Category Archives: news

New HRM Tool Tip for Deductions on Health Benefit Records

Datatech’s HRM Software has just made it a little easier to check the deductions being calculated when a Health Benefit Record is added or edited. For those who want to see what calculation the software is making to come up with the amount it will deduct for the employee, a new Tool Tip will pop up when the “Amount” box (to the right of the “Employee Cost” field) is clicked with your mouse pointer. Once you have updated your software to version 7.73.0.437 (or newer), you can make use of this new feature.

To begin using the feature, first go to the Employee Entry window and select an employee number. Then click on the Health Benefits tab. You can click the New button to add a new record, or, if an entry already exists that you want to view or edit, highlight that record and click the edit button, or simply double-click that record.

Next click the “Select Plan” button and select (or re-select) the correct Medical Plan from your menu. The deduction amount recorded in your Medical Plan should automatically populate into the “Employee Cost” field. However, suppose your deduction amount is a weekly amount and the employee gets paid monthly or semimonthly? Or suppose the amount is a monthly amount and your employee is paid weekly? How do you know the exact amount the software will deduct from each check?

The new Tool Tip now shows you what calculations are being made and what the actual deduction amount on the pay check will be. Clicking your mouse pointer in the “Amount” box to the right of the “Employee Cost” field will popup the Tool Tip, showing you the basic deduction information. Now hold the Shift key and click the Save button. This saves the entry without closing the Record you have open. Clicking your mouse pointer again over the “Amount” box now shows you any conversion factors being applied as well as the final amount that will be deducted from of each paycheck. Note the screen shot below for an example of what you might see. In this example, the Pay Cycle is “S” for Semimonthly and the Medical Plan indicates the Employee Share is $20.00 per week. A conversion factor is therefore applied to multiply the weekly amount times 52 weeks to determine the annual amount, then divide the annual amount by 24 paychecks to reach the correct semimonthly amount of $43.33 per check.

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Creating ACA Electronic Replacement and Correction Files

Many customers have been waiting to generate correction files.  The latest update to the Human Resources Management program includes this feature.  You can use the Tools->Check For Updates option to install the latest version of HRM (7.72.0.436.)  For your reference, we will provide an overview of both the Replacement and the Correction processes here, and  step-by-step instructions will be posted later on the Datatech Support/Training page on our Website.

The online help file for the HRM program has also been updated with detailed information on creating replacement and correction files, as well as printing corrected forms in cases where this is needed.

Last year we added an option to generate a replacement file.  The correction file is a new option.  To start with, this post will explain the purpose for each type of file and in what situations they should be used.

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UPLOADING ACA ELECTRONIC FILES

Some of our customers have reported issues with being able to find the IRS upload pages for either Test files or Production files. Here is a new link to open the IRS site where you can select which channel you want to use and then log in to upload your files, obtain your Receipt ID, and then check the status of your submission and (in the case of Production files) Download your Acknowledgement file.

After clicking on the link below an IRS web page will open. Scroll down on the far right-hand side under the header UI Channel Link, and then choose either the AIR UI Channel Login – AATS (Testing) for uploading Test files, or AIR UI Channel Login – Production for uploading your actual production files.

https://www.irs.gov/for-tax-pros/software-developers/information-returns/affordable-care-act-information-return-air-program 

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Datatech expands Support/Training pages

Fresno, California – In an effort to help our clients grow in their learning and make the most of their software purchase, we continue to expand and reorganize the Support/Training videos pages of our website. Supporting clients with our friendly Support and Training staff on the phone, online and in person is an extremely important part our overall mission to provide leading software solutions in ag cost-accounting, payroll, inventory and sales and excellent customer service.

Time is money and we strive to help clients simplify their daily cost accounting and payroll entry to save hours in the workday. Datatech client Cindy Kramer from Farmex and Sundance Orchards in Sanger, California says Datatech has given them their time back, “The more we explore it(Datatech Software), the more we are freed up from what we were doing before.” Farmex and Sundance made the jump from doing their accounting, inventory and sales by hand with spreadsheets to Datatech’s ‘The Shipper’s Office’ software with payroll, “Following the information for payables and receivables on the office side is so much easier than it was for the employees. I recommend it to anybody. For us it was a quantum leap!”

