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DOCUMENTATION
FOR
W-2 WRITER
Version 2.01
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 2
DOCUMENTATION FOR W-2 WRITER
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO W-2 WRITER ............................ 3
REGISTRATION .......................................... 3
DISCLAIMER ............................................ 4
LICENSE ............................................... 4
PRODUCT SUPPORT ....................................... 5
VERSION HISTORY ....................................... 5
HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENTATION ......................... 6
GETTING UP AND RUNNING ................................ 7
ENTERING EMPLOYER INFORMATION ......................... 9
ENTERING EMPLOYEE INFORMATION ......................... 9
EDITING DATA .......................................... 10
SORTING THE DATA FILE ................................. 11
CLEARING EARNINGS RECORDS ............................. 12
PRINTING W-2 FORMS .................................... 12
PRINTING THE PAYROLL RECAP REPORT ..................... 13
RETURNING TO SYSTEM ................................... 14
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 3
INTRODUCTION TO W-2 WRITER
W-2 WRITER was written by Wieder Associates pc to help its cli-
ents summarize payroll information and print W-2 forms. In the
process, W-2 WRITER creates and uses a file called "W-2.DAT" to
store information needed to print the 1990 W-2 forms. W-2 WRITER
can also print a payroll recap report for use in balancing W-2
forms. The program allows entry and editing of employee related
payroll information and can clear prior year payroll dollar
amount information so that new payroll information can be insert-
ed for the current year.
W-2 WRITER is designed for IBM compatible computers using DOS
version 2.1 (or later) with an IBM or Epson compatible dot matrix
printer. The program is not designed to operate on a laser
printer.
The program operates fairly well from a floppy diskette, but the
sorts are somewhat slow. The number of W-2 forms is limited by
the size of the floppy diskette. About 300 W-2's can be printed
from a 360k floppy.
This Shareware version of W-2 WRITER contains all of the features
of the Registered version except that it does not have the Regis-
tered Version's ability to individually summarize and recap wages
and taxes withheld in more than two states or localities.
REGISTRATION
W-2 WRITER is the sole property of Wieder Associates, pc. The
Shareware version, and ONLY that version, may be freely copied
and transferred to individual parties for evaluation purposes.
The Shareware version, and ONLY that version, may be posted on
Bulletin Board systems (BBS) for electronic access as long as NO
FEE is charged for its distribution except for private BBS opera-
tions that charge a regular user subscription fee. Computer
information services such as Compuserve (CIS), Genie, etc., are
authorized to post this product for subscriber access. The
Shareware version of W-2 WRITER may NOT be distributed on disk-
ette by any disk distributor/vendor that charges more than $10.00
for the diskette upon which the program and attendant files are
recorded without written consent from Wieder Associates pc
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 4
You may register W-2 WRITER by mailing your check or money order
for $25 to:
Wieder Associates, pc
1810 - 79th Street
Des Moines, IA 50322
DISCLAIMER
Wieder Associates pc and James Wieder hereby disclaim all warran-
ties relating to this product, whether expressed or implied,
including without limitation any implied warranties of merchant-
ability or fitness for a particular purpose. Wieder Associates
pc and/or James Wieder cannot and will not be liable for any
special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages
due to loss of data or any other reason, even if Wieder Associ-
ates pc and/or James Wieder or an authorized Wieder Associates pc
and/or James Wieder agent has been advised of the possibility of
such damages. In no event shall the liability for any damages
ever exceed the price paid for the license to use software,
regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The user of
this program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of
the software.
LICENSE
W-2 WRITER is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available
to the general computing public for evaluation. Users are li-
censed to operate W-2 WRITER on their personal computers for the
purpose of test and evaluation on a trial basis for a limited
trial period. It is not possible to reasonably define any defin-
itive limits of a fair and equitable time period for evaluation,
therefore it is left to the user's judgment and sense of fair
play as to the time required to make a decision as to its useful-
ness. If the user decides the program is not of sufficient merit
to warrant purchase through registration with Wieder Associates
pc, the program should be removed from their personal computer.
Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in regular use
on the user's personal computer system, registration with Wieder
Associates pc is required.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 5
Registered users are those users that elect to pay for W-2 Writer
and register that payment with Wieder Associates pc. By virtue
of registration and payment for the program, registered users are
granted a license to continue to utilize the program on their
personal computer for as long as they choose. This license
authorizes the user to use the program on any personal computer
system he or she may own so long as the program is operated on
only one computer system at a time.
