Chapter

4
The Payroll Cycle

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. identify the information required to set up a new employee in the payroll

system
2. use the correct process to rehire a terminated employee
3. determine the appropriate method for entering current pay information
4. override the system for exceptions
5. balance, edit and transmit the payroll

Communication Objective:

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. explain to human resources what information is required to set up a new

employee on payroll

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Chapter Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4-3

Pay Period Control Information ......................................................................................... 4-3
Employee Data Input ......................................................................................................... 4-7
Basic Employee Information ......................................................................................... 4-8
Selecting an Employee ................................................................................................. 4-12
Direct Deposit Information .......................................................................................... 4-13
Permanent Rates, Factors and Earnings ....................................................................... 4-15
Statutory Deductions .................................................................................................... 4-17
Deductions and Contributions...................................................................................... 4-19
Entering Current Payroll Amounts for a New Salaried Employee .............................. 4-22
Rehiring an Employee.................................................................................................. 4-23
Existing Employee Changes ........................................................................................ 4-24
Employee Status Change ............................................................................................. 4-25
Garnishee ..................................................................................................................... 4-26
Employee Messages ..................................................................................................... 4-27
Content Review ............................................................................................................ 4-29
Review Questions ........................................................................................................ 4-30
Payroll Data Input ............................................................................................................ 4-33
Rapid Entry .................................................................................................................. 4-33
Employee Timesheet .................................................................................................... 4-35
Content Review ............................................................................................................ 4-38
Review Questions ........................................................................................................ 4-39
Data Verification .............................................................................................................. 4-40
Payroll Preview ................................................................................................................ 4-42
Submitting the Payroll ..................................................................................................... 4-48
Exit Powerpay .................................................................................................................. 4-49
Content Review ............................................................................................................ 4-50
Review Questions ........................................................................................................ 4-51
Chapter Review Questions and Answers ......................................................................... 4-53

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Introduction
There are processes that are common to all regular payrolls. The pay period must be selected,
new employees entered, changes to current employees made and the hours and earnings
worked during the pay period must be input. Prior to the final submission of the payroll for
processing, the data entered should be verified and any corrections made. In this chapter
these processes in the basic payroll cycle will be discussed.

Pay Period Control Information

A regular payroll run is used to enter the regular payroll for all employees. The payroll
calendar defines every regular payroll run for the year; it also assigns sequential numbers,
payment dates and pay period ending dates.

An extra payroll run is often created to do one of the following:

 correct errors on the regular payroll run

 pay out bonuses or commissions
 receive reports missed on the regular payroll run
 get Records of Employment printed between regular payroll runs

The Select Pay page displays a summary of all completed and open pay periods for the year.
A pay period must be set up and/or opened from this page in order to gain access to the
Payroll and Process links where payroll information is entered.

Use the links on this page to:

 create a new regular payroll run

 create a new extra payroll run
 view data from previously processed payrolls
 open an existing payroll to enter or edit data

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To set up a New Pay Period:

 Click the Pay Period menu to display the Select Pay page
 Click the Create New Run button and select Create New Regular Run to navigate to
the Create Pay Period page

 Verify the Pay Period End Date and the Payment date
 Request a journal entry be produced (if required)

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 Request the Statistics Canada report (if required)

 Choose the appropriate Deductions & Contributions Cycle
 Suppress all direct deposits for the pay
 Enter any company level messages, if required
 Save the entries
 Click the Return to Select Pay link

An extra payroll run is a payroll run that is not part of the regular series of payrolls defined in
the calendar. Because extra payroll runs are used for a wide variety of reasons, some
automated processes that happen during a regular payroll run are turned off. On an extra
payroll run:

 Permanent earnings are ignored. All earnings, including Salaries and Permanent
Earnings, must be entered on the Employee Timesheet page.
 Earnings are not automatically assigned to a certain block of time for the purpose of
calculating CPP/QPP exemptions. If any employee earnings and hours are for a
period of time worked, a selection can be made from the Applicable Period of Time
list box on the Employee Timesheet page. For example, an extra run might be used to
pay an employee who was missed on the regular payroll.
 The Pay Period Number and Pay Period Ending Date are not automatically set to the
"next" pay period. The default that appears when creating a new extra payroll is the
last regular payroll that was processed. This would be the payroll number to choose if
the extra run is being used to make corrections on the last payroll. The Pay Period
Number can be changed to the next pay period if, for example, bonus cheques are
being run.

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 For an extra run, no payments (such as salaries or permanent earnings) are issued
unless specifically entered on the Employee Timesheet page.

To set up an Extra Run:

 Click the Pay Period menu to display the Select Pay page
 Click the Create New Run button and select Create New Extra Run to navigate to the
Create Pay Period page

 Complete all necessary fields

 Click save
 Click Return to Select Pay
 Click the Enter link for the payroll for which data is being entered

Accessing a Pay Period

Once a Pay Period has been set up, it will be visible on the Select Pay page. This means that
this pay period can be accessed, and payroll data can be entered.

