General Common Questions for C.S. Assets
Where's the Printed Manual?
Asset management is provided with an online manual. To access the manual, start the assets program, and choose "Help -> CS Assets Help" from the top pull down menus.

What is Status used for?
There are 3 preset asset status's which are used for denoting whether an asset is disposed or current. You can have your own status values that may be used for the physical status e.g. Out for repair or On loan. Once an asset is disposed, the status cannot be altered.

How do I change an asset to a new category?
Because a category has account codes attached to it, categories on assets can only be changed by using the TRANSFER option in assets. This option allows the Category, Expense number and Location to be altered.

Can I export data for use with spreadsheets and word processors?
Most reports that are printed to the screen can be exported to a number of document formats. Once the report is displayed on the screen use the export envelope at the top of the screen to specify the type of export format and the filename. The best reports to export for use with spreadsheets are the ones that have fewer subtotals. The best format for use with word processors is Rich Text Format (RTF).

What do I need to backup?
Assets is contained in one directory with a sub folder for each company. The best option is to back up the main ASSETS directory with all sub folders. This will ensure all data and system files are backed up. You can back up a specific companies data by copying the company sub folder only.

When should I backup?
Backups should be taken on a regular basis. It is recommended that a backup be taken before or after a depreciation run and a separate backup be taken prior to End of Year.

Setup Common Questions
How do I add / change a user?
Go to Utilities on the Company login screen and select User Maintenance. Add a user name and then set the user access.

How to Move Assets to a Network Drive?
To move assets to a network drive you need to copy the assets folder to the network drive, and then make sure that the asset shortcut is changed to point to the network folder. It is important that the entire assets folder is copied to the network drive, and then all users run the assets.exe from the network drive to ensure that they all have the same version of the program and reports etc. You will need to run an installation of assets on each workstation that will be running assets, and when prompted for an installation folder, choose the network assets folder.

NOTE OF CAUTION:
If assets was originally installed on the local pc (eg. C:\program files\csassets), and you have since redirected the shortcuts to point to the network assets folder, running "setup.exe" and doing a repair from the installation cd will redirect the shortcut that you may have pointed to the network folder BACK TO the local folder. Just something to be careful of.

When adding a new asset the purchase date gives an Invalid Date message?
This maybe a regional setting problem. Go in and check the regional settings and if they are set to English with a date format of d/mm/yyyy you need to change this to dd/mm/yyyy and this will fix the problem.

Assets Unlocked then Locked Why?
The software should not relock unless a full reinstall has been done. A re-install with a Repair will not lock the software.
When the software is first installed it will be locked and an unlock code is sent with the installation pack. The unlock code is shown in the printed installation instructions and on the cd label. The Unlock expires after a period of 60 days.

If an additional workstation is set up on a network and appears locked, this may be because the assets icon is not pointing to the network assets program and data. Check that the asset icons on the desktop and in "Start->Programs" point to the network drive. Both the "Target" and "Start in" settings of the icons should point to the network location, not a location on the workstation.  They should both point to the network drive an start in the network drive in the Assets folder.

How can I access Company Maintenance?
You must be in the Company login screen to have access to the company maintenance option which is in Utilities dropdown menu. You cannot access the Company Maintenance if you have already logged into a company and you are at the main screen.

How can I correct balances already on file?
If you are adding initial balances for assets and corrections need to be made, log in with a user name that has the Modify Asset Balances permission ticked and this will allow you to change balances on existing assets.

Why cant I edit a Lease Schedule?
If you cannot edit the lease schedule the first place you need to look at is the Utilities Menu - User Maintenance screen and check if the Modify Lease Schedule has been ticked. This is in the User Access screen. If it is not ticked this will cause the user to have no access to be able to edit the lease schedule.

Move assets data to another drive?
If you need to mve the asset data to another drive e.g. from C:\ASSETS to V:\ASSETS, you can move the complete C:\ASSETS directory to V:\ and change the ICON (and menu option) to point to V:\ASSETS.EXE.

