Payroll
Employee Reimbursement Deadline - Reminder - requests must be turned in by 5:00 p.m. on non-pay week Thursdays.
Changing Employee Primary Org / Job Class
Employee 'Primary Org/Obj/Proj' and 'Primary Job Class' codes must be changed on Screen 1 of the employee master file. The system will then prompt you to have those changes flow through the employee's job pay records. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose 'X=Execute' to complete the process. Then proceed to the employee Job Salary screen and Recurring Pay records to verify that the intended changes were made on all the appropriate employee master file records.
Deduction Changes
If it is necessary to make a change to an employee tax deduction after the payroll is generated, you must first make the change to the employee master file deduction. Then go into "W"ithholdings within the generated payroll, delete the deduction and re-add it. This will bring a newly updated copy of the deduction into the current payroll. This process is necessary to enable MUNIS to record the correct deduction gross for that particular deduction.
Authorized Signatures
The Auditor's Office, Fiscal Services Division keeps on file the names and signatures of individuals authorized to sign Invoice Entry Proof Lists (for Accounts Payable) and Final Payroll Proofs (for Payroll) and to pick up checks from both departments.
Click Here for a copy of the memo that needs to be printed on your agency letterhead. Complete all sections, naming those individuals you wish to authorize for each function. Return the completed memo to Robert Caldwell. Only the individuals you have authorized will be allowed to sign reports and pick-up checks from this office.
The authorization remains in effect until revoked through written notification (memo or e-mail; there is no standard form for this). In the case of staff turnover, complete the'Addition Form to add the newly authorized person to the existing list.
For your convenience, a Temporary Authorization Form is attached to the memo to be used in the event that the authorized individuals will be unavailable and you wish to designate another person to perform their duties. The temporary form must also be copied on your agency letterhead and sent in at least two days prior to the form's effective date.
If you have any questions, please call Robert Caldwell at 525-7520 or e-mail: [email protected].
Timing of Payroll Generation and Processing
At 4:00 p.m. on the Monday following a payday, payroll is generated for the following paydate. This schedule is followed every pay cycle unless that Monday is a holiday. In those instances, payroll is generated the next day (Tuesday) at 4:00 p.m.
When the payroll is generated, it takes a snapshot of the master file as it exists at that point in time (4:00 p.m.). Any deduction or pay rate that exists at 4:00 p.m. will be copied into the generated payroll. Any changes to employee information that should be reflected on that new payroll must be made in the "C=Pay" screen and/or "W=Withholding" screen of that generated payroll or the change will not be reflected on the employee's paycheck.
If the change is to be permanent, you must update the Employee Master File, thereby ensuring the change will be picked up in succeeding payroll generates.
C-Pay Data Entry Tip
When entering additional pay types to an employee 'on the fly' in the C-Pay screen (such as Term Sick, Term Vacation, etc.), you MUST enter the rate of pay for the pay type to calculate properly. Failure to enter a rate of pay will result in a calculation of $0.00 for that pay type.
Adjusted Service Date/Accrual Date
A change to an employee's 'Service Date' on Screen 2 of the employee master file means you must also change the 'Accr Date' on the Vacation Accrual record. Accrual processing uses the 'Accr Date' to determine the number of hours to accrue for employees during payroll processing.
MUNIS® Employee Name & Address Files
During W-2 preparation, a review of Employee Master Files in MUNIS® revealed several issues that need addressed.
Employee names should be entered exactly as shown on the employee's social security card. Parts of a compound surname should be connected by a hyphen. Do not separate parts of a compound surname with a blank space or join them into a single word. Single-letter prefixes (e.g., "O," "D") must not be separated from the rest of the surname by a blank, but should be connected by an apostrophe or joined to the rest of the surname. Do not use titles or academic degrees, (e.g., "Dr.," "RN," "Esq.,") at the beginning or end of the employee's name.
Employee addresses should be entered using the United States Postal Service Postal Addressing Standards (Publication 28) without punctuation. See the accepted list of abbreviations below. Do not enter a comma after the city name in the city field.
Try to enter the employee's entire address (including apartment number) on line 1 of the address field. If there is still not enough space on line 1, the street address should be on line 2, with the apartment number on line 1. (The Postal Service reads addresses from the bottom up.) Post Office box numbers should be entered as "PO Box".
Suffix Abbreviations
| Alley |
ALY |
Lodge |
LDG |
| Annex |
ANX |
Oval |
OVAL |
| Avenue |
AVE |
Park |
PARK |
| Boulevard |
BLVD |
Parkway |
PKWY |
| Center |
CTR |
Pike |
PIKE |
| Circle |
CIR |
Place |
PL |
| Court |
CT |
River |
RIV |
| Courts |
CTS |
Road |
RD |
| Drive |
DR |
Square |
SQ |
| Estates |
ESTS |
Station |
STA |
| Expressway |
EXPY |
Street |
ST |
| Extension |
EXT |
Terrace |
TER |
| Grove |
GRV |
Trace |
TRCE |
| Heights |
HTS |
Trail |
TRL |
| Highway |
HWY |
Turnpike |
TPKE |
| Island |
IS |
Viaduct |
VIA |
| Lake |
LK |
Village |
VLG |
| Lane |
LN |
Way |
WAY |
Directional Abbreviations
| East |
E |
| South |
S |
| North |
N |
| Southeast |
SE |
| Northeast |
NE |
| Southwest |
SW |
| Northwest |
NW |
| West |
W |
OPERS Reporting
The Personal History Record (PHR) is the primary enrollment form for membership in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Membership is required for all public employees, irrespective of the hours worked or salary earned, beginning with the first day of employment. By law, public employers are responsible for submitting new employee information to OPERS within 30 days of hire, so it is imperative that agencies enter new employees in a timely fashion.
