DP Tool Club 31/CDASC_31_1996_juillet_aout.iso/vrac/pcpr96.zip/PC-PR.DOC

Text File | 1996-05-14 | 49KB | 1,054 lines

                               PC-PR
                        Version 5.1 - 1996
                   Copyright 1995, Jerry Medlin





PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

     PC-PR is a payroll writing program for small and medium size
businesses.  The program runs on a IBM PC or compatible computer
with one disk drive and as little as 256k memory free.

     PC-PR is Shareware.  You are encouraged to try the program
copies to anyone who might use it.  For a free sample of
compatible check forms from New England Business Services (NEBS)
call 1-800-388-3810 and refer to mail code number 95111.  You
will receive a 20% discount on your first order.

If you decide to use PC-PR, you should become a registered user by
paying the $35 registration fee.  This fee will entitle you to the
latest version of PC-PR, built-in state tax tables if applicable,
telephone assistance and a 20% discount on your first order of
checks or W- 2's from New England Business Services.

     This program includes the 1996 Federal Income Tax, Social
Security and Medicare tax rates.  Because these tables change each
year, it will be necessary to register each year to receive the
new version of PC-PR.  To become a registered user or to receive
the 1997 tax tables send $35 to:

          Jerry Medlin
          Medlin Accounting Shareware
          1461 Sproul Avenue
          Napa, Ca.  94559

     You may use the order form printed with the VIEWDOC program
to register by mail.  U.S. Checks, Mastercard, Visa, Discover and
American Express are accepted.  For phone orders with a charge
card, call [phone].  To order by FAX, send the order form
with charge card information to [phone].

     To run the payroll program, simply type PC-PR at the DOS
prompt.  You will be asked to enter a date.  This date is used to
date all of the payroll reports and checks written.  You will also
be asked to enter a memo line you wish to print on the payroll
checks.  A menu is then displayed:

          Program Configuration
          Enter or Change Employee Data
          Enter or Change or Print Payroll Checks
          Print Employee Listing
          Print Payroll Check Listing
          Print Payroll Ledger
          Print Quarterly Payroll List
          Federal Liability by Paydate
          Employee History Report
          Print 1995 W-2s
          Export Employee Data
          Change Payroll Period
          End Processing and Save Data

     Use the arrow keys or mouse to choose then press enter.

     PC-PR is fast because it works with data in memory.  The
capacity is limited by available memory.  Because memory is shared
by the data, with more employees on file, fewer payroll checks can
be entered.  PC-PR allows a maximum of 1200 employees and 1000
payroll checks per accounting period with 600k of memory free.
With 256k free, the capacity is reduced to about 150 employees and
150 checks.

     The number of payroll checks that can be added with the
available memory is printed at the bottom of the menu screen.

     Since a power interruption will result in losing all the data
recently entered into the program, occasionally save your data
back to the disk.  This is done by selecting <Q> Quick Save from
Enter or Change Payroll Checks.


THE PROCESSING CYCLE

     PC-PR will handle payroll periods from daily to annually.
Usually, employees are paid weekly, biweekly or semimonthly.  When
you start the program, you are asked "Do you want to start a new
payroll period? (Y/N)".  If you answer the question with a "N",
the latest payroll checks are loaded and you may add more payroll
checks.  If you answer "Y", the current period balances are set to
zero and the payroll checks for the previous period are saved.
You will not be asked "Do you want to start a new accounting
period?" unless you printed a Payroll Ledger or Payroll Check
Listing before ending the previous processing.  You may also start
a new payroll period or go back to the previous period by
selecting "Change Payroll Period" from the main menu.

     Payroll Checks are printed as the payroll data is entered.
When all of the payroll checks for the current payroll have been
printed, you may begin printing reports.  After each batch of
payroll checks, print the Payroll Check Listing report and the
Payroll Ledger report.  Reports may be printed in any order, and
as often as desired.  If you discover an error in any of the
reports, correct the problem and reprint the report.  At any time,

you can stop processing by choosing the End Processing and Save
Data selection from the menu and data will automatically be saved.

     Important:  If you don't print either the Payroll Check
Listing or the Payroll Ledger report, you won't be able to start a
new period, because you won't be asked "Do you want to start a new
payroll period?"  The program insists on a printed audit trail
before proceeding to the next period so you will know where you
got all those numbers on the employee's W-2s.

     Net Payroll checks may be read into the PC-AP program after
each payroll to maintain your bank balance.  See the PC-AP manual
for more details.

PROGRAM CONFIGURATION - EMPLOYER DATA

     Before you do anything with PC-PR you need to enter a screen
of employer information.  This employer information is only
entered once, but can be changed whenever any of the relevant data
changes.  Select "Program Configuration" from the main menu.
Initially, most of the data is blank.  By using the up and down
arrows, you can select each field to be changed and, by pressing
"C", you may change the information in that field.

     Space is provided for the employer name (2 lines), employer
address (2 lines) and employer federal and state identification
numbers.  The first line of the employer name is printed on all
reports.  The remaining name and address information is used only
for printing the quarterly list and W-2s.

