Payslip Design - Document Design Manager

Datafile Software

Payslip Design - Document Design Manager

To design a payslip layout for the payroll select the option ‘Payroll Documents’ from the Document Design menu and then select Payslips. The system then asks for the pathname for the payslip document – usually DATA\???-PAY.DEF (where ??? is the current company id). Confirm as required and the payslip layout will be opened.

Payslip Categories

As discussed above you select a payslip data item to print by positioning the cursor and right-clicking with mouse and choosing to insert a new data item. The available categories for the payslip are:

General Parameters – allows print of the pay date and the employee number

Switches: Current ALL – allows definition of a block of data items to print the switches in use for the employee and the values of those switches. The start line items control where the block starts, the end line items should be positioned directly underneath (column-wise) on a number of lines down sufficient to print all the switches in use. Although, if not using Payroll Plus you could print the items direct from the employee database this would possibly mean printing switches which are not and never will be applicable for the individual employee.

Switches: Year-to-Date ALL – allows definition of a block of data items to print the switches in use for the employee with the year-to-date value. If you align with the current items you could omit the headings provided you haven’t changed the switches in use for the employee during the year – if you have then you need to (re-)print the headings as well.

Switches: Current Payments – the above allow you to print a block of switches regardless of the switch type. A payslip will often have separate areas for payments and deductions so this option allows you to print a switch block just for the payments.

Switches: Year-to-Date Payments – as above but prints the year-to-date values and switch headings.

Switches: Current Deductions – this allows you to print the deduction and repayment switches in a block.

Switches: Year-to-Date Deductions – as above but prints the year-to-date values and switch headings.

O/T Payments: Current O/T – this allows definition of a block of data items to print the overtime values – heading, hours, rate and value. As with switches you select the items to print for the start line, and align the end line items underneath leaving enough vertical space between to print all the overtime bands likely to be used by any one employee.

O/T Payments: Year-to-Date O/T – this allows definition of a block of data items for the year-to-date values (note that if display the rate then this is the rate as now).

Statutory Payments: Current – this allows definition of a block of data items to print any statutory payments to the employee – code, title and amount. As with switches you select the items to print for the start line, and align the end line items underneath leaving enough vertical space between to print the likely number of concurrent statutory payments.

Statutory Payments: YTD – this allows definition of a block of data items for the year-to-date values.

Employee Details (1) – allows you to select to print any item from the employee file. You can print the same item more than once if required.

Employee Details (2) – allows you to select to print any item from the employee-2 file. This file contains, amongst other items, the SMP, SAP, SPP, Tax Credit and Student Loan deductions.

Employee Details (3) – allows you to select to print any item from the employee-3 file. This file contains the attachment of earnings details.

Parameter Screens

In addition to the print categories there are various parameter screens, sixteen in all, which can be used to configure the printed output and the processing of the document.

General Document Parameters

Number of Copies

Defaulting to 1, set the number of copies of the payslip document you require. (Maximum of 3)

Lines Down

Column Width

Key in the number of lines down for the document length (max 132), and the number of characters of the document width (max 255).

Size of Values

Set the number of significant figures to print values at – set to 5 allows values of 99999.99, 7 allows values of 9999999.99.

Date Line / Column

DD/MM/YYYY Format

Usually printed from the document mask, via the category General Details, this option allows you to set the print position of the payroll date. You can also set whether the date is to be printed with a 2 (default) digit year or a four digit year.

Employee No Line / Column

Usually printed from the document mask, via the category General Details, this option allows you to set the print position of the employee (record) number.

Allow Continuation

If using Payroll Plusand potentially 80 switch values you may not have room to fit all these details on one payslip. If set this option allows more than one page per payslip for each employee. Note that only items printed from Employee Items (1/5) are printed on every page, other employee print items print only on the first page.

Continued Over Message

Print on Line / Column

If more than one page printed per employee then this option allows printing of a message on the firs page to show that this payslip carries on to another page. Enter the message and the printing position on the document.

