Accounting CS Time Clock Setup

Overview

OnTheClock offers support for Thomson Reuters Accounting CS time clock hours, accrual benefits and tips/commissions submissions.  To do this, OnTheClock creates a complaint time clock/payroll (xml) file in the format that Accounting CS expects. This help guide describes how to enable and begin using the Accounting CS export feature in OnTheClock. 

Setup

To import time clock data into Accounting CS, a few things must be configured first. In a nutshell, adjusting settings will allow you to perform payroll plus enable time card import using the XML option. Below are the steps needed to allow Accounting CS to accept time clock data for employees.

1. Step 1: Locate the Client and click Edit
2. Step 2: Select Payroll Information Tab and select source ‘Time clock’.
   
3. Step 3: Locate Payroll Schedules section and select a Payroll Schedule.
   
4. Step 4: Click Save to apply change to Client.

Employee Settings

1. Step 1: Locate and click Setup->Employees menu
2. Step 2: Select an Employee and Client Edit
3. Step 3: On the Main tab, notice the Employee ID. This is how OnTheClock will uniquely identify an employee in Accounting CS when submitting time clock data.
   
4. Step 4: Next, confirm that at least on location has been added to the Locations and Departments Section. OnTheClock can classify time by location and department.
   
5. Step 5: On the Payroll Items tab, notice the Pay section. There should be at least one pay item displayed and included for the employee.  Make a note of these Pay Item names for the OnTheClock setup.
   
6. Step 6: On the Accrual Benefits tab, ensure the necessary accrual benefits are enabled. This will be necessary if OnTheClock will be submitting Paid Time Off (PTO) hours to payroll. Make a note of these Accrual Benefit names for the OnTheClock setup.
   

The Accounting CS feature must be enabled in OnTheClock before the data mapping and export can occur. Doing this will allow you to adjust pay item names and display the Accounting CS export button on the time card screen.

1. Step 1: Sign into OnTheClock as an Administrator
2. Step 2: Click Settings->Timeclock Settings menu.
3. Step 3: Click the Payroll Providers tab and click Connect Account CS button.
   
4. Step 4: After enabling Accounting CS, the following popup will be displayed. This is a reminder that time card columns in OnTheClock must be set up to match pay items names in Accounting CS.
   
5. Step 5: On the Advanced tab, notice the Timecard column export names. Timecard column names are equivalent to Pay Items in the Accounting CS software.  Below are the default pay items that OnTheClock added for you.   It commonly required to adjust time card column names to match your Accounting CS Pay Item list.
   
   
6. Step 6: Click Save button to update Settings.

Important Note on Locations and Departments

Accounting CS assigns a location to each employee automatically.  It is important to set up a single location with the exact same name in OntheClock.  OntheClock will use the first location in the list as the work location that is used when submitting timecards.  We realize that some companies allow employees to work at multiple locations and that affects the hourly rate. We are working towards allowing an employee to specify their work location, however, currently, OnTheClock does not support that.  Therefore, if there is a need for alternate hourly rates based on location, we suggest using Department switching in OnTheClock instead.

OTC – Getting the time clock file

1. Step 1: Sign into OnTheClock and Click the Timecard menu.
2. Step 2: Review employee timecards for accuracy.
3. Step 3: Click the Accounting CS export button to download the time clock file.
   
4. Step 4: Accounting CS desktop program

Accounting CS – Importing time clock data

1. Step 1: In Accounting CS click Action -> Enter Batch Payroll Checks menu
2. Step 2: Select a Payroll Schedule from the list. You will need to specify a file directory where the time clock file can be found. Select the file from the list you wish to process.
   
3. Step 3: Now a summary of employee hours will be displayed. Clicking Continue button will bring the data into Accounting CS for further review.
   
4. Step 4: Now your back at the batch entry screen. Here you can review hours or proceed with payroll as normal
   

What to Expect

The addition of the Accounting CS as a time time clock export feature to OnTheClock is a huge time saver.  Just remember that employee IDs, Payroll Items, Departments and locations are Case and Sensitive and need to have identical spelling.  Keeping this in mind will get you importing time clock data error free in now time.

If you receive the following error message right click on the XML downloaded and choose where to open the file. We recommend opening the file in notepad and saving.