Managing Electronic Data Transfers

This section provides an overview of electronic data transfers and discusses how to:

• Process and submit electronic tax returns.

• Process and submit social insurance data.

• Generate disability reports.

• Process payroll statistical information.

• Manage certificates.

• Set up certificates.

• Process certificates.

Understanding Electronic Data Transfers

This section discusses:

• Tax statements.

• Social insurance.

• Disability reports.

• Payroll statistics.

• Certificates.

• Delivered elements.

Tax Statements (ELSTER)

The acronym ELSTER stands for Elektronische Steuererklaerung (electronic tax return). Using Global Payroll you can generate tax statements and submit them electronically.

The Global Payroll tax statement process generates tax documents for a specific group of employees at the end of a given pay period or tax year. Monthly tax statements are created for all employees who have left the company in a given pay period, displaying the year-to-date tax data for that employee. Year-end tax statements are created for all employees who are employed at the end of the year, describing their yearlong tax details. After tax statements for both monthly and yearly processes have been printed and finalized, that Tax Card field for the employee for that particular year closes.

Social Insurance

The social insurance contributions report summarizes all social insurance data relevant to employees. It displays the values that have been set for a specific organization. It is a legal requirement to submit the social insurance contribution list as a data file rather than in paper form. The data transfer is performed by encrypted email.

You will create a data file which will be stored in the Process Details log folder. You transfer the file to the location specified by a third-party product, such as Fidea Health provided by APSEC. The encryption software will encrypt the data file and transfer it as an attachment.

Disability Reports

Germany mandates that all employers, with an employee count greater than a particular threshold, hire a certain percentage of disabled employees or else pay an equalization amount. PeopleSoft provides you with a way to analyze your disabled employees, as well as describe those employees who are disabled. PeopleSoft is partnering with RehaDat, to create the final report, which will be delivered electronically to the unemployment office.

Global Payroll creates three csv files: DSB_FILE_LAYOUT_A_GER, DSB_FILE_LAYOUT_C_GE, and DSB_FILE_LAYOUT_D_GER. RehaDat Elan has defined the structure and layout of these data files. Using these files, RehaDat Elan creates the required reports to be submitted to the unemployment office.

Each file contains the Betriebsnummer which is stored on the SI Unit page and is linked to company location. In order for the process to work, you must set up data in the Company Location table and link it with an SI Unit. The SI Unit must be linked to a Betriebsnummer.

Each company has a Betriebsnummer assigned by the government. If the company has subsidiaries, there may be additional employer IDs, however there is always one main employer ID – Hauptbetriebsnummer.

Payroll Statistics

The German eGovernment initiative requires the electronic transfer of data required for legislative reporting and other services to government offices. Global Payroll for Germany supports the generation and transmission of payroll statistical information (eStatistik) to the respective statistical bureaus in the XML format DatML/RAW, the standard format used to transfer statistical raw and meta data. The eStatistik report provides the following information:

• Salary and wage totals by sex, employee type (white collar or blue collar) and performance group of employee per company location.

• Blue-collar hourly work time for the 29th through 31st day of the month.

• Any relevant special circumstances for salary increases for white-collar workers.

• Pay entity location, such as address, sector, and tariff number.

Reports may be generated for a calendar year, or a calendar month.

Global Payroll for Germany delivers two statistic transfer formats:

Certificates

The German government requires employers to provide to their employees various certificates on the occasion of certain business events, such as termination of employment, or when requested by them. The various government bodies predefine certificates and currently there are approximately 35 different employment related certificates in existence.

Global Payroll for Germany delivers a certificates framework to manage frequently changing certificate content and layout. With it additional certificates can be incrementally delivered and existing certificates easily updated. Global Payroll delivers these five predefined certificates:

Delivered Elements

The PeopleSoft system delivers a query that you can run to view the names of all delivered elements designed for Germany. Instructions for running the query are provided in the PeopleSoft Enterprise Global Payroll 9.0 PeopleBook.

See Also

Understanding How to View Delivered Elements

Processing and Submitting Electronic Tax Returns

This section discusses how to:

• Generate tax statements.

• Manage tax statement results.

• Generate eTIN numbers.

• View community codes.

The tax return process creates an XML file which is sent to the Ministry of Finance. Once the file is generated, the tax card is closed on individual records. The XML tax statement is generated and sent electronically to the Finanzamt with a saved confirmation of receipt.

Pages Used to Process and Submit Electronic Tax Returns

Generating Tax Statements

Access the Tax Statement page.

Report Parameters

Preliminary Runs

Official Runs

Population Selection

Select the population to be used for the file generation.

Sort Criteria

Enter sort criteria used for the print file (pdf) to distribute printed results to employees.

Managing Tax Statement Results

Access the XML Processing Status page.

See Viewing XML Results.

Generating eTIN Numbers

Access the Tax Card Data page.

eTIN Number

The system generates an Electronic Transmitter Identification number as a display only field.

