After running the Validation job, some employees may experience negative pay due to pre-tax deductions, resulting in them not receiving any payment. This issue is reflected in the View Gross to Nett exceptions with the above error message.
There are several reasons why this may occur. We have compiled a list of possible causes and how to resolve them. Please follow the steps below, based on the identified cause.
Pre-taxable deductions
An employee may have pre-tax deductions such as bicycle scheme contributions, travel passes, or AVCs that lead to negative pay before the system applies PAYE and other deductions.
To resolve this, follow the steps in the relevant section below.
Portal
Click Employee then in the search field, search for employee.
Beside the relevant employee, click VIEW.
Click Timesheets Current Period
Back Office
Click CorePay then click Enquiry.
Click View Timesheet Details.
In the Employee field, enter the employee number.
In the Payroll Period field, enter the relevant payroll period.
Analyse the timesheets for the specified period, checking for any negative value.
Review the leave dates recorded.
Compare the employee's pay for this period with the previous period.
Note the total amount of pre-tax deductions, as these will reduce the gross pay.
📌Note:
Users can check the source of the timesheet by highlighting the record and using the right arrow button to navigate to the next screen.
Review the Source and Reference fields:
Entries starting with 'PAY', such as 'PAY290', indicate that the timesheet was generated by the system.
Entries made by users will display their username in the 'Reference' field.
When examining arrears timesheets, note the retro source field, which will explain why the system is generating arrears.
Other Considerations
POSHIST: Indicates the employee has changed positions, such as moving up a grade on the scale..
LEAVER: Indicates the employee left with a retrospective leave date, meaning the leave date is before the current payroll period. The system will claw back any paid salary or allowances back to that date.
JOINER: Indicates the employee is joining retrospectively.
POSRATE: Indicates a change in the scale rate the employee is associated with, due to the introduction of a new set of rates.
Retrospective end date
An employee is leaving with a retrospective end date, and the system is reclaiming any arrears that were paid out after the departure date.
To resolve this, follow the steps in the relevant section below.
Portal
Click Employee then in the search field, search for employee.
Beside the relevant employee, click VIEW.
Click Timesheets Current Period
Back Office
Click CorePay then click Enquiry.
Click View Timesheet Details.
In the Employee field, enter the employee number.
In the Payroll Period field, enter the relevant payroll period.
Analyse the timesheets for the specified period, checking for any negative value.
Review the leave dates recorded.
Compare the employee's pay for this period with the previous period.
Note the total amount of pre-tax deductions, as these will reduce the gross pay.
📌Note:
Users can check the source of the timesheet by highlighting the record and using the right arrow button to navigate to the next screen.
Review the Source and Reference fields:
Entries starting with 'PAY', such as 'PAY290', indicate that the timesheet was generated by the system.
Entries made by users will display their username in the 'Reference' field.
When examining arrears timesheets, note the retro source field, which will explain why the system is generating arrears.
Other Considerations
POSHIST: Indicates the employee has changed positions, such as moving up a grade on the scale..
LEAVER: Indicates the employee left with a retrospective leave date, meaning the leave date is before the current payroll period. The system will claw back any paid salary or allowances back to that date.
JOINER: Indicates the employee is joining retrospectively.
POSRATE: Indicates a change in the scale rate the employee is associated with, due to the introduction of a new set of rates.
Past date
A deduction has been terminated with a retroactive date, and the system is reclaiming the amount that was paid.
To resolve this, follow the steps in the relevant section below.
Portal
Click Employee then in the search field, search for employee.
Beside the relevant employee, click VIEW.
Click Timesheets Current Period
Back Office
Click CorePay then click Enquiry.
Click View Timesheet Details.
In the Employee field, enter the employee number.
In the Payroll Period field, enter the relevant payroll period.
Analyse the timesheets for the specified period, checking for any negative value.
Review the leave dates recorded.
Compare the employee's pay for this period with the previous period.
Note the total amount of pre-tax deductions, as these will reduce the gross pay.
📌Note:
Users can check the source of the timesheet by highlighting the record and using the right arrow button to navigate to the next screen.
Review the Source and Reference fields:
Entries starting with 'PAY', such as 'PAY290', indicate that the timesheet was generated by the system.
Entries made by users will display their username in the 'Reference' field.
When examining arrears timesheets, note the retro source field, which will explain why the system is generating arrears.
Other Considerations
POSHIST: Indicates the employee has changed positions, such as moving up a grade on the scale..
LEAVER: Indicates the employee left with a retrospective leave date, meaning the leave date is before the current payroll period. The system will claw back any paid salary or allowances back to that date.
JOINER: Indicates the employee is joining retrospectively.
POSRATE: Indicates a change in the scale rate the employee is associated with, due to the introduction of a new set of rates.
Incorrect figures loaded on P2C file
A new P2C file has been loaded with zero tax credit and cut-off point.
When an employee is taxed on a cumulative basis and a new tax certificate is loaded with zero tax credit and cut-off point, it can drive the employee into negative pay since all taxable income will be taxed at a higher rate.
To resolve this, follow the steps in the relevant section below.
Portal
Click Settings then under Codes, click Pay Groups.
From the Pay Group Code drop down menu, select the relevant pay group.
Turn on the Allow Negative toggle then re-run the validation (PAY140).
View Gross to Nett to identify which statutory deduction is driving the employee into negative pay.
Adjust the situation by placing the employee on a week 1 tax basis or by entering an override to reduce part of the large value for this period.
Contact Revenue to confirm that the new tax certificate is accurate.
Back Office
Click CorePay then click Reference.
Click Pay Group then highlight the relevant pay group.
Turn on the Allow Negative check box then re-run the validation (PAY140).
View Gross to Nett to identify which statutory deduction is driving the employee into negative pay.
Adjust the situation by placing the employee on a week 1 tax basis or by entering an override to reduce part of the large value for this period.
Contact Revenue to confirm that the new tax certificate is accurate.
Change to employee's cumulative pay
A change has been made to the employee's cumulative pay, resulting in a recalculation of PAYE, USC, etc., which may lead to negative pay.
To resolve this, follow the steps in the relevant section below.
Portal
Click Employee then in the search field, search for employee.
Beside the relevant employee, click VIEW.
Click Year to Date Cumulatives.
Take note of the Gross/USC Earnings and other relevant figures.
Compare these to the copy of the payslip.
If you notice any discrepancies, readjust accordingly.
Click Save then re-run the validation job.
Back Office
Click CorePay then click Employee.
Click PAYE/PRSI/TFA/Cumulatives/Cumulatives.
Click Amend Cumulative Pay Details.
In the Employee field, enter the employee number.
Take note of the Gross/USC Earnings and other relevant figures.
Compare these to the copy of the payslip.
If you notice any discrepancies, readjust accordingly.
Click Save then re-run the validation job.
PRD
PRD is owed if previous PRDable pay has been submitted without adequate PRD payments.
If this situation is incorrect, place the employee on a PRD in week one while you resolve the issue with finance.
Large deductions
Large deductions entered through timesheets can cause issues. If large deductions are added as timesheets, the employee may already be in negative pay before the USC is calculated.
To resolve this, either enable the Allow Negative toggle mentioned in Cause 4 or create actual deduction records for the employee instead of entering timesheets.
The exception message for this issue may appear as: ***** Negative Pay After Processing USC. (USC = 0) *****