Follow these steps to complete the AWE template:
- Select the appropriate tab on the spreadsheet to choose the correct pay frequency. Employees are automatically categorised into the correct worksheet based on their assigned pay schedule.
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The first four columns will be pre-filled with data retrieved from the system (First Name, Last Name, IRD Number & External ID. In Column E, enter the second to last period end date from your previous payroll system. The spreadsheet will then automatically populate the 52 weeks period end dates.
Helpful Hint
Do not edit the "Period Ending" column to avoid import errors.
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Enter the gross earnings into the “Period Gross” column for each pay period.
Important
If an employee has not worked for a full 52 weeks, or has been on leave without pay, leave the “Period Gross” column blank.
Helpful Hint
Gross earnings includes:
- Salary and wages.
- All taxable allowances (not reimbursing allowances).
- All overtime paid.
- Regular commissions, non-discretionary bonuses and incentives.
- Payment for annual holidays and public holidays.
- Payment for sick, bereavement leave and other FBAPS leave.
Gross earnings does not include:
- Reimbursing allowances.
- Discretionary payments.
- Cashed up holidays.
For a full breakdown of what is included and excluded in gross earnings please check here.
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Enter the hours paid into the “Period Hours” column for each pay period.
Helpful Hint
This column requires the number of hours paid for for the period. This includes:
- All hours worked.
- Any leave hours but excludes any LWOP (leave without pay) hours.
Example 1: Sally worked 32 hours and took 8 hours or annual leave, the total hours paid / period hours is 40.
Example 2: Sally worked 30 hours and took 10 hours LWOP. The total hours paid / period hours is 30.
Warning
This field is crucial for employees working irregular hours so that Average Hours reports can be populated in order to calculate their leave pay.
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Enter the days paid into the “Period Days” column.
Helpful Hint
In this column you must enter the number of days or part days worked by each employee for each relevant pay period.
N.B. Part days are entered as follows: One half day = 0.5 day. Entering correct data in this field is extremely important due to the following reasons:
- The total number of days worked in the 52 week period is used as part of determining an employee's ADP when taking any leave.
- The system uses the total number of days worked when calculating an employee's pro rata gross earnings to then determine AWE, ADP and/or 8% holiday pay. The pro rata earnings apply when an employee's leave year start date or leave entitlement falls mid-pay period. Further information on how the system calculates pro rata historic gross earnings can be found here.
Warning
If this field is left blank the system will assume the employee has worked a 5 day week.
To ensure accurate leave calculations, confirm that the correct number of days paid has been entered.
Helpful Hint
Include any off-cycle payments within the nearest pay period.
Entering Parental Leave on the Historical Gross Earnings (HGE) Spreadsheet
When you're entering an employee's past earnings on the Historical Gross Earnings (HGE) spreadsheet and they've been on parental leave, it's important to include the following:
- Hours and Days on Parental Leave: Even if no gross earnings were paid during parental leave, you need to record the hours and days the employee was on leave.
- Zero Gross Earnings: For the period of parental leave, the gross earnings should be zero.
Why is this important? This helps the system accurately track the employee's leave accrual, ensuring that parental leave isn't incorrectly treated as Leave Without Pay (LWOP).