Unit 3 - Module 5 Flashcards
(36 cards)
Data Flow Diagram of Payroll Procedurs
personnel action forms
Document identifying employees authorized to receive a paycheck; the form is used to reflect changes in pay rates, payroll deductions, and job classification.
Job tickets
Mechanisms to capture the time that individual workers spend on each production job.
Time cards
Tool to capture the time the employee is at work.
labor distribution summary
Summarization of labor costs in work-in-process accounts.
employee payroll records
System an employer uses to calculate, track, and report employee pay.
paychecks
A bank check given as salary or wages.
Basic Technology Payroll System
human resource management (HRM) system
Captures and processes a wide range of personnel-related data, including employee benefits, labor resource planning, employee relations, employee skills, and personnel actions (pay rates, deductions, and so on), as well as payroll. HRM systems need to provide real-time access to personnel files for purposes of direct inquiries and recording changes in employee status as they occur.
Integrated Payroll and HRM System
labor usage file
File in which the cost accounting department enters job cost data (real time or daily).
time and attendance file
Generated by employees directly entering timekeeping data in real time.
Biometric time clocks
Verify employees’ identities by using fingerprint or hand-vein scan technology.
Magnetic swipe ID cards
Works like a credit card. Each employee is issued an ID card that has a magnetic strip containing employee information. The employee swipes the card through the time clock to record start and end time on the job.
Proximity cards
They are similar to swipe cards but don’t require the user to slide the card through a reader.
Mobile remote devices
Allow employees to clock in using handheld devices (PDA or cell phone) or web browsers from laptop computers. This option is popular among businesses with employees in the field who travel between clients and with companies engaged in global business with foreign-based employees.
employee records file
Comprises the additions of new employees, deletions of terminated employees, changes in work dependents, changes in withholdings, and changes in job status such as job title and pay rate. Human resources clerks enter data into the employee records file in real time from terminals.
The following are the primary risks associated with payroll system transactions:
-Inaccurately recording payroll transactions in accounts.
-Misappropriation of cash through payroll fraud.
-Unauthorized access to payroll records and confidential employee data.
The following outlines some possible payroll system errors:
-Time and attendance data are incorrectly calculated.
-Wages payable go unrecorded or are recorded in the wrong period.
-Employee earnings and cash payments are inaccurately posted to employee records or are posted to the wrong employee.
-Payroll register, AP, and cash disbursements amounts are incorrectly posted to their respective GL accounts.
The audit trail for payroll includes the following documents:
- Time cards, job tickets, and disbursement vouchers.
- Journal information, which comes from the labor distribution summary and the payroll register.
- Subsidiary ledger accounts, which contain the employee records, WIP, and various expense accounts.
- The GL accounts, which contain payroll control, cash, and the payroll clearing (imprest) account.
IT input controls to reduce these risks include the following:
- Limit tests to detect excessive hours reported per period.
- Biometric scanners, swipe cards, and PINs reduce the risk of payroll fraud by ensuring that individuals clocking into the system are valid employees.
- Automated tests to validate employee time cards against a valid and up-to-date employee file.
- Paycheck direct deposit options for employees.
The motives for accessing accounting information include:
- Malicious acts such as corrupting or deleting payroll data.
- Theft of confidential employee information such as social security numbers, pay rates, and other personal data.
- Attempts to perpetrate a payroll fraud.
Fixed assets
Property, plant, and equipment used in the operation of a business.
The specific objectives of the fixed asset system are to:
- Process the acquisition of fixed assets as needed and in accordance with formal management approval and procedures.
- Maintain adequate accounting records of asset acquisition, cost, description, and physical location in the organization.
- Maintain accurate depreciation records for depreciable assets in accordance with acceptable methods.
- Provide management with information to help plan for future fixed asset investments.
- Properly record the retirement and disposal of fixed assets.