Available to Basic Payroll, Full Service Payroll
When starting payroll mid-year, it’s essential to ensure that Year-To-Date (YTD) totals reflect only actual payments made. Follow these guidelines to enter payroll history accurately and avoid common errors.
Step-by-Step Guide for Entering Payroll History
Start with the First Pay Date: Begin entering payroll history from the first pay date when payments were actually made. For example, if payments started in April, do not enter any payroll history for January through March. Avoid entering $0 payrolls or lump-sum entries for periods with no payments.
Enter Data Sequentially: Input payroll history one employee at a time, starting with the oldest pay date and moving to the newest. This ensures that the data is entered in chronological order and aligns with actual payment records.
Handle Open and Closed Quarters: For open quarters, enter each payroll by its individual pay date. For closed quarters, you can either enter payrolls by individual pay dates or as a lump sum using the last pay date of that quarter. Since payroll starts in April, you’ll only need to enter data from April onward.
Troubleshooting YTD Discrepancies
If the YTD totals appear too high or incorrect after entering payroll history, follow these steps:
Review Entered Data: Verify that only actual paid periods were entered. Ensure that no $0 payrolls or lump-sum entries were mistakenly added for January through March.
Check Payroll Reports: Use payroll reports to review the details of entered history. This can help identify any discrepancies or errors in the data.
Correct Errors: If errors are found, void the incorrect entries and re-enter them correctly. This will help align YTD totals with actual payments made from April onward.
Best Practices for Payroll Data Entry
Always enter payroll history for periods when payments were made, starting from the first pay date.
Avoid entering $0 payrolls or lump-sum entries for periods with no payments.
Enter data sequentially, from the oldest to the newest pay date.
Regularly review payroll reports to ensure accuracy.
By following these steps and best practices, you can ensure that your payroll history is accurate and that YTD totals reflect actual payments made.