Employees & Payroll Archives

Using Payroll Time Sheets

Introducing Time Sheets for Labor Tracking

Time Sheets are one way of telling Total Office Manager how to calculate an employee’s pay. In the employee payroll items you can tell Total Office Manager to calculate an employee’s hours via time sheet or not. Enabling time sheets forces the payroll administrator to add the time to the time sheet.

For example, an employee that always works 40 hours and does not need their hours tracked can be setup in Total Office Manager to not use Time Sheet hours. However, this means that they MUST have default hours entered for their pay period (see the Earnings Tab of the Employee Payroll Items).

To fill in time sheets, use the Time sheet menu item in the payroll menu. All time sheets are viewed in one week time frames. The time sheet uses the earning types used by the employee and all customers/jobs entered into Total Office Manager. The earning type is required, the job is not. However, if the users wish to track time against a job, the Job ID information must be selected.

Form Access

From the main menu, click Employees > Time Sheets/Time Tracking.

Tip: You can open this form from many places in the software to save time. Example: If you come from a Work Order, the relative WO information will copy into the Time Sheet.

Step-By-Step

Select Employee and Date Range. In the Employee drop down list, select the active employee you want to use. Only active employees are displayed.
Using the calendar, select a day to view. If the day has any data, that day will be bold and in red.
Enter hours or edit data as needed in the time sheet line area. See “Using the Time Sheet form” below for details.

Using the Time Sheet Form

Use of this form is pretty simple. Please check out the Time Sheet Grid – Daily Data Tab below to see what each column and field means. Once complete, you can print the time sheet.

Use the Week at a Glance tab to see the entire week in summary form. You cannot edit any of the data on this tab.

Button and Field Definitions

Employee Combo: Select the active employee you want to edit. All employees are displayed on this list; even if they are not setup as hourly.

Date Selection: Select the date to view using the calendar. If the day has time sheet information, that day will be bold and colored red.

Drop Down Calendar: In the “Hours” field, there is a calculator that you can use if you find is handy.

Advance One Day On Save: The next day will be automatically selected when you click the Save button. This is a time saving feature.

Print: Print preview a simple time sheet for the select employee and the selected week. The style of the report will depend on what tab you are viewing.

Exit: Saves changes and closes the form.

Time Sheet Grid – Daily Data Tab

Column 1 (Delete): Click the red X to delete the line item and all data on that line including hours, earning type and job type.

Column 2 (Earning Type): Drop down that has all of the active earning types for the currently selected employee. This field is mandatory – you cannot enter timesheet data (hours) without first selecting an earning type.

Column 3 (Cust:Job): Drop down that has all of the active customers/job in Total Office Manager. This field is optional.

Column 4 (WO #): The WO field is used to indicate the work order to which the line item is associated. If the Customer field has been filled in, the WO drop-down list will display work orders for that customer only. If the Customer field has not been filled in, the WO drop-down list will only make available <Lookup> as a selection. Clicking <Lookup> will open the Work Order Lookup list, which can be used to lookup any work order in the system. Double-clicking on a work order will populate both the Customer field and the WO field in the original purchase order.

Alternatively, when working from within a work order, the Complete/Add Time Sheet Entry command will open the time sheet and automatically populate the employee, date, Customer:job, WO #, start time, stop time, and hours (duration).

Column 5 (Service Item): Optional. Select a Service Item type from the list. This associates the labor you will pay the employee with this particular service item. This labor will become that service item’s COGS for this Customer:job. This is very important if you wish to job cost and do it accurately.

Column 6 (Department): Optional. Select a department from the list to associate this labor expense with the department. This is very important if you wish to track expenses by department (recommended).

Column 7 (Start Time): Optional. Enter the “time in” or the starting time for this labor entry. This is handy if you wish to track the actual time employees start and stop on jobs.

Column 8 (Stop Time): Optional. Enter the “time out” or the ending time for this labor entry. This is handy if you wish to track the actual time employees start and stop on jobs.

Column 9 (Hours): Required. The total hours worked for that line. This field will auto calculate if you use the Start and Stop time fields but you can still change it to any number (not recommended).

Column 10 (Topic): Select a topic to briefly describe the payroll entries. In other words, select a topic that best describes the payroll for that day. A topic maybe selected for each day. This information is saved ONLY when you have entered hours for that day. The selections come from the Log Topic List (Company | Lists | Log Topic List).

Column 11 (Odometer/Meter): Enter the odometer reading or operating hours (if any) for a particular job or day. This may be entered for each day. This information is saved ONLY when you have entered hours for that day. Enter the odometer reading and not the number of miles driven. This information is entered into the asset’s history and can be used to calculate operating costs. The information may also be used to create reminders for maintenance or any handy reminder that is driven by miles, hours, or dates. See Asset Manager for more information.

Column 12 (Notes): Enter notes (if needed) to explain the entry. Notes may be entered for each day. This information is saved ONLY when you have entered hours for that day.

Payroll Time Sheet Tips

If you wish to use time-sheet hours when processing payroll, you will need to check the Use Time Sheet Hours check box in payroll items. Click Employees | Employee List | Select the Employee | Click the Payroll Items button | Check the Use Time Sheet Hours Box on the General Tab.
You can still use the Time Sheet feature for salaried employees. This can be helpful if you wish to track time and other information for analytical purposes.
When you complete a WO, you may select the Complete\Add Time Sheet Entry option. This will automatically populate the employee, date, Customer:job, WO #, start time, stop time, and hours (duration).
There are preferences to prevent one user from editing or adding time sheet entries and notes for another user. Please click Edit | Preferences to see all of your options.

