Table of Contents

LivePayroll Overview

John Logue Updated by John Logue

LivePayroll shares the same interface as other CFS Payroll System programs: 941/940, W2/1099, and Payroll Corrector. It includes all of the features and forms of the after-the-fact 941/940 program, plus it does the following:

  • Calculates wages based on employee’s annual salary or hours worked/hourly rate;
  • Calculates federal, state, and local withholding and other payroll deductions;
  • Prints paychecks and processes direct deposits;
  • Provides tracking and reporting for vacation, sick leave, and workers compensation.

Payroll System uses the same three-pane interface as many other CFS programs, featuring a Client List, Client Folder, and Module Library. (See CFS Program Interface.)

Selecting the Program

Because all of the Payroll System programs share the same interface, before using one of them you must make sure the correct program is selected. This is done by means of the dropdown menu in the Module Library:

Depending on which program(s) you have purchased and the release date, some selections on the menu may not be available.

Employer Setup

In Payroll System, the Client List consists of employers or payers. The first step in using any of the Payroll System programs is to set up an employer/payer, which is done by clicking the Add Client button:

This opens the Employer/Payer Information screen. Tabs at the top allow you to select screens for entering General information, States Setup, Payroll Setup, and Vacation/Sick Leave:

To open the Employer/Payer Information screen to edit information for an existing employer, click the Edit Client button:

Payroll Grid

Payroll data is entered on the Payroll Grid. To get to it, either double-click Add/Edit Payroll Data in the Client Folder, load Add/Edit Payroll Data from the Module Library, or click the Payroll Data button on the Module Library toolbar:

Each row in the grid represents a paycheck. Wage, tax, withholding, and deduction items are calculated automatically when hours are entered:

Fractional hours can either be entered as a decimal (40.25), or by entering minutes after the letter "m" (40m15 = 40.25).

To navigate the payroll grid, use:

  • The Home key to go to the first column;
  • The End key to go to the last column;
  • Arrow keys to move around the grid;
  • The Enter key to edit the current field.

Entry Method

Payroll data can be entered either by date or by payee (employee); select the entry method by means of the toggle button on the toolbar:

Options Menu

The Options menu is used to set various calculation options and to select different layouts for the columns. The Options menu is displayed by clicking the Options button above the Payroll grid:

Add/Edit Payees

To add a payee (employee), click the Add New Payee button on the toolbar:

This will open the Payee Info screen. The tabs along the left side allow you to select screens for entering general information, federal and state withholding, and pay rates:

Click the Edit Payee Info button to edit this information for existing employees:

Printing Checks/Processing Direct Deposits

To print paychecks or stubs and/or process direct deposits, click the Print/DirDep button:

This opens the Print Payroll Checks screen:

The left side of the screen has options for setting up check printing and direct deposit. Click the Check Setup button to enter information to be printed on checks, including bank information and signature lines. Use the Direct Deposit Utilities button to set up direct deposit. (For more information, see Direct Deposit in LivePayroll.)

The right side of the screen has information about the checks to be printed (or direct deposits to be processed). Select the checks/direct deposits you wish to process, or click the Select All button at the bottom to select all of them. Click the Preview only button if you wish to preview them before processing. Here's a preview of Sally's check:

After you have printed checks (or processed direct deposits), they will be displayed in green in the payroll grid. This indicates the checks are now locked; they cannot be accidentally modified or deleted:

Locked checks can be unlocked by selecting Unlock Selected Checks from the Options menu.

Filing Payroll Returns

When it comes time to file payroll returns, load the desired form from the Module Library, either by double-clicking on it or by selecting the form and clicking Load Module:

Data will be imported into the proper fields, based on employer info and paychecks that were entered for the period:

Reports

The Payroll Summary Reports screen can be accessed from the Reports menu or by clicking the Reports button on the Module Library toolbar:

Select the desired report, then select applicable quarter or month options to the right. The payee's SSN or EIN can be omitted from the report by selecting the Hide Payee SSN/EIN option. Click the Preview button to view the report on the screen, or click Print to print it.

This concludes the tutorial. For more information, please see the program's Help file.

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