ARCHIVED CD 1999-015

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March 19, 1999

SUBJECT: Changes to Payroll Accounting Practices and Procedures, Related Regional Pay System (RPS) Functionality and RPS Year-End (March 1999) Close-off Processing Instructions

1. PURPOSE

1.1 The purpose of this directive is to advise RPS clients of changes related to the implementation of the Financial Information Strategy (FIS).

1.2 In this text, use of the masculine is generic and applies to both men and women.

2. CANCELLATION

2.1 This cancels Services Pay Directive 1989-041(20) dated April 26, 1989.

3. BACKGROUND

3.1 The Financial Information Strategy (FIS), to be implemented April 1, 1999, for fiscal year 1999-2000, has necessitated modifications to current payroll accounting practices and processes and resulted in the introduction of new RPS functionality to support the FIS initiative. Additionally, the accounting month schedule has been modified and the March-Paid-April process will be eliminated effective for the 1998-1999 fiscal year-end exercise. These changes affect processing cut-offs for the input of 1999-2000 financial coding changes into the RPS. Additionally, supplementary payment dating will be impacted by the change to the accounting month schedule.

4. POLICY

Payroll Accounting Changes

4.1 Accounting Month Schedule Accounting months will remain open, up to the second last working day of each month. Supplementary payments issued prior to that day will be dated and accounted for in the current month. Supplementary payments issued on either of the last two working days will be postdated to the first business day of the upcoming month and will be accounted for in that month. Payment date will always determine the accounting month. The month of December will always be an exception to the rule due to calendar year-end processing considerations.

4.2 Elimination of March-Paid-April (P13) processing Effective for the 1998-1999 fiscal year-end exercise, March-Paid-April processing for payroll transactions will be eliminated.

4.3 Month-end and year-end regular pay accruals The Regional Pay Interface System (RPIS) automated month-end and year-end accruals process will remain in effect for all departments during the 1998-1999 fiscal year. Effective April 1999, this process will remain available only to non-FIS compliant departments. FIS compliant departments will be required to determine and accrue regular pay directly to their Departmental Financial Management System (DFMS) according to Treasury Board policies on accruals under FIS. Public Works and Government Services Canada PWGSC) Compensation Sector will continue to provide departments with information on the number of days to be accrued for regular pay by accounting month.

4.4 Payroll Transfer Journal Vouchers (PTJV), Source 49 Effective April 1, 1999, source 049 journal voucher will no longer be utilized to adjust payroll charges between departments for transferred employees. PWGSC Pay Offices will cease to calculate the value of the settlement. Transfer-out departments will determine the value and recover their moneys from the transfer-in department through Interdepartmental Settlements (IS). This change affects both FIS compliant and non-FIS compliant Departments. IS processing procedures are detailed in the Receiver General Manual.

RPS Related Changes

4.5 New on-line screens have been developed in the RPS to provide for the verification and update of financial coding by departmental finance users. Compensation Directive 1998-016 , dated July 29, 1998, refers.

4.6 Expenditure File Update Screens (Line Object and Credit Back Coding) Prior to the commencement of the 1999-2000 fiscal year, FIS compliant departments will be required to update their line object and credit back coding for the new upcoming fiscal year. New on-line pay screens have been developed to assist departments with this task. Non-FIS compliant departments will continue to update their coding through the Interactive On-line Control File/Pay Expenditure Control File (IOCF/PECF). Departments moving to FIS status effective April 1999 have received training from PWGSC on the new screens available for the 1999-2000 setup. Future training will be available to departments moving to FIS status in upcoming fiscal years 2000-2001 and 2001-2002.

4.7 Financial Coding Update Screen (Updating Master Employee Records (MER) Coding) New screens have been developed that allow authorized departmental finance users, in either FIS compliant or non-FIS compliant departments, the capability of effecting coding changes to individual MER. Compensation Directive 1999-02, dated January 28, 1999, contains information on the training available to departments for this new subsystem.

5. PROCEDURES/INSTRUCTIONS

RPS March 1999 Close-off Processing Instructions

5.1 Input of Financial Coding Changes to the RPS for 1999-2000 On-line Clients New year coding can be authorized and released on March 24, 1999, for update to the RPS MER on March 25, 1999. The new year coding will be used effective March 26, 1999, and all supplementary payments issued from that date to March 31, 1999, will be dated and charged to April business (accounting period 01). A supplementary payment will be run on March 25, 1999, and will carry the old year coding and be charged to March business (accounting period 12). Bulk Input Clients New year coding changes should be isolated on a separate file and submitted to PWGSC by March 24, 1999, for update to the RPS MER on March 25, 1999. The new year coding will be used effective March 26, 1999. Supplementary payments issued on March 25, 1999, will carry the old year coding and be charged to March 1999 business (accounting period 12).

5.2 Coding Length Changes All clients should pay particular attention to coding length changes. Coding length changes for the 1999-2000 fiscal year can not be submitted prior to the PWGSC control table update which will occur on March 24, 1999.

6. INQUIRIES

6.1 Any request for information regarding the foregoing should be addressed to your PWGSC Compensation Services Office.

6.2 General information on the impact of FIS on the Public Service Payroll Systems can be obtained from the Financial Information Strategy Internet site. This information is updated on a regular basis.

Original Signed by
P. Charko

P. Charko
Director General
Compensation Sector
Government Operational Service

Reference: CJA 2006-1