Payroll Module

Taxes

This document gives the basic formula used to calculate taxes and the setups that must be complete in order for a tax to be deducted on a payroll check.

 

Click here for information on supplemental tax rates.

Click here for information on tax table maintenance.

 

Calculating Payroll

 

Tax amounts are calculated using the following formula:

 

1. Gross Federal Wage (gross wages + any benefits that increase the gross - any deductions that reduce the gross) * Pay periods per year = Annualized gross wage

2. Annualized gross wage – (Standard deduction * Number of dependents on the employee record ) = Taxable wage

3. Apply taxable wage to tax table to determine the tax amount due

4. (Tax amount due – tax credits) / pay periods per year = Tax to be deducted

 

Notes on the diagram above:

 

  • #1 - Pay codes are set up to increase federal wages using the Pay Code Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Pay Code> Gross to Increase section> Federal, State, Regional, Other toggles). Click here for information on pay code maintenance.
  • #1 - Benefits and deductions are set up to increase or decrease the gross amount using the Deduction/Benefit Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Deduction/Benefit> General tab> Gross to Decrease or Gross to Increase section> Federal, State, Regional, Other toggles). Click here for information on deduction and benefit maintenance.
  • #1 - The pay periods per year is pulled from the pay schedule attached to the employee record (PR> Maintenance> Employee> Financial tab> Pay Schedule field). Click here for information on pay schedule maintenance.
  • #1 - If the annualized gross wage is less than the minimum income on the tax, the tax will not be applied. A minimum tax is attached to a tax record line item using the Tax Table Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Tax Table> Minimum Income field). Click here for information on tax table maintenance. 
  • #2 - The standard deduction is attached to an entry on the tax table using the Tax Table Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Tax Table> Open a record> Standard Deduction field). Click here for information on tax table maintenance.
  • #2 - The standard deduction will only be multiplied by the number of dependents on the employee record if the Multiply standard deduction toggle is checked on the tax table line item (PR> Maintenance> Tax Table> Open a tax table line item> Multiply standard deduction toggle).
  • #2 - The number of dependents is entered on the employee record using the Taxes tab of the Employee Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Employee> Taxes tab> Federal Dependents, State Dependents, Regional Dependents and Other Dependents fields).
  • #3 - The tax amount due is calculated from the tax table using the following formula:

 

    (Minimum tax + ((Taxable wages - Applicable level amount) x  Tax rate from tax table)) / Pay periods per year = Tax  amount

    • The Minimum Tax is pulled from the tax table level break that applies to the taxable wage (PR> Maintenance> Tax Table> Open the tax table line item that applies to the employee> Minimum Tax column that applies to the level).
    • The Taxable Wage is pulled from step 3 of the Calculating Payroll diagram. This is the taxable gross (for example, Federal gross wages) plus any benefits on the paycheck that are set up to increase the taxable gross, less any deductions that are set up to reduce the taxable gross.
    • The Applicable Level Amount is selected using the Level column on the tax table based on the taxable wage. For example, if an employee has calculated taxable wage of $50,000, select the level break that is less than $50,000 (for example, $23,350), and just below the level break that is greater than $50,000 (for example, $72,120).
    • The Tax rate from the tax table is pulled from the Percentage column of the level break that applies to the employee. 
    • The Pay periods per year is pulled from the pay schedule attached to the employee record (PR> Maintenance> Employee> Financial tab> Pay Schedule field). 
  • #4 - Tax credits are attached to a tax record using the Tax Table Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Tax Table> Tax Credit field). Click here for information on tax table maintenance.

 

Setup

 

The following must be set up to deduct taxes from a payroll check:

 

Setup

Description

Tax code status must be attached to the employee record

The tax table determines how taxes will be calculated. Tax table line items are set up by tax code (federal, state, other) and by tax code status (married, single, head of household). Attach a tax status to each tax code using the Employee Maintenance (PR> Maintenance> Employee> Taxes tab). Click here for information on the Taxes tab of the Employee Maintenance window.

The federal, state and other tax deductions (super deductions) must be attached to the employee record

The federal, state or other tax deductions must be attached to the employee record. Deductions are attached to the employee record using the Employee Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Employee> Deductions tab). The deductions must also be set up as active. The tax table will determine the tax rates used to calculate taxes. Click here for information on the Deductions tab of the Employee Maintenance window.

The tax code defines the minimum income, standard deductions, tax credits and tax rate used to calculate the taxes

The tax table determines how the taxes will be calculated. Tax table line items are set up by tax code (federal, state, other) and by tax code status (married, single, head of household). Create or modify the tax table line items to define how taxes will be calculated. The tax table is created and maintained using the Tax Table Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Tax Table). Click here for information on the Tax Table Maintenance window.

The pay code must be set up to affect the gross pay that you would like to tax

When generating payroll checks, the pay code used to generate the payroll check must be set up to affect the gross pay you would like to tax. For example, if you would like the federal tax to apply to a payroll check, the Affect federal toggle must be checked on the pay code. Pay codes are created and maintained using the Pay Code Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Pay code). Click here for information on the Pay Code Maintenance window.

If the pay code is set up as a one-time only (PR> Maintenance> Pay Code> One-Time Pay toggle), the wages on that timecard line item will not be annualized when calculating tax (the gross wages will not be multiplied by the number of pay periods before applying the amount to the tax table).