To aid Farmex and Sundance Orchards and all our clients, Datatech’s Support/Training videos have now been re-organized into sections such as ‘Payroll’; ‘Webinar Training’; ‘Accounts Payable’ and ‘Human Resource Management.’ These sections include training videos for refreshers on initial training with Datatech’s Training Manager, Hannah Tarrats, and many topics to help clients refresh their learning for various training in quarterly and annual reporting. Knowledge is power.

The new ‘Accounts Payable’ section includes the first webinar training video on ‘Bank Reconcilement Training’ for new clients and those that would like a refresher for their monthly reconciliation process. Clients will now also find a new training video on a recent software update that allows for creating new rules for piece work ‘break’ line items in Datatech’s payroll software. Just another way Datatech is being responsive to your needs and requests.

These training videos are available 24/7, 365 days a year on DatatechAg.com/Support. 

Ready? Get set! Learn! It’s that easy.

Datatech software clients are found across America as farmers, growers, labor contractors and produce packers, shippers and brokers; and they’ve been enjoying time savings and greater efficiency with their daily payroll, cost accounting, real time inventory and sales solutions since 1980.

Insidious scams force warning

FRESNO, Calif. – Several scams out there, but these two are particularly scary.  Security leaders at the IRS are warning payroll and HR departments about a W2 phishing scam that appears to come from executive management seeking sensitive employee data. And an alert from the Better Business Bureau warns individuals about a phone scam across the country where the caller on the line starts the call with, “Can you hear me?”

The insidious “Can you hear me?” scam will trap the victim by simply answering “yes.” Here’s what’s going on, the scammer behind the call may have recorded you to use your confirmation to sign you up for a product or service then demand payment. If you refuse the scammers will try threatening you with legal action and produce your recorded “yes” response as your confirmation.

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These two phishing and phone scams have security leaders particularly worried

There is another variation of this scam where the scammer can charge your accounts as they may already have your personal information on hand through a prior data breach and that recording may be used to authorize charges. If you try and dispute them, they may also produce the recording as proof you agreed to charges.

The BBB Scam Tracker shows the scam popping in several places around the country including, but not limited to, California, Wisconsin, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania and Montana. The victims so far have not lost any money, but should still stay cautious.

Here’s what the BBB recommends to protect yourself from being the latest victim of this scam.

  • If someone calls and asks “Can you hear me?” do NOT answer “yes” JUST HANG UP. The caller may even ask different questions designed for you to respond with “yes.” If they seem to be fishing for a “yes” or “no” answer do not respond and hang up immediately. The scammer can even be looking for you to say “ok” instead of “yes.”
  • Never give any personal information over the phone unless you initiated the phone call yourself and have verified the number beforehand.
  • If you are asked to press a button to be placed on the Do Not Call Registry just hang up the phone. Saying anything or pressing buttons when prompted may help the scam artists identify you have an active phone number.
  • If you believe you may have fallen for this scam contact your local authorities, your bank and credit card companies immediately. Also, check your account daily for any suspicious charges.

Remember that no Government agency will ever solicit you for the Do Not Call Registry, or harass you into paying them money.

IRS sounds a warning

Recently the Internal Revenue Service issued an alert to payroll and human resources professionals about an email scam, which first emerged last year, and is again working its way across the country. This scam is particularly dangerous say security experts.

Company payroll leaders should double check any executive-level or unusual requests for lists of Forms W-2 or Social Security numbers says the IRS

Says the CalChamber, “In this scam, cyber-criminals attempt to trick payroll and human resource officials into disclosing employee names, SSNs and income information. The thieves then use the stolen personal information and data to try to obtain money, including filing fraudulent tax returns for refunds.”

Security experts say the criminals send a fake e-mail pretending to be from the actual CEO or CFO of the company. In the email, the “CEO” requests a list of employees and information about the employees, including their SSNs, from company payroll officers or human resource employees.

