Payroll Tax Calculators

Use Payroll Tax Calculators to determine where tax items appear in payroll reports and print forms.

HINT-- The Goldenseal payroll software uses Payroll Tax Calculator for payroll reports such as the W-2 form for each employee.

WEBSITE INFO LINKS
Payroll Software | Payroll Accounting Software

RELATED TOPICS
Calculators | Income Tax Fields | Printed Forms | Report Tables | Reports

When to Use Payroll Tax Calculators

Use Payroll Tax Calculators to calculate the amounts for payroll tax forms and reports.

Use Tax Calculators to get totals for wages, benefits and tax items for one employee or for the entire company.

Entering Payroll Tax Calculators

To enter a Payroll Tax Calculator, follow these steps:

Choose Calculations from the Options menu, then choose Payroll Taxes from the submenu.
Click the New button, or click on an existing item and click the Edit button.
Enter info for the tax field.

Data Fields

Enter the following information for each Payroll Tax Field:

Name-- Type in a brief name for this report field. This is the text that will appear in clairvoyant fields.
Description-- Type in a brief description of this item.
Calculation Method-- Enter the calculation method to use for this item.
Time Period-- Enter the time period to use when calculating this item.
Start Date-- Goldenseal fills in a start date for most time periods. Type in a start date for custom periods.
End Date-- Goldenseal fills in an end date for most time periods. Type in a start date for custom periods.
Items Included-- If the calculation method permits it, use the table to fill in the items that are included in this calculation.

Calculation Methods

Three calculation methods use the Items Included table to get values. The calculator will get the sum of all listed items for one employee during the time period:

Base Amount-- The calculation uses the base amount of all listed items.
Deduction Amount-- The calculation uses the deduction amount of all listed items.
Cutoff Amount-- The calculation uses the cutoff amount of all listed items.

The other calculation methods do not use the Items Included table. They get values directly from Payroll Records during the time period:
Gross Wages-- The total of gross wages during the period.
Overtime Wages-- The total of overtime wages during the period.
Straight Wages-- The total of non-overtime wages during the period.
Net Wages-- The total of net wages during the period.
Total Deductions-- The total employee deductions during the period.
Total Employer Taxes-- The total of employer taxes during the period.
Total Category Taxes-- The total of employer taxes during the period.
Bonus Given-- The total of bonuses given during the period.
Commissions-- The total of commissions given during the period.
Reimbursements-- The total of reimbursements paid during the period.
Tips-- The total of all tips during the period.
Advances Given-- The total of advances given during the period.
Advances Repaid-- The total of advances repaid during the period.

Time Periods

Enter one of the following time periods:

This Week-- This week (Sunday through Saturday).
Last Week-- Last week (Sunday through Saturday).
This Month-- The current calendar month.
Last Month-- The previous calendar month.
This Quarter-- The current calendar quarter.
Last Quarter-- The previous calendar quarter.
This Year-- The current calendar year.
Last Year-- The previous calendar year.
Custom Range-- Any range you'd like to include.

Goldenseal shows the current start date and end date for each period. However when you print a form or make a report, Goldenseal will adjust the date to the appropriate range for that date.

Items Included

If the Calculation Method is Base Amount, Deduction Amount or Cutoff Amount, Goldenseal will get totals from each item in the table. For example, you can list one or more Tax Items (withholding taxes or employer taxes), as well as specific wage schedules and benefits.

Using Payroll Tax Fields

To use a tax report field in a payroll report, follow these steps:

Choose Custom Layouts from the Options menu, then choose Reports from the submenu.
Enter Payroll into the Area popup menu at the upper right corner of the window.
Choose a report from the Report popup menu.
Click on the Calculator Tool-- the calculator icon in the palette on the left side of the window (beneath the oval tool).
Click in the layout at one corner of where you'd like the new field to be located, and drag to the opposite corner.
You'll see a dialog to choose a calculated field.
Choose Payroll Tax Fields in the Calculation Type popup menu-- Goldenseal will show you a list of all tax report fields.
Choose a tax report field from the list, then click OK.
The tax report field will be added to the layout at the selected location.