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PC-PR
Version 2.2 - 1993
Copyright 1992, 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 256k memory.
PC-PR is Shareware. You are encouraged to try the program
and give copies to anyone who might use it. 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, limited telephone assistance and a 20% discount on your
first order of checks or W-2s from New England Business Services.
This program includes the 1993 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 1994 tax tables send $35 to:
Medlin Accounting Shareware
1461 Sproul Avenue
Napa, Ca. 94559
You may use the registration form at the end of the GENERAL
manual. To order using Master Card or Visa, call (707) 255-4475
or fax your completed registration form to (707) 255-9266.
To run the payroll program, simply type "PC-PR" at the DOS
prompt. If you want to specify a drive and path for your data,
add the drive and path description after the program name. i.e.
type "PC-PR C:PAYROLL\" to use a directory named PAYROLL on the C
drive for data files. If you want the root directory on B drive,
type "PC-PR B:"
You will be asked to enter a date. This date is used to date
all of the payroll 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:
Enter or Change Employee Data
Enter or Change Payroll Checks
Print Employee Listing
Print Payroll Check Listing
Print Payroll Ledger
Print Quarterly Payroll List
Federal Liability by Paydate
Start a New Period, Qtr or Year
Program Configuration
Employee History Report
Export ASCII Data
Print 1992 W-2s
End Processing
Use the up and down arrows 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 1000 employees and 1000
payroll checks per accounting period with 640k of memory. With
256k 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
currently entered into the program, occasionally save your data
back to the disk. This is done by selecting End Processing from
the menu. The current data will be saved to the disk. You will
be asked "Do you want to end?". Answer with an "N" and you may
resume processing.
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 by selecting "Start a New Period, Qtr or
Year" 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 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.
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 240.
Weekly payroll is 52 paydays per year, semimonthly payroll is 24
paydays per year, biweekly payroll 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.
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 dependent, 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 dependent
before multiplying it by the percentage. For instance, Illinois
state income tax is calculated by reducing the taxable pay by
$1000 per dependent on an annual basis and multiplying it times
2.5 percent. So, you would enter 1000- for the deduction limit
and 2.50 for the percentage. Several other states have similar
withholding plans, including Michigan (2100 per dependent and 4.60
percent) and Indiana (1000 per dependent 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 1993 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 57600 6.200
FICA 2 Limits Internal Med 135000 1.450
SDI 31767 1.300 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 1.300
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, but not amounts 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. If Congress passes the proposed additional exemption
for each child, you may add the amount here as a negative
number to adjust withholding. For instance, if the exemption
per child is increased $400 and the employee has two
children, enter 800- and the employee's annual taxable income
will be DECREASED by 800 for calculating withholding taxes.
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 <G> Go to
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 and the catalog code number is
95111.
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 is to go back to the date entry
at the beginning of the program and enter a new date.
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 4 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 Configuraton to change
Non Taxable to be used for 401K or Cafeteria plans.
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 and quarterly earnings. Years ago, a similar listing
called the "941a" was required with the Employer's Quarterly
Federal Tax Return. The 1982 Paper Reduction Act eliminated the
requirement for the 941a. (The Paper Reduction Act also required
the addition of a "Paper Reduction Act Notice" to every federal
form.) Most states still require the 941a form information in a
slightly different format, and many even have additional
requirements.
It is impossible to support the whims of 50 individual
states, but this report does print on California's successor to
the 941a: the DE-3B form. Also, for those enlightened states that
allow you to provide 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 Federal Liability by Paydate
information required at the bottom of the Federal Form 941. The
letters A,B,C etc. printed on the screen correspond with those on
the bottom section of the 941 form. 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 round off 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 a
higher number.
START A NEW PERIOD, QUARTER OR YEAR
At the end of each quarter, before you print the first
payroll check for the new quarter, use this selection to set all
employee quarter to date balances to zero. At the end of the
year, all employee year to date balances should be set to zero.
You will be asked to enter a "Q" to zero quarter to date balances
or a "Y" to zero year to date balances. Pressing any other key
will return you to the menu with no changes made. 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, this
option will work as long as you haven't started a second payroll
period for the new quarter or year.
You may use this selection to start a new payroll period, or
you may answer Yes the 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.
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 Configuraton. 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 ASCII 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 ASCII 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
When processing is completed you must exit the program using
this selection. If you just want to save the current data to the
disk without ending, you may answer "N" to the question "Do you
want to end?" and return to the menu.
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 - I have never known an employee to
claim this credit. If you have one, you must manually calculate
the amount and enter it in the federal withholding field, and keep
a separate manual record of the amount.
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 pointer and press <C> to
change an item. 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. Allowable colors are from 0 to 15 (except for
background color which can only be from 0 to 7). The display
will be instantly updated as you enter the new colors.
Laser 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. This works
on most other printers too, but requires that you set the top of
form before you start printing.
Disk Drive and Path - 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 17
and excluded from boxes 10 and 25 on the W-2 form.
C Cafeteria Plan - The amount is subtracted from gross wages
and does not appear on the W-2.
T Tips - The amount is added to gross pay and deducted as
deduction number 6. The amount will be printed in box 13 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.
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.
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.
Check Number Printed on Check? - Print the check number on the
body of the check as a control number. Enter "Y" or "N".
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? (1 or 2) - If you wish to print the checks
using printer port LPT2, change this number.
The remaining configuration information concerns W-2 printing and
needs to be checked 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.
State Tax Deduction on W-2? - This selection determines which
deduction prints in box 24 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.
Local Tax Deduction on W-2? - Which deduction prints in box 27 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 California State
Disability insurance enter: CA SDI for locality.
Left Margin on W-2? - Change this number to adjust the left
margin.
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.
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-AR program for the proper check.
NEBS Form Number Stub Location Num on Check? Long Check?
=============================================================
9020 Top Yes *
9025 Bottom No *
9024 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 order by telephone, call 1-800-388-3810 and tell them the
catalog code is 95111. Using the 95111 catalog code will get you
a 20% discount on your first order of checks.
PRINTING W-2'S
Before printing W-2's, check the standard setup for W-2's in
the PC-PR setup data. You can select which deductions you want
printed in the different blocks of the W-2 form. For instance, if
you use the third deduction for state withholding, change the
number after block 24 from 4 to 3. You should also enter the
correct state and locality for state and local taxes.
If any of the blocks along the top 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 and the
catalog code number is 95111.
If you use a laser printer, the program will print on NEBS
six part W-2 for laser printers. The form number is 12432 and the
catalog code number is 95111. Be sure you choose laser printer
operation under the payroll configuration.
To order W-2's by telephone, call 1-800-388-3810 and tell
them the catalog code is 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
(no 1.2 megabyte format please). 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. If you wish
to back up data files only, copy these files to another disk using
the DOS copy or BACKUP command.
PC-PR.EMP Employee data files with balances.
PC-PR.PRC Current period payroll checks.
PC-PR.CNF Configuration information if you are not using
the standard configuration.
PR1.PRC, PR2.PRC, PR3.PRC, etc. contain the previous period
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 9 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 must enter the check as a negative payroll check, so the
amounts will then be reversed from the employee's payroll totals.
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 55,500 and the Medicare rate is 1.45% with a
limit of 130,200. In PC-PR, Social Security and Medicare are
combined and locked in as the FICA deduction with a 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.
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
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
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
THINK JET 1B266B3353 1B266B3053
TI 855 1B79 1B99
TOSHIBA 1B1F0D 1B1F0B