Note some of the verbiage that may be contained in the emails: “Kindly send me the individual 2016 W-2 (PDF) and earnings summary of all W-2 of our company staff for a quick review.” or “Can you send me the updated list of employees with full details(Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Home Address, Salary).” And, “I want you to send me the list of W-2 copy of employees wage and tax statement for 2016, I need them in PDF file type, you can send it as an attachment. Kindly prepare the lists and email them to me asap.”

The IRS warns that cyber-criminals are using more sophisticated tactics to try to steal even more data that will allow them to impersonate taxpayers. Employers can can visit the IRS website to get assistance with reporting phishing and other online scams.

Datatech serves payroll employers and HR professionals in the ag industry with state of the art payroll and cost accounting software. Our help guides are timely resources to help you navigate the challenges of ag payroll for farmers and labor contractors and the challenges for produce packers and shippers in tracking inventory and sales accounting. Go here and download our free help guides.

IRS Extends 1095-C Furnishing Requirements!

The IRS has released Notice 2016-70, which extends the due dates for furnishing 1095-C’s to employees. Use the link to see the entire Notice, but we have copied below the verbiage pertaining to this extension:

“Following consultation with stakeholders, the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the Service have determined that a substantial number of employers, insurers, and other providers of minimum essential coverage need additional time beyond the January 31, 2017, due date to gather and analyze the information and prepare the 2016 Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to be furnished to individuals. Accordingly, this notice extends by 30 days the due date for furnishing the 2016 Form 1095-B and the 2016 Form 1095-C, from January 31, 2017, to March 2, 2017. In view of this automatic extension, the provisions under Treas. Reg. §§ 1.6055-1(g)(4)(i)(B)(1) and 301.6056-1(g)(1)(ii)(A) allowing the Service to grant extensions of time of up to 30 days to furnish Forms 1095-B and 1095-C will not apply to the extended due date. Notwithstanding the extensions provided in this notice, employers and other coverage providers are encouraged to furnish 2016 statements as soon as they are able. Treasury and the Service have determined that there is no similar need for additional time for employers, insurers, and other providers of minimum essential coverage to file with the Service the 2016 Forms 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, and 1095-C. Therefore, this notice does not extend the due date for filing with the Service the 2016 Forms 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, or 1095-C, which remains February 28, 2017, if not filing electronically, or March 31, 2017, if filing electronically. However, this notice does not affect the provisions regarding automatic extensions of time for filing information returns, which remain available under the normal rules by submitting a Form 8809. See Treas. Reg. § 1.6081-1; Temp. Treas. Reg. § 1.6081-8T. It also does not affect the provisions regarding additional extensions of time to file. Id. Employers or other coverage providers that do not comply with the due dates for furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C (as extended under the rules described above) or for filing Forms 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, or 1095-C are subject to penalties under section 6722 or 6721 for failure to timely furnish and file, respectively. However, employers and other coverage providers that do not meet the relevant due dates should still furnish and file. The Service will take such furnishing and filing into consideration when determining whether to abate penalties for reasonable cause. The extension of the due date provided by this notice applies only to section 6055 and 6056 information statements for calendar year 2016 furnished in 2017 and does not require the submission of any request or other documentation to the Service. Because the 30-day extension of the due date to furnish granted in this notice applies automatically and is as generous as the permissive 30-day extensions of time to furnish 2016 information statements under sections 6055 and 6056 that have already been requested by some reporting entities in submissions to the Service, the Service will not formally respond to such requests. Because of the extension granted under this notice, some individual taxpayers may not receive a Form 1095-B or Form 1095-C by the time they are ready to file their 2016 tax return. Taxpayers may rely on other information received from their employer or other coverage provider for purposes of filing their returns, including determining eligibility for the premium tax credit under section 36B and confirming that they had minimum essential coverage for purposes of sections 36B and 5000A. Taxpayers do not need to wait to receive Forms 1095-B and 1095-C before filing their returns. Individuals need not send the information relied upon to the Service when filing their returns but should keep it with their tax records.”