Continued From Message

Print on Line / Column

If more than one page printed per employee then this option allows printing on the second+ page to show that this payslip page is a continuation from an earlier page. Enter the message and the printing position on the document.

Switch Printing

Payment Switches

Deduction Switches

These parameter screens allow you to control the printing of the switch details – usually positioned for print via the document mask – you can also position here plus configure printing of year-to-date values. Depending on the payslip design you could either use the switch printing options to print the switches in one block, or use the payment and deduction options to print in separate blocks for the payments and deductions.

Current: Start Line

Current: End Line

Current: Column for Heading

Current: Column for Value

Set the start and end lines where the table of switches are to print and set the column numbers where the heading and value are to print. Remember that, unless you are using continuation pages, you need to leave enough room between the start and end lines for all the switches that the employee could use.

Year-to-Date: Start Line

Year-to-Date: End Line

Year-to-Date: Column for Heading

Year-to-Date: Column for Value

As above but controls the print of the year-to-date details. If a switch is always used for an employee each period then you may be able to omit the heading column and print the year-to-date value alongside the current items above. Usually, however, you would have to print the headings as well though.

Omit if Zero

If set this option omits the print of the switch heading/value if the switch value is 0.If left blank then the switch is printed if it’s marked as ‘in use’ for the employee – regardless of whether it is used this period.

Print Repay O/S

If using a ‘repayment’ switch then the year-to-date value is the balance remaining to pay. Set if you wish this to print, otherwise the repayment switch will be omitted from the year-to-date block.

O/T Payments

These parameter screens allow you to control the printing of the overtime details – usually positioned for print via the document mask – you can also position here plus configure printing of year-to-date values.

Current: Start Line

Current: End Line

Current: Column for Heading

Current: Column for Hours

Current: Column for Value

Current: Column for Rate

Set the start and end lines where the table of overtime bands are to print and set the column numbers where the heading, hours, value and rate are to print. You can omit the print of (say) rate if required.

Year-to-Date: Start Line

Year-to-Date: End Line

Year-to-Date: Column for Heading

Year-to-Date: Column for Hours

Year-to-Date: Column for Value

Year-to-Date: Column for Rate

As above but controls the print of the year-to-date details.

Omit if Zero

Set to omit print of the overtime band if the value is 0.

Statutory Payments

These parameter screens allow you to control the printing of the statutory payment table – usually positioned for print via the document mask – you can also position here plus configure printing of year-to-date values.

Current: Start Line

Current: End Line

Current: Column for Code

Current: Column for Title

Current: Column for Amount

Set the start and end lines where the table of statutory payment are to print and set the column numbers where the code, title and amount are to print. You can omit the print of (say) title if required.

Year-to-Date: Start Line

Year-to-Date: End Line

Year-to-Date: Column for Code

Year-to-Date: Column for Title

Year-to-Date: Column for Amount

As above but controls the print of the year-to-date details.

Omit if Zero

Set to omit print of the statutory payment line if the value is 0.

Employee Items to be Printed

Here you can select for print up to 70 items from the main employee file (over 5 screens). Although usually configured for print from the mask via the category ‘Employee Details (1)’ there are a couple of extra parameter items for each print item you may want to set here.

Zero

If set then the system omits the print when the value if 0, else the 0 is printed.

Pence

If set then no decimal places of the value are printed (although no rounding takes place

Extra Employee Items

Employee File 2 Items to be Printed

Here you can select for print up to 30 items from the second employee file (over 2 screens). Again these items would usually be configured for print from the mask via the category ‘Employee Details (2)’. The extra parameters to omit the value if zero and to omit the decimal values are also applicable.

The employee 2 print items, in a payslip, would primarily be used to print any tax credit payments, student loan deductions, statutory payments (other than sick pay) and stakeholder pension contributions.

Employee File 3 Items to be Printed

Here you can select for print up to 30 items from the third employee file (over 2 screens). Again these items would usually be configured for print from the mask via the category ‘Employee Details (3)’. The extra parameters to omit the value if zero and to omit the decimal values are also applicable.

The employee 3 print items would be used to print attachment of earnings orders.