How Do I Populate the Import File for Non-Lawson Payroll?

Payroll transactions for employees must be populated in the Non-Lawson Payroll Transaction Import file to be processed. Non-Lawson Payroll Tran Import (GM500) uses this file to relieve salary encumbrances, perform labor distribution, and capture effort information for eligible employees. GM500 updates Lawson Grant Management, Project Accounting, and General Ledger.

You should import and process payroll transactions at the end of each payroll cycle.

How to use and manage run groups

All transactions related to the payroll must be populated in the GMDISTREL (Unix/Windows) or DBGMGDI (IBMi) file under the same run group (batch identifier). All transactions in the run group must balance to zero by Human Resources company.

Lawson recommends that you do not duplicate batch identifiers. To ensure that subsequent data imports do not damage any existing records that are still processing, you should uniquely identify each run group. Suggestions include:

  • using a date/time stamp as the run group identifier; for example, use 051605164022 for an import file created on May 16, 2005 at 2:40:22 p.m.

  • using the pay cycle and date; for example, use SEMI051505 for a semi-monthly payroll for the pay period ended May 15 2005

  • using the company, pay cycle and date

Each record in the import file contains a record type that identifies the transaction as Gross Wages, Employer-Paid Expenses, Employee Withholding, Net Pay, or Employer-Paid Expense Liability. The following sections describe how to populate transactions for each record type.

Populating wage transactions

You can create one or more records in the GMDISTREL (Unix/Windows) or DBGMGDI (IBMi) file for each employee's gross wages (Record Type 1). Each wage record must include the employee. The transaction date in each record determines which labor distribution template is applied. For the most accurate application of labor distribution templates, you should create one wage record for each day worked, rather than one wage record for the entire pay period.

A check identification is required in wage records. If a check number is not available, populate a unique check ID in each record. Because check ID is used to gather transaction information for subsequent cost transfers, it is important to be sure check IDs are not duplicated in subsequent imports.

Occasionally, all or part of a template cannot be applied to a wage record during labor distribution processing. For example, if a template line is not approved or has expired, it cannot be applied to the wage record. If this occurs, the General Ledger account and activity (if any) in the imported wage transaction is used for the portion of the wage transaction that cannot be distributed according to the template.

Populating employer-paid expense transactions

There are two ways to populate employer-paid expense records in the GMDISTREL (Unix/Windows) or DBGMGDI (IBMi) file, depending on how you charge these fringe expenses to grants.

  • If you charge actual fringe expense to grants, create employer-paid expense records in detail by employee and check ID in the GMDISTREL (Unix/Windows) or DBGMGDI (IBMi) file. Each record must include check ID, employee, transaction date and expense code. The expense code identifies the expense as employer-paid FICA, Medicare, health insurance, etc.

    Employer-paid expense records should include the six-digit general ledger account to determine where the expense gets posted in the General Ledger. A placeholder activity and fringe account category should also be populated in each record. This ensures that the fringe account category is populated in employer-paid expense transactions generated during labor distribution. If no fringe account category is specified in the import record, GM500 populates the error/suspense account category in any employer-paid expense distributions that are charged to a grant rather than the labor account category specified in the labor distribution template.

  • If you use Project Accounting burdens to charge fringe expense to grants at a rate, you can create summarized or detail employer-paid expense records in the GMDISTREL (Unix/Windows) or DBGMGDI (IBMi) file. Do not include check ID or employee. Employer-paid expense records that do not include a check ID or employee are not eligible for labor distribution and are simply posted to the general ledger account and activity (if any) in the import record. This avoids overstating fringe costs when burdens are calculated on labor posted to grants.

    Defining burdens for grant activities

Populating liability and net pay transactions

Transactions for net pay, employee withholdings, and employer-paid expense liability can be imported in detail by check ID and employee, or in summary. These transactions are not eligible for labor distribution processing and will be posted to the General Ledger account and activity (if any) populated in each transaction.

Populating transactions for employees not subject to labor distribution

For employees not subject to labor distribution, payroll transactions are simply posted to the grant activity and general ledger account (department) in the imported record.