Accounting Links Common Questions
How do I link assets to the General Ledger?
The company maintenance has an option to link to accounts. Make sure the path to the accounting is entered, and then ensure that each Category has a valid general ledger code for every field. When a depreciation run is done, general ledger entries for any entries made after the link is established will be posted.

What period will the General Ledger posting to Vision got to when depreciation covers multiple months?
The General Ledger entries will be posted into the current accounting period.  This can be over riden via a registry setting in Vision if required.

When do journals get posted to the General Ledger?
All postings for sales and depreciation are done when a depreciation run is performed. This is done to reduce the number of individual entries that get posted to the control accounts and to allow changes prior to postings being done e.g. Change the sale value or date sold of an asset if entered incorrectly. (if the user has the correct user privileges).
Purchase journals are not made because when the asset is originally purchased it will have been paid by a cash payment and this will post to the asset control account. If assets brought this figure in as well it would double the entries in the control.

The only postings that are made at the time of processing are depreciation and journals for TRANSFERS. This is because an asset being transferred to another category must be depreciated up to the transfer date and the current written down value for the asset is then journaled to the new asset control account.
The screen below appears after a depreciation has been run and this shows the journals which will get posted to the General Ledger.

Invalid posting accounts?
If you are using the direct link to the Accounting General Ledger, and account numbers have been changed in your accounting software you MUST change the account codes on the Category in assets before any depreciation or transfers are done.

Asset Maintenance Common Questions
How do I add a new asset?
To add an asset, go to the asset window and click on the purchase button. You then enter the details of the asset and SAVE the details.

How do I split or make a partial sale of an asset?
To split an asset you need to click on the Sell button and click the partial box. Before an asset can be split or partially sold, the quantity on the asset must be greater than 1.
When a partial sale is made a new asset will automatically be created and linked to the original asset via the Master/Slave field. The Master will be revalued and the slave will be sold. The quantity specified as sold will be reduced from the original asset and the sold asset will have the quantity specified. The code for the sold asset will be automatic if you are using automatic codes or it will be the Master assets code plus a '-xxx' where xxx increments from '001' until an unused asset code is found.

If you wish to split an asset without selling it. Add a new asset with a zero value. Do a revaluation of the original asset to reduce it's value and then do a revaluation of the new asset for the same value.

How Do I Create a Leased Asset?
A leased asset is created basically the same way as a normal asset. The main difference is that the Book Method is set to one of the three leasing methods available. Once a leasing method has been selected, you can enter the interest rate and other purchase details. You will also be able to enter further lease details and the lease details and the lease schedule via the Leasing Tab.

Where can I use Master / Child Assets?
The Master/Child assets are used to group a number of separate assets together in reports where each asset has it's own details but you wish to have the option to get an overall total for an asset.

e.g. A computer purchased initially may be upgraded with new disk drives. The main computer system would be the Master and any add-ons would be the Child assets. Each has it's own depreciation details but you can get an overall value for the system.

How do I sell or dispose of an asset?
Go to the Assets option on the main menu. Select the asset to be disposed. Select the Sell button and enter the data requested. The sale will take effect when the next depreciation run is done. Partial sales of assets are also done in this way.
Can I stop or reverse a sale?
If a depreciation run has not been done, you can go to the Sell option for the asset selected and the sale value and disposal date can be cleared.

How can I reverse or change the sale date for an asset?
This can only be done if the asset has not had a depreciation run done since the sale was entered and the sale date is greater than the depreciated up to date.
If you have processed a sale for an asset and the wrong asset was sold or the incorrect details were entered, you can reverse the sale by selecting the SELL button on the assets screen and an UNDO SALE option will be displayed. Click the undo and the sale date and value will be cleared.

How can I change values on assets without running depreciation?
Each user has certain Access permissions. There is a Modify asset balances option that allows balances to be altered. This should only be used to correct initial keying errors and you must ensure general ledger journals are done if the change affects accounts.