To access a Pay Period:

 Ensure the Select Pay page is selected by clicking the Pay Period menu
 Click the Enter link located at the left side of the page

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 The Payroll and Process links will become accessible, and the Rapid Entry page will
display

The Payroll link, and then the Enter/View Payroll Data link, must be selected every time data
is to be entered. Payroll data can be input as many times as required during the pay period.

Employee Data Input

Newly hired employees must be entered into Powerpay in the same pay period as their first
day worked; they cannot be hired into a future pay period in Powerpay. New employees
should be entered before any hours are keyed for the pay period. That way, if the new
employee has any hours or earnings in the pay period, those hours can be entered along with
the rest of the entries for the other employees.

The Hire/Profile page serves two purposes. It is used to set up new employees in the system
and to change basic information for current employees. Some of the fields in the Employee
Profile page can be pre-filled by entering the appropriate default values in the New Hire
Defaults page.

Most of the work in hiring a new employee takes place before entering the data. Regardless
of who gathers the new employee information in the organization, certain pieces of
information are required to set the employee up accurately in the system and to comply with
legislative reporting requirements.

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It may be helpful to use a new employee hire form that will capture on one document all the
information necessary to set the employee up in the system. There are six steps to follow to
enter a new employee in the system.

Basic Employee Information

Fields that are mandatory for each new employee are indicated on the Employee Profile page
in red with an asterisk reference. The following information is required to set up a new
employee in Powerpay:

 Last name (as it appears on the employee’s SIN card)

 First name (as it appears on the employee’s SIN card
 Pay type (salaried, hourly)
 Standard hours per pay
 Province of employment
 Federal and provincial tax status (exempt or subject to)
 CPP/QPP status (exempt or subject to)
 EI category (exempt or subject to)
 Department (defaults to department 100, choose from the drop-down list)
 Vacation plan (choose the appropriate plan from the drop-down list)
 Additional accumulator plan (only appears if set up with Ceridian)

To access the New Employee page:

 Click the Payroll menu

 Select Hire/Profile
 Select New Hire
 Enter the information for the new employee
 Click the Save button at the bottom of the page

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Powerpay will assign the next available employee number on the payroll register; however, a
different number can be assigned as long as another employee on the payroll has never used
it. Once an employee number is assigned, it cannot be changed.

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If any of the required fields on the Hire/Profile page are missing information, the page cannot
be saved.

Other information that can be entered on the Hire/Profile page is:

 middle initial
 Social Insurance Number (SIN)
 address
 phone and email contact information
 preferred language
 birth date
 hire date
 pay rate
o hourly rates are entered to three decimal places
o pay period salary is entered to two decimal places
 federal and provincial tax exemptions
 provincial safety plans, only applicable if the employee’s earnings are assessable for
Nova Scotia WCB or Québec CSST
 QPIP

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ofor Québec employees, select the Québec button and choose the applicable
selection from the Status list box, in almost all cases the employee would be
Subject to QPIP
o for employees who work outside of Québec, select the Not Applicable button
and do not choose an option from the Status box.
 provincial payroll/health tax indicator – leave as the default ‘Subject to Prov Health &
Edc Tax’
 Québec Health Contribution (only for employees with Québec as their province of
employment) - leave as the default 'Contributing (include Age Exempt)'
 position title
 ID Dept/Y/Z/X
 vacation pay rate (percentage to two decimal places)

Employers are required to see an employee’s SIN card, or to provide the employee with
information on how to obtain a SIN card if they do not have a SIN or have lost their card. In
the Powerpay system, the Social Insurance Number (SIN) is not a required field for paying
an employee. If the SIN is not available when entering the new employee information, it can
be entered at a later date. However, the SIN is mandatory for the production of year-end
reporting slips.

Note:
As the Powerpay system automatically validates the Social Insurance Numbers entered in the
system, Service Canada has provided National Payroll Institute with a series of test SINs that
can be used to set up employees in this course. These numbers begin with the number ‘9’;
however, the employees do not require work authorization documentation.

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Selecting an Employee
To choose the employee to make entries for, click the Employee Search icon on the left-hand
side of most pages. This will open a list of all the employees set up on the payroll, based on
your sort/filter options chosen. Click on the employee name to activate them for the entries.

To keep the list visible, click on the push pin. To close the list, click on the push pin again.

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Direct Deposit Information

Once a company has been approved for direct deposits, banking data and payment
instructions can be entered into Powerpay for employees. If banking information is not
entered into Powerpay, employees will receive their pay on a paper cheque. It is
recommended to always obtain a cancelled cheque or a copy of the first page of a passbook
showing the employee’s banking information to ensure the correct numbers are entered into
payroll.

