Payroll history includes any payrolls that were run or paid outside of Patriot before you started using Patriot Payroll. Entering payroll history ensures your employees receive accurate W-2 forms at year-end and that Patriot correctly tracks wage base limits for taxes that stop calculating once a certain earnings threshold is reached.
Enter payroll history one employee at a time, starting with the oldest pay date and working forward to the most recent.
Note: If you have no prior payrolls for the current year, you can skip this step and proceed to the next section of the setup wizard.
Video Walkthrough
Before You Start
Keep the following in mind before entering payroll history:
Enter payroll history from oldest to newest pay date.
Enter payrolls one employee at a time.
Payrolls from open quarters must be entered by individual pay date.
Payrolls from closed quarters can be entered by individual pay date or as a lump sum using the last pay date of that quarter.
Semi-weekly federal tax depositors must enter payroll history by individual pay date for the entire year, including closed quarters.
Step 1: Add the Pay Period and Pay Date
In the payroll history wizard, click Add Payroll History.
Select the employee you are entering history for.
Enter the pay period start date and pay period end date.
Enter the pay date for that payroll.
Step 2: Add Hours and Money Types Paid
Enter the earnings for the pay period:
Select the applicable money type (for example, Regular, Overtime, Bonus).
Enter the number of hours worked, if applicable.
Enter the dollar amount for each money type.
Step 3: Add Deductions and Contributions
Enter any deductions withheld from the employee's pay and employer contributions made for that pay period:
Enter the employee deduction amount for each applicable deduction (for example, health insurance, 401(k)).
Enter the employer contribution amount for each applicable contribution.
Step 4: Add Employee Tax Withheld
Enter the taxes that were withheld from the employee's paycheck for this pay period:
Enter the amount withheld for each applicable tax, including:
Federal income tax
Social Security (employee share)
Medicare (employee share)
State and local income taxes, if applicable
Step 5: Add Employer Taxes Calculated
Enter the employer's share of taxes that were calculated for this pay period:
Enter the employer tax amounts, including:
Social Security (employer share)
Medicare (employer share)
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), if applicable
Step 6: Continue for Each Employee and Pay Date
After saving the entry for the current employee and pay date:
Click Add Payroll History to begin the next entry.
Repeat Steps 1 through 5 for the same employee's next pay date, or switch to the next employee.
Continue until all payroll history has been entered for all employees.
Once all payroll history is entered, you can proceed to the next step in the setup wizard. If you have signed up for Full-Service Payroll (Patriot's plan that includes automatic federal and state tax filing and payment on your behalf), proceed to the Tax Service Setup section.