Payroll Processing Step 2: Manually keying in payroll information



Objectives:

Learn how to manually key in payroll information. This may be useful for small businesses with 20 or so employees without a timekeeping system, or for processing an extra payroll batch, such as a bonus.

What's in this article?

Instructions for how to manually key in payroll information using two methods:

The Employee Pay Entry tab gives you a view of one employee at a time, and the Quick Pay Entry tab gives you a view similar to a spreadsheet, with each employee having a line in a table that you can fill out.

💡 Good to know: Not every AllPay user will need to use manual entry for their payroll processing. This is a part of our Intro to Payroll Processing and Manual Entry guide, which covers starting payroll and adding payroll batches, using Batch Totals, running a pre-process register, and closing a batch and submitting payroll.

AllianceHCM tips: Keep an eye out for tips from our experts!

Manually keying in payroll information on the Employee Pay Entry tab

If you have a small company or if you need to pay just one specific employee in a special circumstance, it may be easy to input hours or amounts one employee at a time, looking at that specific employee’s pay entry screen. In this example, we're going to give a $500 bonus to Curtis Lowry on this payroll.

Use the Employee Pay Entry tab in the Payroll module.

Then use the Sort, Filter, and/or Current Employee dropdowns at the top to find your employee.

You can add a Code using the dropdown, and then key in the amount. Don't worry; Codes can be customized for your company, and you can have as many as your company needs.

Then, key in the amount.

Now, let’s say we’re adding in hours for Curtis’s regular workweek instead of a bonus. All base rate information for an employee is pulled into the payroll, so all you’d have to add for the pay period is hours.

You wouldn’t normally enter a rate here in the Employee Pay Entry tab. However, you CAN use the rate column to override an existing base rate for an employee. For example, if we were putting in regular hours for Curtis and wanted to pay him at $15 an hour instead of $14, we could enter the 15 in the Rate column for rate for this pay period.

But we’re just focusing on a bonus for now, so we’ll click on Save once we’re done entering information.

Instead of just saving, another option is to click Calculate, which will show you a breakdown of the employee’s Earnings, Deductions, Taxes, Direct Deposits and paper checks.

If you input data on the Employee Pay Entry and then click Calculate, it will save and show you this view.

The Employee Pay Entry view will also let you edit a specific check’s properties–such as changing a check type from regular to bonus, or blocking direct deposit, or adding a note if needed.

This will bring up a Check Attributes screen where you can choose to make those changes.

If you’re done with Employee Pay Entry for one employee, you can use the arrows toward the top of the screen to move between employees.

AllianceHCM tip: You can also click the + sign on your keyboard to save and advance to the next employee.

Manually keying in payroll information on the Quick Pay Entry tab

The Quick Pay Entry view in the Payroll module will let you input payroll amounts with a view that is similar to a spreadsheet. Each employee will have a line in a table that you can fill out. 

To enter payroll amounts this way, click on Quick Pay Entry from the tabs along the top of the screen.

Your first view will only have payroll amounts listed for employees with auto pay information. But don't worry, you can customize this view to make it as efficient as possible.



• Calculator icon: Calculate view for employee
• Wrench icon: Check attributes
• Pencil/arrow icon: Employee Pay Entry view
• Plus icon: Add check for employee



Click on the Setup option in the right column for the desired batch.



This will open the Batch Pay Entry Setup window.

Click the Add New button.

The Order will automatically populate, and then you can use the Code and Field dropdowns to configure your entry.



Code is what sort of pay you will be entering.

AllianceHCM tip: Anything starting with an "E" is an earning, anything starting with "D" is a deduction, and anything starting with a "T" is a tax.



Field lets you configure what unit of measurement you will be entering.



In this example, we'll set the Batch Pay Entry Setup Details for regular hours.



Click on Save when you’re finished with the setup.



Go back to the Quick Pay Entry tab. You’ll now have a new column available to easily go down the list of employees and key in hours by hand.

You can use the Setup options to create several batch pay entry columns. For example, in addition to the regular hours (Reg Hours), you can have Overtime Hours set up to key in as well.



One handy feature is the ability to sort your Quick Pay Entry view. Click on the Options button toward the top left-hand side of your Quick Pay Entry tab.



The dropdowns in the Options window allow you to Sort and Filter your view for easier entry.



Once you’ve keyed in any pay information with your Quick Pay Entry, be sure to click on the Save button at the bottom.



Now, you have all your data entry complete.



And that’s it! You’ve reached the end of this guide about manually keying in payroll information and you're ready to use batch totals to check your data. If you need additional support, please see the full list of sections in the Intro: Payroll Processing and Manual Entry guide.

Remember, if you have any questions, you can always reach out to AllianceHCM experts by phone at 281-875-1818, or you can contact your dedicated Customer Service Representative (CSR), who is listed on your AllPay dashboard. We’re happy to help and look forward to supporting all of your payroll needs.