The End of Period Operations interface makes it easy for you to perform all of the tasks required to close a pay period. These tasks are divided into a series of sequenced pages in the End of Period Operations interface. This help topic describes how to perform the End of Period Operations step-by-step. However, you also have the option to run the End of Period Operations automatically.

During each step, the system checks the pay period data for specific types of errors or exceptions. Any issues that need attention are listed on the End of Period pages, along with links, buttons, and/or instructions to help you resolve the issues. Due to the extensive on-screen instructions provided on the End of Period pages, only brief descriptions of each step are given below. If you need more details about a step, click the step to see expanded information.

Notes:
The procedure described below should be performed only after the end date for a pay period has passed. During this procedure, you lock the pay period so that no further edits can be made to it. Make sure that all employees have had the opportunity to record their hours for the pay period before starting the steps described below.

If you need to close a pay period and run payroll before the scheduled end of the pay period due to a holiday, office closure, or other special event, contact ADP. The ADP ezLaborManager representative can temporarily enable you to perform end of period operations before the end of period.

If your company's payroll schedule makes it necessary for you to run payroll before the end of every pay period, use the Projected Payroll feature. For more information, see Projecting Payroll.

To perform End of Period Operations step-by-step:

1. Click the Home tab.

2. Under the Home tab, click the End of Period link.

3. Under the Run End of Period column, click the Step-By-Step link for the pay cycle you are preparing to move. The End of Period Operations page opens with Step 1: Check Pending Events displayed.

   Note: The End of Period Operations page contains a series of steps that must be performed in order. If a step does not apply to your company's specific ezLaborManager configuration, it is marked as "Option Not Available" and is skipped. You must proceed through the steps in order, although you can return to a previously completed step. You cannot jump forward through the steps, even if you have previously completed them. You can only move forward through the steps by clicking the Next Step button. This button is only available if all of the conditions for the current step have been met.

4. If you want to lock the pay cycle, click the Lock Pay Cycle button on the Step 1: Check Pending Events page.

   Locking the pay cycle prevents most users from making changes to timecard data. Only users who have been given special pay cycle access can make edits to a pay cycle that has been locked.

   You can lock (and unlock) a pay cycle at any point during End of Period Operations by clicking the Lock/Unlock Pay Cycle button. Locking the pay cycle early in the End of Period process prevents users from making edits or entering data that could introduce timecard errors. If such edits are made after you have completed End of Period Steps 2 and 3, the errors could go undetected.

   However, if you lock the pay period early, you may need to grant pay cycle access to some users or temporarily unlock the pay cycle if you need supervisors or employees to make edits or record approvals in order to clear exceptions for the pay period.

   If you have not already locked the pay period, ezLaborManager locks it automatically when you reach Step 6. During this step, you generate the export file that is used to prepare payroll. The pay period must be locked prior to generating this export.

5. On the Step 1: Check Pending Events page, resolve any pending events (such as unprocessed timecards), and then click the Next Step button.

   Step 1 checks for the presence of unfinished or pending events, such as deferred timecards that have not yet been processed. If any pending events are identified, you must take action or wait for them to be completed.

   • If any timecards are found that have not been processed, click the provided link to submit the timecards for immediate processing.

   • If an on-screen message indicates that system events are in progress, follow the instructions given in the message. In most cases, the message recommends waiting a few minutes for the events to be completed.

   • To refresh the page and recheck for pending events, click 1. Check Pending Events in the menu on the left side of the page.

   • If/when the Check Pending Events page indicates that "All timecards have been submitted for processing" and no pending events are listed, click the Next Step button.

6. On the Step 2: Check Payroll-Related Exceptions page, resolve any payroll-related exceptions (such as Payroll Approval Required exceptions and Exceeds accrual hours available exceptions), and then click the Next Step button.