This Shareware version of W-2 WRITER may be freely copied and
passed on to other individual users for their evaluation. Disk
vendors and/or distributors that desire to distribute W-2 WRITER
must adhere to the distribution guidelines presented above.
PRODUCT SUPPORT
Registered Users may be able to receive product support from
Wieder Associates pc on Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.
C.S.T. to 4:00 p.m. C.S.T. by calling (515) 255-5576. Messages
will be returned as soon as possible providing you leave your
name, phone number, a description of the problem you are having
and the W-2 WRITER registration number. Long distance calls will
be returned "collect".
VERSION HISTORY
1.00 12/01/88 Issued original Shareware version
1.01 12/11/88 Corrected alignment problem for IRS
forms.
1.10 05/01/89 Revised to print 1989 W-2 forms.
1.20 05/01/90 Revised to print 1990 W-2 forms.
2.00 12/01/90 Increased file size to store all IRS
required data
Added ability to handle continuous
W-2 forms
Added second locality and second state
capability to individual record-
keeping.
Improved Recap report.
2.01 01/10/90 Corrected Employer data read when
printing W-2 summary report.
Minor cosmetic changes to input/edit
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 6
HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENTATION
This documentation contains a few conventions to make it easier
to understand. Keys to be pressed will normally be contained
within brackets <>. For instance the word, <ENTER>, refers to
the "enter" or "return" key normally used to designate the end of
an entry. Likewise when you are instructed to press <A>, just
press the A key. Do not enter the brackets. Finally, the word
"enter" indicates that when you have completed the key strokes
called for, you must press the "enter" key to advise the computer
that you are done entering a portion of data. The word "press",
on the other hand, means that only one key stroke is needed and
all you need do is briefly press the appropriate key to complete
the entry. When the word "press" is used, the computer does not
expect you to follow a key stroke with enter. Should you "press"
enter, the computer will interpret that as the expected key
stroke, responding accordingly. Sometimes that produces some
strange results:
EXAMPLE: The computer only expects one key stroke for
all main menu selections. If you were to press <2>
from the main menu and then immediately press <ENTER>,
the computer will first read the "2" and then take you
to the edit record portion of the program, next asking
you to "enter" a record number. Since the next charac-
ter the computer reads is the enter you already
pressed, the computer interprets that as the end of an
"entry". In the record entry portion of the edit
program, when the computer receives no record number to
be edited, the computer returns you to the main menu
again.
The concept of "pressing" keys and "entering" data may take some
getting used to at first. Just take your time and read the
screen until you are accustomed to the program. The "press"
option is in W-2 WRITER to save you time. Once you become famil-
iar with the program you will appreciate the time savings provid-
ed by "pressing" single key stroke responses.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 7
GETTING UP AND RUNNING
Most bulletin boards distribute W-2 WRITER in its archived form
(usually in a W-2.ZIP file). The W-2 WRITER files must be ex-
tracted from "W-2.ZIP" before they can be used. The fact that
you are reading this file may indicate that extraction has been
accomplished. If not, use PKWARE's fine Shareware product,
PKUNZIP to extract the W-2 WRITER files. If W-2 WRITER is going
to be used only a few times a year, users can save room on fixed
disks by transferring extracted W-2 WRITER files to a floppy
diskette.
W-2.ZIP contains the six files on the W-2 WRITER distribution
diskette:
W-2.DOC - This file
README.1st - A brief installation message
W-2.EXE - The main W-2 WRITER program.
FILESORT.EXE - Used by the main W-2 WRITER program.
EMPLOYER.DAT - Stores employer information
INSTALL.EXE - Installs W-2 WRITER on fixed disks.
FLOPPY DISK INSTALLATION:
The W-2 WRITER programs operate very well from a floppy diskette,
but the sorts are somewhat slower than on a fixed disk. The
number of W-2 forms that can be printed from a floppy diskette
depends on the size of the floppy diskette. About 100 W-2's can
be printed from a 360k floppy containing the W-2 WRITER program
files. Each additional 100 employees can require about 125K of
additional storage and working space.
To install W-2 WRITER on a floppy diskette, just copy W-2.EXE,
FILESORT.EXE and EMPLOYER.DAT to a formatted floppy diskette. Be
sure to make the drive containing the W-2 WRITER programs the
default drive (see below). The W-2 WRITER program will create
the other files it needs.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 8
FIXED DISK INSTALLATION
The program, INSTALL.EXE, can be used to install W-2 WRITER on a
fixed disk. The install program will prompt users for drive and
directory information and then transfer the W-2 WRITER files from
the distribution diskette on a floppy drive to a fixed disk.