Cheques have a standard numbering system from which all the necessary banking
information for direct deposits can be obtained:

 Financial Institution's name and number

 Transit (Branch) number
 Account number

Example:
Teresa Marion provided her employer with a blank cheque so that her pay could be directly
deposited in her bank account.

The numbers at the bottom of the cheque are entered into the payroll system on the Direct
Deposit page as follows:

 the first three digits, 287, are the cheque serial number, which is not entered in the
system
 the next five digits are the transit number, 06907
 the three digits following the transit number are the financial institution number, 003
 the account number is all the digits that follow the financial institution number,
5011515

To access the Direct Deposit page:

 click the Payroll menu

 select Hire/Profileselect Direct Deposit

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 click on the Employee Search link

 select the employee from the Employee Search list
 check Enable Deposit
 complete the appropriate information, choosing the name and number of the financial
institution from the drop-down list, the transit number and the account number
 save

Employees have the option of directing a portion of their net pay intoother bank accounts.
They can choose whether the additional deposit(s) will be a flat dollar amount or a
percentage of their net pay. This information is entered using the Add New Deposit button on
the Direct Deposit page. Additional deposits will only be accessible once a first direct deposit
has been saved.

On occasion, employees sometimes provide payroll practitioners with direct deposit bank
account information that has digits missing or digits that are difficult to read or decipher. One
incorrect figure can cause a direct deposit to be routed to someone else’s bank account or
returned invalid.

There is an online resource that can be used to resolve uncertainties about financial
institution transit numbers. The Canadian Payments Association provides free access to the
online Financial Institutions Branch Directory. This directory lists the routing numbers and
addresses for all Canadian financial institutions and is available on the Canadian Payments
Association’s website at www.cdnpay.ca.

When employees have supplied incomplete bank transit numbers, the correct information can
be found in the directory. When a direct deposit is rejected, the transit number can be verified
before contacting the employee. If wire transfers are used for off-cycle payroll payments, the
bank address can be determined from the transit number.

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Permanent Rates, Factors and Earnings

Permanent Rates, Factors, and Earnings are permanent values that are applied to individual
employees. These values can be rates the employees get for specific jobs, factors for
overtime rules or earnings such as car allowances. These amounts apply to every pay and
cannot be set up to appear only on certain pay cycles. All of the Rates, Factors, and Earnings
descriptions should already be displayed in Powerpay, only the values need to be entered. For
additional Rate, Factor, and/or Earnings descriptions, contact Customer Support.

VALUE EFFECT
Permanent Rates When the Permanent Rate description is selected on the employee’s
Timesheet page, the hours entered for that description will be
multiplied by the value in the Permanent Rate field, instead of the
employee’s regular hourly rate of pay.
Permanent Factors When the Permanent Factor description is selected on the
employee’s Timesheet page, the hours entered for that description
will be multiplied by the value in the Permanent Factor field and
then multiplied by the employee’s regular hourly rate of pay.
Permanent Earnings The amount entered in the Permanent Earnings field is paid to the
employee on every pay.

Examples:
Laura Newton works as an assistant in the shipping department and is paid $12.00 per hour.
When her supervisor is on vacation, Laura acts in that position and gets paid $18.00 per hour.
The system is set up with a Permanent Rate of $18.00 for ‘Acting Supervisor’. On Laura’s
timesheet, instead of entering regular hours, ‘Acting Supervisor’ hours are entered; they will
be paid at an hourly rate of $18.00, rather than Laura’s regular hourly rate of $12.00

Miller Toys made an arrangement with Julie Lebrun that any hours she works on a Sunday
will be paid at two times her hourly rate. The system is set up with a Permanent Factor of 2
for ‘Sunday OT’. When ‘Sunday OT’ is selected on Julie’s timesheet page, the hours entered
will be multiplied by 2 and then multiplied by her regular hourly rate.

Kevin Jones will be using his car for company business starting next month. He will receive
a car allowance of $50.00 each pay. A Permanent Earning of $50.00 for ‘Car Allowance’ will
be set up in the system. On the first pay Kevin is entitled to the allowance, the Permanent
Earning of ‘Car Allowance’ will be chosen on Kevin’s Timesheet page. The Permanent
Earnings of $50.00 will be paid on all future pays, until the amount is changed or deleted in
the system.

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When the company level data was set up, there may have been pay elements created that use
default rates and/or factors that apply to all employees (for example, overtime is paid at a
factor of 1.5). However, there may be other pay elements for which the rates or factors will
vary from employee to employee. If the employee is to have different permanent rates and/or
factors, enter them on the Permanent Rates, Factors, Earnings page. Permanent Rates,
Factors and Earnings can be edited on this page as well by adding, changing or deleting the
existing information.

