Re: [SL] Payroll

[Santoken <san...@br...>]

Jeff Vian wrote:

> Just from my limited experience in doing payroll for one company, in the
> US there are things like medicare, ssa, FUTA, SUTA, state income,
> federal income, local taxes, and probably others I have missed. 
> There are also withholdings for IRAs, stock purchase plans,
> garnishments, medical savings plans, insurance plans, etc.

Yes...so, what you are saying is we start with a big number (gross 
income) and do some deductions (some will be percentages, others static 
numbers, etc.) and then we are left with a smaller number...that's the 
total of the paycheck, right?

> This will be a very complex issue even if only addressed for one
> country, and making it multinational will be even more.

Complex?  Hardly.  Look, doing payroll (as I and my company have been 
doing for 8+ years now) is nothing more than simple math.  You start 
with a big number, subtract some numbers or percentages from it, and the 
total left is the check amount.  Granted, there are other things 
happening in the background, but it's hardly more complicated than this.

> My approach would be to do this for one country at a time and then add
> additional countries as the need arises and time permits.  A separate
> payroll module for each country, with the processing output being
> plugged into the GL is likely required in order to make it flexible
> enough for all environments.

That type of approach only makes this module look more difficult than it 
really is.

> A complete knowledge of the requirements for each country/state will be
> needed and the ability to do updates to the calculations (percentages,
> etc.) as changes occur will be mandatory. 

Nope.  Currently, I use Peachtree for my payroll.  I haven't paid for 
their tax tables since I bought the software.  I have manually entered 
my deduction tables since then.

Look, payroll is not rocket science.  If you think it is, your 
accountant (or your payroll contractor) has kept you in the dark for far 
too long. Payroll is quite simple, as some have indicated by still using 
ledgers, pens, and adding machines.

There is NOTHING (as least here in Ohio) that has to be filed 
electronically.  I mean NOTHING. Not on any Federal, State or local.

Kent