W-2 WRITER creates several of its own files including W-2 DAT, W-
2.BAK, W-2.OLD and a file named EMPLOYER.DAT. For that reason,
we recommend running W-2 WRITER from its own directory rather
than from a directory containing other programs. To install W-2
WRITER on a fixed disk:
(1) Place the distribution diskette in a floppy drive. (This
example assumes A: is the floppy drive. Replace A: with the B:
or whatever designation identifies the floppy drive being used.)
(2) Type: A: <Enter> to make the floppy drive the default
drive.
(3) Type: INSTALL <Enter>
The install program will confirm the drive and directory informa-
tion and then transfer W-2 WRITER programs after creating the
appropriate directory on the designated target drive.
OPERATION:
Operation of W-2 WRITER is relatively simple and straightforward.
Almost all selection operations are accomplished through choosing
a menu item, usually by entering the menu item's code number.
Begin by entering the employer information. Next, enter the
employee information required for each W-2 to be printed. Run a
recap report and compare it to your payroll control amounts on
the W-3 form and be sure that both tie to your 941 forms. After
everything checks out, you can print the W-2 forms.
1. To use the W-2 WRITER program, turn on the computer and go to
a DOS prompt (A:> is a DOS prompt).
2. Make the disk drive and directory containing W-2 WRITER files
the default drive and directory. If you are using a floppy disk-
ette in Drive A: for instance, type:
A: <ENTER>
CD \ <ENTER>
W-2 <ENTER>
or
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 9
If W-2 WRITER is on a fixed disk (for instance, on the PAYROLL
Directory of Drive C:), type:
C: <ENTER>
CD \PAYROLL <ENTER>.
W-2 <ENTER>
4. Press <ENTER> to move from the Shareware license screen to the
main menu.
ENTERING EMPLOYER INFORMATION
1. The first step is to use the Edit to create master information
for the employer. From the main menu, Press <E> .
2. Press <1> and then enter the Employer's name.
3. Press <2> through <9> and enter the appropriate information.
4. If you are deducting state taxes from more than one state,
enter the name of the most frequently used state here. You will
be able to enter the name of the other states in individual
employee records.
5. If you are deducting local taxes from more than one locality,
enter the name of the most frequently used locality here and then
enter the name of the other localities in individual employee
records.
6. If an employer data area is not applicable, press the number
anyway and then press <ENTER> in order to erase whatever is
presently in the EMPLOYER.DAT file for that menu item. EVERY-
THING IN THE EMPLOYER DATA FIELDS WILL PRINT ON THE W-2 FORMS!
ENTERING EMPLOYEE INFORMATION
1. Enter <1> to begin the input process. Information for each
employee is entered on one of three screens. The first screen
contains the most common information about the employee. The
second screen contains less frequently used information and the
final screen provides information needed to indicate the type of
information contained in the W-2 for line 6 of the W-2 form.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 10
2. Enter the information called for on the first screen. Each
time you enter an item, the cursor will move to the next data
area. If you have no information to enter, just press <ENTER>.
If the social security, state or local wages are different from
the wages, tips and other compensation, enter that amount. If
they are the same, the computer will duplicate the amount
entered for wages. You will be able to see the duplication on
the edit screens.
3. The second screen contains less frequently used information.
For that reason, you must select which of the data items you want
to include by first entering the menu item code number and then,
when requested, entering the appropriate information. Each time
you enter information, the computer will display the corrected
screen. The item numbers on screen two correspond with the
item numbers on the W-2 Form.
4. The third screen contains information needed to "x" the
correct boxes on item 6 of the W-2 form. To add (or eliminate)
an "x" to or from an area, press the code number corresponding to
that area. If there is an "x" showing, it will be erased. If
there is no "x" showing for that item, one will be displayed.
When everything is correct on screen three, press <ENTER>.
5. Next the computer will again display all of the information on
each of the three screens just entered so that you can "edit" the
record and make any final corrections.
EDITING DATA
1. Press <2> while on the main menu.
2. The computer will ask you for a record number. You can
obtain the record numbers by printing a summary recap. The
control number is the same as the record number. (The first
record that represents employee W-2 information is record # 2.
Record # 1 is used as a control record.)
3. The computer will next display information for the record
requested. If this is not the correct record, press <ENTER>
three times and then enter the correct record number.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 11
4. As before, information for each employee is displayed on one
of three screens. The first screen containing the most common
information about the employee; the second containing less
frequently used information and the final screen providing infor-
mation needed to indicate the type of information contained in
the W-2 for line 6 of the W-2 form.
