PAY R O L L
M o t i vat e d e m p l o y e e s
Intro
3
a n d t h e i r c o m p e n s at i o n
A fair compensation package for employees – an important motivating factor – requires a flexible, performance-based salary system with a clear, legally compliant payroll. Logical structures, modular, straightforward
architecture, optimally integrated components and real ease of use – ABACUS Payroll is a powerful tool capable
of performing complex calculations quickly and inexpensively. As a Swiss product, Payroll can negotiate not only
the rules and regulations of all 26 cantons but can also keep up with the increasing international orientation of
many companies. Adaptability in every dimension combined with extensive communication facilities allow
integration into any working environment.
Programmed for success...
> Over 800,000 wage statements are created each month using ABACUS Payroll.
> All major trust companies use ABACUS Payroll for the management of payroll clients.
> The modular structure and the consistent focus on the needs and opportunities of tomorrow make ABACUS
Payroll a future-proof investment.
ABACUS has proven itself in a variety of industries and is in daily use in over 35,000 companies. Its universal
applicability allows ABACUS software to be used in both large and small businesses. Continuous development
guarantees the protection of investments made in software and training. ABACUS Payroll has been certified by
Swissdec according to current guidelines.
ABACUS Payroll is used and recommended by well-known, prestigious Swiss trust companies.
A B AC U S B U SINESS SO F T W ARE –
Intro
Entering new dimensions
ABACUS vi – Design the future
ABACUS vi, including Payroll have been completely redeveloped in Internet architecture.
It is particularly characterized by its scalability and role-based user concept, multilin­
gualism and support of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). It also can be run on different platforms, databases and operating systems. The Payroll software for version vi can be run
on a stand-alone system, in a client/server installation as well as over the Internet and
Intranet.
Modern Technology
Functions that are available in ABACUS vi which also have particular advantages in
Payroll are:
> Efficient and powerful search engine to quickly locate employees, information and
documents that are saved in employee files
> Create customized data entry screens for example for the personnel base
>Retrieval of information via the Internet and Intranet
> Visualisation of data using graphics
> Simple and comfortable assignment of role-based access rights
Comprehensive Service
> The ABACUS Hotline provides swift and competent support to users.
> ABACUS resellers with many years of experience have the business and technical
know-how to successfully implement and maintain the software.
> A comprehensive training program allows users to successfully master the program
and begin using it productively.
5
S i m p l e , e ff i c i e n t ,
Page 8-11
Personnel data
Page 12-15
Wage types
Page 16-19
Payroll processing
Page 22-25
Legally required settlements
Page 26-29
Cost centres / Cost accounting / General Ledger entry matrix
Page 30-33
Evaluations / Documents and Forms / Access protection
Page 34-37
Divisions and Foreign currencies
Page 38-41 Electronic Banking
Page 42
Options for Payroll Accounting
The current system requirements can be found
on the ABACUS homepage under the link
www.abacus.ch/de/downloads-page/systemempfehlungen
COnTEnT
7
r e l i a B l e – a B a c U s pay r o l l s o F t W a r e
The requirements of a modern payroll software are multi-faceted.
What you can expect from ABACUS Payroll:
> Correct and traceable wage slips for employees
> Efficient mapping of processes in complex payroll systems –
from time recording to entry into the General Ledger and Cost
Accounting.
> Complete, correct year-end settlements for OASI, UI, withholding tax, AI, etc.
> Compliance with all auditing standards and regulations; necessary lists are created by mouse click.
> Adaption of the software to the company-specific requirements though form design, customisable field designations,
database extensions, and process management resulting in a
reduction of the cost of the payroll administration.
> Through the program functions of the departments, divisions,
and/or companies, a payroll accounting for various divisions in
an organisation can be created within a single payroll client.
> new legal requirements in area of payroll administration will be
immediately implemented and integrated.
> A new version is delivered annually, which provides the customer with the latest technology.
PERSONNEL DATA
“Employees are the backbone of every
­company. To me, the collection and
­main­tenance of personnel data belongs
to the most important elements of a
­modern ­payroll accounting.”