After tax statements for both monthly and yearly processes have been printed and finalized, that Tax Card field for the employee for that particular year closes.

Viewing Community Codes

Access the Community Codes page.

Processing and Submitting Social Insurance Data

This section discusses how to process and submit social insurance data.

Page Used to Process and Submit Social Insurance Data

Processing and Submitting Social Insurance Data

Access the SI Contribution page.

Final Print	Select to produce a final data file available for transmission.
Reset File Number	Select to reset file number. Use this if you need to restart the file numbering due to requirements of the SI-provider.

Generating Disability Reports

This section provides an overview of RehaDat elan output files and discusses how to:

• Set up apprentice data.

• Set up employee subcategories.

• Set up subcategories.

• Generate disability reports.

Understanding RehaDat Elan Output Files

The RehaDat Elan process requires the creation of three files: File a, File C, and File D. This section discusses the format of each file.

File A Format

File A contains a row for each Betriebsnummer (the main Social Insurance number) and a line for each additional Social Insurance Number. The name of this file appears as the Hauptsbetriebsnummer (Main Company location) followed by the letter "a".

This table lists the fields in File A with the corresponding source information:

File C Format

File C contains a row for each month of the year to be run, up to 12 rows maximum, regardless of how many rows were produced in File A. There are no fields to be mapped for this table; all fields are calculated. The name of this file appears as the Hauptsbetriebsnummer (Main Company location) followed by the letter "c."

This table lists the fields in File C with the corresponding source information:

File D Format

File D contains a row for each disabled employee and their disability information. The name of this file appears as the Hauptsbetriebsnummer (Main Company location) followed by the letter "d."

Note. If a company has no disabled employees, the process will not generate a File D.

This table lists the fields in File D with the corresponding source information:

Pages Used to Generate Disability Reports

Setting Up Apprentice Data

For RehaDat Elan, File D requires the inclusion of apprentice data for the proper reporting of disability information. The apprentice data includes whether a disabled employee is an apprentice, and the start and end date of their apprenticeship.

Set up apprentice data on the Disability page when entering other employee disability information.

See Entering Additional Data in Human Resources Records.

Setting Up Employee Subcategories

RehaDat Elan's disability reports display employee information in different columns and sections. An employee's labor agreement, category and subcategory determine where the information is shown on the disability report. Global Payroll provides a way to refine the reporting of this employee data through customization of the employee subcategory.

An employee subcategory is tied to a specific labor agreement and employee category on the Job Labor page. This topic is discussed in PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Resources 9.0 PeopleBook: Administer Workforce.

See Entering National Labor Agreement Data.

Setting Up Subcategories

Access the Disability Category Setup GER page.

Exclude	Select to prevent an employee subcategory from being reported. Employees with a subcategory designated Exclude will not be counted for any of the files.
Apprentice	Designates an employee subcategory as Apprentice. Employees with a subcategory so designated will be counted in File C, column 2.
Lawyer or Teacher Trainee	Designates an employee subcategory as Lawyer or as Teacher Trainee. Employees with a subcategory so designated will be counted in File C, column 3. Note. File C, column 3 also counts employees that have less than 18 standard hours per week.

Generating Disability Reports

Access the Heavily Disabled GER page.

Specify the company for which you are running the process, as well as the company type. Only companies which have at least one location and related social insurance unit will be available for selection. After the company is selected, the grid is populated with the company's social insurance numbers and corresponding locations. Select the location you wish to declare for a given social insurance number.

The Main Employer ID will be selected based on the Location field as it is defined in the COMPANY_TBL.

If the data is not complete, an error message will prevent you from running the process until the data is complete.

Processing Payroll Statistical Information

Use the Pay Entity Location DEU (GPDE_AL_PE_LOC) component to process payroll statistical information.

This section discusses how to:

• Generate payroll statistics.

• View eStatistik file information.

• Set up a pay entity location.

• Set up Global Payroll for Germany parameters.

• View XML results.

Pages Used to Process Payroll Statistical Information

Generating Payroll Statistics

Access the Payroll Statistics page.

Report Parameters

Preliminary Runs

Official Runs

Population Selection

Location Information

Viewing eStatistik File Information

Access the File Information page.

Note. This page is available only after a report file has been submitted to one of the German statistical offices (Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder).

Setting Up a Pay Entity Location

Access the Pay Entity Location page.

General Information

Statistic Information

Setting Up Global Payroll for Germany Parameters

Access the Parameter Setup DEU page.

This page stores settings read by the system for eStatistik processes.

Property Name

Viewing XML Results

Access the XML Processing Status page.

Filter Criteria

Runs in Progress

Completed Tickets

Managing Certificates

This section provides an overview of certificate management and discusses:

• Set up certificates.

• Process certificates.

Understanding Certificate Management

The primary function of certificate management is to define, store, and fill certificate templates (pdf forms) with data supplied by Global Payroll or the user (either online or through batch processing), and immediately produce the certificate for viewing or printing. This functionality is provided as a toolset, allowing PeopleSoft developers to create programs and pdf templates that extend the utility of certificates.

