Purpose

This SOP outlines the process of creating a manual check within Elevated. This includes how to generate a manual pay statement, ways to use the pay statement to pay the employee, and if needed how to delete the payment. This guide is not all-encompassing, and manual checks are customized per client. If you have questions regarding a specific manual check within your system or its purpose, please reach out to your assigned Payroll Specialist or the Payroll Department at payroll@greenleafbizsolutions.com.

Overview

A manual check is a check that the processor creates in order to capture gross-to-net wages for an employee. The process of creating a manual check allows wages to be recorded and gives the processor a PDF version of the stub to provide to the recipient. The net of the stub can be handled in-house, or Green Leaf Business Solutions can print and ship the payment . Manual pay statement types are used for recording purposes only, any actual payment to the employee requires a manual process (cash, hand-written check, manual print & shipping to recipient.

Typical reasons for a manual check:

• The employee was underpaid.
• The employee was not paid.
• The employee needed an out-of-cycle payment.

All taxes and deduction payments will be accounted for on the next scheduled check date.

Note: For any mistakes, be sure to delete the stub so as not to cause erroneous W-2 wages and/or quarterly amendments (see Deleting a Manual Pay Statement).

Note: If a terminated employee's accrual balance needs to be zeroed out upon final check, be sure to terminate the employee in the system. Refer to the Accruals Overview article for details.

How to Create a Manual Check Video

Step 1:  Log Into Elevated and Navigate to Payroll

1. Log into your Elevated account and navigate to: Main Menu > Team Tab > Payroll > Process Payroll > Select "Run"
   

Step 2: Create the Manual Check

      
3. Click the icon within the blank field for "Select Employee(s)" 

Step 3: Add Earnings to the Manual Check

Hourly rates and pay rates will populate after saving, and applicable tax deductions will be calculated and listed automatically.

If any scheduled earnings or deductions still need to be assigned, this must be done manually. A Payroll Alert will appear as a reminder to add deductions if necessary — this is just a reminder and can be marked as complete.

Step 4: Add Recurring Earnings/Deductions to the Pay Statement

Note: A pop-up will appear allowing you to select all boxes for all earnings/deductions associated with the company. Once selected, only those assigned to the employee will populate onto the pay statement.

Note: All deductions related to garnishments and vendor payments will not be processed until the finalization of the next scheduled payroll.

Step 4: Preview and Download the Pay Stub

1. Select Preview in the upper right-hand area of the screen.

2. Review the pay statement preview, including gross pay, earnings, and taxes withheld.

Note: The preview will display a “This pay statement has NOT been finalized” warning and a “Non-Negotiable” watermark until the statement is closed and, where applicable, delivered without that designation

3. Select Download PDF to save a copy of the pay stub for records, approval, or distribution.

Step 5: Close the Pay Statement

To finish the process, the pay statement must be closed.

1. Select the back arrow to navigate back to the View Pay Statements screen.

2. Check the box next to the manual pay statement(s) that needs to be closed.

3. Select the ellipses

4. Select "Close Pay Statements"

Note: In the next payroll, the closed statement will appear with a pay type of “Manual,” while the current period's regular payment shows as “Regular.”

Note: If processing more than one manual check for the same employee within the same payroll, use “Manual 2” as the pay statement type for the second check.

Types of Payment Methods

Funds can be provided internally using cash, a hand-written check, or any other form of payment your company provides. Options for handling the manual check within the system include:

Note: The form must be filled out by 3:00 PM PST to ship the payment for overnight delivery. For a shipment request after 3:00 PM PST, complete the form and escalate it with your company's assigned Payroll Specialist. Shipment delays may occur due to weather, natural disasters, courier error, or standard delays.

Option 4: DAMA Client — DAMA Manual Net In-House

1.  If Green Leaf will print and send the check on the business's behalf, use the “Manual” pay statement type as described in Section 4.2. This ensures the manual is reported to DAMA at the close of each business day so the payment is reported before the employee presents the check to be cashed.
   
2. If the intention is to pay the net of the manual in-house and not have the net clear your bank account, it is critical to use the “DAMA Manual Net In House” pay statement type. This ensures DAMA does not post the net to your bank account.
   

Note: If the wrong pay statement type is accidentally used, reach out to DAMA directly to have the duplicate bank entry voided. If “DAMA Manual Net In House” is not available as an option, reach out to your Payroll Specialist to have the pay statement type added for your use.

Deleting a Manual Pay Statement

Note: The payment must be re-opened before it can be deleted: Utilities > Open Selected Pay Statements, then repeat the delete steps above

How to Open Multiple Manual Checks