To access the Permanent Rates, Factors, Earnings page:

 click the Payroll menu

 select Regular Payment
 select Permanent Rates, Factors, Earnings
 select the employee from the Employee Search list
 enter any rates, factors or permanent earnings that are different from the company
defaults
 save

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Customer Service must set up the Permanent Rates, Factors and Earnings before they appear
on this page.

Regular hourly rates or salaries per pay for employees are not entered on this page. Regular
salary and/or hourly rates for employees are set up on the Hire/Profile Page.

One-time current pay rate changes are entered on the Employee Timesheet page by selecting
the type of hours from the Description list box in the Hours section and entering an
Exception rate. One-time current earnings changes are entered on the Employee Timesheet
page by selecting the desired earning from the Description list box in the Earnings section
and entering an amount.

Statutory Deductions
When hiring a new employee, the most common entry made on the Statutory Deductions
page would be in the ‘Additional dollar amount to be taken’ field. Employees can request
that additional income tax is withheld from their pay; this request should always be made in
writing. Permanent and one-time values are entered on this page.

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To access the Statutory Deductions page:

 click the Payroll menu

 select Regular Paymentselect Statutory Deductions the Statutory Deductions page
opens
 select the employee from the Employee Search list
 enter the values in the appropriate fields
 save the entries

Changes made to CPP/QPP, EI and QPIP on this page will only apply to the current pay.

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Entries can be made to either an employee’s Permanent Values for federal and provincial tax,
or for the current pay only. This page is also used to enter the amounts for commissioned
employees who have completed a Canada Revenue Agency Statement of Commission Income
and Expenses for Payroll Tax Deductions – TD1X or the Revenu Québec Statement of
Commissions and Expenses for Source Deduction Purposes - TP-1015.R.13.1-V.

Verify that you are in compliance with legislation before making any changes to an
employee’s statutory deductions.

Deductions and Contributions

In the Powerpay system, a deduction is an amount to be deducted from an employee’s gross
pay for non-statutory deductions. A contribution is an amount that the employer pays on
behalf of the employee. This contribution may, or may not, be a taxable benefit.

Deductions and contributions are activated by pay cycles. The data entered on this page
indicates how much money should be applied for each individual employee’s deduction or
contribution.

To access the Deductions & Contributions page:

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 click the Payroll menu

 select Regular Payment
 select Deductions & Contributions select the appropriate employee from the
Employee Search list
 enter the appropriate entries
 save

If the title of the deduction and/or contribution is printed in red with an asterisk, this indicates
that the element was chosen for this pay cycle and will be deducted and/or calculated on this
pay. For a detailed description of how the benefit or deduction is set up, click the description
link for that element.

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Deductions and contributions can be viewed for each employee using this page. An entry in
the This Pay Only field will override any amount in the Permanent Value field. If a deduction
or contribution needs to be cancelled, replace the amount in the Permanent Value field with
$0.00.

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Entering Current Payroll Amounts for a New

Salaried Employee
Salaries and permanent earnings are paid automatically on every regular payroll run. If a new
salaried employee should not being paid for the full pay period on their first pay, their salary
must be overridden on the Employee Timesheet page for the portion of the pay period they
worked. If required, an entry must also be paid to the ‘Applicable Period of Time’ field.

To access the Employee Timesheet page:

 click on the Payroll menu

 select Regular Payment select Employee Timesheet the Employee Timesheet page
opens
 from the Employee Search list, click on the name of the new employee
 enter all payroll amounts (hours and/or earnings) for the new employee
 save

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Rehiring an Employee
Rehiring an employee who is still in the Powerpay system is very similar to hiring an
employee for the first time. When an employee is rehired, the employee should fill out all the
forms for a new employee. Although the rehired employee's information is still in Powerpay,
it is a good idea to verify all information and make necessary changes.

The employee may have changed some information that affect the payroll, such as:

 closed bank account

 status change in benefits qualification
 different tax status
 name change
 new home address

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Enter the information on the Hire/Profile page as if the rehired employee is a new employee.
When an employee is terminated, all direct deposits are disabled. Even if the banking
information is the same, the deposits must be enabled on the Direct Deposit page.

The employee’s status must be changed from terminated to active on the Status Changes
page:

 click on the Payroll menu

 select ROE / Employee Status Change select Status Change / ROE
 the Status Changes page opens
 select the terminated employee from the Employee Search list
 select Activate Employee
 click Go
 enter a Rehire Date, which is the first day worked after being rehired

Existing Employee Changes

Changes that must be made to employees’ general information are entered on the Hire/Profile
page. To update the information, select the employee from the Employee Search list. Click
the applicable field and enter the required information.