An application engine (AE) library provides a common set of functions for use across 35 different certificates. Each certificate uses the library to retrieve and populate master payroll data and manually entered data into the certificate according to the certificate definition. Application engine programs, individually written for each certificate, provide the payroll results.

Certificates are defined using a form management component. This component allows you to:

• Set up basic form information, including effective dates and status, and attach a pdf file that defines a certificate's structure.

• Specify which AE modules to execute during form processing.

• Define individual form parameters, which are manually entered immediately before certificate processing is launched. Parameters are required by the AE program to correctly report certificate information. Parameters can be used to report information not necessarily associated with pdf form fields.

Once the forms have been defined and stored, certificates can be generated from them by payroll staff through Global Payroll Certificates, and made available to employees through the self-service function of eCertificates.

Certificate Process Workflow

You set up forms for certificate processing as follows:

1. Navigate to the Pd Form Setup page in Global Payroll for Germany

2. Enter a Form ID and basic information to identify the form, and attach a pdf file to define the form structure.

3. Specify any other form details, execution variables, and application engine library modules to use during certificate creation.

4. Define certificate data entry parameters and map them to form field names if required.

5. After completing the form setup, save the form.

You create certificates as follows:

1. Navigate to the Create Certificates page in Global Payroll for Germany.

2. If a clerk is requesting the certificate, select the employee to receive the certificate.

3. Select the appropriate form definition from which to generate the certificate.

4. Enter any requested or required information to complete the certificate.

5. Click Create to generate the certificate.

6. After the certificate has been created, the Review/Modify page is active. Click Refresh to read in the current information.

7. Enter any corrections, modifications, or additional information for the certificate.

8. Click Finalize to complete the certificate and activate printing options. Save the page.

9. Print the certificate.

Setting Up Certificates

This section discusses how to:

• Define the PDF form.

• Define form details.

• Define the application engine module.

• Define form parameters.

Pages Used to Set Up Certificates

Defining the PDF Form

Access the Pdf Form Definition page.

Add	Click to select a pdf form template to attach and store in the forms database.
View	Click to preview the attached pdf form online. This button is hidden until a form has been chosen for uploading.
Details	Click to view the field details of the pdf form. This button is enabled after a pdf form has been uploaded.

Defining Form Details

Access the Pdf Form Details page.

iScript	Enter an iScript (internet script) to associate the certificate pdf form with specialized PeopleCode functions used to generate the certificate. For certificates, the default PeopleCode iScript is always: WEBLIB_GPDE_FM.ISCRIPT1.FieldFormula.IScript_GPDE_FM_SubmitTest.
Test Fields	Tests the form processing functionality of the application engine (AE). The function reads database fields stored in Global Payroll that are mapped to the pdf form and populates the pdf form with them. The pdf form is then opened in a separate window and displays where on the form the database fields will be positioned. The pdf can be printed.
Test Submit	Tests the proper routing of field data back into the PeopleSoft application from the pdf form.
XML Path	PeopleSoft Enterprise Global Payroll for Germany does not support this functionality.

Defining the Application Engine Module

Access the AE Module Setup page.

Program Name	Enter an application engine library name. Defines which application engine library will be run from the main application engine for a particular certificate.
Section	Enter the BASE section of the application engine module to be executed.

Defining Form Parameters

Access the Parameter Setup Per Module page.

Use this page to define parameters that will later become input values for the AE library program. The developer specifies the required parameters for each certificate, which may vary from form to form. Developers can associate a parameter with a form field or define a "stand-alone" parameter not associated with a form field. Though these fields do not exist on the form and have no form field name, the value may still be required for the AE to perform certain calculations and evaluations.

Only those fields requiring manual entry need to be set as parameters. Parameters do not need to be defined if the system does not need additional information from outside to retrieve Global Payroll data and populate associated pdf form fields.

Processing Certificates

This section discusses how to:

• Generate certificates.

• Modify certificates.

Pages Used to Process Certificates

Generating Certificates

Access the Create Certificates page.

Selection Criteria

Certificate Run Parameter

Modifying Certificates

Access the View/Change History page.

Refresh	Click to refresh the page with the result from the certificate creation process. This is required as the AE program is asynchronous and the page may not reflect the most recent result of the process. If a new certificate creation process was initiated and no refresh was performed, the system will alert you.
View	Click to view the certificate online. Certificates not finalized will be displayed with a watermark, which is not displayed or printed on the finalized versions.
Review/Modify	Click to edit the content of the certificate. The button must be clicked at least once to enable the Finalize button.
Finalize	Click to indicate the certificate is finalized. The button becomes enabled after clicking Review/Modify. Once a certificate is finalized, the content is locked and no further changes are allowed. Any additional certificates requested of the same type for an employee must be recreated from the beginning.