Escape Classic FAQs

A Marking different" shows you the persons with changes from the last compute. "Marking changed" shows you the persons with changes from the last pay period.

Q In which module do you approve the payroll?

A You can only approve payrolls from the PAY module.

Q What is the summer bucket in payroll?

A The summer "bucket" is where Escape stores earnings that are applicable to the months of July and August for a 10 or 11 month pay cycle. The summer bucket is either paid in advance or in arrears. The code for designating payment option is found in the pay cycle record.

Q If a person is terminated early (before June 30) is the summer bucket paid off automatically?

A Yes, but only if the termination date is before the calendar through or end date.

Q How do you set up a person's pay so that it provides equal pay for each month they work?

A You would need to assign that person to an equalized pay cycle. You designate a pay cycle as equalized by entering EQ in the Process Code field.

Q In a pay cycle setup record why would the earnings periods not equal the pay periods?

A Advance and arrears periods (e.g., summer pay) would create this difference.

Q In what order are add-ons and GTNs processed?

A Add-ons and GTNs are processed by sequence number which is defined in the Add-on or GTN record. For example, an add-on that has a sequence number of 1 will process before an add-on with a sequence number of 10. If several add-ons and GTNs have the same sequence number, then they are processed in alphabetical order within that sequence number.

Q I have a person with a short-term assignment. What flag should I use in their Tracking record?

A You should enter a Y in the SHORT-TERM flag. This calculates pay for the current period by dividing the balance owed by the number of remaining months as defined by the begin and end dates in the Tracking record. The really nice thing about this flag is that the retirement pay rate is "normal" pay for the position.

Q I have a Tracking record with a calendar that has the wrong days. What should I do?

A Before you begin, check the calendar to see how many people are on the calendar and how the change will affect their pay! Once you have determined that this is the correct course, you will need to fix the calendar, cancel the Tracking record and create a new Tracking record that points to the corrected calendar. To cancel the Tracking record, you should enter a C in the SHORT-TERM flag. This will cause the entire Tracking record to be "backed out" on the next payroll processed. The new Tracking record will be picked up and the pay will be corrected. However, Escape does NOT compute negative Federal (FIT) and State (SIT) taxes. These taxes must be MANUALLY adjusted if the subject gross is negative.

WARNING: Once a Tracking record has been cancelled and final computed on a pay cycle, it cannot be changed back!

This process can also be followed if the Tracking record had incorrect hours or salary schedule (see explanation below), or was attached to the wrong position.

This process is somewhat different if the Tracking record uses different salary schedule rates. In this case, Escape will cancel the entire Tracking record using the current rate. For example, a Tracking record has a salary schedule with rates effective from the beginning of the year to mid-year, and new rates effective from mid-year to the end of the fiscal year. The Tracking record has a change line effective the date of the new rates. Escape will cancel the begin line of the Tracking record by applying the new pay rate. It will not use the original rates. So, you will need to review the snapshot and adjust pay accordingly.

Q How does the labor distribution process create journal entries?

A When you run labor distribution, three journal entries are created: one for labor, one for benefits and one for taxes. These journal entries are created in an unposted state. This means that after reviewing the journal entries, you then need to post them to have them take affect.

Q What is the file naming convention for pay cycles?

A It is PDccccpp.* where cccc is the cycle and pp is the period number. For example the CEV period 9 pay cycle files would be named PDCEV_09.*.

Q How do I setup the supplemental tax rate?

A There are three ways to specify the supplemental tax rate:

All pay checks for one person. Actually, you can choose between affecting all pay checks or only non-regular pay (where non-regular pay cycles are any other than the person's assigned pay cycle). To affect all pay checks, enter 98 in the EXEMPTIONS field in the person's Tax record. To affect only non-regular pay cycles, enter Y in the USE SUPPLEMENTAL TAX RATES ON NON-REG CYCLE field.
One pay check for one person. On EPDUPD, enter an M in the MARITAL STATUS field and a 98 in the EXEMPTIONS field. (You could also adjust the amount by a specific dollar amount using the GTNs EE-FIT and EE-SIT.)
All pay associated with a specific add-on or group of add-ons. In the Add-on's earning table, enter S for FIT or SIT. Any add-on that points to that Earnings Table will be calculated using the supplemental tax rate.