To access the Hire/Profile page:

 click the Payroll menu

 select Hire/Profile select Employee Profile
 select the employee from the Employee Search list
 replace or enter the data on the page; to edit masked information (i.e. SIN), click the
pencil (edit) icon
 save

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Employee Status Change

A status change is an event that changes an employee’s working status, such as activating,
terminating, re-hiring, or placing on leave. When terminating the employment of an
employee or changing their status to leave, the Action to be Taken selection of the Status
Changes page can generate a Record of Employment for the employee.

An employee can be reactivated if they were terminated in the current year; employees
terminated in prior years must be re-hired with all data entered as if they were a new
employee. An employee who is on leave can be reactivated at any time.

An employee’s status directly affects whether they will be paid through the system. Active
employees are paid; terminated or on leave employees will not receive pay.

To access the Status Changes page:

 click the Payrollmenu

 select ROE / Employee Status Change
 Select Status Change / ROE
 select the employee from the Employee Search list
 select the appropriate actions to be taken using the drop-down arrows
 click Nextfill in all the fields indicated in red
 save

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Garnishee
The Garnishee page allows users to enter, edit or view an employee’s garnishee information.
Ceridian will send a cheque, payable to the institution that requested the garnishment, to the
client for forwarding to the institution with any required documentation.

To access the Garnishee page

 click the Payroll menu

 select Garnishments
 select the employee from the Employee Search list
 select Add New Garnishee button
 select the garnishee type required from the drop-down box
 click Next
 enter all required information; the fields in red are mandatory

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Employee Messages
The employee messages page allows a user to create a one-time message that will print on an
individual employee’s pay statement for a regular or second payment. Employee messages
can be created for active employees only and can be a maximum of 60 characters (including
spaces) in length.

To access the Employee Message page

 click the Payroll menu

 select Employee Messages
 select the employee from the Employee Search list
 enter the message to appear on the employee’s pay statement.

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Content Review
 A pay period must be set up and/or opened from the Select Pay page in order to gain
access to the Payroll and Process links where payroll information is entered.
 Newly hired employees must be entered into Powerpay in the same pay period as
their first day worked.
 The Hire/Profile page is used to set up new employees in the system and to change
basic information for current employees.
 If any of the required fields on the Hire/Profile page are missing information, the page
cannot be saved.
 It is recommended to always obtain a cancelled cheque or a copy of the first page of a
passbook showing the employee’s banking information to ensure the correct numbers
are entered into payroll.
 A deduction is an amount to be deducted from an employee’s gross pay for non-
statutory deductions.
 A contribution is an amount that the employer pays on behalf of the employee which
may, or may not, be a taxable benefit.
 A status change is an event that changes an employee’s working status, such as
activating, terminating, re-hiring, or placing on leave.
 An employee can be reactivated if they were terminated in the current year;
employees terminated in prior years must be re-hired with all data entered as if they
were a new employee. An employee who is on leave can be reactivated at any time.
 An employee’s status directly affects whether they will be paid through the system as
active employees are paid, terminated or on leave employees will not receive pay.
 The Garnishee page allows users to enter, edit or view an employee’s garnishee
information.
 The Employee Messages page allows a user to create a one-time message that will
print on an individual employee’s pay statement for a regular or second payment.

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Review Questions
1. What are the steps to access a Pay Period once it has been set up in the system?

2. How many times can payroll data be input during a pay period?

3. List the information that is required to set up a new employee in Powerpay.

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4. True or False. A new employee’s required information can be partially entered and
completed later during another session.

5. What are an employee’s options for their net pay deposit?

6. What is the difference between a deduction and a contribution?

7. What is a status change?

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8. Complete the following table for each action, indicating which page would be used.

ACTION PAGE

Set up a new employee

Set up an extra payroll

Enter additional income tax withholdings

Enter regular salary

Change an employee’s social club deduction

Override standard hours

Activate an employee who was on leave

Set up the current pay period

Change an employee’s hourly rate

Enter the dollar value of an employee’s car

allowance

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Payroll Data Input

In addition to new employees and changes to current employee information, there are
typically hours and earnings entries that must be made in the system each pay. There are two
ways to enter hours and earnings through Powerpay Web:

 for multiple entries of the same hours, earnings, deductions and/or contribution
elements for multiple employees, the Rapid Entry page is more efficient
 for entering only one employee’s payments or for entering exceptions to a particular
employee’s payments, the Employee Timesheet page is more efficient

Rapid Entry
The Rapid Entry page is set up so that hours, earnings, deductions and contributions can be
entered for more than one employee on one page. This page is a grid format, which shows
employee names according to the sort and filter chosen. Users can change their sort option
on this page by clicking on the sort/filter link. The Rapid Entry page is the most efficient
method of data entry when similar multiple entries are required.