Time Sheet FAQ

Q: Will the time sheet form automatically add overtime hours when the employee gets into overtime?

A: No. There are so many variables. For many companies, overtime can be required for many more reasons that just exceeding forty hours in one work week. You will need to add overtime hours manually to an Earning Item created for overtime pay. While entering data in the Time Sheet, you will be able to see how many hours the employee has for the work week. If overtime is warranted, select a Payroll Earning Item created for Overtime Pay. Enter the number of minutes for overtime.

Sales Commission Tracking

Introduction to Sales Commission Methods

Sales and Invoices include a Sales Commission Tracking form where employees are selected to receive a commission. Commissions are calculated by selecting employees on Sales/Invoices and using pre-defined calculation methods. When processing payroll, these employees and their commissions are selected and may be edited or changed prior to the creation of the check.

Step-By-Step

Establish Permissions

Your first need to allow the appropriate user permission to access the commission related forms. From the main menu, click Company | User List/Security.
This action opens the permissions form. Click Next.
Locate the appropriate form and report that your users will need access to. The settings are shown below.
Check the Commission Method, Commission Method List, and Sales Commission Tracking options. These three selections should be sufficient to use this feature. We generally don’t recommend that anyone have permission to delete.

Granting Access to the Assign Commission Method Form

Access to the Assign Commission form is granted when a user has permission to the Assign Commission Method form.

Go to Company > User List/Security. Look in the Customer section for Assign Commissions (near the top).

Security Tip: Access to the Assign Commission form is controlled through security. You should be careful who is allowed to access this form, since it affects payroll. It is recommended that a specific person be assigned the task of assigning and or reviewing commissions, prior to processing payroll.

Creating Commission Methods

Open the Commission Method List. From the main menu click Employees | List | Commission Method List.
Enter a name to describe the commission.
Enter a Value if needed. See “About the Value Field” below for more information.
that makes sense and a value. Continue to add various Sales Commission calculation methods as needed.
Select a Value from the list. You have numerous types of Commission Methods (calculation methods) available to you. Each of them is defined below.
Continue to add various Sales Commission calculation methods as needed.

About the Value Field

Depending on the method selected, the Value is either the percentage to be used or a multiplier.

For example, when using a method that pays a percentage, the Value is that percentage. When using the Labor Minutes (aka: Flat Rate Time) method, the Value is a multiplier. In that case, you would leave the Value field blank (or zero) to use 100% of that amount. Enter .5 to use 50% of the rate, 1.5 to use 150% of that rate, etc.

Commission Methods Defined

Sales Commission Method Payroll

Fixed Dollar Amount: This method allows you to pay a set dollar amount commission for each Invoice or Sale created. An example might be $15.00 per transaction.

Percentage of Sub-Total: This method allows you to enter a Sales Commission percentage rate. The Sales Commission will be calculated by multiplying the sub-total (total before tax) by the commission rate (percentage). An example might be 10% of the amount sold.

Percentage of Direct Cost: This calculation will consider the Average Cost of the item(s). If the Average Cost is null, we will use the Estimated Cost. If Average Cost and Estimated Cost are null, the commission will be zero. This method always uses the Cost filed from the Sale/Invoice. Note: If you pay commissions and later change the Sale/Invoice, this amount may be wrong.

Percentage of Retail Labor: This method allows you to enter a Sales Commission percentage rate. The Sales Commission will be calculated by multiplying the Total Retail amount of all Service Type items that are marked Labor Only by the commission rate (percentage). An example might be 15% of the Retail Labor Total.

Adjustable: This method allows you to enter a variable dollar amount of commission for each Invoice or Sale created. If there is never a set dollar amount or it varies greatly, then this commission method could be used.

Percentage of Gross Profit on Materials: This method allows you to calculate commission based off a percentage of the Gross Profit on Materials. This calculation will look at Inventory, Serialized, Non-Inventory, Other Charge and Service type items with an assigned COGS Account and take the Retail Price minus the Item Cost to total the gross profit of materials. (Non-Inventory, Other Charge and Service items must have the checkbox checked within the Item form to allocate both an Income and COGS account. Each one of these items has a labeled checkbox such as, “This item is purchased for and sold to…”).

Note: We did not design the Percentage of Gross Profit on Material Commission Method to consider discounts. It looks at the gross profit of each item, sums it up, and applies the percentage to that number. Here are some reasons we don’t consider discounts.

!. Accounting rules dictate that gross profit only includes costs. Discounts are not considered costs. 2. We cannot be certain what discounts apply to which items and in what proportion. 3. Companies might discount a service ticket due to an issue that is beyond the control of the technician. The tech still gets the commission even though there was a discount added at the discretion of the company.

Percentage of Labor Cost: This method allows you to calculate commission based off a percentage of Total Labor Cost. The Labor Cost is figured by assigned a Labor Cost value to each Item. Only Item Types of Inventory, Serialized, Non-Inventory, Other Charge and Service can have a Labor Cost. (Non-Inventory, Other Charge and Service items must have the special checkbox option checked within the Item to assign a Labor Cost). In order to assign a Labor Cost to items you must enable the Preference within Edit| Preferences| Payroll| Company Preferences tab that says, “Use Labor Cost for Commissions”. To read more about this method please see the help topic called “Piecemeal Pay”.

Item Commission: This commission is calculated by multiplying the Value times the Sales Commission field found on most item types. Leave the Value blank (or zero) to use 100% of that amount. Enter .5 to use 50% of the commission, 1.5 to use 150% of that commission, etc.