   Step 2 checks for any payroll-related exceptions. The most common payroll-related exceptions are: Payroll Approval Required, Exceeds Accrual Hours Available, and Employees with Unapproved Timecard. If any payroll-related exceptions are found, click the link indicating the exception type and number of exceptions. Details about the exceptions will be displayed in the right pane, from which you can usually address the exceptions. When you have cleared all of the payroll-related exceptions in one category, click the Restart Check Payroll-Related Exceptions link to recheck the pay period, and then click the link for any other category of exceptions that may be found. When you have resolved all of the payroll-related exceptions that must be cleared before the pay period can be moved, click the Next Step button. Exceptions for Employees with Unapproved Timecards do not have to be resolved.

   Instructions for resolving the most common exceptions are given below.

   Note: The available solutions for each exception depend on the severity level assigned to each exception type by your company. The severity level can determine whether an exception can be cleared simply by noting it, or whether the timecard has to be edited to remove the condition that caused the exception. The severity level assigned to an exception also controls whether or not a pay period can be closed if the exception is not resolved.

   • Payroll Approval Required exceptions

     If Payroll Approval Required exceptions exist, click the Payroll Approval Required link to view a table of the records requiring approval. From this table:

     • To view complete time pair detail information, including distribution and exception information, click the status icon next to a record. When you are finished viewing the detail information, click the Close button to return to the End of Period interface.

     • To clear the Payroll Approval Required exceptions by approving the timecard records listed in the Payroll Approval Required table, select the check box in the header row of the Solution: Approve column, and then click the Submit button. (You can also select individual check boxes if you do not want to approve every record.)

     • To resolve a Payroll Approval Required exception by editing a time pair, click the date in the Pay Date column of the Payroll Approval Required table. This opens the Timecard Manager, from which you can edit the time pair. When you are finished editing the time pair, click the Save & Calculate button. After the page refreshes, click the End of Period Operations link in the Back to: area at the bottom of the page.

     After you have addressed each Payroll Approval Required exception, click the Restart Check Payroll-Related Exceptions link near the bottom of the End of Period page to recheck for payroll-related exceptions.

   • Exceeds Accrual Hours Available exceptions

     An exception of this type indicates that an employee has exceeded a negative threshold determined by your company for a certain accrual. For example, an employee may have taken a vacation day that brings his accrued vacation balance to -8.0 hours, but your company only allows 4 hours of negative vacation balance.

     If any exceptions of this type exist, click the Exceeds accrual hours available link to view a table of the records with this exception. From this table:

     • To view complete time pair detail information, including distribution and exception information, click the status icon next to a time pair. When you are finished viewing the detail information, click the Close button to return to the End of Period interface.

     • To clear the exceptions by noting them, select the check box in the header row of the Solution: Note column, and then click the Submit button. (You can also select individual check boxes if you do not want to note every record.)

     • To resolve an exception by editing a time pair, click the date in the Pay Date column of the Exceeds Accrual Hours Available table. This opens the Timecard Manager, from which you can edit the time pair. When you are finished editing the time pair, click the Save & Calculate button. After the page refreshes, click the End of Period Operations link in the Back to: area at the bottom of the page.

     After you have addressed each exception, click the Restart Check Payroll-Related Exceptions link near the bottom of the End of Period page to recheck for payroll-related exceptions.

   • Employees with Unapproved Timecard exceptions

     If your company allows employees to approve their timecards, ezLaborManager generates an exception for each employee who has not yet approved his/her timecard. You cannot resolve these exceptions, since they require employees to verify their own timecard data. You can only e-mail a reminder to the employees and/or their supervisors:

     • To send e-mail notifications to all employees who have not approved their timecards and to those employees' supervisors, select All supervisors and all employees on all pages from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

     • To send e-mail notifications only to the employees who have not approved their timecards, select All employees on all pages from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

     • To send e-mail notifications only to the supervisors of employees who have not approved their timecards, select All supervisors on all pages from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

     • To send e-mail notifications to only some of the listed employees and supervisors, select the check box in the supervisor E-mail column or the employee E-mail column for each supervisor or employee you want to notify. If the list of employees and supervisors spans more than one page, use the Next> and <Previous links to view the other pages and make your selections. After you have selected all of the supervisors and employees you want to e-mail, choose Selected recipients only from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

     Note: The icon indicates that no e-mail address has been defined for the supervisor or employee.

   When you have resolved all of the payroll-related exceptions that must be cleared before the pay period can be closed, click the Next Step button.

