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15973: Future Year Payroll Checks in Prior Year Software (DAS)


Payroll

Drake Accounting®: I need to write payroll for 20YY for a client that keeps calendar year books. I have not finished my bookkeeping in 20XX, but need to create employee payroll for the new year 20YY. What are my options?  

 

If you enter payroll only without bookkeeping, employee payroll for 20YY can be entered in the 20XX DAS with check dates in 20YY. These checks will update to the 20YY software when the client file is updated, and will not affect either W2s or 1099s for 20XX.

The following steps are necessary only if you use bookkeeping in addition to payroll. 20XX refers to the prior year and 20YY refers to the most current year. 

Write the payroll in DAS 20XX, but don't post the transactions to a journal.

Before writing 20YY payroll, confirm that none of the Auto Post options are selected, or clear all posting options before proceeding:

  1. Employees > Options > Payroll Options > Journal Type
    1. Post Detailed Payroll to Journal
    2. Post Cumulative Payroll to Journal
    3. Post Combined Payroll to Journal
  • That keeps the 20YY payroll out of DAS 20XX bookkeeping. 20YY payroll transactions that are posted to a journal in DAS 20XX cannot be brought forward into DAS 20YY.
  • When you update the client file in DAS 20YY, the unposted 20YY payroll transactions are brought forward to DAS 20YY where you can post them to the journal after bookkeeping is set up or updated.

If you have already written 20YY payroll in DAS 20XX and posted it to a journal

  • The posted 20YY payroll prevents completion of the Post Transactions process and Year End Close in DAS 20XX and therefore prevents you from updating bookkeeping to DAS 20YY.
  • You will have to delete the 20YY payroll transactions in DAS 20XX and reenter them in DAS 20YY. You may want to run a payroll report before you delete the transactions, to assist in DAS 20YY data entry.
  • This situation often occurs because DAS 20XX was set to post payroll automatically at the time you wrote the 20YY payroll checks.

To write 20YY payroll in DAS 20XX

  1. Before writing 20YY payroll, confirm that none of the Auto Post options are selected, or clear all options before proceeding:
    1. Employees > Options > Payroll options > Journal Type
      1. Post Detailed Payroll to Journal
      2. Post Cumulative Payroll to Journal
      3. Post Combined Payroll to Journal
  2. Prepare payroll checks using a 20YY check date.
  3. Do not manually enter the 20YY payroll information in the journal.
  4. Leave auto post off.

After live payroll checks are printed in DAS 20XX, payroll check information appears in 20XX payroll reports, but not in bookkeeping or bookkeeping reports, provided you have not entered them in the journal. After DAS 20YY is installed, the 20YY payroll for employees is updated when you update the client file. Later, after you have set up or updated client bookkeeping in DAS 20YY, you can post the payroll to the journal.

Following these steps will not affect W2s/1099s for 20XX or year end payroll reporting. 


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