     The number of paydays per year is used to calculate federal
income tax withheld and must be a number between 1 and 260.  Daily
payroll is 260 paydays per year, weekly payroll is 52 paydays per
year, semimonthly payroll is 24 paydays per year, biweekly payroll
(every other week) is 26 paydays per year and monthly payroll is
12 paydays per year.  If the federal withholding amounts are
calculating incorrectly, it is because you have not entered the
correct number for the number of paydays per year.

     Next you must fill in the information for payroll deductions.
There are 6 deductions possible with PC-PR.  The first deduction
is always federal income tax withholding (FWH).  The next
deduction is always Social Security and Medicare (FICA) combined
as a single deduction (they will be separated at the bottom of the
Payroll Ledger for 941 information and on the W-2s at the end of
the year).

     The remaining four deductions may be renamed for your
application.  You may also set a limit for each deduction and the
percentage to be withheld.  Tax will be withheld at the rate you
enter until the limit is reached.  If you have an unlimited
deduction, enter 999999 for the limit.  "None" will be displayed.

     A zero value for the limit and percentage means this
deduction must be input by the user.  Such is the case with some
state income taxes, and for any miscellaneous deductions.

     A negative value for deduction percent will tell the program
to calculate the tax as a percentage of federal withholding.  So,
if your state income tax is 10 percent of federal income tax, you
should enter 10.00- for the deduction percent for that deduction.

     If your state has a flat tax rate after a fixed deduction for
each dependant, you must tell PC-PR how to do the calculation.  A
negative value for the deduction limit will tell the program to
reduce the annual taxable income by that amount per dependant
before multiplying it by the percentage.  For instance, Illinois
state income tax is calculated by reducing the taxable pay by
$1000 per dependant on an annual basis and multiplying it times
3.0 percent.  So, you would enter 1000- for the deduction limit
and 3.00 for the percentage.  Several other states have similar
withholding plans, including Michigan (2100 per dependant and 4.60
percent) and Indiana (1000 per dependant and 3.40 percent).

     For many states, we have created special versions containing
the state tax tables.  If you enter an X for the deduction
percent, the state abbreviation for the state supported will be
displayed for the percentage.  That will tell the program to use
the state income tax withholding table included in the program.
The opening screen of PC-PR also states which state tax table is
supported.  If no state is mentioned in the opening screen, the
California tax table is included and the letters CA will appear.

     If the description for a withholding field is blank, you will
not be asked to enter a number in that field when you write
payroll checks.  This avoids the inconvenience of pressing the
<Enter> key to skip unused deduction fields when entering payroll
checks.  Use the space bar to change any field to blank.

     In the lower right third of the screen, you may input
information for calculating up to 4 employer payroll tax amounts
in addition to Social Security and Medicare Taxes.  This
information is used to print a summary of payroll taxes due for
the quarter at the bottom of the payroll ledger report, but has no
effect on the calculations for employee's payroll checks.  It is
especially useful for calculating employer paid payroll taxes such
as federal unemployment insurance (FUI).  FUI is based on payroll
paid up to a certain amount for each employee.

     Since PC-PR requires a printer capable of printing at least
96 characters across a page, you must let the program know what
printer codes are required to set your printer to 10 and 12
characters per inch (cpi).  If your printer is already set up to
print at least 96 characters or you use switches to set the
printer pitch then you can leave this part blank.  Otherwise,
enter, in hexadecimal, the code or codes required to change your
printer pitch to 10 cpi and 12 cpi.  Appendix A at the end of this
manual contains the codes for several popular (and not so popular)
printers.  If your printer is not listed, the information should
be available in your printer manual.

     If you have a fairly new printer, chances are it is Epson
compatible.  So, before trying to read your printer manual, try
1B50 for 10 CPI and 1B4D for 12 CPI.  If the printer codes are
correct, the report headings should be printed without any
extraneous characters and without wrapping around at the end of
the line.  Make sure you enter the 0 character as a zero, not a
capital letter O.

     The following is an example of a completed employer data
screen for the state of California for the 1995 tax year and using
an Epson compatible printer.  Your data will vary depending on
state law and the type of printer you are using.

                    Employer Data

Name 1      JOHN HENRY'S DRILLING       Printer Control Codes
Name 2      & EXCAVATING INC.
Address 1   333 OAT HILL ROAD
Address 2   CALISTOGA, CA.  94598       10 Cpi    1B50
Federal ID  94-2678232                  12 Cpi    1B4D
State ID    250-7432-4
Paydays per year    26

Taxes deducted from each check:    Taxes calculated on pr ledger
Deduction    Limit     Percent     P/R Tax      Limit    Percent
 FWH         None      Internal     Soc S       62700     6.200
 FICA        2 Limits  Internal     Med         None      1.450
 SDI         31767      0.800       SUI          7000     3.400
 SWH             0       CA         ETT          7000     0.100
 Insur           0      0.000       FUI          7000     0.800
 Other           0      0.000       SDI         31767     0.800

 Use the arrows to move the pointer then:
<C> Change <PgUp> or <PgDn> for next screen or <Esc> to Menu

     The second page of Program Configuration allows you to change
some other features of PC-PR and is discussed later in the manual.


