligned in your printer.
6.    Click the Print button.
You may want to test print on plain paper before printing on actual label paper. Also, depending on the type of laser printer you have, label paper may be placed in the printer either face up or face down. Check with your printer guide to determine how your printer feeds paper.
 
Label Setup
Following are explanations of the options in the Setup Mailing Labels dialog. (click the Label Setup... button in the Print Mailing Labels dialogue.) Set up the options as required, and then click the OK button.
 
 
Labels are:
Select the type of label paper (1 up, 2 up, or 3 up) you are printing on. The 1 up labels come on a sheet with only one column of labels. The 2 up labels come on a sheet with two columns of labels. The 3 up labels have three columns of labels across the page.
Measurements
Carefully measure the width of the label from the left edge to the right edge (or the left edge of the next label if you are using 2 up or 3 up). Then measure the height of the label from the top edge of the first label to the top edge of the next label on the sheet. Always include the distance between labels in your measurements. To determine the top margin, measure from the top edge of the sheet down to the first label. Enter your measurements in inches and use decimals to express a fraction of an inch (i.e., for a 2 1/2 inch label, enter 2. 5).
Once the mailing label setup is organized to your specific needs, you will not have to set it up again unless you wish to make changes.
 
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