Q How do education records tie into salary schedules?

A You can setup automatic salary schedule movement based on completion of education milestones. To do this, you set up Salary Schedule Thresholds which define the number of units required for step and column movement. When a person completes the required number of units, their pay rate is adjusted according to the Threshold record.

Q What are payroll corrections?

After a payroll is processed, situations arise that require a new check to be generated for an employee. Examples are: an incorrect warrant amount, or a missed warrant (an employee not setup to receive a warrant).

When this happens, the district has several options. Some have a "payroll revolving fund" that they use to hand write checks to employees for the correct net pay amount. Some use the district's regular revolving fund. Others run a payroll in Escape and print warrants from that process. Any of these will work, but each requires a different procedure.

In all cases, the district must ensure that each ACTUAL payroll transaction be reflected in the payroll database, so that W2 reporting, as well as quarterly taxes and retirement reports are correct. Also, the financial system will need to have journal entries posted to reflect the actual payroll entries.

There are many ways to accomplish a correction to payroll. They can be done "outside" of Escape or within Escape. Employees may be required to "immediately" pay back overpayments, or can be deducted in a future check. If they are treated as a deduction, the district may allow the repayment to occur over a period of months. However, the key in any case is to make sure that the database always reflects what has ACTUALLY been paid. This is usually accomplished through the use of "cancel" and "reissue" pay cycles.

Q How do you determine the amount owed to the employee?

A In any case of a payroll correction, the first step is to determine the amount owed to the employee. This should be done using Escape payroll.

There are several ways to do this:

If the check is for "regular" pay, the next pay cycle can be calculated (verify that the employee has payroll setup to be included on the pay cycle), and if the deductions and add-on pay items are correct, the net pay for next month can be used as the net pay amount. If the employee should have had more or less pay, add-ons can be entered in the additional pay screen, adjusting the gross pay appropriately, until the gross pay is correct. Deduction adjustments can be entered manually as well. Once the gross pay and deductions are entered correctly, the net pay amount calculated by the software can be used to pay the employee. A snapshot should be printed as back up of the net pay amount. A check can be handwritten to the employee at this point.
If the check is for "variable" pay, the next variable pay cycle can be calculated, OR a "special" pay cycle can be used. In either case, verify that the employee has payroll setup to be included on the pay cycle that will be calculated. The amount of pay is added with an appropriate add-on, and any deductions are manually entered. At this point, the user should verify that the retirement earnings are correct, and have the correct contribution code, dates, etc. Taxes may be manually adjusted if desired.

Q How do you pay an employee who was totally left off the payroll?

A The district will process a special pay cycle, usually the "reissue"pay cycle.

Q What if the employee was overpaid on payroll and has not received the check?

A This scenario is separated into 2 pay cycles, CANCELS and REISSUES. The original warrant is backed out on the "cancel" pay cycle, and a correct check "as it should have been" is done on the reissue. The "cancellation" is done by entering the gross pay as negative amounts - using the appropriate add-ons, of course. Taxes will not calculate negative, so they must be manually entered to "back out" tax amounts. Once the snapshot of the cancellation is an exact negative of the original warrant, the cancel pay cycle can be locked in.

Next the correct amounts are entered, and new pay calculated. Then a check can be hand written or the special pay cycle can be processed to print warrants.

There is no way to mark a warrant as cancelled, in the payroll software. If the original pay cycle is pulled up, it will always show the original warrant number and amount as it was.

Q What if the employee was overpaid on payroll and has received the check?

A The employee will owe the district money. The district can determine the amount that should have been paid to the employee, and compare to the amount actually paid, in order to determine the amount that is owed back. The employee may give the district a check for the net amount, or the district may make a deduction to pay back the district on the next regular pay cycle.

In either case, the district will enter a "cancellation" amount on a special pay cycle. This would be only the amount of the overpayment. In this case, the net must match the net that the district collects from the employee, and the vendor warrants must be adjusted, if appropriate.

Q What if the employee was underpaid on payroll and has not received the check?

