This topic describes how to make prior quarter adjustments, describes the difference between an adjustment and an amendment, and explains the process you must follow to file amendments.
If you need to adjust the payroll data of a prior quarter but it is after the last day of that quarter, you can create a prior quarter adjustment.
By creating a prior quarter adjustment, you can modify the payroll and tax data sent in the quarter end file to Dayforce Tax Service (DTS). Dayforce generates a new quarter end file and sends the adjusted information to DTS.
Important: You can only make adjustments for a limited time after the end of quarter. Dayforce allows prior quarter adjustments only between the end of the quarter and a cutoff date set by DTS. Beyond this cutoff date, you must file any changes or corrections with DTS as amendments. The application prompts you if your adjustment has to be filed as an amendment.
Adjustments
Prior quarter adjustments can be used to update the values of any quarterly reporting parameters. Dayforce includes the values effective the last day of the quarter in the quarter end file. If these values were incorrect (as of the last day of the quarter when the quarter end file was generated), you must make a prior quarter adjustment, after the parameters were updated and dated effective the last day of the quarter, to file the new values in the quarter end file.
If you need to update only the quarterly reporting parameters, you can file a blank prior quarter adjustment so that the payroll and tax data in the quarter end file does not change. For example, adding and subtracting $1 in earnings for an employee. This prompts Dayforce to generate a new quarter end file for the updated legal entity, which in turn causes Dayforce to check for the quarterly reporting parameters to include in the file. If you have updated the quarterly reporting parameters effective the last day of the quarter, then these new values are included in the updated quarter end file.
Make a Prior Quarter Adjustment
Important: When creating a prior quarter adjustment, you must select the last pay run in the prior quarter.
To make a prior quarter adjustment in Payroll > Overview:
- Select the last pay run in the previous quarter from the Load Pay Run button.
- Click the New button next to the Off-Cycle Pay Run label.
- If the quarterly file was already created for the quarter, the application displays the Amendment Run warning dialog box, and you cannot create a prior quarter adjustment. Click Cancel in this warning dialog box and refer to the Amendments section on the next page on what to do next.
- Enter the last day of the previous quarter in the Pay Date field.
- Select Prior Quarter Adjustment from the Run Type drop-down list.
- Enter a short name that will be appended to the name of the pay run in the Name field. For example, if the pay run the off-cycle is applied against is named SL.BWKLY.USA you can type Prior Quarter Adjustment in the Name field and the off cycle run that you are creating will be named SL.BWKLY.USA - Prior Quarter Adjustment.
- Click OK.
- Select the off cycle pay run you created from the Load Pay Run panel.
- Click Open.
- Enter the details of the adjustments in the Adjustments tab, as needed.
- Click Save.
You record the details of the prior quarter adjustment within the off-cycle following the normal process for prior period adjustment off-cycle pay runs.
Once finished you need to inform a system administrator or other user with access to the System Admin > Background Jobs feature; they will need to run a job in the application to file the adjusted quarter end file with DTS.
Amendments
The application only allows prior quarter adjustments between the end of the quarter and a cutoff date defined by DTS; beyond this cutoff date any changes or corrections have to be filed with DTS as an amendment.
Amendments require a manual process coordinated with DTS where physical paperwork is filed by the client with DTS; although you still record the details of the amendments in the application for reporting and informational purposes, the application cannot generate and transmit another quarter end file using the information in amendments. Instead, the information must be filed with DTS manually.
If, when attempting to make a prior quarter adjustment, it is after the cutoff date, the application displays the Amendment Run dialog box, which warns you that your adjustments will create amendments. Click Cancel in this warning dialog box and contact a Dayforce support representative. The representative will coordinate with DTS to determine the next steps. In some cases the cutoff date can be adjusted to a later date so that you can make a prior quarter adjustment instead of a manual amendment.
If the representative informs you that the cut-off date was adjusted, you can create your prior quarter adjustment following the steps in this section. When finished, a system administrator or other user with access to System Admin needs to run the background job to transmitted the adjusted quarter end file to DTS.
If the representative informs you that the cut-off date cannot be adjusted, you can create a prior quarter adjustment following the instructions on the previous page, except click OK in the Amendment Run warning dialog box.
You can record the details of the adjustment for amendment within the off-cycle as normal; when you click Commit you are prompted again. You will need to accept the message and follow a manual process with DTS to file the paperwork for you amendment.