Can I sell multiple assets at the same time?
Multiple assets can be sold in one sale if they are linked together as Master/Slave assets. You link the assets in asset maintenance by setting the Master Code on each slave asset and when a sale of a master asset is done you get the option to sell the complete asset. The overall value of the assets can be split across the Master and the slave assets in the proportions you require.

Can I get the system to allocate asset codes for me?
The system will allocate new asset codes automatically if you select this option in Company Maintenance. This can be selected at any time.

Depreciation Common Questions
How does CS Assets handle the Pooling of assets?
A brief overview of how pooling currently works:
· Pooling is a method of simplifying asset depreciation management.
· A company can have a mixture of pooled and non-pooled assets.
· Pooled assets are depreciated at preset rates, regardless of the category they are in. The rates are user definable for each company but typical Australian rates would be 18.75%
  in the 1st year and 37.5% in subsequent years using a diminishing (reducing) balance method.
· Regardless of when an asset is added to the pool during the year, the full years depreciation can be claimed e.g. an asset purchased on 30th June 2004 attracts a full years
  depreciation (as if it was acquired on the 1st July 2003).
· Pooled assets are not required to be reported on individually but as a Pool, however CS Assets does keep track of specific assets for management purposes.
· A summary Pooled assets report is available for the complete pool.
· When pooled assets are disposed, their full value is written down and the pool is reduced by this value. If the total Pool value goes negative then a profit on sale is brought to
  account.

The Pooled assets depreciation rates are checked and updated each time a depreciation run is done. This used to be done during the EOY but was moved to the depreciation run to ensure all assets are up to date before a run is processed.

The date that is used to check which rate to apply to the asset is the Pooled date on the asset. If the Date Pooled is greater than the start of year date then the rate is set to the 1st year pooling rate otherwise it is set to the subsequent years rate.

Pooling is based on the date the asset is moved into the pool and not the original depreciation start date.

Ways to Cost the Depreciation?
There are 3 ways to cost your depreciation to General Ledger Accounts.
1. Depreciation Expense # - Use the 9 available expense accounts on the category for the asset.
2. Account Number - Specify an expense code on each asset.
3. Proportion - Use the Proportion table to split depreciation via a set formula.

What is tax value used for?
Book value is the value that is written to your general ledger where as Tax values can be a notional figure that is used for internal reporting.

The tax values can also be used to track a secondary depreciation rate e.g. accelerated depreciation based on an asset being used in a hostile environment and is expected to be written off before the standard time.

What is the difference in Diminishing Methods?
Below is an explanation of the different method for Diminishing.

The prime cost method provides an equal deduction for each year over the life of an asset, as depreciation is based on a set percentage of original cost each year. Under the prime cost method the effective life is calculated as "Effective Life = Base Value * 100% * Depreciation Rate".

The diminishing value method, on the other hand, applies the set percentage to the written down value each year, ie the amount remaining for depreciation after deduction depreciation claimed to date from original cost. If you are using the diminishing value method to calculate the decline in value of the asset, the estimate of effective life is "Effective Life = Base Value * 150% * Depreciation Rate".
As the written down value is lower each year, deductions under the diminishing value method will decrease each year over the life of an asset. However, because the percentage rate to apply is set at a higher level under the diminishing value method than the prime cost method, deductions in the initial years will be higher under diminishing value, with the position gradually reversing itself and deductions becoming higher in later years under the prime cost method. This refers to the value each year and not at the start of each depreciation calculation.

If a diminishing method is used and the value at the start of each month is used for the next calculation, it is possible that the asset will never be fully depreciated and if you chose to depreciate 12 monthly calculations against 3 quarterly or 1 annual then they would all end up with different values for the same asset in any one year. Please call me if you would like to discuss this further. In checking the diminishing calculation I also found the attached site that has a basic mathematical representation of the calculation at http://studentnet.launc.tased.edu.au/online/Maths/MathApp2/MT730%20Online/Site%20web%20pages/depreciation.htm

How can I check what results will be for a depreciation run?
A test depreciation run can only be done by backing up your data, doing a run and then restoring the data. A more detailed description of this procedure is in TEST RUN.