There are two ways to access the Rapid Entry page:

1. When you first enter the pay period, the Rapid Entry page automatically appears.
2. If you are on another page in the system:
 click the Payroll menu
 select Regular Paymentselect Rapid Entry

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Rules for the Rapid Entry Page

 all entries made are for this pay only, the current pay period
 all earnings will be allocated to the employee’s home department
 exception rates cannot be applied on this page
 clicking on the employee’s name will show the user the information on the Employee
Profile page for that employee
 clicking on the page numbers on the bottom of the page will navigate the user to that
page

If information has been entered on the Employee Timesheet for an employee, a Timesheet
link will appear on the Rapid Entry Page. Clicking on the Timesheet link will navigate the
user to the Regular Payment Employee Timesheet page for that particular employee.

Entering Data on the Rapid Entry Page

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 all employees will be listed on the page in the same order as the Employee Search list
sort chosen
 beginning with the first employee listed on the page, enter hours and earnings for
each employee in order
 to move from field to field, tab, use the up or down arrows, or use the mouse
 do not enter regular hours for salaried employees or they will be paid twice

As each page of employee data is completed click Save, or enter. If you do not click on save
or enter before you move to another page the following warning message will appear:

Employee Timesheet
The Employee Timesheet page is where a specific employee’s hours or earnings for a pay
period may be entered. This page contains more options to customize an employee’s
payment than the Rapid Entry page. It should be used to enter any exception data for an
individual that may not be included in the Rapid Entry page grid.

Items commonly entered on the Employee Timesheet page include:

 an entry to override an employee’s salary for the current pay period only
 hourly exception rates
 earnings allocated to a different pay period or department
 vacation pay

To access the Employee Timesheet page:

 click the Payroll menu

 select Regular Payment select Employee Timesheet select the employee from the
Employee Search list

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Entries made on the Rapid Entry page will show on the Employee Timesheet page. Once the
employee’s Rapid Entry page has been saved, no further entries for that employee can be
made on the Rapid Entry page. If an employee has had entries made on the Employee
Timesheet page, no entries can be made on that employee’s Rapid Entry page.

The hours and earnings available are the same ones that were set up on the Timesheet
Defaults page. They can be changed by clicking the dropdown arrow and selecting the
required element.If more lines in the hours and/or earnings sections are needed, click the
Save button and five new lines will automatically be created.

Applicable period of time

This field is used when the period of time that the employee is being paid for is different than
the frequency of the payroll, both hours and earnings will be insurable.

Exception Rate
This is used in cases where the hours entered are to be paid at a different hourly rate than
normal. It is recommended that hours worked at regular rate be entered on the Rapid Entry
page before entering hours worked at an Exception rate on the Employee Timesheet.

For which pay period

Earnings can be allocated to another pay period, for insurability purposes, if they were earned
in a pay period other than the current one.

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Salary Override
This selection is used to set up a replacement value for a salaried employee’s regular
earnings for the current pay only. In the Earnings section of the Employee Timesheet screem,
Salary Override can be selected using the drop-down arrow in the Description column. Enter
the amount that the employee’s regular salary should be replaced with.

Vacation Pay
Vacation pay can be paid in Hours under the Hours Pay Element section (usually for hourly
employees), or in Dollars under the Earnings Pay Element Section (usually for salaried
employees).

 NTT (No Time Taken) – indicates the employee is taking the money and no time off.
The employee will not be credited with any insurable hours for the money received.
 TT (Time Taken) – indicates the employee is taking time off and receiving vacation
pay for that time off. The employee will be credited with insurable hours for the
money received.

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Content Review
 The Rapid Entry page is the most efficient method of data entry when similar
multiple entries are required.
 For entering only one employee’s payments or for entering exceptions to a particular
employee’s payments, the Employee Timesheet page is more efficient.
 Once an entry has been made on the Employee Timesheet page, no further entries for
that employee can be made on the Rapid Entry page.

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Review Questions
9. Explain the two ways to enter hours and earnings in Powerpay.

10. What items can be entered on the Employee Timesheet Page?

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Data Verification
Data verification can be performed at various stages while entering payroll information. If
the payroll balances are based on departments within the organization, payroll information
may be entered by department, and verified using the Data Verification page after each
department’s payroll is complete.

Dollar values from the following pages feed into the Data Verification page:

 Rapid Entry – Regular Payment page: all keyed entries

 Rapid Entry – Second Payment page: all keyed entries
 Employee Timesheet – Regular Payment page: all keyed entries, including salary
overrides and permanent earning overrides
 Employee Timesheet – Second Payment page: all keyed entries, including salary
overrides and permanent earning overrides
 Deductions and Contributions page: all This Pay Only entries (not permanent entries)
 Statutory Deductions page: all This Pay Only entries (not permanent entries),
including one-time additional dollar amounts and dollar amount overrides (for
CPP/QPP, EI, QPIP, Federal and Provincial taxes)
 Direct Deposit page: This Pay Only entries for the second deposit

By checking against the source documents, the payroll data entries can be balanced before
requesting a preview of the payroll. The most important fields to check are the Regular
Payment Totals for Hours and Earnings and Second Payment Totals for Hours and Earnings.
These values come from the Employee Timesheet – Regular Payment page and the
Employee Timesheet – Second Payment page.