ENTER OR CHANGE EMPLOYEE DATA

     Employee information is entered and changed using this
selection from the menu.  Enter the following information for each
employee:

     Employee Name - Up to 25 characters are available.

     Street Address - Up to 25 characters for the street address.

     City, State & Zip - Up to 25 characters for the city, state &
     zip code.

     Sort By - A ten character code used to sort employees in
     alphabetical order.  Employees are sorted each time you leave
     the ENTER OR CHANGE EMPLOYEE DATA section.  In most cases,
     you will want to enter the employee's last name, followed by
     as much of the first name as will fit in the remaining
     characters.  For instance, if the employee's name is Jerry
     Medlin, the employee code would be MEDLINJERR.  When a new
     employee name is entered, the program will make a pretty good
     guess and enter a sort code for you.  If you want to change
     the sort code, press the <Escape> key.

     Social Security - Enter the employee social security number
     without spaces or dashes.  Dashes are added later, when the
     social security number is printed on reports.

     Status - Marital status can be either M for married or S for
     single.

     Allow - The number of allowances claimed by the employee.
     Enter a number from 0 to 49 or the letter E, if the employee
     is exempt from federal tax.  Entering an S for allowance will
     tell the program to input federal tax from the keyboard,
     instead of calculating it.

     Rate - The employees hourly wage rate.  If you wish, you can
     enter the pay rate for a whole pay period, then enter the
     hours as 1 when entering payroll check data.  The pay rate is
     entered to three decimal places.

     Dept - Enter a department number between 0 and 9.  This
     number is used to summarize payroll by department at the end
     of the Payroll Check Listing.  When an employee no longer
     works for you, enter an "X" for department and the employee
     will be omitted from payroll and employee listings, but
     retained for W2 purposes.

     Additional $ W/H - If an employee elects to have additional
     taxes taken out for federal or state withholding, enter the
     annual amount here.  The annual amount will be divided by the
     number of paydays per year and added to the normally
     calculated withholding.  So, if the employee files a W-4 form
     requesting an additional $10 to be withheld from his/her
     weekly check, enter $520.  The additional state withholding
     amount is added to amounts calculated by the built in state
     tables, or calculated from percentages entered under Employer
     Data.

     Additional Income - Any amount entered here will be added to
     the employee's annual income before withholding taxes are
     calculated.  The principal purpose of this field is to act as
     a hedge against any additional federal tax changes during the
     year.  The state field should also come in handy for
     adjusting state withholding taxes calculated by the built in
     tables.

     Memo Line #1 & #2 - You may enter two lines of up to 40
     characters each.  Both lines will appear on the screen when
     you write a payroll check for this employee.  Memo Line #1
     will also appear on the employee's check stub.  You may use
     these memo lines for retaining information such as hire date,
     date of last raise and explanation of special deductions.
     You may also leave them blank, of course.

     Pressing the <Escape> key during entry takes you back to the
previous field.  Pressing the <Escape> key at the first entry
takes you to the command mode.  The command mode allows you to
scroll up and down through the employee names, delete employees
and change employee information.  Pressing the <Escape> key from
command mode takes you back to the menu.

     If you don't know all of the employee information, you can
leave that field blank and fill it in later using the <C> Change
option.  Only a name and sort by code are required to print a
payroll check for an employee.

     The <E> Enter New Balances command allows you to enter new
quarter and year to date balances for an employee.  Be careful!
The principal purpose of this selection is to allow you to enter
opening balances when you first begin using PC-PR.  It will also
allow you to enter incorrect balances and foul things up!

     At times, you may want to find an employee without scrolling
through the entire employee list.  To do this, use the <F> Find
Employee selection from the command mode.  Enter the employee's
name, or even the beginning of the name, and the program will take
you immediately to that employee.

     All acceptable commands are printed at the bottom of the
screen.


ENTER OR CHANGE PAYROLL CHECKS

     Payroll checks are printed on a common check form from New
England Business Services (NEBS).  Order the checks pre-printed
and numbered.  You will need to send a voided check with your
account number, your company name and address and the beginning
check number to:  NEBS, 500 Main Street, Groton, MA  01470.  You
can get pricing and order information by calling NEBS at 1-800-
388-3810.  The form number is 9025 (dot-matrix) or 9039 (laser or
sheet feed).  Refer to mail code number 95111 for a 20% discount
on your first order.

     With the PC-PR Setup Data selection described later in the
manual, you may choose from a variety of check forms.

     The ENTER OR CHANGE PAYROLL CHECKS selection allows you to
enter or change payroll checks.  Payroll checks are normally
calculated and printed as the payroll information is entered.
This causes no delay with most printers, and results in a shorter
overall time for doing a payroll.  If you prefer, you can skip
printing the checks as they are entered, and print them one at a
time using the <P> Print command.