Does the asset register update the written down value when a depreciation is run?
Every time you do a depreciation run the current written down value is updated. The depreciation runs can be done at any time i.e. Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly, Daily. When the run is done 1 entry is done for depreciation since the last depreciation date.
The depreciation by category report prints total depreciation for each asset grouped by category and the category totals give figures that can be used to balance back to your General Ledger. Asset history shows individual depreciation entries and the depreciation summary report will list these entries in report form.
Depreciation figures are available for both Book and Tax figures and can be calculated as Prime Cost (Straight Line), Diminishing Value or Pooled.
The Pooled assets depreciation rates are checked and updated each time a depreciation run is done. This used to be done during the EOY but was moved to the depreciation run to ensure all assets are up to date before a run is processed.
The date that is used to check which rate to apply to the asset is the Pooled date on the asset. If the Date Pooled is greater than the start of year date then the rate is set to the 1st year pooling rate otherwise it is set to the subsequent years rate.
Pooling is based on the date the asset is moved into the pool and not the original depreciation start date.

Can I change the depreciation method for an asset from Prime to Diminishing?
The depreciation method can only be changed if no depreciation has been processed for an asset.

What is the difference in Leasing Methods?
Below is an explanation of the 3 different finance methods for leasing available in the package. The variations to posting for each method is catered for by using different asset categories.

Finance Leases
Finance leases, sometimes called capital leases, are different from operating leases in three respects: they do not provide for a maintenance service, they are not cancellable, and they are fully amortised. In a typical financial lease arrangement, the firm that will use the equipment selects the specific items it requires and negotiates the price and delivery terms with the manufacturer. The user firm then negotiates terms with a leasing company and, once the lease terms are set, arranges to have the lessor buy the equipment from the manufacturer or the distributor. When the equipment is purchased, the user firm simultaneously executes the lease agreement.

Operating Leases
Operating leases, sometimes called service leases, provide for both financing and maintenance. Ordinarily these leases call for the lessor to maintain and service the leased equipment, and the cost of providing maintenance is built into the lease payments. Frequently operating leases are not fully amortised; in other words, the payments required under the lease contract are not sufficient to recover the full cost of the equipment. However, the lease contract is written for a period considerably shorter than the expected economic life of the equipment. A final feature of operating leases is that they frequently contain a cancellation clause, which gives the lessee the right to cancel the lease before the expiration of the original agreement. This means that equipment can be returned if it is rendered obsolete or is no longer needed.

Hire Purchase
This method of finance is structured in such a way that the business owns the equipment and typically a mortgage or security is taken over the equipment being financed. This method of finance can be structured no differently to leases however when the loan is paid out the debt is cleared and the equipment continues to be owned by the business.

How can I put items which are for insurance valuation only, so not to be depreciated?
Insurance valuation items should be set the depreciation at zero %. It is also suggested that they be attached to their own category.
The depreciation run will look at these assets but they will not be depreciated. The expected disposal date can still be entered to allow them to use the Replacement schedule report (expected disposals).
 

Reports Common Questions
How do I add a new report to the reports list?
To add a new report to the reports list go to the Utilities menu on the top menu bar and select Report Maintenance.

What reports should I run on a regular basis?
The Asset Depreciation by Category report lists the current position of assets with a summary by Category to allow balancing to your Chart of Accounts. If you require an audit trail of entries, print the Depreciation Summary. If you are using book and tax figures you may have to print the tax version of each report as well.

My Report will not run because of parameter problems?
If you get a message regarding parameters when the report is run, deselect each option for that report and rerun it to find out exactly the options required, then reselect the appropriate options.

How can I run a set of reports repeatedly?
If you run the same set of reports on a regular basis, you can set up a report job stream and give it a name e.g. Monthly reports, Annual reports. When you go to the Reports option and select the job stream tab you can then select the appropriate set of reports and these will run in the order selected.

How can I get a report on prior years or data?
A backup copy of your company data can be moved into a separate directory in the ASSETS folder and you can then use company maintenance to add a NEW company and locate this directory. This can be given an alternate name to your live company to stop confusion and this company can be accessed to reprint reports.