PERSONNEL DATA
9
Personnel data from the payroll accounting contains personnel base data, payroll
data, payment details, personnel lists and base sheets. These are stored by date
which allows base data for the subsequent month or year to be entered or modi­
fied.
Personnel base
In the personnel base, data necessary for the wage slip is entered: name, address, date
of birth, sex, entry date, OASI number, social insurance number, SUVA / AI code and
withholding tax. The date-related data storage allows changes in the personnel base
such as different withholding tax definitions, change of canton, etc., to be corrected
within a year. A child base table allows all an employee's children as well as the length of
entitlement of child and education allowances to be stored.
Optional information such as telephone, civil status, a photograph, notes, profession,
department, cost centre, etc. can also be entered in the personnel base.
Personnel values
Personnel values are payroll data such as monthly wage, hourly rate, fixed expenses, etc.
Unlimited customisable fields are available so that this data can be logically grouped and
arranged. This data is also stored by date which means that it can already be entered for
the subsequent year. Modifications for payroll periods that have already been settled can
be made retroactively. The automatic recalculation function guarantees that any adjustments made will automatically be updated in the next wage slip and reported correctly.
Net wages
Emphasis placed on net wage: Foreign specialists are often hired for fixed agreed net
wages. The amount of the actual gross salary including all social benefits and deductions
is no longer relevant. In the personnel base an automated net wage function is available,
which greatly facilitates the mapping of contractually agreed upon net wages.
PERSONNEL DATA
Salary level / Salary class / Tariffs
In practice, different employment contracts can be encountered. The same person can
work as a secondary, high school, and physical education teacher. Such employment
contracts are represented by the different wage rates in the personnel base. It is possible
to split the various employment contracts and represent the varying wage classes and
levels with separate wage tables.
Payment centres
The primary purpose of employee payment centres is to store information about the
accounts to which employee wages are paid. Up to nine different payment accounts can
be entered, including third-party payment centres for wage assignments which allows a
flexible distribution of wages.
Personnel lists
The evaluation of the personnel base is done via lists which are integrated in the standard software. There are, for example, employee master data lists, payroll data lists,
address lists, seniority lists, birthday and telephone lists, entry and exit lists, etc. These
lists can be individually customised and configured.
Global modifications
Various functions for global modifications simplify any necessary changes specifically for
payroll clients with a large number of employees. Global modification of wages can be
assigned to a specific date, for example, to be carried out starting on January 1st of the
following year.
Logging
Every change made to the personnel base is logged. It can be precisely determined what
changes were made by whom and when. This allows changes made to the personnel
base to be analysed and any gaps identified.
PERSONNEL DATA 11
HIGHLIGHTS
> Flexible form design
The flexible design of the various program elements in the personnel base means the
needs and work processes of the company can be precisely met.
> Job assignment
If ABACUS Human Resources is used then the management of jobs in the personnel
base is integrated.
> Electronic files
Documents that belong to employees can be stored in electronic dossiers and retrieved
when needed. Full text indexing means all documents can be searched for using a
search engine and keywords allowing the desired document to immediately be found.
> Access protection
A flexible access protection system guarantees that data for individual employees can
only be accessed by authorized users. A distinction can be made between reading or
writing authorization. In addition, you can specify whether the access is inclusive or
exclusive of payroll data.
PAYROLL TYPES
“Defining a new payroll type – in ABACUS
Payroll the process is simple and straight­
forward.”
PAYROLL TYPES 13
One of the great strengths of ABACUS Payroll lies in the definition of the wage
types. It is easy to understand even for users who seldom define new wage types.
It is completely menu-driven and requires no previous knowledge of complex
formula definitions.
National data
This essentially refers to rates, age and maximum limits for social insurance such as OASI,
UI, SUVA and LOB. For example, this includes the OASI rate of 5.05%, the exemption for
pensioners, the UI upper limit, etc. These settings can be managed via the wage types
allowing the legally compliant settlement to follow automatically.
Pro rata calculations
Every wage type can be defined so that calculations will automatically be made pro rata
for entries or exits or for part-time ratios. Manual calculations of monthly salaries or pension fund contributions for entries or exits are therefore not necessary. These wage types
can be calculated based on various criteria:
> Only in unterminated employment
> Only in month of exit
Sophisticated gratuity systems and exit calculations can be automated.