   Notes: Employees with Unapproved Timecard exceptions do not have to be resolved.
   
   If your company uses time off requests and any pending time off requests exist that include days that fall within the pay period that is being closed, an informational message will be displayed during Step 2 of the End of Period process, indicating that the pending requests will be canceled.

7. On the Step 3: Check Time Pair Exceptions page, resolve any time-pair-related exceptions (such as missing supervisor approvals, missing punches, early outs, or other timecard errors). When no employees with exceptions are displayed, click the Next Step button.

   Step 3 checks for any time-pair-related exceptions, such as Supervisor Approval Required, Missing In/Out Punch, Clocked In/Out Early/Late, and other timecard exceptions. This step also identifies any supplemental earnings exceptions, such as Supplemental Earnings Supervisor Approval Required. If any of these exceptions are found, they are listed in an Employees with Exceptions in Current Pay Period table. As an administrator, you have two basic ways to address these exceptions:

   • E-mail supervisors - If you do not need to complete your end of period operations immediately, you can e-mail the supervisors of the employees with exceptions, and then wait for the relevant supervisors to resolve the exceptions.

     • To e-mail only selected supervisors, select the check box in the E-mail column for each supervisor you want to notify. If the list of exceptions spans more than one page, use the Next> and <Previous links to view the other pages and select all of the supervisors you want to e-mail. After you have selected all of the supervisors you want to e-mail, choose Selected recipients only from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

     • To e-mail all supervisors of employees who have exceptions, select All supervisors on all pages from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

       Note: The icon indicates that no e-mail address has been defined for a supervisor.

   • Resolve exceptions yourself - If you cannot wait for supervisors to resolve the exceptions, you can resolve them yourself. To do this, click the button in the Edit Time Pair column for an employee listed in the Employees with Exceptions in Current Pay Period table. The employee's timecard is displayed. Time pairs with exceptions are indicated with a (Warning) or (Error) icon, and a description of each exception is given underneath the time pair. Many time pair exceptions have common solutions that can be easily applied by making a selection from a drop-down menu. Other types of exceptions can only be resolved by editing the associated time pair.

     • For each exception with a drop-down Solution box, click the and select an appropriate solution. For example, to resolve a Supervisor Approval Required exception, select Approve. To resolve a Missing Out Punch exception, select Use Schedule. To resolve a Clocked Out Late exception, select either Note (to allow the late out punch) or Use Schedule (to replace it with the employee's scheduled out time). After you have selected solutions for each exception, click the Submit button. The employee's timecard refreshes. If other exceptions still exist that do not have a Solution drop-down box, or if you do not want to use one of the available solutions for some exceptions, you must edit individual time pairs to resolve the remaining exceptions (see below).

     • For exceptions that are marked No Solution, or that you want to edit manually, click the time pair in the Time column to open the time pair in the Timecard Manager. Edit the time pair as necessary and then click the Save & Calculate button. After the page refreshes, click the End of Period Operations link in the Back to: area at the bottom of the page. Repeat this procedure for each time pair with an exception. When you have finished correcting exceptions for an employee, click the Save button on the employee's timecard (on the End of Period Operations page) to reprocess the timecard.

     • If Supplemental Earnings exceptions exist, click the button in the Edit Supplemental Earnings column to open the Supplemental Earnings page. Edit the supplemental earnings record as necessary, select the Supervisor or Loan Approval check boxes (if available) for each transaction, and then click the Submit button. After the page refreshes, click the End of Period Operations link in the Back to: area at the bottom of the page.

   Note: All time pair exceptions must be resolved before you can move to the next step. After you have entered solutions and/or edited time pairs to resolve all time-pair-related exceptions, click 3. Check Time Pair Exceptions in the menu on the left side of the page to restart the step and verify that all exceptions have been resolved. If no exceptions are found, click the Next Step button.

8. On the Step 4: Check Attendance Exceptions page, perform any necessary attendance-related activities. When no attendance exceptions exist, click the Next Step button.

