Sage HRMS Tip: Synchronizing Attendance Plans With Payroll

In this post we offer some tips to ensure that payroll and time-off management are synchronized.

Setting Up Attendance Plans

1. From the Navigation Pane, select Attendance/Rules/Attendance Setup. If there is more then one company, the Employer Selection dialog box will open. Double-click the employer to open the Attendance Setup dialog box.
2. If the employer operates on a fiscal year, enter the date on which the fiscal year starts. At the end of the fiscal year, time off management performs year-end carryover calculations on the same date for each employee and for all plans based on the fiscal year. For example, if the system is to perform all carryover calculations on June 30 each year, set the Fiscal Year Start to July 1. Note: If the plan is based on an annual or anniversary year, then the Fiscal Year Start does not have to be entered.
3. Choose the Absence Units, either Hours or Days, by which the company wants the system to accrue time. The Absence Transaction is in the same type of Absence Unit.
4. Select from zero to five decimals places for the Absence Units.
5. If the company wants Payroll to update absence transactions for employees’ time sheets, check Receive Payroll Time Sheets. The time sheet earning must be linked to an absence reason code and the earnings category must be correct: V for vacation, S for illness, or W for personal.
6. If the company wants Payroll to update attendance accruals, check Link Payroll to Attendance for Accruals. All leave plans’ accruals that are based on attendance plan rates in Payroll will update the plan in time-off management with accrual amounts.
7. Additionally, in the payroll rules select Payroll Setup and the employer that is being worked with. Set each appropriate leave type on the Accruals tab to Attendance Plan Rates. The rate should be set to 0.00.
8. Click OK when the set up is completed.

Verifying Payroll Setup

1. From the Navigation Pane, select Payroll/Details/Accruals.
2. Select an Employee.
3. On the Vacation, Personal, and Illness accruals select Attendance Plan Rates for the Accrual Type. This must be selected on every employee page.* To verify the accrual type for all employees, modify the Employee Quick Look report located in the Payroll folder in Crystal Reports®. Add the fields p_illind (illness indicator), p_perind (personal indicator), and p_vacind (vacation indicator) to the record line. Print or preview the report and verify all employees have an “A” have Attendance Plan Rates selected for the Accrual Type. A = Attendance Plan Rate, H = Hours Worked, and P = Pay Period. A blank indicates no value has been selected. To correct a blank, deselect and reselect the Accrual Type for the employee.

Attendance Pages

1. From the Navigation Pane, select Attendance/Details/Attendance Summary.
2. Select an employee.
3. Make a note of the As Of Date for the plans being used.
4. From the Navigation Pane, select Payroll/Rules/Pay Group Setup. Detail the pay group being used and make a note of the Last Pay Period End Date.
5. The Last Pay Period End Date and the As of Date must be identical.
6. To match the two dates, from the Navigation Pane, select Attendance/Details/Attendance Summary. Click Accrue Time and enter the Last Pay Period End Date noted earlier. Click OK.
7. This may also be done for selected or all employees under the Accrue Time process.
8. From the Navigation Pane, select Attendance/Processes/Synchronize Accruals.
9. Select the employer and select Update Payroll with Attendance.

The balances on the employee’s Accruals detail will now match the balances on the employee’s Attendance Summary panel and will synchronized for any subsequent payroll.