Statistics Canada Business Payrolls Survey

Use Statistics Canada (PR274) to report the statistical information needed to complete the Statistics Canada Business Payrolls Survey.

Note: This is not an audit, so there is no checking of amounts or verification of limits, etc. The PR274 retrieves the data and reports it for the period specified.

Selection criteria may vary from one company to the next. Once a company has been selected to participate, they do so for one year. An employee group will be included in the main selection criteria for any groupings not covered via the parameters. This would have company/employee group as the selection level.

To report statistical information for Statistics Canada Business Payrolls Survey

  1. Access Statistics Canada (PR274).
  2. Type the Job Name and Description.
  3. Complete the fields depending on the information requested. Consider these definitions and processing details:
    Term Definition
    Employees refers to all employees who are paid for work and also those who are out on any paid leave where time is being tracked on a time card.
    Hourly employees defined as H on Salary Class on Employee (HR11)
    Salaried employees defined as S on Salary Class on Employee ( HR11)
    Working Owners

    defined as HR11 Owners.

    This overrides both Hourly and Salaried. They are any owners who are paid as employees. These must be designated on HR11 tab Plan Test field Owner. The program will access this field and supply the data for those persons on the appropriate Owners section on the report. It will also be included in the All Employees section and totals.

    Total # of Employees Total # of Employees
    Part time Employees The system uses the selected PR274 status codes to find the employees considered to be part time. It then does a calculation to verify that their average hours in the last pay period are less than 30 per week. This calculation is necessary because not all part-time employees are paid on a weekly schedule and because the status codes may not be specific to the exact 30 hours per week or less requirement.
    Full time Employees Those without part time status code designation OR those whose average hours are greater than or equal to 30 per week. Thirty or more is considered FT for this report for weekly, 60 for biweekly, 65 for semi-monthly and 130 for monthly.
    Gross wages Refers to the gross wage on the PAYMASTR record for the pay period associated with the reference month. The begin date and the end date on the reference month parameter are used to find the Pay Period End dates of the first pay period and the last pay period for that particular pay plan in the reference month.
    Wage amount Used for Regular gross pay in last pay period of the month.
    Hours

    comes from PRTIME for last pay period unless the last pay period has not been closed, in which case that pay period uses TIMERECORD

    • Average hours will need to be supplied by the HR dept (Used in report lines 5b, 10)
    • Calculate OT hours (Used in report lines 5a, 4b, 9b)
    • Calculate OT wages
    Special Payments made at any time during the month (Pay Class)

    Special payments are amounts paid to employees for work performed or for other entitlements that:

    • Do not relate exclusively to the last pay period of the month, and
    • Are made at any time during the month, and
    • Are not part of regular wages and salaries
    Special Payment Dates

    The Special Payment Dates are covered dates where the payment was made within the month but it is payment for a time period that covers a different time period. These dates are input and output for the report, and they do not affect the selection criteria. Payments are selected based upon the reference month date parameters plus the pay class.

    Special Payment examples are:

    • Accumulated overtime covering more than the last pay period being reported

    • Accumulated vacation pay

    • Bonuses and commissions

    • Termination, severance and retirement payments

    • Cost of living adjustments

    • Retroactive payments

    • Tops up (Supplementary Unemployment Benefits) for workers' compensation, sickness, maternity, adoption and parental leave, above and beyond Workers' Compensation Board or Unemployment Insurance compensation, and

    • Working Owner's Draw

    • Special payments exclude all remuneration recorded as regular wages and salaries, as well as taxable and non-taxable allowances and benefits.

    • For all special payments made during the reference month, record the type of special payment, the amount paid and the period that the special payment covers.
  4. Set the Create CSV Option to Yes to create a CSV file (castat.csv). This will be created in the user's print directory (/lawson/print/<usr>/<jobname>/<step>/ castat.csv). Transfer this file to Excel and view all the fields to see from where the data is pulling. Insert blank lines and total the various columns as needed.
  5. Run the report.

Processing Details

  • Limit – one pay plan per run. If data is needed for more than one pay plan, the program must be re-submitted.

  • Reference Month – Both the begin date and the end date on the reference month find the pay period end dates for the pay plan on the parameter screen.

  • The program can be run with payroll open or closed.

  • The PAYMASTR record is accessed to determine whether a payroll is open or closed.

  • If closed, use PRTIME records to get hours, amounts, and employee count. If open, use TIMERECORD for the last pay period.

  • Adjustments and Voids that are within the date range specified will be used in the calculations of employee pay and totals. Those outside of the specified date range will not be included even if they reverse pay from the reference month. Adjustments and voids within the date range will be included, even if they apply to a different period.

  • Earnings are broken down on the Earnings tab into Regular, Overtime, and Special payments. Pay Classes are used to categorize these.

  • Special payments are included in the Gross Monthly Payroll, but are also broken out into their own categories by PAY CLASS.

  • Retro payments must be included in the Special Payments using an included Pay Class.

  • Overtime payments are handled by using an Overtime Pay Class and are also included in the Gross Monthly Payroll.

  • Payments included in Special Pay Classes may not be part of Regular Pay or OVT Pay. (See more detailed information on Special Pay above).