To access Data Verification:

 click the Process menu

 select Data Verification

 review the warning messages

 balance the totals at the bottom of the page
 make any necessary adjustments

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Warning messages are for information and verification purposes. They do not stop the
payroll from being produced. Error messages are serious errors that stop the pay from being
produced. If an error is discovered on the Data Verification page, return to the appropriate
page to enter the correction and then rerun the Data Verification to make sure the correction
did not cause any errors.

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Payroll Preview
The Payroll Preview function provides a preview of what the payroll results will be using the
data already entered. This is a simulation as if it was submitted to Ceridian for processing.
At this point the payroll is not a real payroll and will not be acted on by Ceridian. The Payroll
Preview function is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be run as often as
required.

This is the final step of the verification process to make sure the payroll and any requested
ROEs have no errors before submitting the data to Ceridian. If errors are found on the
preview, they can still be corrected.

To run a Payroll Preview:

 click the Process menu

 select Payroll Preview
 click the Request button to initiate the preview process

 wait for the preview processing status messages that will display
 an estimated time to completion will display

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 select either Company Totals or Employee Totals to view the preview results

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Company Totals
Company Totals give the amounts that apply to the entire payroll such as the total
hours/earnings, total employee deductions, total employer contributions, and overall totals.

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Prior to inputting the payroll data, it is recommended that a spreadsheet is prepared detailing
all the hours, earnings, deductions and contributions information that are being entered in the
current pay. When the Payroll Preview is run, the spreadsheet totals can be balanced against
the system generated totals.

If errors are found in the payroll preview, click the Payroll menu and make the corrections.
Then, run the preview again to verify that the payroll is correct. Run Preview as many times
as necessary.

Employee Totals
Employee Totals display the total gross pay, deductions, and net pay for each employee. It
will also list certain various payroll warnings such as large payments and employees without
any pay. By clicking on an employee name, details of the employee’s pay will be shown.

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Record of Employment
ROE Forms display a complete preview of all Records of Employment (ROE) for the entire
payroll. Use the preview for validation and review purposes only, as this is not a final ROE.
The ROE is not final until a serial number is attached during processing. All ROEs contain
'DRAFT' as the serial number and a 'Draft' watermark background.

The first page of each ROE is displayed. At the end of the ROE Report, following all of the
forms, a single page with the back of the ROE displays. The ROE displays in the language
preference of the employee for whom the ROE was created.

Employees receiving a Record of Employment (ROE) will be listed across the top of the
page. When the name is clicked on, the ROE for that employee will be displayed.

ROEs are processed as other on-line reports, and appear on the Reports link under payroll
reports.

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Submitting the Payroll

Submitting the payroll for processing provides Ceridian with the final approval to pay the
employees based on the data that was entered into Powerpay. Once the payroll is submitted
all entered payroll information will be processed.

If the payroll is not submitted for processing, employees will not be paid. If the payroll is
submitted ahead of the due date, the employees will still be paid on the payment date
indicated in the contract, no earlier.

To submit the payroll:

 click the Process menu

 select Submit Payroll
 click the Submit Payroll Data button to send the data

When the payroll file has been submitted no further entries can be made for that pay period.

The payroll submission is complete when a message is displayed with the confirmation
number. This message can be printed for reference purposes.

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Exit Powerpay
Once the payroll has been submitted, log off Powerpay by using the Logoff icon to correctly
exit the Powerpay application. Do not exit by clicking the ‘X’ on the top right corner of the
browser. This will cause the session to remain active for 30 minutes before it is “timed-out”.
During this time Powerpay will not be accessible and security may be compromised.

The recommended process is also to logoff when taking a break from working in Powerpay.

To log off Powerpay:

 click the Log Off icon

 answer yes or no by clicking the appropriate button
 type in a suggestion or comment (optional)
 click the Log Off button to return to the Powerpay website

Users have the opportunity to provide Ceridian feedback about the Powerpay application and
session. Click one of the radio buttons at the top of the Log Off page to indicate how the
Powerpay experience was. Comments and suggestions can also be entered into the text box
provided. The Powerpay Team Manager reviews all comments entered here.