A The district may follow the same procedure as "employee overpaid on payroll, have not received check" (cancel and re-issue) or can give the employee the original check, AND a supplemental check that is only for the additional amount owed, processed with a "Reissue" pay cycle entry.

Q What if the employee was underpaid on payroll and has received the check?

A The district will follow the same procedure as "employee was not on payroll", except it will be for the difference of what was paid and what should have been paid. This will be processed on the "reissue" pay cycle.

Q How are hand-written warrants entered into Escape?

A A special pay cycle is created that contains the grosses/deductions/net pay that matches the handwritten checks that were given to employees.

Q How do you print "manual" warrants from Escape?

A A special pay cycle is created and processed in order to print warrants.

Q What about labor distribution and journal entries processing?

A In any case, all special pay cycles must be completely processed (i.e., locked in, labor distribution) so that the journal entries are created for the payroll entries. All pay cycles do NOT need to have checks printed - in case a hand written check was issued.

Q Are there any special considerations?

A The vendor checks are a special consideration. Since the amount of the vendor checks may be incorrect after cancels and issues are done, the district may need to issue a new vendor check. If the vendor checks have been sent, and a vendor was "overpaid", the district will need to get the money back from the vendor. This can be difficult, so the district may want to "underpay" the vendor in the next month.

Persons and Positions

Q What "child" records are associated with persons in Escape Personnel?

A The Person record has several child records, including credentials, tracking, payroll setup, seniority, leaves, benefits, flex, evaluation and education.

Q How can I quickly look up a single person and add them to my list.

A Use the Locator Window. Most systems are set up to have F9 as a hot key. The Locator Window allows you to look up a person by name or social security number.

Q Are Position Tracking records fiscal year-oriented?

A Yes. All tracking records begin and end with the fiscal year, usually 7/1-6/30.

Q Where does the primary work location of a person come from?

A It comes from the position that is marked as the "primary" position.

Q I have a position where the current FTE is exceeding the authorized FTE. How do I resolve this?

A Your first step is to decide which is correct. If the authorized position FTE is correct and the Tracking record FTE is incorrect, the resolution is simple. Go to the Position record, list the Tracking records and change the FTE in the Tracking record. If the Tracking record has been paid, you will need to cancel the Tracking record and create a new Tracking record with the correct FTE.

If the position FTE is not correct, the resolution has multiple steps. First, you need to create a Change record for the Position record, documenting the change in FTE. Next, to populate this change throughout the system and remove the error message, you will need to have PCU and PCM run. Most likely your district does this on a nightly basis.

Q What is PCU?

A PCU stands for Position Control Update. Most districts run this utility every night. You can choose any or all of the following options:

Full Update. This updates Position records based on changes to current and future Tracking records (ignoring past Tracking records), calendars and salary schedules. It also updates Position records based on Position Change records that are now effective (assuming today's date was entered in the prompt).
Changes Only Update. This option reads Position Change records for positions scheduled for changes. It then reads Tracking records and checks the last changed date. If this date is within the date range specified in the prompt, then all Tracking records are read and the position is updated.
Update Account Records. This copies the total FTE being paid for by each position account to the ACTUAL FTE field in the Account record.

Q What is PCM?

A PCM stands for Personnel Control Maintenance. Most districts run this utility every night. It must be run after PCU. This utility updates fields in the Person record, based on changes to the Position and Position Tracking records (which were put into effect by PCU). Some of the fields updated include total salary for the current and next fiscal year, number of positions held, etc. It also cross-checks records, including making sure that salary placements are within defined ranges and that the authorized FTE of the person's Tracking records does not exceed the authorized FTE of the position or the person.

Q How is the leave group that a person is assigned to determined?

A The Job Category and Class of the person's primary position determine the leave group. However, this can be overridden for an individual on the Leave screen.

Q If the person has a HIRE DATE and a BASE DATE value in their record, which date is used to calculate experience?

A Escape uses the Base Date field to calculate experience. If the Base Date field is blank, Escape will use the Hire Date.

Q In a position record there is a MAXIMUM HOURS and FTE, where do these numbers come from?

A The Maximum Hours and FTE are established in the Position Type record.

Q Can the MAXIMUM HOURS/FTE be overridden for one position?

