The Payroll Grid in GoCo is a powerful feature that offers a spreadsheet-like interface for managing payroll data. This article will walk you through how to use the Payroll Grid efficiently, including key features and best practices.
For easier navigation, use the links below.
- Payroll Grid Overview
- Payroll Grid Features & Functions
- Tips & Tricks Before Submitting Payroll
- Payroll Process Overview
Understanding the Payroll Grid
The Payroll Grid in GoCo HRIS operates similarly to a spreadsheet. It allows you to:
- Sort Data: You can sort the payroll data alphabetically or numerically, similar to Excel. Simply click on column headers to sort data in ascending or descending order. This is handy for quickly reviewing data, such as identifying all contractors or hourly employees, etc.
- You can also sort by payees by clicking on the "Pay" header. Uncheck or check the box under this tab to remove employees from this pay period.
- You can also sort by payees by clicking on the "Pay" header. Uncheck or check the box under this tab to remove employees from this pay period.
- Edit Data: Directly type into cells to update payroll information, making data management straightforward and familiar. Please note that only some fields can be edited. Some common examples are Hours, Amount, Hourly Wage Rate, & Job.
Key Features and Functions of the Grid View
1. Filtering
- Filtering/Views: GoCo by default has two views or filters preset - the "All Payees" filter & the "Needs Review" filter. Use the "Needs Review" filter to focus on entries that require your attention.
⭐ Once you've completed all the "Needs Review" items, remember to switch back to the standard view after clearing filters to avoid confusion about missing data. - Utilize the filters on the left side of your side to filter by employee type, name, job title, and more.
⭐ Be mindful that filters persist between sessions. Always check for active filters to ensure you're seeing all relevant payroll data. Ex. you filter by contractors on one payroll run, on your next pay run by default that filter will still be active.
- In addition to the preset filters or views, once you've set your filters, you can create & save new views by hitting the "+View" button at the top of your grid.
- Use Column Header Sorting for Simplicity: For simpler data management, sorting by column headers might be more user-friendly than using complex filters. Use the "Customize Columns" button to add or remove columns from your view.
2. Slide-Out Panel
Clicking on a specific employee will open up the Slide-Out Panel. The Slide Out Panel displays detailed information for each employee, including deductions and earnings. You can use it to:
- View Detailed Data: Access detailed earnings and deductions information not always visible in the grid view.
- Edit Information: Make specific adjustments or additions, such as one-off earnings codes, directly from the Slide-Out Panel.
3. Refreshing Payroll Data
- Refresh Payroll Data: This function captures a new snapshot of your data, ideal when significant changes have occurred, such as profile updates.
⚠️ Warning: Refreshing payroll data resets any manual changes or imports made during the payroll run.
- Refresh for Individual Employees: Use this option to update data for a single employee without affecting the entire payroll run. This is useful to pull in specific corrections or updates from outside the pay run like timesheets, time off, or profile updates.
4. Adding and Managing Rows
- Add a Row: Use this feature to manage multiple jobs for hourly employees. Ex. paying one employee for multiple jobs.
⚠️ Be cautious as adding rows for salaried employees will cause errors in GoCo. Adding rows should only be used for hourly employees. To update jobs or wages for salaried employees, these must be done at the beginning of a pay period, never in the middle of a pay period. - Once your row is added, ensure the 'Pay' checkbox is selected to include this row in payroll calculations. (By default it will be unchecked)
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- After adding a job, ensure that you add the job title on the "Grid" view.
- Once the job title has been input, open the slide view to input information for this new job. If you choose to leave their primary job as $0, ensure that you check off the box below to catch deductions associated with this primary job. Leaving it unchecked will result in those deductions not taking place on this pay run & could cause issues later.
- After adding a job, ensure that you add the job title on the "Grid" view.
- Delete a Row: To remove an additional job or pay line, use the "Delete Row" option. This will remove the entire line of data and is only available for secondary jobs.
5. Viewing Profiles
- View Profile: Open a new tab to view an employee's profile while keeping the payroll grid open. This allows for efficient cross-referencing of payroll and profile data.
- You can also view a smaller amount of employee data by clicking on the icon next to their name in the Slide Out Panel.
This will display Personal Info, Social Security Information, & more. This is useful if you need to quickly access this important information.
Paper Check Feature
1. Viewing:
- You can see which employees are designated to be paid by paper check via a specific icon in the payroll run.
2. One-Time Use:
- The paper check option is intended for one-time adjustments. To pay via paper check from a payroll run, hit the ellipses button to display the "Pay Via Check" option. For example, if you need to give an employee a bonus and prefer to hand it over personally, you can use this feature for that particular payroll run without changing their default payment method permanently.
3. Reoccuring Use:
- If you wish to update the employee payment method for future pay runs, instead of one time, you can control payment methods via the employee’s profile under Payment and Tax settings. For example, If you’re dealing with issues like incorrect deposit information, using a paper check for a single payroll can be a workaround. This can be adjusted back to direct deposit once the issue is resolved. This flexibility helps in managing unexpected payment method changes smoothly.
Payroll Import and Download
1. Download Feature:
- The download option provides a comprehensive view of the pay run & can be used as a great analysis tool for admins.
2. Import Feature:
- The import feature is for importing hours and earnings directly into the payroll run. For more information on this, check out this help article.
Checking Payroll Before Submission
Now that you understand all parts of the payroll grid, you should be ready to use it to run payroll. After you've cleared all "Needs Review" items, reviewed all hours, earnings, & deductions, and made any other necessary changes use the list below as a guide before continuing to process your pay run.
1. Review Gross Regular Earnings:
- Use column totals and the gross total earnings figure to compare against expected payroll totals. Significant deviations might indicate missing pay or errors. (Please note that Tax & Overtime differentials are not included at this step.)
2. Sorting by Zero Earnings & Review employees with Zero Earnings:
- This helps identify employees who are not receiving any pay in the current run, which could highlight issues needing review.
3. Deduction Checks:
- Verify deductions such as 401(k) contributions to ensure accuracy. Sorting and reviewing deductions can prevent mistakes in employee benefits.
4. Data Integrity:
- It’s vital to maintain data accuracy and integrity. The system relies on users to ensure that payroll data is correct before submission. Before every pay run, double-check all of your data.
5. Review Error Messages
- If you encounter errors, check for active filters or incomplete data, such as missing hours or incorrect job assignments.
Navigating Payroll Processing Stages
At a high-level overview, the steps for a payroll run are as follows. For more information on this process, check out this help article.
1. Prepare:
- This stage represents the snapshot of the payroll data as it exists before submission. It’s a draft stage in GoCo.
2. Preview:
- When you preview, you push data to Gusto and retrieve it back. This stage is where data is reviewed in draft form on Gusto.
3. Summary:
- At the summary stage, payroll is submitted and scheduled for bank funding. It’s crucial to understand that actions in this stage are finalizing the payroll for processing.
Crash Course
Check out the video below for a quick overview of the Payroll Grid.
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us at support@goco.io
Have a good "pay"-day! 💚💰
Published 9.9.24