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Content Review
 Data verification can be performed at various stages while entering payroll
information.
 Green warning messages are for information and verification. They do not stop the
payroll from being produced.
 Red error messages are serious errors that stop the pay from being produced.
 The Payroll Preview function provides a preview of what the payroll results will be
using the data already entered.
 Company Totals give the amounts that apply to the entire payroll such as the total
hours/earnings, total employee deductions, total employer contributions, and overall
totals.
 Employee Totals display the total gross pay, deductions, and net pay for each
employee.
 ROE Forms display a complete preview of all ROEs for the entire payroll.
 Submitting the payroll for processing provides Ceridian with the final approval to pay
the employees based on the data that was entered into Powerpay.
 When the payroll file has been submitted no further entries can be made for that pay
period.
 Once the payroll has been submitted, log off Powerpay by using the Logoff link to
correctly exit the Powerpay application.

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Review Questions
11. Which pages feed dollar values into the Data Verification page?

12. Which error messages will stop the pay from being produced?

13. What is the final step of the verification process?

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14. What information is found on the Company Totals?

15. What information is found on the Employee Totals?

16. What is the correct method for exiting the system?

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Chapter Review Questions and Answers

1. What are the steps to access a Pay Period once it has been set up in the system?

To access a Pay Period:

 ensure the Select Pay page is selected by clicking the Pay Period link
 click the Enter/View Payroll Data link located at the far right of the page

2. How many times can payroll data be input during a pay period?

Payroll data can be input as many times as required during the pay period.

3. List the information that is required to set up a new employee in Powerpay.

The following information is required to set up a new employee in Powerpay:

 Last Name
 First Name
 Pay Type
 Standard Hours per Pay
 Province of Employment
 Tax Status (Federal and Provincial)
 CPP/QPP Status
 EI Category
 Department
 Vacation Plan
 Additional Accumulator Plan

4. True or False. A new employee’s required information can be partially entered and
completed later during another session.

False. If any of the required fields on the Hire/Profile page are missing information,
the page cannot be saved.

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5. What are an employee’s options for their net pay deposit?

Employees have the option of directing a portion of their net pay intoother bank
accounts. They can choose whether the additional deposit(s) will be a flat dollar
amount or a percentage of their net pay.

6. What is the difference between a deduction and a contribution?

A deduction is an amount to be deducted from an employee’s gross pay for non-

statutory deductions. A contribution is an amount that the employer pays on behalf
of the employee.

7. What is a status change?

A status change is an event that changes an employee’s working status, such as

activating, terminating, re-hiring, or placing on leave.

8. Complete the following table for each action, indicating which page would be used.

ACTION PAGE
Set up a new employee Hire/Profile
Set up an extra payroll Select Pay
Enter additional income tax withholdings Statutory Deductions
Enter regular salary Hire/Profile
Change an employee’s social club deduction Deductions & Contributions
Override salary Employee Timesheet
Activate an employee who was on leave Status Changes
Set up the current pay period Select Pay
Change an employee’s hourly rate Hire/Profile
Enter the dollar value of an employee’s car Permanent Rates, Factors, Earnings
allowance

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9. Explain the two ways to enter hours and earnings in Powerpay.

There are two ways to enter hours and earnings through Powerpay Web:

 for multiple entries of the same hours, earnings, deductions and/or

contribution elements for multiple employees, the Rapid Entry page is more
efficient
 for entering only one employee’s payments or for entering exceptions to a
particular employee’s payments, the Employee Timesheet page is more
efficient

10. What items can be entered on the Employee Timesheet Page?

Items commonly entered on the Employee Timesheet page include:

 an entry to override an employee’s salary for the current pay period only
 hourly exception rates
 earnings allocated to a different pay period or department
 vacation pay

11. Which pages feed dollar values into the Data Verification page?

Dollar values from the following pages feed into the Data Verification page:

 Employee Timesheet – Regular Payment page: all keyed entries, including

salary overrides and permanent earning overrides
 Employee Timesheet – Second Payment page: all keyed entries, including
salary overrides and permanent earning overrides
 Deductions and Contributions page: all This Pay Only entries (not
permanent entries)
 Statutory Deductions page: all This Pay Only entries (not permanent
entries), including one-time additional dollar amounts and dollar amount
overrides (for CPP/QPP, EI, QPIP, Federal and Provincial taxes)
 Direct Deposit page: This Pay Only entries for the second deposit

12. Which messages will stop the pay from being produced?

Error messages are serious errors that stop the pay from being produced.

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13. What is the final step of the verification process?

Payroll Preview is the final step of the verification process to make sure the payroll
and any requested ROEs have no errors before submitting the data to Ceridian.

14. What information is found on the Company Totals?

Company Totals give the amounts that apply to the entire payroll such as the total
hours/earnings, total employee deductions, total employer contributions, and overall
totals.

15. What information is found on the Employee Totals?

Employee Totals display the total gross pay, deductions, and net pay for each
employee. It will also list certain various payroll warnings such as large payments
and employees without any pay.

16. What is the correct method for exiting the system?

Once the payroll has been submitted, log off Powerpay by using the Logoff icon to
correctly exit the Powerpay application.

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