Company and department master data
Company and department master data allow the calculation of special company-specific
features. Wage types use these settings to simultaneously handle and calculate different
constellations in just a few steps.
PAYROLL TYPES
Transfer of wage types and table content
Wage type definitions and entered table values can be exported via the interface and
transferred to another client. Users and ABACUS sales partners can share defined wage
types and table contents with each other resulting in a significant savings in labour costs.
Enter wage types as non-summarised
Wage types can have different summarisation levels for entry in the General Ledger. For
many companies it is important to enter the gross payroll amount as a total as well as the
detailed expenses per employee in the General Ledger.
VAT liable wage types
Each wage type can be defined as VAT-liable. The correct input tax deduction rate can be
assigned. This is mainly necessary in connection with an expense entry via Payroll.
Entry to personnel base fields
Results of wage types can be entered directly in the personnel base. This results in a
wealth of new possibilities, such as the display of holidays or overtime balances in the
personnel base.
Display payroll types on the wage slip
It can be defined per wage type whether it should be displayed on the wage slip. This
way wage types that are only relevant to the employer are hidden from the wage slip.
Layout elements can already be activated in the definitions and wage types as gross pay,
net pay, etc. appear in bold on the wage slip.
PAYROLL TYPES 15
HIGHLIGHTS
> Employee base integration
All payroll-specific data such as monthly or hourly wages, pension fund deductions,
company car summation, etc. can be used directly from the wage types. Wage types
can be calculated only for individual departments, employee or employee types, such
as hourly or monthly wage earners. Access to the entry and exit data also allows
­seniority-based wage types.
>Bases
There are freely definable annual and monthly maximums in the bases. The OASI/UI
bases manage gross-for-net amounts paid separately from the regularly liable wage
amount. These allow the OASI/UI or the SUVA/AI program to subsequently offset the
legally required employer contributions without burdening the actual payroll.
> Tables and Tariffs
Calculations for complex salaries and LOB regulations can be resolved through
user-defined tables and tariffs. Withholding tax and child allowances for all cantons
are predefined.
> Entry into account journals
In the Human Resources program it is also possible to have accounts which are considered in the wage types. This creates various possibilities such as the automated repayment of a loans granted to employees.
Pay r o l l p r o c e s s i n g
“With payroll processing a high degree of
automation is important but also the possi­
bility to directly take corrective measures in
a current wage slip.”
Payroll processing 17
The Payroll program includes the recurring payment of wages and salaries operations. This includes the pre-entry of periodic data, the settlement and correction
of salaries, the execution of payments and the printing of wage and salary slips.
Wage slips
As documentation of the salary received, employees can print out mailable wage slips
with address and the relevant wage types. The wage slips can be ad­justed individually and
the output can restricted according to different criteria. For example, only wage slips that
have a difference to the previous month can be selected and printed.
The wage slips can include comment texts – either for all employees of the company, a
single department or an individual employee. The wage slips can also be automatically
stored as PDF documents in the electronic employee dossier. Automated distribution per
IncaMail or e-mail is also possible.
The wage slips is automatically stored in the employee dossier as a PDF and is available
per mouse click.
ABACUS software supports any language in the wage slips allowing non-­German speaking employees to also receive wage slips in their native language.
Recalculation
The “Recalculation” option allows retroactive recalculation and modification of payroll
components, and automatic correction in the current wage slips. An example would be
the LOB deductions. Every employee has a LOB deduction on his or her wage slips
­starting in January. In general, the correct deductions are not forwarded from the pension funds to their customers until March.
Pay r o l l p r o c e s s i n g
This means companies need to recalculate the wage slips from January and February and
take into account any difference in March. The accountant is spared this time-consuming
process by using the “Recalculation” option.
Recalculations are often complex and difficult to track. A detailed presentation on the
wage slip helps the employee better understand the subsequently recalculated and
adjusted components.
Payment types
Through the integration of the “Electronic Banking” application all common payment
types can be executed – online, via DTA or via classic payment order for bank or post
office. Cash and check payments are also still possible.