When will sold assets disappear from reports?
Disposed assets will not print on the Depreciation by Category reports after an end of year.  They stay on the reports until end of year to ensure the totals can be balanced back against depreciation totals and profit/loss figures for the year.

How do I stop assets sold in previous years showing on reports?
When you run various reports in assets, there is an option to "Include sold assets". If you do not want assets sold in previous years to show on the report, make sure that this option is not selected. The reports will still show assets that are sold in the current year, except in the "current assets" reports which only show assets which have not been sold.

Can I print an Assets Depreciation Register for Unsold Assets only?
The Asset Depreciation Register - Tax Current reports allows you to print a depreciation register for tax values and for assets that are not sold.


General Common Questions for CASPER Payroll

Employee Setup Common Questions
What are the Required Fields for setting up Employees?
When setting up new employees you need to make sure that you have all the relevant information for the fields below before entering the employee details.

Code (employee number/code)
Surname
GivenNames
Address1
Suburb
Postcode
Country
PostAddress1
PostSuburb
PostPostCode
PostCountry
DateOfBirth
PayType (W=Wage, S=Salary C=Casual, T=Timesheet)
PayMode (P=Payslip, C=Cheque, E=Eft, B=Bank transfer)
Paygroup
AwardCode
RateCode
StandardHours
TaxFileNumber
TaxTableNo
DateStarted
CurrentStartDate

Set up the HECS component to be a separate figure on payslips and history for employees?
You need to go to System Admin, tax tables and edit tax table 30. Enter the details the same as the below details You then need to the following:
- in Pay types add a new deduction called HECS and set it as a tax Type with a link to tax table 30.

Then go to each employee with HECS and
- Change the tax scale to scale 2 (this will tax them at the standard tax rate).
- Attach the new deduction for HECS with a zero amount. The amount is not relevant as the tax table calculation overrides this.

How to set up multiple bank accounts for an employee?
Multiple bank accounts can be set up for each employee.
Multiple bank accounts are setup via "EFT Deductions". Check that you have a deduction code available for this (eg. "BANK2", "BANK3", "BANKx" etc). If you do not, just go into the pay types, click on the deductions tab, and add a new deduction masterfile. Then go into the employee screen, click on the tables tab and the deductions tab. Attach the deduction to the employee, clicking on the "Eft" checkbox will enable this as an Electronic Funds Transfer deduction and you will be able to enter the employee's bank details. These EFT deductions will then be included in the EFT file created during a payrun.

The standard pay on an employee is incorrect?
Check that the standard hours on the employee is the same as that on the award. If these are different, the standard pay will be proportioned accordingly.

Awards, Rates and Groups Common Questions
When do award lines get attached to employees?
When an employee is saved, it will attach the award allowances, deductions and on-cost lines to the employee if the employee does not already have those lines attached. It will not overwrite or change amounts or details on lines that already exist on the employee (regardless of what the "Force" flag is set on the award).

Does attach only attach lines on this tab?
When the attach button is clicked, ALL lines are attached to employees for this award and not just the lines on the current tab e.g. if you are on the Award allowances tab and click attach, Allowance, Deduction and On-cost lines will be attached to employees under this award.

When should attach be clicked?
When an award is saved, it will NOT automatically update the allowances attached to employees under that award. You MUST click on the [Attach] button to do this. When [Attach] is clicked, it will automatically attach the award's lines to the employee if they do not exist on the employee (it will use the Employee Amount on the Award line as the employee's standard payment amount). In addition to this, if Force is ticked on the Award line, it will change the employee line amounts to the same as the employee allowance amount on the award and overwrite any existing employee figure.

Will attach reactivate employee lines?
If an line is disabled on an employee, the "attach" process will not re-enable it. If however a line is DELETED from an employee, the attach process will re-attach a new line to the employee and enable it.