New I-9 form released by Immigration Services

Fresno, Calif.-  As previously reported here at Datatech, the United States Customs and Immigration Services or USCIS has released the new Form I-9 on their website. The update is designed to make it easier for employee eligibility verification on a computer.

By January 22, 2017, employers must use only the new version, dated 11/14/2016. Until then, they can continue to use the version dated 03/08/2013 or the new version.

Among the changes in the new version, Section 1 asks for “other last names used” rather than “other names used,” and streamlines certification for certain foreign nationals.

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Harvesting time

Other changes include:

  • The addition of prompts to ensure information is entered correctly.
  • The ability to enter multiple preparers and translators.
  • A dedicated area for including additional information rather than having to add it in the margins.
  • A supplemental page for the preparer/translator.

The instructions have been separated from the form, in line with other USCIS forms, and include specific instructions for completing each field.

The revised Form I-9 is also easier to complete on a computer. Enhancements include drop-down lists and calendars for filling in dates, on-screen instructions for each field, easy access to the full instructions, and an option to clear the form and start over. When the employer prints the completed form, a quick response (QR) code is automatically generated, which can be read by most QR readers.

Datatech Training Manager, Hannah Tarrats says, “While the new I-9 is a fill in form, this is in the instructions:

‘Employers and employees may choose to complete any or all sections of the form on paper or using a computer, or a

combination of both. Forms I-9 obtained from the USCIS website are not considered electronic Forms I-9 under DHS

regulations and, therefore, cannot be electronically signed. Therefore, regardless of the method you used to enter information

into each field, you must print a hard copy of the form, then sign and date the hard copy by hand where required.’

You’ll note that there are links at the top of the online form to go to the instructions, to start over or print the document. So, a way you can use the online form is to have a computer set up where employees type their information in, then print and sign.”

Links:

The USCIS website I-9 form.

The USCIS Website instructions for the new I-9.

Form I-9 requirements were established in November 1986 when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). IRCA prohibits employers from hiring people, including U.S. citizens, for employment in the United States without verifying their identity and employment authorization on Form I-9.

Prepare NOW for January 2017 1095-C & 1094-C Reporting & Medical Insurance Open Enrollments

If you have just now succeeded in forgetting the debacle that was 1095-C and 1094-C reporting for 2015, it’s time to reawaken all that you hoped was in the past and start preparing for 2016 reporting during January , February, and/or March 2017. According to IRS Instructions, the following are the dates to put on your calendar NOW:


“Furnishing Forms 1095-C To Employees
 You will meet the requirement to furnish Form 1095-C to an employee if the form is properly addressed and mailed on or before the due date. If the regular due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, file by the next business day. A business day is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. An ALE Member must furnish a Form 1095-C to each of its full-time employees by January 31 of the year following the year to which the Form 1095-C relates. Forms 1095-C for the 2016 calendar year must be furnished by January 31, 2017.”

“When To File
You will meet the requirement to file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C if the forms are properly addressed and mailed on or before the due date. If the regular due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, file by the next business day. A business day is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. Generally, you must file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C by February 28 if filing on paper (or March 31 if filing electronically) of the year following the calendar year to which the return relates. For calendar year 2016, Forms 1094-C and 1095-C are required to be filed by February 28, 2017, or March 31, 2017, if filing electronically.”


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Fresno, Calif – Why take the risk of losing your PACA Trust protection by not having this important verbiage on your EDI transmission?EDI images

If you’re not using the PACA Trust language in your transmission, you’ll have to mail a hard copy of your invoice to your customer, with the PACA Trust language on the hard copy.

It’s critical and an important topic for all produce packers, shippers and brokers that are using EDI to send invoices to their customers.

For valuable information on this subject, Datatech invites you to read the article posted by Tom Oliveri of Western Growers Association:  https://www.wga.com/toliveri/blog/Are-You-PACA-Protected

Datatech serves produce packers, shippers and brokers throughout America with windows based cost accounting, inventory and sales software. #datatech #agsoftware