A You can override several factors for a single position using a Position Change record. You would simply create the Change record, make the desired changes and then run PCU and PCM to have those changes disseminate throughout the database.

Q Can a position be funded by more than one account?

A Yes. You can fund a position with as many accounts as necessary.

Q If a person gets assigned to a position that has a different department, do I need to change the DEPT field in the Person record?

A No. When you run PCM, the position department will update the person department.

Q How many saved lists can a user have on the person and positions lists?

A You can save up to 9 lists each.

Q How do Tracking records get created each year?

A Tracking records are created for the next year through the Roll Forward process. This process creates a new Position Tracking record for the coming fiscal year, copying the information from the current Tracking record. In addition, if there is to be step or column movement, this procedure will take care of that as well. And, of course, you can always create the Tracking records manually.

Q Can I post leaves for a month over and over until I get the figures I want?

A You can only post leaves once. However, you can calculate until you get the figures that you want. Once you have obtained the figures, then you can post.

Q How does seniority granting work?

A Escape has two ways to grant seniority:

Basic. This method creates records for an employee showing that they earned seniority within a job class over a certain time period. It is appropriate if your district tracks seniority based on years of service in a certain job class.
Hours. This method creates records for an employee showing hours accumulated for each fiscal year for each Tracking record, by job class. It is appropriate if your district tracks seniority based on hours in a certain job class.

Regardless of the method you choose, you need to have the Job Category/Class set up to accumulate seniority. You will also have to manually enter Seniority Transaction records for the past Tracking records to make sure that the history is recorded. Once all records are up-to-date, you can run the seniority granting procedure which will automatically create Seniority records based on the Tracking records. Some districts run the procedure for every person every time they create a new tracking record. Other districts adhere to a daily or weekly schedule.

Q What information is stored in evaluation records?

A There is a variety of information that you can track using Evaluation records, including employment evaluations, the evaluator's name, the scheduled date of the evaluation, the actual date of the evaluation, the type of evaluation (e.g., three month, annual), ratings (e.g., satisfactory, WIP) and the period covered. The record also includes a notepad for the evaluator's comments or other information.

Q How does the substitute feature in PSL locate a sub to fill an absence?

A To manage substitute placement from Escape, then you will need to enter a Person record and the Substitution Info screen for every substitute. The Substitute Info screen determines whether the sub will appear in the placement lookup windows when filling substitutions.

Once you have all of the substitutes input, you can use Escape to help you find substitutes for specific persons. It is a simple process:

Open the Person record of the person who will be absent.
Choose the subject or area of substitution.
Pick the appropriate substitute from the list.

Position Changes

Q We would like to use Personnel Change Request records. How do you set that up?

A This feature requires custom forms. Contact Escape Customer Care for more information.

Q Can I use the same date for two Change records?

A No, Escape recognizes the changes in their effective date order, and will only allow one entry per date. To correct an incorrect change line, create a new change line using the day after the incorrect change line.

Q Can I delete an incorrect change record?

A If the Change record for the position has been posted (Position Control Update run) then you cannot delete the Change record itself. If the Change record for the position has not been posted, you can delete it.

Q What can I do if an incorrect Change record has NOT been paid on?

A If the Tracking record has not been paid on, another change can be made to the position to correct the information. However, you cannot use the same date as the other Change record, but if the date of the Change record is prior to today's date the change will show correctly.

Q What can I do if an incorrect Change record has been paid on?

A Information in the position's Tracking record will NOT change if it has already been paid.

To correct this situation:

Go into the position and create a Change record with the correct change.
Run Position Control Update.
Go into the current Tracking record and cancel.
Create a new Tracking record with a 7/1 begin date and a "D" in Pay Distribution.
When the new Tracking record is set up, it will pick up the change in the Position record.
Run Person Control Update.

Printing Problems

Q Why do I get a blank page after every page that prints?

A This problem is common to HP Laserjet type printers. The default number of printable lines for a Laserjet is 60. Most Escape reports require 64 lines. With the Laserjet default of 60, blank pages will eject. At the Printer, reset the number of lines default to 66 to eliminate the problem. This change to the default will not affect printing from your Windows programs.

