Payroll Balances

                           Payroll Balances

             

Balances show the positive or negative accumulation of particular values over periods of time. They are fed either by the direct run results (that is, Pay Values) of elements processed in the payroll run, or by input values. For example, in North American installations, the input value Hours of the element Time Entry Wages feeds the balance Regular Hours Worked.

Balance Dimensions and Levels

Balances exist for various time dimensions, such as current run, period to date, month, quarter to date, and year to date.

Balances also exist at different levels, such as assignment level or person level. Balances for individual employee assignments are at the assignment level (in North America, they can be at the assignment level within a GRE). If your enterprise permits employees to hold more than one assignment at the same time, you can hold balances at the person level. For example, a person level Gross Earnings balance is the sum of an employee's assignment level Gross Earnings balances.

Choosing Elements To Feed a Balance

You can select elements to feed a balance in three ways:

• Select a primary classification. The run results of all elements in the classification feed the balance.

• Select a secondary classification. You choose which elements from a primary classification (such as Earnings) are to feed the balance by giving these elements a secondary classification. Again it is the run results of the elements that feed the balance.

Note: Secondary classifications are not used in the North American versions of Oracle Payroll at this time.

• Select an individual element. You can select either the run result or an input value to feed the balance. The input value must have the same unit of measure (such as hours or number) as the balance.

You can choose any number of classifications or any number of elements to feed a balance. However you cannot use a mixture of classifications and individual elements to feed a balance. When you select an element or classification as a balance feed, you specify whether the run results (or input values) should add to or subtract from the balance.

Startup and User Defined Balances

The balances and balance feeds for the elements supplied with Oracle Payroll are present in the system when you receive it. For North American users, when you initiate earnings types, deductions and other items that process in the payroll run, the system generates the appropriate balances and balance feeds together with the necessary elements.

You can define any additional balances your enterprise requires. For example, you may require a Pensionable Earnings balance for a pension plan your enterprise offers employees.