Service Agreement: This commission method only applies to Service Agreement items. The Value is a percentage of the Retail Price of the Service Agreement without regard to Sales Tax. Enter 10 to pay a 10% commission on the Retail price of the SA.

Percentage of Total Retail Price: This method calculates a sales commission based on a percentage of the total retail price of the invoice. The Variable option allows you to vary the commission by level. Sales Tax may optionally be considered.

Percentage of Adjusted Retail Price: This method calculates a sales commission based on a percentage of the total retail price of the invoice less the item’s Estimated Costs. The Variable option allows you to vary the commission by Retail Price level. You have the option of including Sales Tax in the retail price.

Labor Minutes (aka: Flat Rate Time): Calculates Commission by multiplying the Labor Minutes of each item on the invoice by the employee’s Default Earning Item (located in Employee Payroll Items). Leave the Value field blank (or zero) to use 100% of that amount. Enter .5 to use 50% of the rate, 1.5 to use 150% of that rate, etc. This method is popular in the automotive industry where mechanics are often paid using “book time”.

Establish Defaults

Open the Employee’s Payroll Items form.
On the General tab select a Default Commission Method and Default Commission Earning Item. These are default values that will be auto-selected. They can be changed at anytime here or while paying commissions.

We highly recommend that you create a dedicated “Sales Commission” Payroll Earning Item for this purpose. You can call this Earning Item anything you wish, but for tracking and reporting purposes, you will want to have a dedicated Earning Item for this process.

Assigning Commissions

Create Invoices and Sales as usual.
From the Menu button (while in the Sales or Invoice) click the Assign Commission option. A form will open like the one shown below.
Select the Employee. The Assign Commissions will default to the selection made in the Employee Payroll Items. You can change it if needed. For security reasons, the commission amount cannot be changed at this point. Only a user with appropriate payroll-related security permission will be able to change the commission amount and that is done while processing Payroll.
- You can assign the same Employee more than once. You might do this if you wish to pay them a commission that involves two or more Commission Methods.
- The Paid column indicates whether or not the commission has been added to a Payroll Check.
- You cannot access the Commission Method form from the Invoice\Sales list. The invoice must be opened.

Paying Commissions

Paying commissions is part of regular Payroll. From the Process Pay Group select an Employee and click the Add Commissions button.

Select the various commissions that you wish to pay. You may change the Commission Method, Earning Item, or Commission dollar amount as needed.
- Note: Once a commission is paid, it will no longer appear on this list. This is true even if you pay only a portion of the commission.
- You will be able to see if the invoice has been paid. This way, you can delay paying a commission until the invoice is paid.
Proceed with processing Payroll as you normally would. The commissions will appear on your paychecks and be detailed in all of the various Pay-stubs and Payroll reports.

Reports

We have included a report that is located under Reports | Payroll | Sales Commission Tracking.

Important Notes

This report displays the commission amount that was originally entered using the Assign Commission form. The actual amount paid to your Employee could be different because you can overwrite this amount when you actually create the Paycheck.
The Paid and Check Number columns only appear once the Paycheck has actually been created.
If you need more history, use other reports related to the Payroll Earnings Item that you are using to track commissions. From the main menu click Reports | Payroll to view the various Payroll reports.

Tips

Commissions can be calculated on an item by item basis. Use the Item Commission Method and enter a value in each item. Use the Value field on the Commission Method to multiplier the commission up or down (optional).
Sales and Use Tax is never considered in commission calculations. There is an exception for certain methods. In those cases, you will see a check box called Include Sales Tax in Retail Price. That box is not checked by default.

W-2 Processing

Introduction

Each year the Federal government requires that the employer send a W-2 Form to each employee that received wages for the previous year. Total Office Manager allows you generate W-2 Forms quickly and easily. It also gives you the ability to add any special items that Total Office Manager does not automatically include.

Who must file Form W-2?

Employers must file Form W-2 for wages paid to each employee from whom income, social security, or Medicare tax was withheld or income tax would have been withheld if the employee had claimed no more than one withholding allowance or had not claimed exemption from withholding on Form W-4.

Also, every employer engaged in a trade or business who pays remuneration for services performed by an employee, including non-cash payments, must furnish a Form W-2 to each employee even if the employee is related to the employer.

Please note that if you are required to file 250 or more W-2 forms, you must file them electronically unless you got a waiver from the IRS.

Form Access

From the main menu, click Employee | W2 and W3 (Wage and Tax Statement).

Step-By-Step

Select a year from the drop down menu and click Calculate to create new W2 forms. You will be prompted for an optional control number. The Control Number field appears on the IRS W2 form. Total Office Manager does not require this number. Most businesses will not need to enter a control number. It does not matter if you enter one or not.
Select a year from the menu and click View to see the W2 forms. If there is no data for the year selected, it is automatically generated. The W2 window then opens.
The user can then edit any field (with a white background) on the form. When finished, they can choose ‘Recalculate’ from the W2 Processing form (shown above).

Tips

W2 processing (and W2) is very important and accuracy is essential. Please see your accountant if you need specific help for your business.