Q Sometimes a report will print part of a page, do a page feed, then print the rest of the data on the next page. Why is this?

A This generally happens with network printers, as the result of the printer timing out. Disable the timeout for the queue for the network printer.

Q When I print from Escape, nothing comes out of the printer for at least 60 seconds, and sometimes not until I exit the Escape program? Why is this?

A This problem generally only happens when you have a Windows 98 workstation and a printer attached to a Windows NT server. To resolve the problem, in the workstation C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI file, add the entries:

	
	[Network]

	PrintBufTime=1

	[IFSMGR]

	PrintBufTime=1

Place the entries at the end of the [386enh] section of the file.

Q I can't print from Escape at all. I just get red halt errors. Why is this?

A Check the printer setup in Windows. Set the data type to RAW, and disable spooling. If that doesn't work, you may need to remove all printer definitions, and reinstall only the printer(s) you currently use. See the Escape Setup and Maintenance Guide for details.

Red Box Program Halts

Q What does it mean when the program stops, displaying the red box?

A The red box indicates that the program could not continue to run, due to problems with the network, your computer, or the database. On rare occasions, there may be a problem within the program.

Q What should I do when I get a red box program halt?

A The first thing you should do is printscreen the screen to document the cause of the program halt. If you can't printscreen, write down what is displayed in the red box. Notify your system manager whenever you receive a program halt. If the problem persists, Escape Customer Care should be notified.

Q What does the text in the red box mean?

A The red box includes information about the type of error that was encountered, as well as the file that had the problem. This information is helpful in determining the cause of the problem.

Q How can I tell if users have gotten a red box halt, but haven't reported it?

A Whenever there is a fatal program error, a file is written to the Escape data directory that was the current directory when the error occurred. The file name will have the extension .DMP. In this file, information about the error can be found.

Q Are there any red box errors I can ignore?

A No. All errors should be reported. There are situations where the network will report to the Escape program that a file is broken, and an erroneous program halt will occur. In situations like this, if you again perform the same task, you will be successful, and no program halt will occur. However, most program halts indicate a real problem, and should be addressed by the system manager.

Requisition Management

Q How do I unissue?

A From the requisition page, press ALT L, then select partial issue. Enter the quantity to be unissued followed by a "-" (the minus sign on the ten key pad or above the P key.) Press F3 to save.

Q How do I unrecieve?

A From the requisition page, press ALT L, then select Receiving Screen. Enter the quantity to be unreceived followed by a "-" (the minus sign on the ten key pad or above the P key.) Press F3 to save.

Q How do I return a req to OPEN status?

A From the Requisition Page, press ALT P, then select "Return to Open Status." Line items must be unreceived or unissued.

Q How do I cancel a req?

A From the Requisition Page, press ALT F, then select "Cancel Requisition." The PO must be in the OPEN status.

Q Why won't the PO change to WILL PRINT status?

A A req needs an Ordering and Ship to site, a PO Date, a Vendor Code, a Line Item, and an Account Number.

Q Why can't I print? How should the printer properties be setup?

A There is a special FAQ on the topic "Printer Problems." Check out the FYI on workstation printer properties for more information.

Budget Salary Projection

Q If a future tracking record is entered for a person, and then budget tracking records are created, what will happen?

A The budget tracking creation will read through the positions and create a budget tracking record for an employee that already has the position, unless there is already a position tracking record created for the target year. In that case, the existing position tracking record will be used for a budget tracking record. Note that an employee could be listed for more than one budget tracking record in this way. The current year position will be rolled forward, and the future tracking record will also be used. This is not the same as the position tracking roll forward process that will not move an employee forward if they already have a position tracking record for the target year.

Q If a position's FTE is increasing effective with the following year, how do I make that happen with budget tracking?

A Go to the position and enter a change effective 7/1/00, that increases the FTE authorized for the position. When the "create budget tracking" process is run, be sure to enter a date for "process position changes thru". This date can will default to 7/1/03, for the 2003/2004 fiscal year.

Q How do you set the system up to increment on July 1 instead of Anniversary date?