Floating maximum compensation
The maximum limits of the OASI pensioners allowances or contributions of UI, SUVA and
AI are defined monthly and recalculated at each settlement based in the total amount
paid out by then. Subsequent charges when an employee leaves the company the company or at the end of the year are not necessary. The same is also true if the automatic
calculation of the LOB contributions is performed.
Flexible correcting until processing
The concept of ABACUS Payroll is that changes and corrections can be made to every
wage slip up to entry in the General Ledger. Annual accumulations, which are necessary
for the settlement of social benefits and wage statements, are calculated only after
definitive payroll processing.
Interfaces
Importing data from time recording systems is made possible with AbaConnect, the
­flexible integration module.
Payroll processing 19
HIGHLIGHTS
> Correction options in the wage slip
The possibility of direct access to a wage slip is comfortable and convenient. This
allows one’s wage slip to be corrected without having to repeat the entire salary run
for all employees.
> Subsequent changes to wage types
If a wage type is erroneously defined – for example as not OASI liable – it can be corrected at any time. The “Recalculation” option calculates the corrected wage type
according to all recent wage slips and corrects all social insurance deductions. Manual
corrections are completely eliminated.
> Retroactive payments
For employees who have left the company, normal or retroactive payments beyond
current year can be created. Various settings in personnel and wage type base allow
partial automation and provide a correct settlement of the OASI/UI amounts, withholding tax amounts, LOB deductions, etc.
> Settlement periods
The number of settlement periods per calender month is unlimited. This allows, for
example, the monthly wages to be settled on the 24th of each month and the hourly
wages on the 30th. The freely defineable settlement periods also make it possible to
settle and pay out the 13th monthly salary already at the beginning of December.
A B AC U S PAYROLL ALLO W S YO U
21
M ORE ROO M F OR YO U R CORE B U SINESS
L e g a l ly r e q u i r e d
settlements
“My work has been greatly simplified due
to the uncomplicated, digital data exchange
with the various departments, funds and
insurance companies.”
Legally required settlements 23
Each year legally required settlements must be made: the OASI / UI and SUVA / AI
settlements, the reports for the pension funds or for the Federal Statistical Office.
The cantons require a correct settlement for withholding tax and for the Family
Equalisation Funds, each of which must be created according to one of 26 dif­
ferent cantonal regulations.
ELM (Salary Data Transmitter)
The support of ELM by ABACUS Payroll makes it possible to provide most of the national
settlements online to the various departments, funds or insurance companies.
OASI / UI settlement
The OASI / UI settlement is prepared in accordance with the applicable regulations. These
regulate the list of employees, the column content, etc. In addition, the OASI / UI list of
exempt persons and an evaluation of the net / gross summation must be created.
All special cases can be correctly presented on the OASI / UI settlement. These can be, for
example, retroactive payments beyond current year, annual salaries, OASI settlements for
artists or insurance agents, etc.
It is also possible to prepare the necessary revision protocols for any OASI revisions.
L e g a l ly r e q u i r e d s e t t l e m e n t s
SUVA and AI insurance / AI insurance above requirement (voluntary)
It also goes without saying that ABACUS Payroll ensures the correct settlement of the
SUVA and AI deductions. Special circumstances such as for employees that switch from
“Insured for occupational accidents only” to “Insured for both occupational and non-­
occupational accidents” are also covered. Accident insurances above requirement (voluntary) are easily realized with predefined bases and standard settings.
LOB insurance
The law on occupational pension plans is complex and so is its implementation in the
Payroll software. ABACUS Payroll can even detect the legal bases and automatically calculate the corresponding deduction. Values provided by the pension funds can be saved
and processed in the system.
Withholding tax settlements
The cantonal differences in withholding taxes are not a problem for ABACUS Payroll.
They will always be correctly calculated. The additional forms required in the Cantons of
Geneva and Vaud are supported as well as the special calculation method used in the
Canton of Ticino. Special cases are also covered, for example, a withholding tax requirement on only 80% instead of 100% of the gross wages.