Payroll – Form 941 Explained

Federal Payroll Forms and Instructions

941 Form: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f941.pdf

Schedule B (Form 941): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f941sb.pdf

941 Form Instructions: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i941.pdf

Schedule B (Form941) Instructions: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i941sb.pdf

Draft 941 Form: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/f941–dft.pdf

Draft Schedule B (Form 941): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/f941sb–dft.pdf

Data to Review and Reports Needed

When verifying information on the 941, you may need to reference the following information:

Company Information (Company | Company Information)
Payroll Summary (Reports | Payroll)
1. Run for the reporting quarter.
2. Run for the periods prior to the reporting quarter.
3. Run for specific periods within the reporting quarter.
Payroll Item Detailed History (Reports | Payroll)
1. Run for the reporting quarter.
Employee Time Sheets (Reports | Payroll)
1. Run for the 12^th day of the month for the last month in the reporting quarter.
Payroll Earning and Deduction Setup (Employees | Lists | Payroll Items List or Lists | Payroll Items )
Employee Payroll Earning, Deduction, and Tax Setup (Employees | Employee List | Right Click | Employee Payroll Items).

Form Access

To access the 941 in Total Office Manager, navigate to Employees | 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Fed Tax Return).

Form Header

Employer Identification number (EIN) – This is found on the Other Information tab of the company information form. The Federal Identification field is a text field that will be parsed into the nine fields. If more than nine characters (alpha, numeric, and/or special) are entered, only the first nine numeric digits will be utilized.

Name – This is found on the General tab of the company information form. The Name field will populate to the Name field on the 941.

Address – This is found on the General tab of the company information form. The Address 1 and Address 2 will populate into the first line of the address on the 941. The first field in City/State/Zip will populate into the second line city on the 941. The second field in City/State/Zip will populate into the second line state on the 941. The third field in City/State/Zip will populate into the second line zip code on the 941.

Report for this Quarter 20XX – This is populated based on the Year and Quarter selected when generating the 941 under Employees | 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Fed Tax Return).

Page 1

Box 1 – Total number of Employees that received a paycheck where they worked on the 12^th day of the month of the last quarter month as listed below for the reporting quarter.

Verification: Run the Employee Time Sheet report for the 12^th of the month for the last month of the quarter you are reviewing. Include in your count any employee that received a paycheck in the last month of the quarter that worked on the 12^th of the month.

Label on the form: Number of Employees who received wages, tips, and other compensation for the Pay Period including Mar. 12^th (1^st qtr), Jun. 12^th (2^nd qtr), Sept. 12^th (3^rd qtr), or Dec. 12^th (4^th qtr)

Box 2 – Total Wages for the reporting quarter. These wages are the total of all Earnings where the FIT and/or Federal Income Tax is assigned to the Earning less any Deduction that is exempt from the FIT and/or Federal Income Tax. These Earnings are pulled from Paychecks and YTD Adjustments.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Total wages, tips, and other compensation

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The wages are to match the total of what is reported in Box 1 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 3 – Income Tax withheld from wages, tips, and other compensation. This this information is the total FIT and/or Federal Income Tax withheld from Paychecks, entered on YTD Adjustments, and Employee Liability Adjustments during for the reporting quarter.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Total Income Tax (FIT) withheld from wages, tips, and other compensation

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The taxes are to match the total of what is reported in Box 2 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 4 – Wages exempt from FICA SS and/or FICA Med. No computation is required.

Box formatting: This is a checkbox field.

Label on the form: Check this box if there are no wages subject to the Social Security and/or Medicare tax.

Check and go to Line 6. (label next to checkbox)

Box 5a – Total FICA SS wages for the reporting quarter. These wages are the total of all Earnings where FICA SS is assigned to the Earning less any Deduction that is exempt from the FICA SS tax (Column 1). These Earnings are pulled from Paychecks and YTD Adjustments. Column 2 is the result of Column 1 X 0.124.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Taxable Social Security Wages

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The Column 1 wages are to match the total of what is reported in Box 3 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms. Column 2 taxes are to match the total of what is reported in Box 4 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 5b – Total FICA SS tips for the reporting period. This is a free form box that the user can enter a value into Column 1. Column 2 is the result of Column 1 X 0.124.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Taxable Social Security Tips

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The Column 1 wages are to match the total of what is reported in Box 7 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms. Column 2 taxes are to match the what is reported in Box 8 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 5c – Total FICA Med wages for the reporting period. These wages are the total of all Earnings where FICA Med is assigned to the Earning less any Deduction that is exempt from the FICA Med tax (Column 1). These Earnings are pulled from Paychecks and YTD Adjustments. Column 2 is the result of Column 1 X 0.029.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Taxable Medicare Wages and Tips

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The Column 1 wages are to match the total of what is reported in Box 5 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms. Column 2 taxes are included in what is reported in Box 6 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 5d – Total of excess FICA Med wages for the reporting period. These wages are the total of all Earnings where FICA Med is assigned to the Earning less any Deduction that is exempt from the FICA Med tax that exceeds $200,000 (Column 1). These Earnings are pulled from Paychecks and YTD Adjustments. Column 2 is the result of Column 1 X 0.009.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Taxable Medicare Wages and Tips subject to Additional Medicare Tax withholding

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The Column 1 wages are included in what is reported in Box 5 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms. Column 2 taxes are included in what is reported in Box 6 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 5e – Total FICA SS, FICA Med, and Additional Medicare taxes from Column 2 (Column 2 lines 5a + 5b + 5c + 5d = line 5e).

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Add Column 2 from lines 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The taxes are to match the total of what is reported in Box 4 + Box 6 + Box 8 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 5f – Section 3121(q) Notice and Demand – Tax Due on unreported tips (see instructions). This is a free form box that a user can type a value into. Value can be positive or negative.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Section 3121(q) Notice and Demand – Tax Due on unreported tips (see instructions)

Box 6 – Total taxes before any adjustments are made. This is the total form Line 3 + Line 5e + Line 5f.