When should the force option be used?
The use of the force button is very important and should only be used for bulk updates.
The Employee Amount should only be set on the Award lines (allowances, deductions, oncosts) if you always want the amount in this field to become the amount for existing employees, for new employees and when attaching a totally new line to employees.

Should I fill in Employee amount on award lines?
An example for leaving the Employee Amount zero on the award would be, the employee can get a meal allowance which is a standard amount of $10 when they are eligible to be paid for Meals but it is zero until you want to pay the allowance. Another example would be a Bonus where it is only paid to selected employees or varied via timesheets on a random basis.

Super and Salary Sacrifice Common Questions
Does Employee salary sacrifice for superannuation get included in the employer superannuation?
The superannuation contribution is based on the notional earnings base. This is equivalent to ordinary time earnings. This includes allowances and bonuses but not overtime payments nor lump sum payments on termination of employment. It is based on actual earnings.  If these have been reduced by way of an effective salary sacrifice arrangement then the contribution is generally based on the actual earnings after the salary sacrifice reduction. Please check your award and/or EBAs for your companies specific arrangements.

Salary Sacrifice via pre-tax deduction or oncosts?
Generally pre tax deductions allow a salary sacrifice which will not affect the employee average rate of pay and On costs can be used where average rate of pay is not important. We suggest you use a pre-tax deduction where possible.
On a gross of $800 for 40 hours the rate is $20
A pre-tax deduction of $100 would show on a payslip as
40*20 = 800 less 100 les tax etc = net

For an on-cost salary sacrifice,
Salary sacrifice is $100
Gross = $700 for 40hours would show a rate of $17.50
The tax is the same but the presentation to an employee will change.
If the employee has timesheets which use the average rate of pay the pretax deduction is best.

How to setup superannuation employee only contributions?
If an employee has a personal superannuation contribution but the employer contribution has been stopped, the Employer Oncost should be set to zero percent and NOT made inactive. If the oncost is made inactive the superannuation contributions report may exclude the employee contribution because they are linked together.

Payrun Common Questions
After running a payrun and selecting No to update I cannot see the pay cycle in the Update Payrun menu option?
The likely reason is that when you are running the pay the first time, you are answering "No" to the "Do you wish to lock this Paygroup" question when you exit the payrun. If you answer No, it will stop the payrun from being updated via the menu. You MUST answer "Yes" in order to update the payrun later from the payrun menu. If after locking the paygroup via the payrun you decide that you need to make amendments to the payroll data (eg. modify timesheets), you can always unlock the pay via the Payrun->"Lock/Unlock Paygroup" option so you can make those amendments. The reason for this is to prevent people from running a pay, adding or amending data, and then trying to update the payrun without actually running a pay with those amendments.

Why is an employee excluded from a payrun?
Check if the following:
    -  employee is tagged for non payment
    -  employees standard hours=0
    -  there is no allocation line attached for a wage or salary employee
    -  there are no timesheets added for casual or timesheet employee
    -  the date on timesheets/variations is not within pay period
    -  the employee's paid to/prepaid date is not correct
    -  the rate table is not correct for that employee.

Check the paid up to date on the employee is correct. The pay is calculated from the day after the paid to date.

Updated the payrun by accident so how to get the Payrun Reports not yet printed?
The reports can be printed after an update providing the reports do not have YTD figures. If they do have YTD figures they will appear as double on your reports.

1. Stop anyone from accessing Pay Enquiry and Payrun.
2. Go to the reports menu and select the reports required (individually or by job stream).
3. Enter the paygroup required for each report.

The Tax on an employee does not appear correct?
Tax is calculated on the number of periods entered in the timesheet data entry window. If the number of pay periods has not been entered, the payrun taxes for one pay period. Check that timesheets don't have manual tax figures. For salary sacrifice deductions, is the before tax box ticked. Check the tax tables are correct.

Does the employee have some specific tax options set such as:
    -  Add tax deduction
    -  Tax reduction set
    -  Wrong tax table set
    -  Dependant declaration set

Some timesheets have not been included in the payrun?
Ensure the effective date on the transactions is before the payrun "paid up to" date.