Family Equalisation Funds
The FAF settlement is made per canton. Any change of canton entered in the personnel
base will be taken into consideration. All legal requirements are taken into account such
as, for example, that the OASI-liable payroll amount must be reported on every FAF
­settlement even for employees who do not have children.
Daily sickness allowance settlement
Different daily sickness allowance insurances can be entered in ABACUS Payroll which
allows various models such as different contracts for monthly and hourly wages to be
entered in the payroll accounting and correctly calculated and disclosed.
Legally required settlements 25
HIGHLIGHTS
> Wage statement
The wage types can be assigned to the items in the wage statement. Employeespecific remarks can be entered in the personnel base and printed on the wage statement. If space is not sufficient an extra sheet will be printed.
> ELM – Salary Data Transmitter
ELM enables the uniform electronic filing of various national settlements: OASI / UI,
FAF settlements, SUVA / AI, AI above requirement (voluntary), SFSO statistics, new
wage statement in different cantons.
> Swissdec certified
Certification from Swissdec guarantees that the software fulfils the latest requirements thus ensuring that the calculation and declaration of the liable wages is correct.
Cost centres and
THE GENERAL LEDGER ENTRY m a t r i x
Transfer to the
cost accounting
“The transfer of personal costs to the
General Ledger / Cost Accounting is often
a challenging task. ABACUS Payroll allows
such complex assignments.”
Cost centres and GENERAL LEDGER ENTRY matrix 27
Cost accounting
The “cost centre” option allows personnel costs from a single division to be distributed to cost centres or cost units and transferred to the General Ledger or
cost accounting. This distribution can be defined in detail and also allows very
complex cost allocations.
G/L entry matrix
By default, Payroll enables a General Ledger account to be assigned to every pay effective
wage type. Non-pay effective but cost relevant employer payroll types such as provisions
can be entered in the General Ledger. More complex charts of accounts for different
branches or larger companies require additional breakdowns in order to correctly support
the specified entry structures. This need is met by the “Variable General Ledger entry
matrix” option.
Cost centre matrix
In the cost centre-matrix, for each wage type, it can be defined whether it is assigned to
the master cost centre of the employee or fixed to a cost centre. A special feature is the
cost centre distribution according to groups, for example the employer's costs can be
distributed according to the cost centre debits for the effective reported hours.
Evaluations
Detailed evaluations per cost centre and wage type, grouped either by department or
unit, are possible at any time. Detailed evaluations can also be created per cost centre
and wage type where per wage type the employee responsible for each cost is listed
additionally.
C o s t c e n t r e s GENERAL LEDGER ENTRY m a t r i x
Cost accounting
Entry in public administrations
Special features of the G/L entry are apparent in municipal or cantonal administrations. A
special chart of accounts must be mapped in which the cost centres are gene­rally included in the G/L accounts. Special entry groups such as municipality, school, town, etc. can
be defined in the General Ledger entry matrix and in the personnel base.
Definition of G/L entry levels
Basically, every wage type can be assigned an account valid for the whole company.
There are also companies that require a differentiated account allocation. In general the
salaries of each clearly defined operational group, for example, from the same department flow into the same G/L accounts. In exceptional cases an individual assignment per
employee is required, such as the employee-specific entry of LOB contributions. Therefore
in the entry matrix for each client it can be established how the entry of the individual
wage types are defined in the G/L accounts:
> on the company level – per company and wage type
> on the entry group level – by a new, only for use with G/L grouping such as profit
centre, wage categories, etc.
> on the department level – per department and wage type
> on the employee level – individual for every wage type for every employee
Cost centres and GENERAL LEDGER ENTRY matrix 29
Cost accounting
HIGHLIGHTS
> Master cost centre per employee
In the personnel base each employee is assigned his or her master cost centres. In
most cases this assignment is made to a single cost centre, but can also be made percentage-wise over any number of cost centres. These assignments take place independent of date.
> Assignment of cost centres in the pre-entry
It can also be determined for each wage type whether the cost distribution can be
overridden via a definition in the cost centre matrix or by entering a variable cost
­centre in the pre-entry. This allows the hours worked to be effectively allocated to the
cost centre responsible for the compensated work. This also applies to employer
­contributions.
