Separate Payslips: Troubleshooting FAQ's

Summary

Sage Classic, Premier, Sage 200c VIP and Sage Business Cloud Payrol Professional: Some of the most common Separate Payslips FAQ's.

Resolution

Can I use sort sequences on my separate payslip reports?

Using sort sequences on SP reports

The only fields that these reports can be sorted by are Department, Category and Paypoint.

We contribute towards a Pension Fund which is based on the Salary and Bonus. How can we split the contribution between the Normal and Bonus Payslips to reflect the Pension on Salary and Pension on Bonus, separately?

Reflecting the Pension on Salary and Bonus separately

Link Pension Fund to both the Normal and the Bonus Payslips. Then make manual adjustments on the Separate Payslip Screens.

The preferred option would be to create an Additional Pension Fund line that calculates the Pension Fund on the bonus value. Then link the two Pension Fund lines to each of the respective Separate Payslips.

Alternatively, you can have one Pension Fund line which is linked to both separate payslips. Print the Normal Payslip before you input the bonus amount. Then input the bonus amount. The “Bonus Pension” will only calculate after the bonus amount is entered and it will reflect on the Bonus separate payslip.

Can I freeze an individual payslip?

Freezing individual payslips

The only way to freeze a payslip is by printing the payslip (to printer or to PDF) or by making use of the global freezing functionality which will freeze payslips for a number of employees.

Print a “range” of payslips – select just this one employee. Or print this employee’s payslip only by selecting the print individual payslip button from the Payslip Screen.

There is a difference on the Difference Payslip but there is no such amount on the Main Payslip. I can see the amount on the 1st Separate Payslip but it is grey.

The amount was entered manually on the Separate Payslip. The amount needs to be entered on the Main Payslip Screen.

There are no differences on the SP Validation Report, but the system does not allow me to do a Start of Period.

Steps to check why a Start New Period is not allowed

Write a report adding the net pay amounts of all seven Separate Payslips. Compare with the total net pay from the Main Payslip.

The employees with differences in these totals will be employees with amounts on the Difference Payslip.

If employees were transferred from a company where they had amounts on earning lines that do not exist in this company, it will pick up “ghost amounts”.

If this company is a copied company, it will pick up the flagging from the original company via the CNT file – do a Separate Payslip recalculation.

I have specified two separate runs. My first run is for corrections of the previous period and my second run is for the Normal Payslip of this period. I am busy with my second run but on a few of the employees’ Normal Payslips, no amounts appear.

Items to check

Check that the linking was done correctly on the Separate Payslip linking Screen.

Check that the second run for those employees is still accessible and has not been frozen.

Check if all the input does not display on the Correction Payslip. If no Correction Payslip has been printed for these employees, the payslip will not be frozen. Always globally freeze the specific payslip run after completion.

Check the Separate Payslip linking. Check whether the 1st payslip was frozen. If it was not frozen, remove the “Normal Payslip” input, freeze the payslip and then re-enter “Normal Payslip” input.

You can also manually move the input from the 1st to the 2nd payslips.

I have entered my hours worked on line 1 of the Main Payslip and the correct amount for salary displays on line 8 of my Normal Payslip. When I try to print payslips a warning message appears that I have amounts on my Difference Payslip. This is a Cost to Company setup.

Cost to Company corrections

If no amount accompanies the hours (such as pro rata days on the Package line) the hours will not be allocated correctly.

Move the hours manually to the applicable payslip. One can also click on the 'HRS' button on the Difference Payslip. The hours that did not split correctly will display here.

The Method of calculation MOC for earning line 1 must be changed to print an amount of 1c. (+HD1, M ONE, +0.01)

When input is done, the amount will result in the hours being split correctly. Remove the 1c after the input has been done.

All the input for this processing period has already been done and I want to pay my bonuses on a separate payslip. I have not printed any payslips yet. Is this possible?

Setting up separate payslips after input has been captured

It is possible if the user realises that hours that have already been entered will display on the Difference Payslip.

These hours must be moved manually to the correct payslip or the input for those lines will have to be done again.

You will still be able to do a Start New Period with Differences on the Hours (but not if there are rand value differences). If the hours shouldn’t print on a specific payslip, then you can leave the hours as it is.

One of my employees left last month but I have forgotten to terminate him. If I now terminate him, there is a tax amount on the Difference Payslip.

As there are no earnings, the tax recalculation is allocated to the Difference Payslip.

To correct this, add 1c and –1c on two earning lines. Both these lines should have the same taxability. If you use the General Ledger module, remember that these amounts will affect the General Ledger so try to use 2 lines with the same General Ledger codes.

My employees have provided for the Tax on their Annual Bonus during the year. Why is there 1c next to tax on some employees’ Bonus Payslip?

This will happen if the bonus amount provided for each month causes a rounding problem.

If my bonus is eg. R5000, the amount to be provided for is R416.66666. The rounding can cause a 1c tax difference that will be displayed on the last active payslip (in this example the Bonus Payslip). To solve the problem, increase the bonus provision amount to R417.