     You may also choose to enter the various deductions into the
program instead of letting the program calculate them.  Toggle the
<A> After-the-fact selection to ON.  You will then be allowed to
enter deductions or press return to accept the calculated amount.

     Before any payroll checks are entered, you must have entered
your employer information into the program as explained in the
previous section.

     The following information must be entered to calculate a
payroll check:

     Date - The date entered at the beginning of the processing
     period is automatically entered for each payroll check.  The
     only way to change the date before a check is written is to
     go back to the date entry at the beginning of the program and
     enter a new date.  You may also change the date after the
     check is written using the <C> Change command.

     Employee Name - You don't have to type in the employees name.
     Just use the up and down arrows on the number pad to search
     for the employee you want to pay.  When you find the right
     employee, press the <Enter> key.  There is no need to
     memorize employee numbers.  Payroll checks are entered by
     name only.

     Check Number - Up to 5 characters for the check number.
     Alphabetic characters are allowed.  Pressing the <Enter> or
     plus <+> key enters a number equal to the previous check
     number plus one.

     Total Hours - The total hours worked by the employee
     (including overtime) for the pay period.  This will be
     multiplied by the rate entered for the employee to determine
     regular pay.  The total hours should include any overtime
     hours.  This may be called "Regular Hours" if you have
     configured overtime to be calculated as time and a half.

     O.T. Hours - Overtime hours worked for the pay period.  This
     number will be multiplied by one half the rate entered for
     the employee to determine the overtime excess pay.
     IMPORTANT! In the supplied configuration, only the overtime
     EXCESS is paid as overtime, the rest of the overtime is
     included with the regular pay.  So, if a weekly employee
     worked 42 hours, enter 42 hours for Total Hours and 2 hours
     for O.T. Hours.  If you wish to have to program calculate
     overtime as true time and a half, use program configuration
     to change "Overtime calculated as Excess?" to No.

     Other Income - Enter the dollar amount of any other income to
     be paid during this pay period.  The amount will be added to
     regular and overtime pay.  Use this entry for entering total
     pay for salaried employees, or any extra pay for hourly
     employees.

     Non Taxable - If you want to add a non-taxable payment to the
     check (such as an auto allowance or reimbursement for
     supplies paid for by the employee), you can enter it here.
     Be sure the amount you are entering is, in fact, non taxable,
     because the amount will be added to the net check with no
     deductions taken.  You may use Program Configuration to
     change Non Taxable to be used for 401K plans, Cafeteria plans
     or tips declared.

     The program will instantly calculate the payroll deductions
and prompt you to enter any deductions which are not calculated.
You will then be presented with four choices:


<Enter> or <+>  Print this check       <C> Change this check
<X> Skip Printing                      <Esc> Cancel this check

     Normally you will press the <Enter> or plus <+> key and the
check will be printed.  If you made an error in one of the steps
above, or if you want to change one of the deduction amounts,
select <C> and you will be given an opportunity to change any of
the check information, and then returned to the above four
choices.  Should you not want to print the check at this time, you
can press the <X> key.  The <X> Skip Printing choice is usually
used when you want to enter a manually written check into the
payroll.  Pressing the <Escape> key will cancel the check.

     Pressing the <Escape> key during entry takes you back to the
previous field.  Pressing the <Escape> key at first entry position
(Name) takes you to the command mode.

     The command mode allows you to scroll up and down through the
entries, delete entries, change entries, and print any checks you
left unprinted.  From the command mode, press the <T> Total key to
see the total of all the payroll checks written so far.

     If you discover an error in any of the current payroll
checks, you may use the arrows from the command mode to scroll up
and down to find the check and then press the <Del> key to delete
the check.  You may also change the check by pressing <C> and then
and reprint it by pressing <P>.

     Pressing the <Escape> key from command mode takes you back to
the menu.  All the available commands are printed at the bottom of
the screen and may be chosen by a single keystroke.

PRINTING REPORTS

     When you first enter the PC-PR program, you are asked to
enter a report date.  This date is used on all reports.  If you
want to change the report date, press <Escape> at the Main Menu.


PRINT EMPLOYEE LISTING

     This is a listing of all current information for each
employee.  Use this sheet as a payroll input sheet for the next
pay period, and to check addresses and social security numbers for
accuracy.  Any employees with an X in the department number may be
omitted from the listing.

     You may also choose to print the list in Mailing Label
format.  A mailing label for each employee can be printed on
standard 3.5" X 15/16" labels.


PRINT PAYROLL CHECK LISTING

     This report lists all of the payroll checks written for the
payroll period.  At the end of the payroll check listing, the
total of all checks is printed followed by a breakdown of payroll
by department.  Print and retain this report after each payroll
for a permanent record.