> Entry to other clients
The G/L client to which the corresponding entry from the payroll accounting should
flow can be defined per payroll client. This allows, for example, one client for the
employees and a separate client for the management. The entries from both payroll
clients can then flow into a single G/L client.
> Entry document and entry
The output of an entry document and G/L entry can be made independent of the
choice of the entry level. This means that the account allocation can be made per
company, division, department, G/L entry group or cost centre/unit.
> Interface to external systems
AbaConnect standard interfaces are available for entering payroll data to external
­systems such as SAP.
> Link to the G/L
If entries are made directly to ABACUS General Ledger, the program creates a link
between the Payroll and the General Ledger. Thereby it is possible to determine in the
General Ledger which payroll types led to a particular entry for which employee. This
feature is only available to users who have the authorised access rights in Payroll.
E va l u at i o n s
D o c um e n t s / F o r m s
Access protection
“ABACUS Payroll offers addi­tional functions
for evaluations, exports, forms and security
in its basic version which go well beyond
the standard software.”
Document evaluations / Access protection forms 31
In addition to payroll settlements, payment lists and entry documents, data can
be periodically or cumulatively evaluated using over seventy different journals
and lists and saved in Excel or PDF format. The export of Word documents with
mail merge feature, an integrated PDF function to fill in official forms and a
sophisticated access protection system ensure efficiency, simplicity and security.
Detailed journals
Detailed journals contain all settled wage types in a payroll period. One such journal is
the Period Comparison journal, an evaluation of differences to the wage slip from the
previous month.
Cumulative journals
Cumulative journals provide information about all wage types for all employees over an
entire year, summarized per month.
Employee evaluations
Lists for seniority, anniversaries, entries and exits, etc. can be created per department.
Every department head can receive information about the employees working in his or
her department. Due to software automation, all evaluations can also be scheduled and
automatically sent to the recipients.
Access protection per employee
It is possible to remove access rights to data from certain employees such as access to
management data.
E v a l u a t i o n s – D o c um e n t s / F o r m s – A c c e s s p r o t e c t i o n
Access protection per department or access group
Access protection can be defined on many different levels. For instance, a department
head may only access to the data of employees in his or her department.
Defining access rights via access groups allows even more levels of protection. Inde­
pendent of other company groupings, a department head can be assigned access to, for
example, all employees in his or her department and all apprentices and additional specifically selected employees.
Individual users can also be assigned “read access” only so that they can view wages but
not make any changes.
Management – evaluations on the iPad
AbaCockpit is an additional software for the iPad which allows information from Payroll
and the Human Resources program to be queried over the iPad. Employee information,
evaluations, ratios and other information can be graphically presented and accessed
independent of location. This innovative product provides management with access to an
overview of all relevant data, quickly and precisely, anytime, anywhere.
Evaluations Documents / Forms Access protection 33
HIGHLIGHTS
> Mail merge feature
ABACUS enhanced features make it possible to import all employee data from the
personnel base in to Word documents. Templates such as salary increases, thank you
letters, etc. are available. The entire correspondence with employees can be con­
ducted directly from the Payroll program.
> Form / PDF Integration
Accident reports, applications for visas and residence permits, qualification documents, etc. can be saved as PDF documents. These include both data which is automatically completed by the program such as name and address and also data which
must be filled in by the employee such as details in an accident report. The documents
can be sent to the employee directly from the program.
>AbaReport
The list generator, AbaReport, also offers a variety of payroll functions. With the
appropriate authorization the user can access all wage tables and create and evaluate
lists with any number of levels. Lists created with AbaReport are available in web formatted form.
> Information Management
Information Management is an optional program that allows payroll-specific ratio
Cockpits for management to be created. A connection to Excel is also possible making
even more evaluations available.
Divisions
Foreign currencies
“ABACUS Payroll takes legal aspects into
consideration when mapping more complex
organisational structures. The division can
also form a legally separate entity.”
Foreign currencies divisions 35
Companies that employ cross-border commuters can complete contracts either in
Swiss francs or Euro. Contracts in foreign currencies are common in interna­tional
companies. ABACUS Payroll can calculate and pay wages in any foreign currency.