I have entered Commission for one employee. The Commission appears on the Commission Payslip but why is it also on the Difference Payslip?

Check the Main Payslip. The Commission amount must be on the Main Payslip and on the Commission Payslip. You may have done the input on the Separate Payslip and not on the Main Payslip.

I have already done my Normal run but now must add an extra deduction line to the Normal run that I have forgotten about. Can you please help me?

To be able to add extra earnings or deductions to a specific run, no payslips for that run may be frozen. Globally unfreeze the Normal run. Link the deduction line. If you already paid your employees, rather wait until the next processing period.

I have done as you said but I can still not add a deduction. The fields are greyed out on the Company Miscellaneous Screen (refer previous question).

A global freeze or unfreeze will not be applied to terminations. Check for terminations that had net pay amounts for this pay run. These will have to be unfrozen individually.

My manager just told me that the bonus that I have entered for one of my employees is incorrect. I want to change it, but the Bonus Payslip does not allow any further input.

If the changes are only for one or a few employees, the payslips can be unfrozen individually.

I want to do three payments this week. First my Bonus, then Leave Pay and then the rest of the earnings. I have been on the course and my payslips have been set up correctly, but I am concerned that the correct deductions will not go off on the Leave Pay Payslip.

The Leave Pay payslip is hard coded and as a result the split of the deductions will be done automatically. Remember to check the Methods for Provident and Pension Fund. These Methods should include Leave Pay, as the system will not automatically multiply the deduction by the number of LP periods if LP is not included.

My employees want to see their Bonus, Commission and Normal earnings on three different payslips, but I only want to export the combined net pay to the bank. Is this possible?

No. If Separate Payslips are used, the ACB export is done for each separate run.

I am trying to do a Start of Period but get the following error message on payroll: Start of Period Terminated.

What to check:

It is Imperative to print the Separate Payslip Validation Report prior to printing any of your Separate Payslips. This Report will identify any differences that are reflected on the Difference Separate Payslip. If you have any values on your Difference Separate Payslip you will not be allowed to do a Start of Period until the differences (amounts) have been corrected.

If the differences are only on hours/units, you will still be able to do a start of period. Confirm whether these will print on the payslip or not. The SP Financial Difference report can also be printed to indicate whether the differences are earning/deduction amounts or hours/company contributions.

To print the Separate Payslip Validation Report:

Reports
Reports and Maintenance
SP Validation Report

I have already completed a Start of Period and payroll is currently in June. The HR Department has notified me that one of the Employees should’ve been terminated at the end of May. The system has now recalculated the tax and the tax amount is displayed on the Difference Separate Payslip. What should I do correct this?

Steps to correct:

The terminated employee does not have any earnings on his/her Payslip Screen and therefore the system does not know to which Separate Payslip it should send the Tax amount to. That is why it is displayed on the Difference Separate Payslip.

To correct this, you will have to do the following:

Access the Payslip Screen of the Terminated Employee.
Click on The Earnings Tab and enter a value of 1c on any non-taxable Earning line.
Also enter a value of -1c on any non-taxable Earning lines or 1c on a deduction line.

This will ensure that the system displays the Tax recalculation value on the Normal Separate Payslip Screen.

I have processed my entire Payroll and printed both the Normal and Performance Bonus Payslips for all his employees. I activated a Global Freeze of payslips and paid the employees. I forgot to input the Performance Bonus values for 10 employees. How can I make amendments now?

Amendments after final processing

The best option would be to create an additional Separate Payslip, such as an Adjustment Separate Payslip. Separate Payslip changes are made on the Company Miscellaneous Screen (Separate Payslip Setup). Ensure that you specify the new number of Separate Payslips required. Also give the Additional Separate Payslip a short description and link the relevant Earnings and Deductions. Do input on the Main Payslip Screen for it to now allocate to the new separate payslip.

I make use of the Separate Payslip Feature. I completed all my processing and printed all my Separate Payslip SP Reports. Which other Payroll Reports should I print as well?

Reports to print:

The Separate Payslip Reports will only reflect the values as it is displayed on the various Separate Payslips. These Reports do not replace the normal Month End Reports such as the:

Company Recon Report
Variance Report
Emp201 Report
UIF Submission Report

It is Imperative to print all your normal Month End Reports each Period when you make use of Separate Payslips.

I started working for the company on the 15th of the month. I am going to receive a pro rata salary. The company makes use of Separate Payslips. On the 7th of every month all adjustments are dealt with on an Adjustment Separate Payslip and at the end of the month we receive the Normal Payslip. The salary is printing on the Adjustment Payslip instead of the Normal Payslip. The payroll administrator globally froze all the Adjustment payslips.

You were loaded as a new employee after the payroll administrator has frozen the Adjustment payslips. Therefore, this payslip is still active for your record and your normal income will print on the first payslip in line, which is the Adjustment Payslip. All earnings and deductions are probably linked to both payslips to cater for any adjustment. The administrator can remove the entries from the Main Payslip then freeze the Adjustment Payslip, recapture the pro rata salary for it to then allocate to the Normal payslip.

Separate Payslips: Troubleshooting FAQ's

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