Payroll Setup Overview

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Navigation:  MLS 2026 Fully Integrated Accounting > Payroll > Setup of Employee Records >

Payroll Setup Overview

 

MLS 2026 provides a fully integrated Payroll system that handles:

payroll tracking

wage calculations

deductions

payroll history

tax reporting

paycheck processing

Before payroll can be processed, however:

👉 each employee must first be properly established in the Payroll system.

Employee setup is performed using:

👉 Employee → Edit

which displays the Employee Setup screen.


Before You Begin

Payroll affects:

employee compensation

tax reporting

General Ledger posting

labor tracking

commissions

year-end reporting

Because of this:

⚠️ employee setup should always be completed carefully and reviewed for accuracy.

Before creating employee records, it is strongly recommended that you:

read the Payroll section of the manual

understand how payroll processing works

gather all required employee information

This helps prevent:

payroll calculation errors

incorrect tax withholding

reporting problems

paycheck adjustments later


Information You Should Gather

Before entering a new employee into MLS 2026, collect the following information:

Employee’s full legal name

Employee code you wish to assign

Address and phone number

Social Security number

Federal W-4 withholding information

Additional withholding requests

Deduction obligations

(insurance, uniforms, tool fees, garnishments, etc.)

Payroll frequency

(weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, etc.)

Payment method

(hourly, flat rate, commission, salary, etc.)

Pay rate or compensation amount

Having this information prepared beforehand makes setup much faster and more accurate.


Employee Codes

Each employee is assigned a unique employee code.

This code is used throughout MLS 2026 for:

payroll processing

labor tracking

workorders

commissions

reporting

Choose codes that are:

easy to recognize

consistent

unlikely to conflict with future employees


Deductions and Withholding

MLS 2026 uses the employee setup information to calculate:

federal withholding

state withholding

Social Security

Medicare

payroll deductions

Additional withholding amounts requested by employees may also be entered.

Examples include:

extra tax withholding

insurance deductions

uniform charges

tool repayment plans


Payment Methods

The payroll system supports multiple compensation methods, including:

hourly pay

salary

flat rate

commission

hybrid compensation systems

The employee setup determines how payroll calculations will be handled for that employee.


Payroll vs. Job Costing

⚠️ Important:

The Payroll system is NOT used for:

labor job costing

technician productivity tracking

Those functions use information maintained in:

👉 Tools → Setup → Costing

This separation exists because:

payroll earnings

productivity analysis

labor billing

technician efficiency

are often calculated differently.

For example:

a technician may be paid hourly

but labor sold may still be tracked separately for profitability analysis

Please review the:

👉 Costing section of the manual

to understand how labor costing and payroll differ within MLS 2026.


After Setup Is Complete

Once the employee record has been created:

payroll calculations begin automatically

labor activity can be tracked

commissions may be calculated

payroll reports become available

accounting integration is enabled

MLS 2026 will then maintain payroll history and reporting information for that employee going forward.


Best Practices

For accurate payroll management:

Verify all employee information carefully

Double-check Social Security numbers

Confirm withholding information

Review deduction amounts regularly

Keep employee records updated

Maintain current W-4 forms on file


Recommended Companion Sections

This section works closely with:

Payroll Overview

Employee Record Setup

Payroll Processing

Payroll Deductions

Payroll Reports

Costing Setup

Payroll Troubleshooting

Together, these sections provide a complete payroll setup and processing workflow within MLS 2026.