Divisions as organizational elements
Divisions, similarly to departments, can also be treated as organizational elements. All
evaluations can be sorted and selected by division. The detail and cumulative journal
group totals per division are also made automatically.
The division often also serves as an additional level in the General Ledger entry. This is
mostly used when a different G/L account per division and payroll type should be used.
Division per employee
One division can be assigned per employee in the personnel base. This assignment is
date-oriented so that operational restructuring or reorganization can be easily implemented.
Wage slips, wage statements and other documents can be analysed in the personnel
base by division.
Definition possibilities per division
Divisions can be used as organizational elements in the definition of wage types. This
makes it possible to, for instance, activate only individual wage types for specific divisions. Tables and tariffs can also be defined and stored by division.
Divisions, Foreign currencies
Legally required accounts in Swiss francs
Although wage slips and payments can be executed in a foreign currency, legally required
settlements such as OASI, SUVA; FAF, withholding tax, etc. must be s­ettled in Swiss
francs. The “Foreign currency” option takes this into account by simultaneously converting and storing all settlements that are created in a foreign currency into Swiss francs at
current rates.
Up to nine payment currencies
A further requirement is the payment of wages in various currencies. This occurs if the
employee receives normal salary payment in Euro, but the expense receipts should be
paid in U.S. dollars, the currency in which the expenses were incurred. Up to nine payment currencies can be paid out per employee.
Automatic iteration
In practice, net wages are often agreed upon especially for salaries paid in a foreign currency. These can be stored in the personnel base data. As the exchange rates change, so
do the gross wages in Swiss francs from month to month. By using the net wage in the
foreign currency and taking into account the foreign currency rate, variable withholding
tax deduction, etc., the automatic iteration calculates the gross wage in Swiss francs.
Reports in foreign currency or Swiss francs
Detail and cumulative journals can be created in a foreign or key currency. Two currencies
can be displayed side by side. This allows an employee's monthly salary to be viewed in
both Swiss francs and dollars at the same time.
Divisions Foreign currencies 37
HIGHLIGHTS
> Divisions as legally separate entity
A division as a legally separate entity is basically a company. Multiple companies in a
holding can be managed in one single payroll client and settlements can be created
for all or only individual companies.
National settlements such as OASI / UI, SUVA / AI settlements must, however, always
be created per company / division. This function allows complex company structures
to be mapped in a single payroll client. Managing multiple clients and maintaining
multiple wage type bases becomes unnecessary.
> Access protection per division
Access protection can be defined on the division level. Only the employees in the divisions for which the user has access rights are visible. A distinction can be made
between read and write access. The access protection extends to all master data and
evaluations.
> One foreign currency per employee
One foreign currency is possible per employee. All payroll components and pre-entries
can be calculated or made in either the key or the foreign currency. How this is displayed on the wage slip of the employee can be defined. It is also possible to display
both currencies.
Electronic Banking
“Electronic payment transactions with
banks, the Post or the banker's clearing
house (Telekurs AG) are processed in
ABACUS Payroll together with ABACUS
Electronic Banking. This cooperation
has many advantages.”
Electronic Banking 39
The integration of Electronic Banking offers the user four distinct advantages:
electronic processing of all payment types with accompanying letter upon
request, central data storage without multiple entry, online information about
company accounts with account balances, account transactions and the possibi­
lity to automatically update the rate table.
Connected financial institute
ABACUS Electronic Banking directly supports the most important financial institutes in
Switzerland. The current list of supported institutes can be found at www.abacus.ch.
Integration of ABACUS Electronic Banking
Through strict use of common master and transaction data in ABACUS Payroll and in the
Electronic Banking module, the payment processing reaches a level of automation for
ABACUS users that cannot be realised with third-party products via manual import and
export programs.
Account management
ABACUS Electronic Banking supports the following functions for efficient account management:
> Account statements (MT 940) and account pre-notes (MT 942) from all online institutions at the touch of a button
> Account sheets and statements with or without graphics
> Search function of transaction data
Electronic Banking
Electronic payment options
The following payment orders can be made electronically from Payroll:
> DTA (Data carrier exchange of the banks)
> EZAG (Electronic payment order of the Post, formerly SAD)
> IZV* (German domestic payment transactions)
> AZV* (German foreign payment transactions)
* In order for the IZV and AZV formats to be used, the “German payment transactions” option is necessary in Electronic Banking.