A Deduction is not being deducted?
Check that the deduction masterfile is set to be enabled in Pay Types. Ensure the deduction is attached to the employee and is enabled. Does the deduction have a date range which excludes the current pay period or a remaining figure of zero.

Allowance is not being deducted?
Check that the allowance masterfile is set to be enabled in Pay Types. Ensure the allowance is attached to the employee and is enabled. Does the allowance have a date range which excludes the current pay period or a remaining figure of zero.

Pay corrections?
Paying additional money (e.g. overtime after a pay has been updated) can be done via a special pay, a reversal and repayment or via a timesheet in the next payrun. You can separate payslip number to show a difference between the normal pay (payslip0) and a correction or addition.

How can I skip a pay period?
There may be some instances where a business closes down for a period of time and all employees have been prepaid up to a certain date. In this instance you cannot run a pay because nothing will be found to update. To move the pay period on to the next required pay date go to Utilities, Status/Paygroups and change the Paid to date on each group affected.

Other Common Questions
Are they calculated on Standard plus Salary Sacrifice also?
It could be simply that the processing priority on the oncost pay types are incorrect. The processing priority ensures that oncosts are calculated in the correct order so that if one oncost is dependent on another, it calculates them in the correct order.  So, if the salary sacrifice oncost needs to be calculated first, it should have a priority of 0 (highest priority), and the oncosts which use the salary sacrifice oncost in its calculations would have a priority of say 9 (lowest priority).  If there are no priorities set on the oncost pay types, it will process them in an arbitrary order, probably the order they appear on the employee.

Too many attempts locks you out of CASPER?
Due to too many attempts to log in to CASPER by a user, CASPER locks the user out of the CASPER Payroll program. This is to ensure that someone that knows another person's user name cannot keep trying passwords for an number of attempts. To unlock the software for this user you will have to get the system manager to reset your login in CASPER to have no invalid login attempts. This is done via System Admin Menu then choose Security and change the login via the Usernames screen.

Difference between Timesheet & Casual Employee?
The difference between timesheet and casual employees is that casual employees do not accrue leave. Both of these type require a timesheet to be entered for the employee before the employee will be included in the payrun.

How to Delete Employees?
Employees can be deleted via the "Period Eng -> Delete Employee" pull down menu option. The "Delete Employees" window allows you to delete employees based on their termination date or date paid to.  To delete employees that were mistakenly added to payroll (or for some other reason) set their termination date in opening balances (System Admin -> Add opening balances) to say 1/1/1990. You will need to select the employee's via their surname, because an employee number lookup is not available in the Opening Balances window. Once you have entered a termination date on all the employees you wish to delete, go to the Period End -> Delete Employees menu option. Ensure "Terminated" is selected, and put in a date of 2/1/1990. Click on the "Show Employees" button and it should show only those employees that you wish to delete. You can then click on the "Delete All" button, or select the row(s) and click on "Delete Selected".

Do passwords for payroll users expire?
Yes, payroll passwords expire after 180 days. The user will get a warning at login after 150 days indicating that they should change their password.
If they do not change their password, and 180 days has passed, it will lock them out of the system.

Eft's Common Questions
Which EFT date should I use?
The eft date does not need to be tied to the payrun or system date. The eft date can be tied to the paid to date, system date, or manually specified when you run the pay. You can choose the way it works by changing a setting in the Status table.

Why is the date in the eft files incorrect?
If the "Eft date to use" option in the status screen is set to anything other than "Manual", it will ignore any eft date entered in the payrun parameters screen. Either set the "Eft date to use" to Manual, if you would like to enter the a manual eft date every time you want to run a pay, or use "System" or "Paid to" if you want a fixed date each pay.

Can I create multiple EFT files?
A seperate EFT file can be created for each Paygroup.
You must first add an EFT Type by going to the maintenance menu and click Banks, Accounts & Eft Types tab then click on the Eft Types tab.
Once you have added the EFT Code got to the Paygroup in System Admin, Status & Paygroups and enter the EFT Type for this paygroup in the EFT Type field.