PRINT PAYROLL LEDGER

     The payroll ledger is an important "audit trail" for the
PC-PR program.  It lists each employee's, name, social security
number, payroll balance at the beginning of the payroll period,
current payroll checks and quarter to date and year to date
balance.

     At the end of the Payroll Ledger report, the quarterly
payroll tax liabilities are calculated and printed.  These numbers
are there to help you fill out the various state and federal
payroll tax forms. The calculations are based on information you
entered in the "Enter or Change Employer Information" section of
the program plus the current Medicare and Social Security rates
built into the program.

     Important!  If you don't print either the Payroll Ledger
Report or the Payroll Check Listing, the program will not be able
to start a new payroll period.  This is done to assure a payroll
audit trail.

PRINT QUARTERLY PAYROLL LIST

     This report prints a list of employee names, social security
numbers, quarterly earnings and state withholding.  Many states
require such a list to be filed quarterly.  Although, It is
impractical to support the whims of 50 individual states, this
report does print on California's DE-6 form.  For those
enlightened states that allow the list in a variety of formats,
this report will do nicely.  You may also print this report to a
file, then load it into your word processor for editing.


FEDERAL LIABILITY BY PAYDATE

     This report will give you the information for the Schedule B
- Record of Federal Tax Liability - required for larger employers.
For this report to be correct, you must have completed the quarter
using this program.  The totals on this report may vary from the
total liability by a few pennies, due to rounding errors.

     The report also includes monthly totals for each of the three
months in the quarter.

     This report is calculated from the payroll checks saved for
each period.  Remember, the number of payroll periods saved
defaults to 14.  If you are paying weekly and wish to retain more
than one quarter, you need to use the second page of Program
Configuration to increase the number of payroll periods saved to a
higher number.

CHANGE PAYROLL PERIOD

     You may use this selection to start a new payroll period, or
you may answer Yes to the opening question: "Do you want to start
a new payroll period?".  You may not start a new payroll period
unless you have printed either the Payroll Ledger or Payroll Check
Listing.

     A payroll period usually means a batch of payroll checks,
usually written on a single day.  However, there is nothing to
prevent you from combining all of the checks for a  month as a
single payroll period.  In fact, a payroll period can be any
length up to an entire quarter.  It's all determined by when you
start a new payroll period.

     At the end of each quarter and at the end of the year, before
you print the first payroll check for the new period, use this
selection to start a new quarter or year.  Enter "Q" to start a
new quarter or "Y" to start a new year.  The program will attempt
to remind you when it is time to start a new quarter or year, by
looking at the system date in your computer.  Even if you forget
to start a new quarter or year at the proper time, you may use the
<G> Go Back command to go back to the previous period and then
start a new quarter or year.  When you start a new period, quarter
or year again, your current payroll checks will be waiting for

you.  This option will work as long as you haven't started a
second payroll period for the new quarter or year.

     The period, quarter and year commands are inclusive.  That
means that starting a new quarter also starts a new period and
starting a new year also starts a new quarter and period.



EMPLOYEE HISTORY REPORT

     The program retains payroll checks from previous payroll
periods.  The number of periods retained can be set using the
second page of Program Configuration.  The Employee History report
allows you to review those checks for any or all employees for any
number of periods back.  This report is sometimes helpful in
filling out state or local reports requesting the number of
payroll periods worked.


EXPORT EMPLOYEE DATA

     This selection prints the employee data to a file named
EMP.PRN and the payroll check data to a file named PRC.PRN.  These
files can then be read into many spreadsheet and database
programs, allowing you to use the data for other purposes.

     The files PRC.PRN and EMP.PRN are created as soon as you
select this option from the menu.  You can load the resulting data
into LOTUS 123 using the import/numbers option.

     The Export Employee Data option is provided only as a
convenience for those advanced users who need the data for other
purposes.  Otherwise, you need not use this option.


END PROCESSING AND SAVE DATA

     When processing is completed you must exit the program using
this selection.  If you do not quit the program using this End
Processing and Save Data selection, you may lose employee or
payroll check data.


PROGRAM LIMITATIONS

     I have tried to write a simple payroll writing program which
complies with the multitude of state and federal laws regarding
payroll.  As a result, the program works for most payroll
situations, but not for all.

     If you have different payroll periods for different
employees, you must remember to change the "Paydays per Year"
under "Program Configuration" each time the payroll period
changes.

     In addition, the following situations will require amounts to
be manually entered or changed before the check is printed:

     State Income Tax Withholding - At present, the program
supports most states plus all states with an income tax that is 1)
a fixed percentage of gross pay, 2) a percentage of federal taxes,
3) a fixed percentage of gross pay after a flat deduction or 4)
zero.  If your state is not supported, it only takes a few seconds
per check to enter the state withholding manually.

       Earned Income Credit - Few employees claim this credit.
Most eligible employees prefer to take the credit annually on
their tax return.  If you have an employee who wants the EIC, you
must manually calculate the amount and enter it in the federal
withholding field, and keep a separate manual record of the
amount.  In most cases, an employee can achieve the same effect by
increasing their withholding allowances.