Box formatting: currency, no dollar symbol

Label on the form: Total taxes before adjustments (Line 3 + Line 5e + Line 5f)

YEAR END RECONCILIATION: The taxes are to match the total of what is reported in Box 2 + Box 4 + Box 6 of the W-2 (individual) and W-3 (summary) forms.

Box 7 – Current fractions of a cent adjustment. This is a free form box that a user can type a value into. Value can be positive or negative.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Current quarter’s adjustment for fractions of cents

Box 8 – Current quarter’s adjustment for sick pay. This is a free form box that a user can type a value into. Value can be positive or negative.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Current quarter’s adjustment for Sick Pay

Box 9 – “Current quarter’s adjustments for tips and group-term life insurance” – This is a free form box that a user can type a value into. Value entered can be positive or negative.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Current quarter’s adjustment for Tips and Group-Term Life Insurance

Box 10 – Total taxes after all adjustments are entered. This is a calculated box that sums Lines 6 through Line 9.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Total taxes after adjustments (Line 6 + Line 7 + Line 8 + Line 9)

Box 11 – Qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities. This is a new line added to the form for 2017 tax year. This is a free form box that the user can enter a value into.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol

Label on the form: Qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities. Attach Form 8974

Box 12 – Total taxes after adjustments and credits. This is a calculated box that subtracts Lines 11 from Line 12.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Total taxes after adjustments and credits. (Line 11 – Line 10)

Box 13 – Total Deposits including overpayments. This box should total all Payroll Liability Checks and Employee Payroll Liability Adjustment amounts for FIT and/or Federal Income Tax, FICA SS, FICA Med, FICA SS Employer, and FICA Med Employer that were made during the reporting period.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Total Deposits, including prior quarter overpayments

Box 14 – Balance Due. If Line 12 is more than Line 13, difference is calculated here.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Balance Due

Box 15 – Overpayment. If Line 13 is more than Line 12, difference is calculated here.

Box formatting: Currency, no dollar symbol.

Label on the form: Overpayment

Part 2: Deposit Schedule and Tax Liability

Box 16 – Tax Liability for the Quarter

Option 1:

Box formatting: This is a checkbox field.

Label on the form: Check this box if Line 12 is less than $2,500 and you did not have more than $100,000 in next day deposits.

Option 2:

Box formatting: This is a checkbox field.

Label on the form: Check this box if you are a monthly schedule depositor. Once checked, you will need to recalculate the 941 to calculate the total taxes for FIT and/or Federal Income Tax, FICA SS, and FICA Med on Paychecks, entered on YTD Adjustments, and entered on Employee Liability Adjustments for the reporting period.

Option 3:

Box formatting: This is a checkbox field.

Label on the form: Check this box if you are a semiweekly schedule depositor. Checking this option generates the Schedule B.

Part 3: Notifications to the IRS

Box 17 – Notification to the IRS the business has closed.

Label on the form: Close of business. Check this box if your business has closed. Select the date that wages were last paid.

Box 18 – Notification to the IRS the business does not have year-round employees.

Label on the form: Seasonal Employer. Check this box if you only hire employees seasonally. Checking this box lets the IRS know you will not be filing four Form 941s throughout the year.

Part 4: Third Party Designee

This section is used to designated someone else to speak to the IRS about the information contained in the 941 form. This person may be an employee, accountant, or anyone that has knowledge of your company and payroll processing.

Part 5: Signatures

This section is used to sign for acknowledgement to the IRS. A person can only sign the 941 if they are an approved role by IRS definition. For a list of the approved roles for an entity, please reference the Part 5: Sign Here (Approved Roles) section on page 11 of the 941 instructions.

Geo Time Tracker™ – Setup & Usage

Easily Clock In and Out of Work Orders

Thank you for making the choice to invest in our application. This application’s main purpose is to perform timesheet tasks, such as clocking in and out, without the requirement of having an internet connection. The result is the same as if the user used the Timesheet/Time Tracking form in Total Office Manager.

The app is a great alternative to using Aptora Mobile II when you do not need all of the features found in that program. For example, your installation technician and hourly office workers might find the app especially useful. It might be far cheaper than a traditional time clock that requires double entry.

Users don’t need constant internet access. The timesheets recorded within the application can be synced (uploaded) into your Total Office Manager database later. Using the Sync operation is a one-click event.

To help you get started, this page can give you basic information on how each screen is set up for you to use.

Installation of the Software

Geo Time Tracker is a pure app and can be purchased from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. There is no browser version. We only offer an app.

Download and install the app as you would any other app on your device.
Open the app. You will be prompted to enter some setup information. This is a one-time event.
Enter Your Mobile URL. A screen will open asking for your Aptora Mobile II website URL. An example of this might be https://mobile.proamericanservices.com:8801
The next screen will ask you for your user name and password. This is your regular “Mobile” user name and password that was set up for you in Total Office Manager.

Updating the App

Your app will be updated in the same way you update all of your other mobile apps.

Note: Your company may also need to update Aptora Mobile II and or Total Office Manager for the app to work properly and include the latest enhancements.

Platform Specific Operations

The below are directions on how to perform actions on each device type:

Record Selection

When selecting a record (like a work order), Android Apps and iOS apps work a little differently.

For Android – Press and Hold
For iOS – Swipe Left

Home

This is page is the only pure offline mode page within the application. It will allow you to clock in and out of timesheets. As well as the ability to record notes for each of those timesheets.