   If your company uses ezLaborManager's attendance tracking features, Step 4 displays the number of employees with pending Attendance events, runs the attendance processor, and then lists any employees who require attendance corrective actions. Depending on your company's end of period settings, any required attendance corrective actions may need to be completed before you can proceed to the next step. You can either e-mail supervisors to notify them to perform the necessary corrective actions, or you can record the actions yourself.

   • E-mail supervisors - If you do not need to complete your end of period operations immediately, you can e-mail the supervisors who have employees requiring attendance corrective actions, and then wait for the relevant supervisors to perform and record the attendance corrective actions.

     • To e-mail only selected supervisors, select the check box in the E-mail column for each supervisor you want to notify. If the list of employees requiring attendance corrective actions spans more than one page, use the Next> and <Previous links to view the other pages and select all of the supervisors you want to e-mail. After you have selected all of the supervisors you want to e-mail, choose Selected recipients only from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

     • To e-mail all supervisors of employees requiring corrective actions, select All supervisors on all pages from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page, and then click the E-mail button.

       Note: The icon indicates that no e-mail address has been defined for a supervisor.

   • Record corrective actions yourself - If you cannot wait for supervisors to perform and record the required corrective actions, you can do them yourself:

     1. In the Attendance Corrective Action table shown in the right pane of the End of Period Operations page, click the link in the Event Date column for an employee requiring an attendance corrective action. An Attendance Infraction Requiring Corrective Action page opens and displays the necessary corrective action.

     2. To view more information about the circumstances leading up to the infraction, click the Information link in the upper right corner and the Details link near the bottom right corner.

     3. To record the corrective action using its default values, click the Submit button. The Attendance Corrective Action table opens again in the right pane of the End of Period page and shows any other employees requiring attendance corrective actions.

     4. If other employees require attendance corrective actions, repeat steps 1-3.

     5. When no employees are listed in the Attendance Corrective Action table, click the Restart Check Attendance Exceptions link to check again for attendance exceptions. If none are found, click the Next Step button.

        Note: Corrective actions are events, such as verbal or written warnings, that must be performed by a supervisor or administrator with an employee. ezLaborManager does not perform these actions. It only stores corrective action records, which are entered by supervisors and administrators. A supervisor or administrator must ensure that the actual verbal warning or other event occurs. For more information about attendance, see Managing Employee Attendance.

   Note: If your company does not use attendance tracking, this step is not available. After you click the Next Step button on the Step 3 page, the Step 5: Check Payroll Reconciliation page is displayed instead.

9. If the Step 5: Check Payroll Reconciliation page indicates that any unreconciled records exist, accept or reject each record. When no unreviewed records exist, click the Next Step button.

   Notes:
   This step is only relevant if your company uses projected payroll If your company has not been configured to use the Projected Payroll and Reconciliation features, this step will be skipped. If your company does use projected payroll, please use the instructions in the Projecting Payroll section.

10. On the Step 6: Check Payroll Export page, verify that all required exports and reports have been run for the pay period, and then click the Next Step button.

    Step 6 checks for and lists any payroll exports that have been generated for the pay period. If your pay cycle has been configured so that a payroll export is required before a pay period can be closed, the Next Step button will not be available unless ezLaborManager finds an export record for the pay period. Even if an export is listed on the Step 6 page, you may want to run a new export that reflects any changes that may have been made since the last export was generated.

    During this step you should also run any reports required by your company. Several ezLaborManager reports, such as the Timecard Report, the Department Detail Report, the Employee Total Hours Report, and the Payroll Detail Report, can only be run for the current pay period. Once you have completed Step 7, the current pay period will become the past pay period and you will not be able to run these reports for the period you are now closing.

    To run reports and exports during Step 6:

    1. Run and save (or print) any pay-period-based payroll and timecard reports used by your company. To access the Reports page, click the Access reports to run payroll/timecard reports link on the Step 6 page. If this link does not appear, click the button near the top of the ezLaborManager window to open the Reports window. For more information about running reports, see Creating and Using Reports.

    2. If one or more payroll exports are listed in the Check Payroll Export section of the Step 6: Check Payroll Export page, take note of the date and time of the exports to determine if one of the existing exports contains current and accurate information. If you do not need to run a new export, click the Next Step button. You do not need to continue with the rest of the procedure given below.

