Lesson 3.10: Payroll Codes

In FastFund Online, Codes hold the key to the proper management and segregation of your entity data. While fundamental payroll data (like wages and taxes) dictates how an employee is paid, Codes allow you to capture and categorize an employee’s personal, demographic, and organizational information.

Using codes effectively enhances your database, providing you with the tools necessary to perform data mining. Through the use of report filters and search criteria, you can analyze your employee data and extract specific information to help you make proactive, knowledge-driven decisions.

Employee Code Types FastFund Payroll uses four primary code categories to track employee information:

1. Department Codes: This is the most critical code for payroll processing. Department codes track the specific area or department where the employee works (e.g., Administration, Education, Social Services). When you are ready to process a payroll batch, FastFund allows you to use Department Codes as a filter, enabling you to process payroll for one specific department at a time.
2. Affiliation Codes: Affiliations are used to track an employee’s outside relationships. This includes memberships in civic organizations, clubs, religious affiliations, or business and trade associations. Uniquely, the Affiliation code includes From Date and To Date fields, allowing you to track the exact term of the employee’s involvement.
3. Attribute Codes: Attributes are used to classify personal interests, geographic regions, mailing codes, or event participation. For example, you might use an Attribute code to mark employees who should receive your quarterly internal newsletter.
4. Classification Codes: Classifications are used for broader personal or demographic categories. Examples of Classifications include an employee’s educational level, race, religion, or specific certifications.

The Golden Rule of Coding: Consistency There is no limit to the number of codes you can add to an employee record. However, the most important aspect of using code tables is to be consistent. There are an unlimited number of variables when assigning codes, but if you do not use them consistently, sorting and querying data will become very difficult.

Example of Inconsistency: If one HR user sets up a code under Attributes called “Newsletter,” and another user sets up a code under Classifications called “Receives Newsletter,” your database becomes fragmented. When you query the database to generate your newsletter mailing list, the results will not be correct unless you remember to include both fields in the filter. To prevent this, establish internal coding policies for your organization.

Assigning Codes to Employees Once your codes are created in the system, assigning them is simple:

1. Navigate to your Employees list and click on an employee’s name to open their record.
2. Click on the Codes tab.
3. Select the Code Type (Affiliation, Attribute, or Classification) from the drop-down menu.
4. Click the New + icon to assign a specific code.
5. Add any relevant dates or comments. The comment field is highly useful as it can also be used as an output and filter field in custom queries.
6. Click SAVE.