Timesheets

Requires Internet Access

This page will display the logged in users Timesheets that have been sync within the Aptora Mobile database. The results are filtered down to the user’s current payroll period. Once the app has results and there is a loss in internet activity, the last results will be displayed.

Work Orders

Requires Partial Internet Access

This page has a unique function within the application, as the page only needs internet access one-time per day. Using the Sync button will pull Work Orders assigned for the logged-in user and will be filtered by the current date. Once the data is loaded, it will be stored locally and will not be removed until the Sync button is used again. The user can then select a row to start an En Route or Working timesheet. After a timesheet has been started from a Work Order the user will have to stop the timesheet before performing a Work Order Sync operation.

Chat

Requires Internet Access

This page allows the user to chat with other users within the following applications:

Geo Time Tracker
Aptora Mobile II
Scheduler Board (soon to be released)
Total Office Manager (soon to be released)

Synchronizing Your Data

Requires Partial Internet Access

This page is where the user will be able to sync their local timesheets to the Aptora Mobile server’s database. If the timesheet is displayed on this page, it has not been synced. Once the timesheet has been synced, the local timesheet will be disposed from the local storage. These synced timesheets will now be found on the Timesheets page, if they meet the page’s requirements.

There are two ways to sync the timesheets on this page. The first is in mass using the Sync button; while the second is by selecting a row. After selecting a row, the user will get a Sync and Delete option. The Delete option only removes the local timesheets and will not remove timesheets from the Aptora Mobile server’s database.

Tips

Geo Time Tracker™ requires ownership and use of Total Office Manager® and Aptora Mobile II® from Aptora. You will also need a current support plan.
Each user will need to purchase the app. There is also a license fee to use the software.
This software connects directly to your Total Office Manager database. When there is a live internet connection, information entered into Geo Time Tracker is instantly available in Total Office Manager and Aptora Mobile II. No internet connection? No problem! Geo Time Tracker will keep all of the user’s information. With just one click, the user can synchronize with Total Office Manager and Aptora Mobile II when there is a connection.
When users punch in and out with Geo Time Tracker, regular timesheets are created in Total Office Manager. There is no double entry.
The app was not designed to replace Aptora Mobile II. Users cannot process or manage work orders or invoices using this app. It was designed mostly for installers or helpers, so they can clock in and out on a work order. You don’t need a work order though. That is an option. You can simply use the app to clock in and out. The result is the same as if the user used the Timesheet/Time Tracking form in Total Office Manager.
GPS data (geolocation) is recorded each time a user punches in or out. You will know the actual location of the user when they use the time clock.

Employees – Adding New

Adding and Editing Employees

This topic will cover setting up, adding, editing, deleting, and making an Employee inactive. Note: Payroll Items will be discussed in its own help topic (see payroll items).

Form Access

From the main menu, click Employees | Employee List or
From the toolbar, click the Employee button.

Usage

Use this form to set up all your employees. Total Office Manager provides you with a thorough form to use for entering all the pertinent information you will need for each of your employees. Total Office Manager also provides, a User Defined Fields that you may use to enter any information that is not on the form. Example: Spouse’s work phone number, mother’s phone number, Employee’s birthday, etc.

There is an image function which can be used to store photos of your Employees and their personal ID (driver’s license). You could store images of equipment that has been assigned to a particular employee, etc.

Under the Additional Information tab, you will find an Assigned Asset window, which will display any assets assigned to a particular employee (this information is entered in the Asset Manager form Company > Asset Manager). The assigned assets will automatically populate this window. Example: Tools, van, truck, computer, pager, cell phone, printer, etc.

The employee’s home phone number will be associated with the Phone Monitor System (Company > Phone Monitor). If an employee calls in, you have the ability to instantly go to their file. A Log is available, click on the Log tab and you will see, at a glance, the history of the employee. Example: Their last evaluation, the dates they served jury duty, funeral leave, called in sick, came in late, etc.

Field Definitions Address Info Tab:

Mr./Mrs.	Not required. Enter as appropriate.
First Name	Enter the first name of the employee.
M.I	Enter the middle initial of the employee (if applicable)
Last Name	Enter the last name of the employee.
Print Check As	Enter the legal given name of the employee.
Address	Enter the street address of the employee.
Address 2	Enter an apartment number, suite number, or building number c/o name.
City	Enter the city the employee resides in.
State/Province	Enter the state or province the employee resides in.
Zip/Postal	Enter the zip code or postal code for the employee. If you don’t know the code, use the Find button to the left of the zip code field.
Country	(Optional) Enter the country the employee resides in.
Phone/Ext.	Enter the employee’s home phone number, extension if applicable.
Fax	Enter the employee’s fax number if applicable.
Cell	Enter the employee’s cell Phone if applicable.
Pager	Enter the employee’s pager if applicable.
Pager- Pin	Enter the employee’s pager-pin number if applicable.
Alt. Ph.	Enter an alternate phone number if applicable.
E-mail	Enter employee’s e-mail address if applicable.
Website	Enter employee’s website if applicable.
Type	Enter if the employee is a full time or part time employee.

Field Definitions Additional Info Tab:

Assigned Assets

This window populates automatically with information entered into the Asset Manager form.

User Defined Field

Enter information not found on the standard form. Select from the list or create your own by clicking on the hand icon.

Limit PO Amount

Only the administrator can make changes to this control and security must be enabled.

Employees are allowed to enter POs if they have general permission to do so. You may also set a dollar limit on the POs they create. Enter a maximum amount here. If you enter a zero or leave it blank, there will be NO dollar limit.

Note: You also have the ability to set a global default limit in the Preferences form. If you do not enter a limit in the employee form, the default limit in the preferences form will be used (if any). Any limit entered here, overwrites the default limit.