For more than one bank or postal connection, even the barriers to entry for Internet
solutions substantially decrease: for example, the installation of an additional encryption
software (Secure-Net, SafeLine), diverse browser standards and versions, scratch lists,
manual selection of URL addresses, etc.
ABACUS Electronic Banking offers a suitable solution for all types of data exchange with
banks and the Post.
Payroll handling
Various settings in the payroll guarantee the confidentiality of wage contracts: Single
payments for contracts transferred from Payroll to Electronic Banking are depending on
the definition, not visible to every user. It can be specified for DTA payments whether the
bank debit notice only shows the summarized total.
Electronic Banking 41
HIGHLIGHTS
>Authorization
Based on the ABACUS user administration the following models can be used: “Sole
signature”, “Collective A” (first signature) and “Collective B” (second signature). The
creation of signature groups allows differentiation of users of Accounts Payable and
Payroll who have access to the same account. This allows payroll employees to
approve a wage contract.
> Preparation of electronic payments
All payments are prepared in Payroll and submitted to ABACUS Electronic Banking for
transmission to the financial institution. The Electronic Banking module is then automatically started by the Payroll. The user need only release the previously submitted
payments for transmission.
> Direct access to banks and Postfinance
The file transfer normally takes place via a direct Point-to-Point connection (ISDN, TCP/
IP, etc.) to the bank or Post. Based on a three-stage security concept, data will either
be obtained or transferred. After the transmission it is confirmed that the payments
have been successfully accepted.
O p t i o n s f o r A B AC U S P a y r o l l
ABACUS Payroll is a built as a modular software system and can be scaled to meet
the requirements of any sized company:
> Basic version including electronic payment transactions DTA / EZAG and standard
­­payroll type base
> Optional Modules:
- Clients
- Divisions
- Foreign currency
- Automatic withholding tax
- Cost centres
- Variable G/L entry matrix
- Interfaces for pre-entry and base data
- Swissmem statistics
- Recalculation
- Electronic Banking
- Social insurance interfaces
A detailed description of the options which are subject to charge can be found at:
www.abacus.ch
Human Resources program as an addition to Payroll
An integrated system for personnel administration efficiently supports the various processes in the area of Human Resources.
The Human Resources program offers functions such as:
> Personnel information management including promotions,
job occupation, job delegation
>Budgeting
> Accounts and output objects management
>Knowledge Management
> Appraisals and agreement on objectives
> Jobs and organization chart
> Applicant management
More information about the Human Resources program is available in separate documentation.
OPTIOnS 43
i n t e g r at e d B U s i n e s s s o F t W a r e F o r e v e r y r e q U i r e M e n t
General Ledger /
Electronic
Assets Ledger
Cost Accounting
Banking
Accounts
Receiveable
Master data
AbaBuild
Technical Building
Accounts
Payable
Address Management /
CRM
Service and Contract
Management
Programme
Payroll
Human Resources
REMS
Real Estate Management
Service and Project
Management
Order Processing
Invoicing
Production Planning
and Control
E-Business
AbaSmart iPad App
Archiving
AbaScan
Information
Management
Workflow
AbaReport – Report Writer
AbaSearch – Search Engine
AbaNotify – Notification
System
SmartJob – Process
Automation
AbaAudit – Database
Monitoring System
AbaConnect
Standard Interfaces
Adobe
Intranet / Internet
E-Mail Programme
External Products / Individual Solutions
Microsoft Office
Time Recording Systems
CH-9300 Wittenbach-St.Gallen, www.abacus.ch info@abacus.ch
ABACUS Research SA, Business Software
CH-2501 Bienne/Biel, www.abacus.ch info@abacus.ch
ABACUS Business Solutions GmbH
D-80336 München, www.abacus-solutions.de info@abacus-solutions.de
Ecknauer + Schoch ASW / Web-11.13
ABACUS Research Inc., Business Software