Reviewing Payroll Messages and Correcting Errors

Page Name

Definition Name

Usage

Error Messages - Review Payroll Error Messages Page

PAY_MESSAGES

View online the error messages generated during payroll processing.

Error Messages Report - Payroll Error Message Report Page

RUNCTL_RPT_RUNID

Generate the PAY011 report, which lists the system error messages generated during the payroll process.

Use this report to analyze and resolve payroll problems before you run the Pay Confirmation process. This report lists only errors for individual employees. If an error does not relate to an employee, it is visible online but doesn't appear in the printed report. For example: "Calculation Run Control Missing."

There are many reasons why you might correct information on paysheets, in employee data, or in payroll process tables. The system reports processing errors that it detects in the PS_PAY_MESSAGE table. In addition, you might need to correct errors that the system did not detect, such as incorrect pay rate.

This topic discusses:

  • Error detection and correction.

  • Pay Message table.

  • Automatic recalculation.

Error Detection and Correction

Depending on the results of the preliminary calculation run, you might take one or more corrective actions.

There are two types of errors that can result from the pay calculation:

  • Errors that the pay calculation detects.

  • Errors that pay calculation doesn't detect.

An example of an error that pay calculation detects is when an employee is scheduled to have a deduction taken, but no corresponding Benefit or General Deduction table entry exists. If the pay calculation detects an error, Check Messages appears after the pay calculation. View messages online, or print the Payroll Error Messages report (PAY011). After you review the messages, take the appropriate action and rerun the pay calculation.

You discover errors that pay calculation does not detect while reviewing the results of the pay calculation.

For example, the system doesn't detect that:

  • You forgot to pay an employee for 10 hours of overtime.

  • The Health Plan table does not have the new rates.

  • The employee's life insurance rate was inaccurate.

  • The employee's hourly rate is incorrect.

  • Employees are missing specific deductions.

  • Taxation is in the wrong state or province.

You can usually correct this type of errors by making changes to any of the following records:

  • Pay earnings on a paysheet.

  • Benefit rate and calculation tables.

  • One-time general and benefit deductions.

  • One-time garnishments.

  • One-time taxes.

  • Job Data table.

  • Employee tax data (income tax data, and employee tax distribution).

  • Personal data.

Benefit rate and calculation table changes and other errors at the pay group, company, or higher levels require a recalculation using the (Re)Calculate All Checks option.

Pay MessageTable

The system updates the PS_PAY_MESSAGE table with standard payroll error messages for errors that it detects during processing. The system might detect a high-level error, a low-level error, or a combination of high-level and low-level errors for the same employee.

Here is a brief description of how the system reports errors in each of these three conditions:

  • High-level error.

    If the error that occurred is a high-level error (for example, Deduction Table not found), the system reports the error on the payroll messages for only the first employee in each company/pay group combination for the particular benefit plan, plan type, and deduction code that is not found.

    For other employees who have the same setup issue, the system sets the PAY_LINE_STATUS to E (error), but does not report that employee in the payroll messages, either online or in the PAY011 report. The assumption is that correcting the Deduction table error will fix the error for all employees. This prevents the Pay Message table from filling up with duplicate messages.

  • Low-level error.

    The system reports each low-level error in payroll messages for each employee who meets the error condition, such as Employee tax data not found.

  • Combination of high-level and low-level errors for the same employee.

    If an employee has both a high-level and a low-level error, the system errors the employee immediately for the high-level error, such as error 89 (generic benefits setup error), and does not perform any edits at the employee level. As a result, after you correct the high-level error for all employees and rerun the calculation, the system errors the same employee with the low-level error.

Note: We recommend that you run the Presheet Audit report (PAY034) to identify setup issues prior to creating and calculating paysheets.

Automatic Recalculation

The system always automatically recalculates paylines with errors when you rerun the pay calculation. It also automatically recalculates the pay for employees with the following:

  • Changes made to paylines when you rerun the Pay Calculation process.

  • Changes made to employee data unless you've run the Pay Calculation process in final mode.

    Note: It is possible to include employee data changes entered after calculating pay in final mode.

    See Understanding Online Updates and Final Calculation.

If you receive a system-generated error message indicating that the system detected an error in the Payline record:

  1. Check the payline listed in the error message.

  2. Make the necessary correction.

    Here are some typical errors and corrections:

    Error

    Action

    The deduction code displayed below is not found in the Deduction Table.

    Add the corresponding deduction code to the appropriate Benefit or General Deduction table.

    There is no birth date provided for this employee. The employee participates in the life plan identified below. That plan uses an age-graded rate table to determine costs and requires a birth date.

    Correct the employee's personal data by adding a date of birth.

    Too many Earnings

    Reduce the number of earnings codes; combine or segregate onto a separate check if acceptable.

    Inactive Earnings Type

    Activate the applicable earnings type on the Earnings table; or replace with an active earnings type.

    Negative Gross Pay

    Process as a manual check or increase earnings.

    Dependant not enrolled

    Enroll the dependant in the required plan type/ benefit plan.

  3. Rerun the Pay Calculation process as many times as you need after you address a set of errors.

    Remember to set up the run control each time before running the process.

  4. After running the pay calculation, run and review the reports to ensure the accuracy of the payroll.

  5. Continue processing the pay calculation until you are satisfied with the results.

Note: You must correct pay calculation errors before you begin the pay confirmation. If you cannot correct an error for an employee, or lack information to process the employee, deselect the OK to Pay check box for the employee on the paysheet. The Pay Confirmation process ignores the employee and deletes the paysheet, so you can continue processing the payroll on schedule. You can issue a manual or off-cycle check to the employee with the problem pay earnings.