The County Auditor's Payroll Department runs a MUNIS® report each week that captures all new hire information that agencies have keyed. The Auditor's Payroll staff then submits PHR to OPERS via secured online reporting.
When OPERS receives the online report listing the new employee, OPERS will send a direct mailing to the employee to verify employee-specific information. Additionally, this triggers the mailing of retirement plan selection packets.
Any name or address change should be reported by the employee using OPERS Form F-50, Address/Bank/Name Change Request . The employee should send the form directly to OPERS. No employer certification is needed. The form can be downloaded from OPERS using the Payroll link on the County Portal.
Any employee who has retired from OPERS or another Ohio retirement system and is being hired into an OPERS-covered position must complete Form SR-6, Notice of Re-employment of OPERS Retirant . This form can be downloaded from OPERS using the Payroll link on the County Portal. This form must be certified by the Auditor's Payroll Department.
Local Tax Exemptions
The County is responsible for withholding local income tax on all County employees who work within any of the local jurisdictions. All County employees who work in the downtown County facility are required to pay City of Columbus income tax regardless of where they live. The employees may also be required to pay a residential tax if their place of residence is a district that currently has such a tax. In rare instances, an employee may work in one of the few County facilities that are outside any city limits, and not reside within a city. Then, the employee may be exempt from local tax. Contact the Payroll Department if you have any questions about local tax withholding.
Payroll Pointers
The following are a few hints and reminders for inputting data into MUNIS® payroll:
When adding a new employee, remember to manually add the appropriate local income tax deduction (work tax and/or residence tax, as applicable). These deductions are not automatically created during the assignment of Job/Pay.
For employee deductions created automatically during the assignment of Job/Pay, the system fills the 'Start Date' field with the current date. This field must be manually updated on the deduction screen to the employee's actual start date to enable the deduction to be processed with the generated payroll.
When adding School District Income Tax (deductions 5505 to 5635), you must enter the employee's Tax Marital Status' and '# of Exemptions' on the deduction screen. Use the same status and exemptions that the employee claims for State of Ohio Income Tax.
Employee 'Primary Org/Obj/Proj' and 'Primary Job Class' codes must be changed on Screen 1 of the employee master file. The system will then prompt you to have those changes flow through the employee's job pay records. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose 'X=Execute' to complete the process.
Tuition Reimbursement Repayment
Several County agencies have tuition reimbursement policies which, under certain circumstances, provide for deduction from a participating employee's final paycheck to repay the agency for previous tuition reimbursements.
To utilize this procedure, your agency must send the following to the Auditor's Office Payroll Department: (1) a memo including the employee's name, social security number, amount of tuition reimbursement to be repaid and the date of the employee's final paycheck; (2) a copy of your agency's tuition reimbursement policy; and (3) a copy of the original voucher and attachments indicating the tuition reimbursement that was paid to your employee. The Payroll Department will then determine if the amount of the final check is sufficient to recover the full reimbursement amount. If funds are available, the Payroll Department will enter the Pay Type 953 as a negative amount on the employee's payroll, and the funds will be returned to your agency during payroll processing. If insufficient funds are available, the Payroll Department will advise your agency of the amount available, and the balance of the reimbursement will need to be recovered by another method.
Allocation Codes
Payroll allocation codes were intended to be used ONLY with pay types linked to object code 5101-such as pay types 100, 200, and 201. It is possible to use a payroll allocation code with a pay type that has an object code other than 5101. You must manually update the allocation code in the Pay Screen of the generated payroll, each and every time you need to change the object code. Click here for instructions.
SSA Form-1945
Any employee hired after 1/1/05 must complete Form SSA-1945. A copy of the completed form must be submitted to the County Auditor's Payroll Department, ATTN : Ed O'Block. The original form should be retained in the employee's personnel file.
Direct Deposit Cancellations
Please stress to your employees the IMPORTANCE of notifying your office immediately when they close their bank account, or if the bank closes their account. If the County Auditor's Payroll Department is not given sufficient notice prior to the actual pay-date, the employee may experience a delay in the receipt of their net pay. We will not reissue the funds until they have been returned by the employee's bank to the County's bank.
To ensure timely notification, please contact Ed O'Block at 525-7355 as soon as possible so that every effort can be made to cancel the direct deposit process. The employee MUST also complete the Disenrollment Authorization for Automatic Deposits form found on the County Portal under the Payroll link.