Field Definitions Log Tab:

Date	The current date will populate this field automatically.
Time	The current time will populate this field automatically.
Topic	Enter or select (from the drop down menu) the topic of the log event. Example: Customer Complaint, Employee Evaluation, or Vendor Late Delivery.
Subject	What is this log entry relating to? Give it a title.
Notes	Enter any pertinent information you would like to keep track of or remember about this particular log activity.
New Log	Displays form to create a new log.

Button and Control Definitions

OK	Save and Close.
Cancel	Disregard the information that has been entered.
Notes	Enter anything that you might need to know about the Employee. Example: Interview notes, technical skills, office machinery skills, has a degree in, etc.
Image	Used to store photographs.
Payroll Items	Payroll Item has its own Help Topic. Please see Payroll Items.
Employee is Inactive	Check this field if the Employee is no longer employed by your company, or maybe has taken a leave of absents. Inactivating the Employee will keep the Employee from showing up on payroll.
Show on Dispatch Board	Check this box to make this person available on the schedule board. Most technicians will have this checked but you not want certain office people to appear on the various selection lists related to scheduling. If this is unchecked then that employee WILL NOT show up on the schedule board. You can still create appointments and work orders for them. However, they will not show on the selection lists or employee filter located on the schedule board.

Step-By-Step

Open the form and Sort the list if desired.
To enter a new employee record , click the Employee button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select New Employee.
To edit an employee record, click the Employee button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select Edit Employee.
To delete an employee record, click the Employee button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select Delete Employee. NOT RECOMMENDED. YOU MAY HAVE TAX INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO FILE OR YOU MAY NEED TO PRINT A W-2 AT THE END OF THE YEAR FOR THIS EMPLOYEE.
To make an Employee record inactive, click the Employee button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select Make Employee Inactive. THIS IS RECOMMENDED.

Tips

Information For: This field will automatically populate with the employee’s name, once all the information for this employee is entered.
You can inactivate multiple employee records. To highlight multiple employee records, pressing and holding your CTRL key and clicking each employee record. You may also select a range of employee records by highlighting the first employee record in that range, press and hold your left Shift Key, and click the last employee record in that range.
You can select an Employee record and right click for common tasks.
We generally recommend that you avoid deleting Employee records. You should use the Inactivate option instead.

Employee Efficiency – Assign Hours

Introduction

Alongside the Employee Efficiency report, the Assign Hours form is used as part of Total Office Manager’s Employee Efficiency tracking feature.

Form Access

From an Invoice or Sale, click Menu | Assign Hours
From the Invoice/Sale/Credit/Estimate List, select an Invoice or Sale and click Actions (or right-click) | Assign Hours

Field & Button Definitions

Employee: Use the drop-down menu to select the employee(s) for this job
Billed Time (in minutes): Enter the time billed (in minutes) to the customer. This is typically based on flat-rate industry standards for a particular job.
Paid Time (in minutes): Enter the paid time (in minutes). This should be the time the employee is actually paid for for this job.
Efficiency: An efficiency value is calculated based on the Billed Time and Paid Time using the following calculation:
- (Billed Time / Paid Time) * 100 = Efficiency
- (120 / 110) * 100 = 109.09.

Usage

To calculate technician efficiency on a sales form, bring up the Assign Hours form using the Form Access directions above. When the Employee Hours form appears, select an employee, enter the Billed Time (i.e. time billed to the customer), and enter the Paid Time (i.e. time for which the technician is paid). An efficiency value will be calculated.

Billed time is typically based on flat-rate industry standards for a particular job. Inexperienced technicians in training will usually have an efficiency rating less than 100%, while quick-working technicians having much experience will usually have an efficiency rating greater than 100%.

As an example, if a customer is billed a flat rate of 60 minutes for a particular job but the employee completes it in half that time, that employee’s efficiency value would be 150%.
Likewise, if a customer is billed a flat rate of 60 minutes for a particular job but the employee takes twice that time to complete the job, that employee’s efficiency value would be 50%.

Worker’s Compensation on Timesheets

Using Timesheets to Track Worker’s Compensation

Total Office Manager offers a Worker’s Compensation Tracking feature. This feature allows you to assign a Worker’s Compensation Code to your Employees’ timesheets to track those wages by earning item or Employee. To use this feature, you will need to enable the Preference under the Payroll options in the main preferences section. Once enabled, you can then setup your Worker’s Compensation to work in your company database.

Worker's Compensation Preference — Company Preference

Usage and Form Access

Setup the Worker’s Compensation Codes (Employees | Lists | Worker’s Compensation Code List).

Sample Code List
Edit the Employee Payroll Items Codes (Employees | Employee List | right click and choose Employee Payroll Items).

Employee Payroll Items File Path
Assign the appropriate Compensation Code to the Employee as the Default. This will ensure that a code is assigned to all Time Sheet entries.

Default Worker’s Comp Code
Enter your Employee’s Time Sheet Hours Codes (Employees | Timesheets/Time Tracking).

Sample Weekly Time Sheet

Note: Once an Earning Type is selected, the Employee’s default WC Code is auto-populated on the Time Sheet line entries. You can change this selection if need be in the drop down.
After processing your payroll, you can then run reports that will show you information that is tied to Workers’ Compensation. There are two options for viewing reports – Worker’s Compensation by Earning Items and Worker’s Compensation by Employee. These reports can be viewed by going to Reports | Payroll | Worker’s Compensation. Examples are provided below.

