To: MOU Leads, Business Managers, ResInfo, RASG, HR Officers
From: Brian Simet, Payroll Director
This is a reminder that the new Payroll Accounting Adjustment Tool (PAAT) will be released on Oct. 28, 2015. Campus staff will use PAAT to make funding changes for past pay periods.
Please plan to attend a webinar that will provide training on using PAAT:
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m.
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/meeting.jnlp?sid=2009099&password=M.9DB4F20D8C63E337CF2AB0E3DAF784
The webinar will also be recorded and will be available on the ccinfo.unc.edu website. Webinar tips: http://ccinfo.unc.edu/training/webinars.
Additional information about PAAT is below. You may also view this information online at http://ccinfo.unc.edu/coming-soon-the-payroll-accounting-adjustment-tool-paat.
Most transactions processed in the Short Term Retro tool have been converted for use in PAAT, but if you get the message, “Excluded from PAAT,” that particular transaction did not convert. The team is working to resolve these issues but it may take a few weeks to complete this work and get them incorporated into PAAT.
Please contact the Help Desk if you need assistance with PAAT.
Advantages of PAAT over previous system
The previous short-term retro tool provided a quick and needed solution to the funding source distribution challenge. With the new tool, though, we’ve been able to incorporate input from users to make a number of improvements in PAAT:
- It is easier to change funding sources for multiple pay periods.
- You can change funding sources for employees who are in two different pay groups.
- You can perform funding source changes on top of completed funding source changes (retros on retros).
- Regular pay elements such as vacation, sick and holiday are grouped together so you don’t have to make a change for each pay element separately; the system allocates the change to pay elements behind the scenes.
- Distribution of fully approved funding source changes will occur on a nightly basis eliminating delays before you see the impact).
Who will have access to PAAT
PAAT has two levels of access which are described below. The two levels of access are:
- Basic access: A person with this access can move earnings for an employee to a new funding source with deductions and taxes automatically following. Departmental personnel who have access to the Funding Swap ePAR form in ConnectCarolina and have been designated by their MOU lead to retain access will be automatically given basic access to PAAT.
- Advanced access: A person with this access can change funding sources for the deductions and taxes separately from the earnings. This access is much more limited. MOU Leads selected staff members in their school or division who needed to be given advanced access.
Everyone who uses PAAT will be able to view any employee’s funding change, regardless of which department is the employee’s home department.
Approvals in PAAT
We are leveraging the existing L1 budget and L2 budget ePAR approvers for PAAT approvals. The approval process has been simplified. After a transaction is submitted:
- Changes to State fund sources must be approved by Level 1 for the funding department before it routes to Level 2.
- Changes to non-State fund sources can be approved by either Level 1 or Level 2. As soon as the adjustment is approved at one level, it skips the other level and routes to a Level 3 budget office such as the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR). Level 2 approvers should determine a protocol for approving these transactions. Running the Review Pending Retros Report discussed below can identify the status of each transaction awaiting approval.
- If the adjustment is changing an OSR chartfield string that is more than 90 days past the pay end date of the paycheck, Level 3 approval by OSR is
Reporting from PAAT
When it is rolled out, there will be three reports available with PAAT. They are listed below. Additional reports will be added in future.
- Review Pending Retros Report available in ConnectCarolina– Provides a list of all transactions that are waiting for approval.
- Review Suspense Transaction Report available in ConnectCarolina– Provides a detailed view of labor expenses charged to suspense accounts.
- Labor Expense Report available in InfoPorte– Provides a summary of payroll accounting expense by pay period.
When to use PAAT – when to use Funding Swap ePAR form
Continue to use the Funding Swap ePAR form to make funding changes for the current or future pay periods. Beginning Oct. 28, you will use PAAT to make funding changes for past pay periods. Avoid issues by waiting until the pay day for a particular paycheck to enter a payroll accounting adjustment in PAAT. Please note that use of the Short Term Retro Tool ended at 4 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2015.
No funding changes on payrolls prior to Oct. 1, 2014
In PAAT, just as in the Short Term Retroactive Funding tool, you cannot make retro funding changes for payrolls prior to October 1, 2014 (when ConnectCarolina launched).