PROGRAM CONFIGURATION

     As previously discussed, the menu selection "Program
Configuration" allows you to enter information unique to each
employer.  The second screen of the program configuration allows
you to change certain features of PC-PR to suit special
preferences or needs.  A file named "PC-PR.CFG" will be
automatically created to save your selections.  To configure PC-PR
press the PgUp or PgDn key from the "Employer Data" screen.  Then,
use the up and down arrows to move the highlighted field and press
<C> to change.  You can change the following information:

Display Colors - If you have a color adapter and monitor, you  can
change the colors for screen borders, program prompts, data, and
background.  Use the up and down arrow keys and the display will
be instantly updated as you enter the new colors.

Laser or sheet feeder printer? - You will also be able to change
the way PC-PR  starts a new page.  Usually, PC-PR starts a new
page by  counting lines until the page total equals 66 lines (or
42 lines for checks).  If you enter a "Y" for the laser printer
question, PC-PR will start a new page by issuing a form feed
command.

Path for PC-PR data files - Enter a drive and path designation for
PC-PR data.  If you want the program to read data from the B
drive, enter B:.  On a hard disk you normally keep the data in the
same subdirectory as the program and this selection can be left
blank.

User changeable input field name - Normally, this field is just
called "Non Taxable" and the amount is added to the net pay with
no deductions calculated.  But if you want to get more specific by
calling it "Auto Allowance" or "Expense Reimb" you may do so.

User changeable status - You may also change how the User
Changeable field is treated to cover situations where income or
deductions are handled differently for different taxes.  For
example, a 401K retirement deduction which is subject to Social
Security (FICA) taxes, but not Federal Income Tax.  The following
choices are allowed:

E    Expense reimbursement - This is the default value.  The
     amount is added to net pay with no deductions taken and does
     not appear on the W-2.

4    401K retirement plan - The amount is excluded when
     calculating federal and state withholding taxes and deducted
     as deduction number 6.  The amount will be written in box 13
     and excluded from boxes 1 and 17 on the W-2 form.

T    Tips - You should also change the name of the User Changeable
     Field Name to "Tips" and enter the tips there.  The amount is
     added to gross pay and deducted as deduction number 6.  The
     yearly total  will be printed in box 7 on the W-2.

C    Cafeteria Plan - The amount is subtracted from gross wages
     and does not appear on the W-2.

O    Other Income - You may use the user changeable field as
     simply another "Other Income" field for things like vacation
     pay.  The amount is added to gross pay and subject to all
     deductions.  Be sure to enter the letter O not zero.

Payroll periods to save - The PC-PR program saves previous checks
on your  data disk for later review with the Employee History
Report option.   Normally, the payroll checks for the previous 14
payroll periods are  saved.  You may modify this number to be
anywhere from zero to 99 payroll periods.  Remember, the more data
you save, the more room you need on the data disk and the more
time it will take to review an employee's history.  This is not
the same as the payroll period per year used to calculate federal
and state withholding.

Top or Bottom stub check - PC-PR normally prints on a check  form
with the stub on the bottom.  Enter a  "T" for top stub or a "B"
for bottom stub.

Print check number on check? - Print the check number on the body
of the check as a control number.  Enter "Y" or "N".  You should
always order checks with pre printed check numbers.  This
selection prints the check number between the date and amount as a
control.

Long laser check? - If you have a laser printer you can choose the
new 11 inch long laser checks.  You will not be asked this
question unless you answer "Y" for laser printer.

Printer for reports? (1 or 2) - If you wish to print reports using
printer port LPT2, change this number.

Printer for checks and W-2's? (1 or 2) - If you wish to print the
checks using printer port LPT2, change this number.


Overtime calculated as excess? - In the supplied configuration,
overtime is calculated at a rate of one half of the regular rate.
The Total Hours are entered along with O.T. Hours to calculate
total pay.  By changing this selection to No, you may tell PC-PR
to calculate overtime as time and a half and add the result to the
regular pay.

Mailing label Employee Listing - Change this to Y to print mailing
labels on standard on 3.5" X 1" mailing labels.

Ex employees in Employee Listing - Change this to a Y to include
ex employees in the Employee Listing Report. Ex employees are
indicated by an X in the Department field.  In most cases, you
will be using the Employee Listing as an input form for the next
payroll and don't want to see the ex employee names.

     When you have finished making your changes, press the
<Escape> key to return to the main menu.  The new settings will be
permanently saved in the file PC-PR.CFG.


CHECKS SUPPORTED

     Normally, PC-PR prints on NEBS check form 9025 which is a
bottom stub check.  By combining the Top/Bottom choice with the
Yes/No choice for "Check Number Printed on Check", you can choose
from a variety of different check styles.  Use this chart to
configure the PC-PR program for the proper check.