       Note: The payroll export check only checks for the existence of payroll exports. It does not verify that the exports are current or error-free.

    3. If you are uncertain whether the existing payroll exports contain all of the most recent data for the pay period, or if no payroll exports are listed, click the Run Payroll Export link to create a new export. The New Export page opens.

    4. In the Description field, enter a short phrase that clearly identifies the data you are exporting.

    5. From the Export Type drop-down menu, select the template you want to use for the exported data.

       Tip: Export templates have been set up for you by your ADP ezLaborManager representative for each pay cycle in your ezLaborManager database. You can also create new templates for exporting time and attendance data or accrual data, as necessary.

    6. In the When Complete Notify User field, click the button. In the User Lookup window, select the user whom you want to receive the ezLaborManager Inbox message when the export is complete. The Inbox message will include the number of records exported, the number of records skipped due to errors, and an export confirmation number. This is an optional field.

    7. In the When Complete Send E-mail to field, enter the e-mail address to which you want an e-mail message sent when the export is complete. The e-mail message includes the number of records exported, the number of records skipped due to errors, and an export confirmation number. This is an optional field.

    8. Click the Submit button.

       Notes:
       After you click the Submit button, the Exports page opens. The export you created appears first in the list of exports with the icon in the status column, indicating that the export process has not yet begun. After a few minutes, click the Exports menu item on the left side of the page to refresh the status icon. If the export has been processed successfully, a icon is displayed.
       
       After the export has been processed, the total number of errors (if any) that occurred during the export is displayed in the Errors column. Click the number in the Errors column to see detailed information for each error. If the errors are not critical to the exported data, you can continue with your End of Period Operations. If you need to correct any of the errors in the exported data, delete the export record, correct all errors, and then create a new export file.

    9. After you are satisfied that you have created a current export with no errors (or only inconsequential errors), click the End of Period Operations link in the You are here breadcrumb near the top of the page to return to Step 6 of the End of Period Operations page. The export you just created is listed in the Check Payroll Export section of the page.

       Tip: If the export is not listed, wait a few minutes and then click Check Payroll Export in the left menu to refresh the page.

    10. Click the Next Step button.

    Notes:
    If you have not already locked the pay cycle, it is automatically locked during Step 6 to prevent any changes being made after a payroll export is generated.
    
    If you are performing End of Period Operations for a pay cycle that uses projected payroll, do NOT click the Run Payroll Export link to create a new payroll export for the pay period. For specific instructions on performing End of Period Operations for projected pay cycles, see Closing a Projected Pay Cycle Pay Period.

11. On the Step 7: Move to Next Period page, use the check boxes to confirm that each of the applicable steps has been completed.

    The check boxes on Step 7 allow you to perform one last review, before the pay period is closed, to ensure that all required processes have been completed. This is important because moving the pay period is an irreversible action. The first two check boxes are optional, but you must perform the third check for every pay period. Each final check is described below.

    • Accrual Processor check - If your company uses the Accruals feature to award and track accruals such as vacation and sick time, your Implementation Specialist has configured the Accruals Processor to run automatically according to a specific schedule. If you have questions about your Accrual Processor schedule, contact your ADP ezLaborManager representative.

    • Holiday Processor check - For most companies, the Holiday Processor has also been configured to run automatically. If you have questions about the status of the Holiday Processor, contact your ADP ezLaborManager representative.

    • Payroll Export check - The last check box (Has Payroll been exported or transmitted to your Payroll System for the Current Pay Period?) provides a final opportunity for you to confirm that payroll has been exported.

12. After you have verified that all applicable steps have been successfully completed, click the Move to Next Period button. The End of Period page opens and shows the status of the pay period as "Move Pending." When the move is completed, the status will change to "Open" and the Current Period and Next Period End dates will be updated.

    Notes:
    The Move to Next Period button is not available and you cannot move the pay period until you have clicked the last check box on the Step 7 page to confirm that payroll has been exported.
    
    Clicking the Move to Next Period button closes the pay period permanently. The pay period changes from being the "current pay period" to being the "past pay period."