5. To correct any entry on either the first or second screen,
enter the number of the item to be corrected. The computer
will then ask you to enter the corrected information.
6. If everything on the screen is okay, press <ENTER> to record
the information on that screen and move to the next screen.
7. To add (or eliminate) an "x" from edit screen three, press the
code number corresponding to the error to be corrected. If there
is an "x" showing, it will be erased. If there is no "x" showing
for the selected item, one will be displayed. When everything is
correct on screen three, press <ENTER>.
8. After all three screens have been accepted, you will be asked
to enter another record number. You can return to the main menu
at this time by either pressing <ENTER> or entering a <*>. If
you wish to edit another record, just enter the record number.
Record numbers are the same as the control numbers on the recap
report.
9. To delete a record, enter <D> from the first edit screen. The
computer will redisplay the first screen and indicate that the
record is to be deleted.
10. If you deleted a record in error, you can "undelete" a
record by entering <D> when the screen indicates that the record
has been deleted. Once the file has been sorted, all deleted
information is lost.
SORTING THE DATA FILE
1. To sort the data file by name, press <5>.
2. To sort the data file by social security number, press <6>.
3. Records marked for deletion are discarded when the data file
is sorted.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 12
4. During the sort, the unsorted file is renamed "W-2.BAK" so
that you can restore the most recently unsorted W-2.DAT file,
should you wish to do so.
5. To restore the unsorted W-2.DAT file, press <7> from the main
menu. When you do so, the unsorted W-2 file will become W-2.DAT
and the sorted W-2 file will become W-2.BAK.
CLEARING EARNINGS RECORDS
1. To erase all employee dollar amounts included in the earnings
records, press <8> on the main menu. After clearing is completed
a W-2 summary report is printed to assist in editing in new data.
You can skip printing the W-2 summary report by pressing <*>.
2. When you do so, the old records file is renamed "W-2.old" and
a new W-2.DAT file is created. Records marked for deletion are
discarded at this time.
3. You can restore the W-2.OLD file by pressing <9> from the main
menu. When you do, the W-2.OLD file will be renamed W-2.DAT and
the W-2.Dat file will be renamed W-2.OLD.
PRINTING W-2 FORMS
WARNING: Do not print W-2 forms until after the Payroll Recap
Report has been printed, its information checked and its
totals compared to test numbers and to drafts of the 941 and W-3
forms.
The W-2 WRITER program is designed to use either the standard IRS
W-2 forms or carbonless, continuous W-2 forms, one form across.
The automatic printing mode should only be used with continuous
W-2 forms.
Most dot matrix printers can only make three or four good copies.
You may find that you need to split the forms and run the print
program twice in order to get decent copies.
1. ALIGN FORMS:
a. Insert a W-2 form into the printer. Align it so
that the first line to be printed is over the control
number and the left margin of the form (the perfo-
ration) is in position 0.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 13
b. Press <3> on the main menu. Then press <1> to
select individual form printing.
c. Enter <2> as the record number to be printed.
d. The computer will display the name of the employee.
e. If an incorrect record number was entered, press <*>
to return to the record selection screen.
f. Check the alignment of the W-2 form and then press
<ENTER>. Adjust the form so that the control number is
printing just above the bottom line of W-2 box 1 and
repeat steps 3-5 until you are satisfied with the
alignment.
g. Press <ENTER> to return to the main menu.
2. PRINT THE FORMS:
a. Press <3> on the main menu.
b. You will now have the option of printing forms one
at a time or have all forms printed automatically (with
continuous W-2 forms).
i. To print forms one at a time, press <1>.
When requested, enter the first record number
to be printed. The computer will display the
name selected. If the proper name is dis-
played, check the printer to be sure that the
forms are still aligned and then press
<ENTER> to print the w-2 form for that em-
ployee.
ii. If an incorrect record number has been
entered, press * to return to the record
selection screen. Continue entering record
numbers until all desired forms are printed.
Press <ENTER> to return to the main menu.
or
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved
W-2 WRITER Documentation - Page 14
iii. If you are using continuous W-2 forms,
press <2> to print the entire series of W-2
forms automatically.
PRINTING THE PAYROLL RECAP REPORT
1. The Payroll Recap report lists all of the information con-
tained in the W-2.DAT file and summarizes the totals.
2. To print the report, first be sure that the printer has paper
and is on line.
3. Press <4> from the main menu.
RETURNING TO SYSTEM
When you are finished with W-2 WRITER activity, press <S> to
return to the main system.
Copyright 1988-1991 by Wieder Associates pc
All Rights Reserved