(USA) Insufficient Net Pay and Pay Calculation
At times, there might be insufficient net pay to cover all withholdings during pay calculation. If the system encounters such a deficiency during pay calculation, it identifies the first deduction that it cannot completely withhold and recalculates new tax values to compensate for the lack of net pay.
Using the previous example, suppose Mark has insufficient net pay to cover all withholdings during pay calculation. The system withholds all of the deductions and taxes from an employee's gross pay, in sequential order, using deduction priority numbers. In this example, Mark has insufficient net pay to withhold all deductions starting with his 401(k):
| Type | Classification | Priority | Deduction Sequence | Amount To Withheld | Actual Amount Withheld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Federal tax |
NA |
1 |
First |
241.50 USD |
499.10 USD |
|
State tax |
NA |
2 |
Second |
161 USD |
193.20 USD |
|
Local tax |
NA |
3 |
Third |
48.30 USD |
−48.30 USD |
|
401(k) |
Before-tax |
4 |
Fourth |
140 USD |
−70 USD |
|
Life insurance |
Before-tax |
5 |
Fifth |
100 USD |
0 USD |
|
Medical |
Before-tax |
6 |
Sixth |
100 USD |
0 USD |
|
Dental |
Before-tax |
7 |
Seventh |
50 USD |
0 USD |
|
Union dues |
After-tax |
8 |
Eighth |
40 USD |
0 USD |
|
Charity |
After-tax |
9 |
Ninth |
25 USD |
0 USD |
|
|
|
|
|
Total withholdings: 810.60 USD |
|
Using this example, the system takes the following steps when encountering insufficient pay during pay calculation:
-
The system encounters a deduction that it cannot completely withhold and identifies it for tax recalculation.
In the example, 401(k) is the first deduction to have insufficient funds for complete withholding. If you selected the Partial Deductions Allowed check box on the Deduction Table - Process page, the system takes as much of the deduction as it can—in this case 70 USD—and moves the remaining unpaid balance to arrears. Therefore 70 USD goes into arrears, and the system notes that Mark paid 70 USD to the 401(k) deduction.
-
The system also identifies all deductions subsequent to the partial deduction and moves the unpaid balances to arrears.
In the example, the system identifies the life insurance, medical, and dental deductions and sends a total of 250 USD (in before-tax deductions) to arrears. It also notes that Mark paid 0 USD for each of these deductions.
-
The system recalculates taxable gross income.
The system calculates taxable gross income by locating all before-tax deductions and subtracting them from Mark's gross income. It calculates all before-tax deductions by a percentage of Mark's gross income or a flat amount.
This time, however, instead of using the original percentage or flat amount to calculate before-tax deductions, the system uses the amount that it noted in the previous steps (the actual amount Mark paid toward those deductions):
Type Deduction Amount (Amount Noted By The System) Classification Priority 401(k)
70 USD
Before-tax
4
Life insurance
0 USD
Before-tax
5
Medical
0 USD
Before-tax
6
Dental
0 USD
Before-tax
7
Total Deduction: 70 USD
Originally, the system subtracted 390 USD (the original total of all before-tax deductions) from Mark's gross income to arrive at his taxable gross income. However, using the amounts noted from previous steps (the amount Mark actually paid towards the deductions), it only subtracts 70 USD from his gross income. Therefore, the system arrives at a new taxable gross income that is larger than the original.
-
The system calculates taxes, based on the new taxable gross income.
The taxes calculated from the new, larger taxable gross income are higher than the first time.
Note:
The remaining steps are documented in the Running Pay Calculation section.
See Running Pay Calculation Processes.
Positive Net Pay Amount with No Additional Deductions Taken
Sometimes, checks with net pay greater than zero are issued, even though it appears that more deductions could be taken. This can occur when there are high pre-tax deductions that do not allow partial deduction, low gross pay, and a high additional withholding amount.
When a deduction cannot be fully taken due to insufficient net pay, the system sets a flag (CALC-TAX-YES) and begins a recalculation loop using the PSPPYNET.cbl (Gross to Net Calculation) module. The module repeatedly performs the following steps:
1. Calculate deductions
2. Calculate taxes
3. Deduct taxes from gross pay
4. Apply pre-tax deductions in sequence
5. Apply after-tax deductions in sequence
If a deduction cannot be fully taken, the system reduces the deduction to what can be taken or sets it to zero (if partial deduction is not allowed). This process repeats, adjusting deduction amounts each time, until either all possible deductions are made or no further deductions can be taken. The loop ends when the CALC-TAX-NO flag is set.