Why does my EFT file not include all employees?
Employee may not be set up as an EFT Type or they may not have sufficient pay to be posted to the bank.

Holidays and Leave Common Questions
Holiday deductions short by 1 week?
The number of deductions to be deducted from an employee's pay is calculated as one deduction for any basic pay plus a deduction for each week of holiday pay. Check the pay periods entered for this employee in Timesheet entry.

Holiday loading not paid?
When the holiday transaction is entered, make sure the calculate loading "question" was answered correctly. Check the rate on the transaction, it should include the
loading.

Holiday loading being taxed?
Check the tax table to ensure the non-taxable loading limit is set correctly and the loading has been entered with the transaction type i.e. holidays on loading. Check the loading YTD on the employee, if this exceeds the non-taxable limit then the loading will be taxed normally.

Leave is being deducted from the wrong accrual?
Make sure the timesheet is setup with the correct pay type number. This determines if Holiday, Sick, Other etc are updated in a payrun.

End of Year/Month Common Questions
Below are some comment questions which may be asked while doing End of Year for Casper Payroll.
Q. Where do you look to see when an employee has been issued a payment summary?
A. On the dates tab on the employee there is an issued date at the top right of the form.

Q. Do I have to run an End of Month or is this covered with End of Year?
A. End of Month is covered with the End of Year Procedures. If you have already run an End of Month it is okay as well.

Q. Where do I report FBT in payroll?
A. FBT is reported on before tax deductions or oncosts. If FBT has not been set during the year the opening Balances screen has pre-cutoff and post-cutoff amounts on deductions
    and oncosts. The pre-cutoff amount is the amount that will print on payment summaries.

Q. How do I setup Casper so I can continue doing payruns before doing Payment Summaries?
A. Make a copy of the database as a backup and attach this to your login as another company. Then process EOY in your live company and continue to process pays normally.

Q. Can you go back and change payment summaries if there is an error?
A. If you have sent payment summaries to the ATO you must follow ATO procedure to provide replacement summaries and a replacement file. If you have not sent the file you can
    recreate/reprint the payment summaries.

Q. Is the create magnetic media datafile only obsolete now that the EMPDUPE file is created after the payment summaries are printed and we lodge electronically
     to the ATO via the ECI client?
A. The magnetic media datafile (ie EMPDUPE) is the file that is set to the ATO via the ECI client. So it is still relevant.

Q. Payment summaries at the bottom of each there is a category. Do I have to have these amounts listed and how do I turn them off?
A. This area is only for deductions which need to print on payment summaries. If you do not have any of these you can just untick the "Print on Payment Summaries" box on the
    deduction pay type to remove them.

Q. The FBT Reconciliation report includes superannuation and the ATO don’t require this to be reported on the payment summaries.  Is there a way to exclude it
     without going in to each individual file?
A. Check the super oncost pay type. There is a "Fringe Benefit" tickbox there. If you make sure that it is'nt ticked, it should remove it from the fbt's.

Q. Can you run payment summaries from an employee to an employee. I ran out of printer cartridge half way through and don’t want to have to print them all
    again?
A. You can select specific employees on the Payment Summary screen or select all employees and when the payment summaries are about to print you can enter the range of
    employee names to be printed.

Q. We have finished with the wages payroll for the year (no FBT reportable for this payrun) and I have noticed that the totals don't seem to match the Company and
    monthly YTD totals. For some reason the current payrun totals are not included in the report below - can you tell me why or is there some process I need to do
    prior to printing the payment summary report?
A. The payment summary report must be run via the period end menu "Payment Summaries" menu option. It shouldn't be run via the reports menu. Strictly speaking, it shouldn't
    appear on the reports list as it should only get run through the period end menu.

For More Information Contact:
C.S. Packages
Tel:  (Int) + 61 + 7 3381 0888
Fax: (Int) + 61 + 7 3105 7465

Copyright © 1997 by C.S. Packages. All rights reserved.
Revised: 24 Sep 2008 08:16:41 +1100.