NEBS Form Number    Stub Location  Num on Check?  Long Check?
=============================================================
9020 or 12520       Top            Yes               *
9025 or 12525       Bottom         No                *
9024 or 12524       Top            No                *
9027                Top            No                No
9215                Bottom         Yes               *
9039                Top            No                Yes

          * Not normally used on laser printer

     "Number on Check" means that the program prints the check
number on the body of the check as a control number.  You should
always order checks with the check number preprinted on the check.

     To obtain samples or place an order by telephone, call
1-800-388-3810 and refer to mail code 95111 for a 20% discount on
your first order of forms.

PRINTING W-2'S

You should check the W-2 configuration information before you
print annual W-2s.  If you don't use PC-PR to print W-2s you don't
need to concern yourself with this information.

W-2 totals are based on the payroll ledger year to date amounts
for each employee.

State Tax Deduction on W-2? - This selection determines which
deduction prints in box 18 of the W-2 form.  If you are using the
third deduction (the one after FICA) for state withholding, change
this from 4 to 3 before printing W-2s.

Name of State on W-2 - Enter the two character abbreviation for
your state to go in box 16.

Local Tax Deduction on W-2? - Which deduction prints in box 21 of
the W-2.  Since deduction 1 is FWH and deduction 2 is FICA,
possible answers are 3, 4, 5 or 6.

Name of Locality? - Name of the taxing city for box 19.  For
California State Disability insurance enter: CA SDI for locality.

Left Margin on W-2? - Change this number to adjust the left
margin.

     The remaining information is seldom used and should be left
blank for most users.  If you have a 401K plan, make sure the
Pension Plan Alpha Code is D and the Pension Plan Deduction is 6.
You may also print up to two of your deductions and descriptions
of your choice in box 14 of the W-2.

     If any of the blocks in box 15 of the W-2 form require
checking, it will have to be done manually.  So, if an employee
has a deferred compensation or pension plan or is deceased, be
sure to go back and manually X out the proper block after you
print the W-2.

     W-2's will print on standard, one-wide W-2 forms, but since
most printers are not capable of printing 6 copies, you might want
to order W-2 forms in "twin sets".  New England Business Service
(NEBS) offers W-2 forms in 3 part employee and 3 part employer
forms which you print separately.  The form number is 9859.

     If you use a laser printer, the program will print on NEBS
six part W-2 for laser printers.  The form number is 12432.  Be
sure you choose laser printer operation under the payroll
configuration.

     To order W-2's by telephone, call 1-800-388-3810 and refer
to mail code 95111.

MAGNETIC MEDIA W-2's

     If you have more than 250 employees, the Social Security
Administration requires you to submit your W-2's on disk instead
of the pink copy A of form W-2.  The SS Administration's "magnetic
media" requirements are difficult and complicated and I would
strongly urge you to not use magnetic media submission unless you
are required to do so.

     If you are required to submit your W-2's on a disk because
you have more than 250 employees, we will prepare the file for
you.  Send us your PC-PR.EMP data file on 5.25 or 3.5 inch disk.
Your disk will be returned in a few days with the required
W2REPORT file.  Please include a phone number and let us know if
you have deducted for tips or a 401K plan.  There is no charge for
this service.

     Due to the complex and inflexible requirements for magnetic
media submissions, we cannot guarantee that your data will be
accepted by the Social Security Administration.


DATA FILES

     Data files are created automatically by PC-PR.  The MEDLIN
MENU program can copy these files to another disk for backup.

PC-PR.EMP      Employee data files with balances.
PC-PR.PRC      Current period payroll checks.
PC-PR.CFG      Configuration information.
PRIOR.EMP      Prior year employee data.
PRIOR.PRC      Data saved if you go back to a previous period.
PR1.PRC, PR2.PRC, PR3.PRC, etc. contain previous payroll checks.
PR1.PRC is the most recent.


HELPFUL HINTS

     When inputting information, the plus <+> key has the same
effect as the enter key.  Numerical information is entered
"calculator style".  The decimal point is placed automatically.
Using the minus <-> key after the number enters the number as a
negative.  This makes using the numeric key pad even easier.

     The escape key is always used to go back to the previous
operation.  From anywhere in the program, if you continue to press
the escape key, you will eventually return to the opening date
question.

     The first 14 times you start a new payroll period, more disk
space is required for historical files.  If you have a large
business and you are using floppy disks for data storage, you can
run out of disk space.  Check available disk space with the DOS
DIR command occasionally.

     If you void a payroll check before starting a new payroll
period, you may delete the check from the payroll checks.  To
delete a check, press the delete key, when the check is displayed
on the screen.

     If you void a check after a new payroll period has started,
you may use the <G> Go Back command if the check is in the
previous period.  If the check is more than one period back, you
must enter the check as a negative payroll check, so the amounts
will then be reversed from the employee's payroll totals.  Use the
After-the-fact mode to enter the amounts (press <A> from the
command mode).  Negative numbers are entered by first entering the
amount, then pressing the minus <-> sign.