Report Options – Worker’s Compensation By Earning Items Report

Worker's Compensation by Earning Item Options — Options by Earning Item

Date Range – Select a predefined date range (i.e. Last Week, This Week, Last Month, This Month).
From/To – Manually set the date range for the report.
Worker’s Compensation Code – Choose to view all Codes are select a single code to be displayed.
Earning Item – Choose to view all Earning Items or select a single item to be displayed.
Include Inactive – This option will display all Worker’s Compensation Codes, active and inactive.
Include all Timesheet Entries – This option will display all timesheet entries for the date range selected whether or not there is a Worker’s Compensation Code assigned.
Cancel – The Cancel button closes the window.
Preview – The Preview button will show an on-screen display of the report, from which a hard-copy can be printed. The preview screen is also capable exporting the report in a PDF format for email use. A text search function in the preview screen can be used to locate a particular string of text.
Close Window on Preview – Ticking this checkbox will have the options window automatically close when the Preview button is clicked.

Example

Below is an example report (which may have been cropped and shrunk to conserve space).

Worker's Compensation By Earning Items PDF — Compensation By Earning Items PDF

Report Options- Worker’s Compensation By Employee Report

Worker's Compensation by Employee Options — Options by Employee

Date Range – Select a predefined date range (i.e. Last Week, This Week, Last Month, This Month).
From/To – Manually set the date range for the report.
Worker’s Compensation Code – Choose to view all Codes are select a single code to be displayed.
Employee – Choose to view all Employees or select a single Employee to be displayed.
Include Inactive – This option will display all Worker’s Compensation Codes, active and inactive.
Include all Timesheet Entries – This option will display all timesheet entries for the date range selected whether or not there is a Worker’s Compensation Code assigned.
Include SSN and DOB – This option will display each Employee’s SSN and DOB on the report
Cancel – The Cancel button closes the window.
Preview – The Preview button will show an on-screen display of the report, from which a hard-copy can be printed. The preview screen is also capable exporting the report in a PDF format for email use. A text search function in the preview screen can be used to locate a particular string of text.
Close Window on Preview – Ticking this checkbox will have the options window automatically close when the Preview button is clicked.

Example

Below is an example report (which may have been cropped and shrunk to conserve space).

Employee Type

Introduction

This topic will cover setting up, editing, deleting, and inactivating employee types.

Usage

Use this form to create a list of employee types as they relate to payroll. Some examples of employee types include full-time, part-time, temporary, etc.

Form Access

From the main menu, click Employee | Lists | Employee Types List

Field Definitions

Type	This is a description of the Employee Type.
Employee Type is Inactive	Check this box to inactivate an employee type.

Step-By-Step

Open the employee type list form (as directed above) and sort the list if desired.
To enter a new record , click the button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select New.
To edit a record, click the button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select Edit.
To delete a record, click the button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select Delete.
To inactive a record, click the button (lower left hand corner of the form) and select Make Employee Type Inactive.

Tips

You can delete or inactivate multiple records. To highlight multiple records, press and hold your CTRL key and click each record. You may also select a range of records by highlighting the first record in that range, press and hold your left Shift Key, and click the last record in that range.
You can select a record and right click for common tasks.

Paycheck List

Payroll Paycheck List

This help topic covers the use of the Paycheck List form. Please do not confuse this form with the Write Checks form, which displays only non payroll checks.

For security and usability reasons, paychecks are displayed in their own list. There is also a check list form that displays regular checks.

Usage

The paycheck list form is convenient way to look at paychecks that have not been posted or printed. The list has several filtering capabilities. Among them you can sort by date, check number, void, pay to, amount, and bank.
You may right click on any check for a list of options such as edit, delete, void, etc.
This list works the same as other lists.

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Employees & Payroll

Introducing Time Sheets for Labor Tracking

Form Access

Step-By-Step

Using the Time Sheet Form

Button and Field Definitions

Time Sheet Grid – Daily Data Tab

Payroll Time Sheet Tips

Time Sheet FAQ

Related Payroll Time Sheet Topics

Introduction to Sales Commission Methods

Step-By-Step

Establish Permissions

Granting Access to the Assign Commission Method Form

Creating Commission Methods

About the Value Field

Commission Methods Defined

Establish Defaults

Assigning Commissions

Paying Commissions

Reports

Important Notes

Tips

Related Business Articles

Introduction

Who must file Form W-2?

Form Access

Step-By-Step

Tips

Related Content

Federal Payroll Forms and Instructions

Data to Review and Reports Needed

Form Access

Form Header

Page 1

Part 2: Deposit Schedule and Tax Liability

Part 3: Notifications to the IRS

Part 4: Third Party Designee

Part 5: Signatures

Easily Clock In and Out of Work Orders

Installation of the Software

Updating the App

Platform Specific Operations

Record Selection

Home

Timesheets

Requires Internet Access

Work Orders

Requires Partial Internet Access

Chat

Requires Internet Access

Synchronizing Your Data

Requires Partial Internet Access

Tips

Adding and Editing Employees

Form Access

Usage

Field Definitions Address Info Tab:

Field Definitions Additional Info Tab:

Field Definitions Log Tab:

Button and Control Definitions

Step-By-Step

Tips

Related Content

Introduction

Form Access

Field & Button Definitions

Usage

Using Timesheets to Track Worker’s Compensation

Usage and Form Access

Report Options – Worker’s Compensation By Earning Items Report

Example

Report Options- Worker’s Compensation By Employee Report

Example

Related Content

Introduction

Usage

Form Access

Field Definitions

Step-By-Step