A The system defaults to increment on July 1. The salary schedules must be marked with the correct number of rows or columns to advance an employee. If those are set, and the bargaining unit and position types are not set up to advance on anniversary, the budget tracking process will advance as of 7/1.

Q Will an employee that has no position tracking record be budgeted?

A No. The salary projection works from either a budget tracking record, a position tracking record, or a salary adjustment record. The salary adjustment records can be imported to the budget model or manually added.

Q How do I budget for vacancies?

A When budgeting for positions, Escape allows you to choose between using "live" Position Tracking records or Budget Tracking records, which are derived from Position Tracking records but allow modifications without affecting production data.

Vacancies are another story. Escape cannot use "live" Vacancy Tracking records, because those records do not contain benefit information. To budget for vacancies, you must use Budget Tracking records, even if you are using "live" data.

Once you create the Budget Tracking records in the PSL module, you have a choice on how you want to enter the benefit information. You could edit each vacancy record that has been created and fill in all of the benefit assumptions manually, or you can use menu choices to "mass" change these assumptions for you.

Q I am working on position control budgeting and I am not getting any amount budgeted for H&W. What is a possible cause?

A There are several areas that you should check:

Check all of the GTNs. Some may be missing.
Check for rates in the Benefit Provider records.
If employees have no benefits, check the BUDGETED CAP field in the Bargaining Unit record.

Q What is SVQ?

A SVQ is Escape's heavy-duty calculator. It runs separately from the program and is used for calculating contract pay and salary projections. When a user generates contracts or builds a salary projection, Escape sends their request to the \ESCAPE\SVQ directory. SVQ monitors this directory, checking for client requests. As requests are made, SVQ processes them in the order in which they are created. As each request is processed, SVQ sends status messages back to the user. For example, if you are updating contracts, PSL will show on the bottom line of the screen an elapsed time, completion percentage and request status.

W-2 process in Escape Payroll

Q How do I get summary totals for the W2s?

A Print the Employer copy of the W2s, either directly to the printer or to a file. This will generate the totals in the audit log. Totals will also be displayed in the audit log if the actual W2s are printed; however, they will NOT be displayed if only some W2s are printed. All W2s must be printed in order for totals to be generated in the audit log.

Q After each W2 prints, I'm asked if I want to print another. How can I get printing to be continuous?

A In the W2 Setup Form, set the Pause After field to the number of W2s you want to be printed at one time. If this value is blank, only one W2 will print at a time. We recommend printing small groups to ensure that the print queue isn't overloaded and to allow monitoring of the print job.

Q I want to sort by site. How does it determine "site"?

A The Site order uses the PAYCHECK TO site that is defined in the employee's Pay Cycle record.

Q If an employee has a foreign address, how would do I get this information onto their W2?

A In the employee's W2 record, use the menu choice that allows you to edit the record. Then, clear the STATE field to enable the Foreign Address area. Tab into the area and enter the address.

Q Q. The deceased box is not available to mark on the W2 edit screen. Does the software automatically mark this box on the w2 form?

A Escape no longer supports a W2 form that has a deceased box. This change was made starting with calendar year 2001.

Q I am comparing my Pay Day Summary with the W2 totals and they do not match. What should I do?

A The Pay Day Summary report uses the pay cycle records to calculate totals. Whereas, W2s use the PayEmpLg (which points at the pay detail records) to calculated totals. The difference between the reports could be:

A pay period is not locked in. Check your pay periods to make sure that they are all locked in. If one isn't, lock it in and run the reports again.
There was a network glitch while running the Pay Day Summary report. Try rerunning the report and checking the totals again.
A pay date may have been changed. You will need to research this. If a pay date was changed to a date that is outside of the calendar year for the W2s or vice versa, it must be changed back. Try rerunning the report and checking the totals again.
A pay period number may have been duplicated. You cannot have the same pay period number for the same pay cycle in the same calendar year.
The confusion usually occurs because pay periods are calendar-year oriented but pay cycles are fiscal-year oriented. For example, you have a pay cycle in the fiscal year 2002 named ADJ1, and it has a pay date for May 31, 2002. The pay detail files for this pay date are named PDADJ1_01.* and placed in the PAY\2002 directory. Then, you copy that pay cycle to fiscal year 2003. You use it for a pay date of September 30, 2002. Here is where the problem starts. The name for the pay detail files for this pay date are, you guessed it, PDADJ1_01.*, and they are placed in the PAY\2002 directory. They OVERWRITE the other pay date's files.

