PSF Suspense Account List – Troubleshooting

The following report enables you to identify any PSP Anlaysis code combinations which are being rejected by PSF. It can be run from the following menu option:

Payroll / Reports / Financial Analysis / Suspense Account List.

Please remember to tick the “Analyse Payroll” option if you require the analysis for the current pay period for the selected payroll template. If you are requesting the analysis of a historical pay period, this will have been created as a snap-shot of the journal when the period end was performed for the pay period.

There are a few report template formats available (Crystal Viewer or SSRS Viewer) which will provide varying views of the same information but it is advisable to use the “Grid View” option available at the top of the Report Confirmation form. Although this view is cruder (it is like a spreadsheet)  it does provide more information such as:

Employee Reference

Proposed Analysis Code

PSF Analysis Code (if accepted by PSF)

Errant Analysis Code (if rejected by PSF)

An explanation of the structure of the PSF analysis coding can be found at the following page: PSF Analysis Code Structures. This will describe each of the 4 levels PSF is expecting, as referenced below.

The most common error is that one or more of the 4 levels required for the full combined analysis code, is absent, so if the anticipated code is:

XYZ-TEACH-SAL-ABCDE

but is actually shown in the Errant Analysis Code as:

-TEACH-SAL-ABCDE

then it can be assumed that the first element is absent and this suggests that the Location code has not been supplied on the appropriate Employment History record.

If the failed code is

XYZ- -SAL-ABCDE

then it can be assumed that the second element is absent and this suggests that the GEN Code on the 2nd TAB of the PSP Activity definition is empty.

If the failed code is

XYZ-TEACH- -ABCDE

then it can be assumed that the third element is absent and this suggests that the GEN Code on the GEN TAB of the PSP Payment/Deduction definition is empty.

If the failed code is

XYZ-TEACH-SAL-

then it can also be reasonably assumed that the fourth element is absent and this suggests that the GEN Code on the Cost Centre definition is empty. However, this is unlikely to occur because:

1. An employee must be associated with a Cost Centre in order for them to be included in a Payroll Template. This is not optional.

2. If the GEN Code on the Cost Centre definition is empty, then the system uses the PSP Cost Centre code instead.

It is therefor highly unlikely that the 4th level of the analysis code is absent (unless it is a Balance Sheet account) but it is possible that the PSP Cost Centre has been used in the absence of the associated PSF Cost Centre (GEN Code) and this is not being recognised by PSF.

It is possible to enter incorrect analysis codes, rather than missing codes,  against any of the 4 levels of the PSF analysis. Although the Location codes are automatically aligned to those created in PSF, it is possible to create additional Locations within PSP as well. These may not be recognised by PSF even though they have been presented in lookup-lists within PSP, and subsequently allocated to an employee’s Employment History record(s). The Activity Category and the Payment/Deduction Category (levels 2 and 3) are assigned to the Activity and Payment/Deduction definitions respectively and although lookup lists are also available to help assign the correct analysis category, it is possible to enter a code which is not recognised by PSF. You will be presented with a warning message but you will be able to continue and save the definition. Equally, the Cost Centre definitions are supported by lookup lists of the available options in PSF, but you can still assign a code which is not recognised.

This means that it is not only possible to have missing segments but also encounter one or more incorrect  elements, i.e. codes which are simply not recognised by PSF. This is easily rectified by reviewing the appropriate definition in PSP (as described below) and checking the code assigned, against the list of available options.

The final type of error will be presented when the proposed code combination is simply rejected, but for no apparent reason. For example:

XYZ-TEACH-SAL-ABCDE

Upon investigation, you may find that each level looks correct so it is reasonable to assume that PSF should accept it. However, this is not the case. PSF will not assume that every single permutation of each level will result in a valid analysis code. You have to inform PSF which code combinations are acceptable. Additionally, you can grant certain users of PSF access to a restricted subset of account combinations so the issue may be that the code combination is valid, but the user does not have the permissions to update or see this account.

If this type of issue is encountered, we suggest you contact the PSF help desk for assistance in the resolution.

Troubleshooting

From within PSP, the focus of your investigation is to ensure that each of the 4 elements of analysis is present (not empty) and correct (recognised by PSF). For 3 out of the 4 levels the initial point of enquiry is the employee’s role definition:

HR Record / Employment / Employment History

An employee may have multiple active roles but it is anticipated that most employee’s will only have one. From the first TAB of these definition(s) you will be able to instigate your investigations of 3 of the 4 levels:

Level 1 : Location

Is the Location code present, and is it one which is recognised by PSF?

A lookup facility is available via the    button adjacent to the Location code.

Level 2 : Activity

This the PSP Activity which is associated with the required PSF Activity Category via the PSP Activity definition screen. It is anticipated that there may be many PSP Activities which are analysed to the same PSF Activity category. Once you have determined the PSP Activity code, you can review it’s definition, and subsequently the associated PSF Activity Category by:

  1. If you have the required Administrative access permissions, you can click on the caption adjacent to the code and indirectly access the maintenance form of the required definition, select the List button to access the maintenance options for the Activities.
  2. You can access the same maintenance facility via one of the following menu options:

Payroll Module / Definitions / Terms & Conditions / Activity

Personnel Module / Definitions / Your Organisation / Activity

When you have located the required Activity definition, press Edit. The GEN Code (PSF Activity Category) is described on the 2nd TAB of the maintenance form.  A lookup facility is available via the    button adjacent to the GEN Code.

Level 4 : Cost Centre

This the PSP Cost Centre which may or may not be a direct correlation to the PSF Cost Centre. Once you have determined the PSP Cost Centre you can review it’s definition, and subsequently the associated PSF code by:

  1. If you have the required Administrative access permissions, you can click on the caption adjacent to the code and indirectly access the maintenance form of the required definition, select the List button to access the maintenance options for the Cost Centres.
  2. You can access the same maintenance facility via the following menu option:

Payroll Module / Definitions / Module Setup / Cost Centre

When you have located the required Cost Centre definition, press Edit. The GEN Code (PSF Cost Centre) is described on the 1st TAB of the maintenance form.  If you have the appropriate version of PSP, a lookup facility is available via the    button adjacent to the GEN Code. This is not available in earlier versions of PSP.

Please note, if the associated PSF GEN Code is empty, then the PSP Cost Centre code is used instead.

 

Level 3 : Payment/Deduction (Pay Element)

The final element of the combined code is level 3, the Payment/Deduction definition. Each payment or deduction in the employee’s Working File (payslip) MUST contain a Payment/Deduction code, this is a mandatory data item.

It is anticipated that there may be many PSP pay elements which are analysed to the same PSF Payment category. Once you have determined the PSP code you can review it’s definition, and subsequently the associated PSF Category by:

  1. If you have the required Administrative access permissions, you can click on the caption adjacent to the code and indirectly access the maintenance form of the required definition, select the List button to access the maintenance options for the Payments/Deductions.
  2. You can access the same maintenance facility via the following menu option

Payroll Module / Definitions / Module Setup / Payment & Deduction.

For the selected Payment or Deduction, press Edit. The GEN Code (PSF analysis category) is described on the GEN TAB of the maintenance form.  A lookup facility is available via the    button adjacent to the GEN Code.