     Federal withholding amounts are calculated using the
percentage method detailed at the front of the Circular E
withholding booklet.  Because this method is more accurate than
using the tables, a small difference from the amounts in the
tables will occur if the wages fall near the top or bottom of a
wage bracket.  A difference of a few dollars is expected and is
not a problem.

     If the federal withholding is not calculating correctly,
check to see that the correct number of payroll periods has been
entered in the Enter or Change Employer Data section.

SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE TAXES

     The IRS requires Medicare and Social Security taxes to be
stated separately on the annual W-2 forms and on the quarterly 941
forms, but still allows them to be a single deduction on the
payroll check.  PC-PR combines the taxes as a single deduction
(FICA) for payroll check writing, and separates them at the end of
the payroll ledger for 941 purposes and calculates separate
amounts for the annual W-2's.  The rate for Social Security is
6.20% with a limit of 62,700 and the Medicare rate is 1.45% with
no limit.  In PC-PR, Social Security and Medicare are deducted at
the combined rate of 7.65%.

     Each time a check is written, PC-PR calculates the FICA based
on the year to date earnings and compares it to the year to date
amount already withheld.  The current FICA deduction is then set
at the amount necessary to make the year to date deduction
correct.  This method eliminates round off errors for the year and
also corrects any prior errors.  It may, however, cause the FICA
deduction to differ slightly from one payroll to the next.  If you
attempt to override the FICA calculation, or manually input an
incorrect FICA amount, the program will continue to attempt to
correct the year to date FICA balance with each new paycheck.

     If you have been separating the Social Security and Medicare
taxes for the first part of the year, you will need to make some
corrections.  In PC-PR, these taxes are combined as the FICA
deduction.  First, go to ENTER OR CHANGE EMPLOYER data and
eliminate any deduction information you have entered for Medicare
and Social Security.  (These limits and percentages are already
included in the program.)  The next time you calculate payroll
checks, the FICA amount will include the year to date amount
previously deducted for Medicare, and give you too large a number.
To adjust for this, you need to enter the year to date amount
previously withheld for Medicare, as a negative (-) number.  Enter
this negative number in the field used for your old Medicare
deduction.  To enter a negative number, enter the number and then
press the minus <-> key.  If you have been using the correct
amounts for the first part of the year, the net amount of FICA
(Medicare and Social Security) should be 7.65% for most employees.

     Due to misleading information in the IRS's Employer Tax
Guide, many employers have been withholding only the 6.2% Social
Security amount and not the additional 1.45% Medicare tax.  If you
are one of these employers, PC-PR will withhold the additional
amount necessary to make up for prior under withholding from the
first check.

     You may now declare an employee exempt from all FICA taxes.
Enter the number of dependants as 50 plus the number of
dependants.  The number of dependants will be reduced by 50 and
the words "FICA Exempt" will appear for that employee.  Very few
employees qualify as FICA exempt, so be careful.


SPECIAL WARNING:  Garbage In - Garbage Out.

     Although I have made every effort to eliminate the most
common operator errors, it is still possible to enter complete
nonsense into this program, and get incorrect payroll from the
program.  Just because it is a computer doesn't make it
automatically correct.  Look at the checks and printouts, and make
sure the numbers are reasonable.  If you enter an incorrect check,
be sure and void it.  It is your responsibility to see that your
employees and the government get correct information.

APPENDIX A - PRINTER CODES

Be sure to enter the 0 character as a zero, not a capital O.  For
most new printers use the EPSON commands 1B50 and 1B4D.

Printer             10CPI               12CPI
=====================================================
AXIOM               1B1F0C              1B53
BROTHER 1           1B50                1B45
BROTHER 15          1B1F0D              1B1F0B
CANON BJ            1B500A              1B4D    (Epson Mode)
CANON BJ            120A                1B3A    (BJ Mode)
CITOH 8510          1B4E                1B45
DMP 2100            1B12                1B1D
DMP 420 & 500       1B12                1B17
DMP OTHER           1B0F                1B0E
EPSON JX            14121B501B7201      14121B4DA2
EPSON LQ 1500       1B50                1B4D
EPSON MX            12                  0F
EPSON STYLUS        1B500A              1B4D
GEMINI              1B4201              1B4202
HP LASER JET        1B266B313248        1B266B313048
IBM COLOR           12                  1B3A
IBM GRAPHICS        12                  0F
NEC 3510            1B5D4C              1B5D4A
NEC 3515 & 7715     1B1F0D              1B1F0B
NEC 3550            1B53                1B49
NEC PINWRITER P3    1B3F30              1B3F33
NEC PN 237          1B48                1B45
OKIDATA 2410        1B36                1B41
OKIDATA OTHERS      1E                  1C
PANASONIC           1B50                1B4D
PRISM               1D02                1E02
PRO PRINTER         12                  1B3A
PRO WRITER          1B4E                1B45
QUME                1B453132            1B453130
TALLY               1B5B3477            1B5B3577
TANDY               12                  1B3A
THINK JET           1B266B3353          1B266B3053
TI 855              1B79                1B99
TOSHIBA             1B1F0D              1B1F0B