You can quickly recognize this problem by comparing the status date and the paid date for a pay period. In the example above, the paid date for the May pay date would be 05/31/02 and the status date would be 10/30/02. If this has occurred, please contact Escape Customer Care for more information about resolving this issue.

If you try all of these troubleshooting techniques and still have problems, please contact Escape Customer Care.

Q The Earnings Detail (Pay 51) and/or Employee Deductions (Pay 53) reports are showing a person twice. What should I do?

A Most likely the person has changed their social security number or name at some point during the year. If the total of the two lines match the total on the W2s, this is fine. There is no need to be concerned.

If the totals do not match, please run the Pay Date Summary and W2 reports to see if the totals match. You also should print a snapshot and compare it. Call Escape Customer Care if the discrepancy is not discovered through these steps.

TIP: Check your quarterly reports to make sure that the person's tax information was reported correctly to the state!

Q I have received an W2 error. What should I do?

A The following are errors that may be reported in the W2 Error Log. The recommended corrective action is listed below each error or set of errors.

OASDI (or Medicare) deduction is not correct based on Gross

This error typically means that an adjustment was made to the OASDI deduction without adjusting the OASDI gross. The first step in correcting this error is to find the original adjustment that created the problem. Locate this person on any pay cycle and run an Earnings History report. For each Pay Cycle listed on the Earnings History, view the EPDUPD Deduction screen and review the EE-OASDI or ER-OASDI adjustment, Once the pay cycle and period with the problem is identified, the adjustment should be reversed and an appropriate entry made on a special W2 Correction pay cycle.

Box #12 line 1 contains a negative value. The category E is used in the TSA GTNs.

Locate the pay cycle and period using the method above. Reverse the appropriate adjustment on a special W2 Correction payroll. If the adjustment belonged in a previous tax year, a corrected W2 should be filed for that year.

OASDI gross is greater than Medicare by $XXXX.
Medicare gross is negative.
Medicare deduction is negative.
FIT gross is negative.
SIT gross is negative.

These messages all indicate that an incorrect adjustment was made. Locate the pay cycle and period using the method above. Reverse the adjustment on a special W2 Correction payroll. If the adjustment belonged in a previous tax year, a corrected W2 should be filed for that year. Negative amounts cannot be included on the file sent to SSA for reporting. If you truly have a negative amount that needs to be reported, it cannot be included in this file - special handling is required.

Calculations do not crosscheck with employee ytd file.

This error means that the employee detail files do not match the W2 file. This could be a result of locking-in a payroll after the W2 file has been generated. In this case, Re-loading W2s will put these files back in synch. If these errors still exist after Re-loading and running the Cross Check again, contact your Escape Representative for assistance.

Address is incomplete.

The employee's address should be reviewed and corrected in the person's record.

Too many/not enough employees.

The W2 error log indicates that there are more employees with year-to-date records than employees with W2s. Neither total reflects the number of W2s printed. In this case, you should call your Escape Customer Representative.

Escape Classic FAQs

Payroll Processing

Persons and Positions

Position Changes

Printing Problems

Red Box Program Halts

Requisition Management

Budget Salary Projection

W2 Processing

Payroll Processing

Persons and Positions

Position Changes

Printing Problems

Red Box Program Halts

Requisition Management

Budget Salary Projection

W-2 process in Escape Payroll

OASDI (or Medicare) deduction is not correct based on Gross

Box #12 line 1 contains a negative value. The category E is used in the TSA GTNs.

OASDI gross is greater than Medicare by $XXXX. Medicare gross is negative. Medicare deduction is negative. FIT gross is negative. SIT gross is negative.

Calculations do not crosscheck with employee ytd file.

Address is incomplete.

Too many/not enough employees.

Escape Classic Links:

OASDI gross is greater than Medicare by $XXXX.
Medicare gross is negative.
Medicare deduction is negative.
FIT gross is negative.
SIT gross is negative.