Payroll Cutoff, Proration, and a Missing Deduction
MetroParts runs monthly payroll for 1,000 US employees. A production supervisor is promoted effective March 16 with a salary increase from $72,000 to $78,000. On March 20 her manager enters a $1,500 one-time bonus with an effective date of March 25. The March payroll cutoff for element entries is March 18; the payroll run is March 25. The bonus does not appear in the run. Her salary element pays the old rate for the whole month. A parking deduction of $40 is also missing, although it was entered in February. The payroll analyst proposes a manual check for the bonus and salary difference. You need to determine whether the issue is element eligibility, entry timing, proration, or payroll relationship setup, and whether a manual check is appropriate.
1. Diagnose the missing bonus and the old salary rate.
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The bonus is most likely an entry-timing issue. It was entered on March 20 with an effective date of March 25, after the March 18 cutoff, so the March run did not pick it up. I would confirm the element eligibility and the payroll relationship, but the cutoff is the leading explanation. The correct action is usually to process it in the next payroll or a supplemental run, not to assume the element is broken.
The old salary rate is a different issue. The promotion is effective March 16, which is before the cutoff, so the salary change should be eligible for proration if the salary element is configured to prorate. I would check whether the salary element entry has the new rate and the correct effective date, whether the element supports proration, and whether the assignment and payroll relationship were updated. If the element does not prorate, the new rate may start the following period. I would verify the calculation before approving any manual check.
2. What would you check for the missing parking deduction, and how does it differ from the bonus?
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The parking deduction was entered in February, so timing is less likely than eligibility or recurrence. I would check whether the element is recurring or one-time, whether the employee is eligible for the element, whether the entry has an end date, and whether it is attached to the correct payroll relationship and assignment. A deduction can also be missing because it was entered after the February cutoff and then not carried forward, or because the element eligibility rules changed.
The bonus is a one-time entry tied to a March effective date after cutoff. The parking deduction is probably a recurring entry that should process every period unless eligibility or the payroll relationship is wrong. I would compare the element entry history across periods, check for a suspension or end date, and confirm the payroll relationship is active. The distinction matters because the fix for the bonus is timing or a supplemental run, while the fix for the deduction may require correcting eligibility or re-entering the recurring entry.
3. Would you approve the manual check? What alternatives and controls would you recommend?
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I would not approve a manual check until the payroll calculation is verified. A manual check bypasses the normal payroll results and can create duplicate payments, tax issues, and reconciliation problems. The bonus is a known cutoff miss and can usually go to the next run or a supplemental payroll. The salary difference needs a proration calculation first; if the system should have prorated and did not, the cause must be fixed before paying the difference.
I would recommend an off-cycle or supplemental run for the bonus if policy allows, and a retroactive adjustment for the salary if the next regular run will not catch it. For the parking deduction, correct the eligibility or recurring entry and decide whether to collect arrears. Controls include reviewing entries against the cutoff calendar, a pre-run audit report for missing recurring elements, and documented approval for any manual payment. If a manual check is unavoidable, reconcile it to the payroll results and record the reason.