ESC TRACS Software, Version VB_2.0 And Electronic Transfer Guide ESCWages Module

Transcription

1 The Employment Security Commission of North Carolina TAX REPORTING AND CLAIMS SOFTWARE ESC TRACS Software, Version VB_2.0 And Electronic Transfer Guide ESCWages Module Employment Security Commission of North Carolina Unemployment Insurance Division Post Office Box Raleigh, North Carolina March 2004

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I INTRODUCTION Introduction... 1 Navigation of Module Application Windows... 1 Data Field Types... 3 Data Entry Modes... 3 Screen Navigation and Miscellaneous Information... 3 Installation Options... 4 Starting ESC TRACS Application... 6 Getting HELP in ESC TRACS... 6 Switching to the Other Application Module... 7 Exiting ESC TRACS Application... 8 SECTION II - ESCWages QUARTERLY TAX and WAGE REPORTING General Information... 1 ESC Wages Module Application... 3 Remitter Information... 4 Employer Information... 5 Department Information... 9 Quarter/Year Selection WageBase Employee Data Entry Wage Data Entry Prepare Quarterly Tax and Wage Report i

3 Create Wage File Saving Wage File to Diskette View NCUI-101 Report Employee Wage Detail Report Import Function Export Function Backup Database Change Database Create New Database SECTION III - ELECTRONIC TRANSFER DATA Filing by the Internet... 1 General Information... 1 Filing Options... 1 Transmitting Tax and Wage Data... 3 ESC Format for Wage Details... 3 SECTION IV TECHNICAL SUPPORT Error Messages... 1 Error Logs... 6 Problems with Importing Files... 7 APPENDIX A 1 - ii

4 INTRODUCTION The State of North Carolina requires each employer to file quarterly tax and individual employee wages every quarter with the Employment Security Commission Tax Department. Additionally, the State of North Carolina requires that employers report claims of attached workers with the Claims Department. Claims for attached workers should be submitted only when a regular employee with payroll attachment is on temporary layoff. In an effort to unify the electronic filing of required reports, the Employment Security Commission has combined the quarterly filing of the Tax and Wage Reports and the filing of claims for attached workers. This windows-based application maintains a common database of employer and employee information. Based on the module that is installed, the application allows either the data entry or upload of quarterly tax and wages for each quarter or the data entry or upload of attached claims and totally separated claims for each worker. This application has several report functions, tax calculations, import and export functions and diskette creation. ESC TRACS application was developed by the Information Systems Division of the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina (ESC). The application was written using the Visual Basic programming language, and is intended to operate on a workstation running Windows 95 or later. Disclaimer: This application is designed to run on IBM compatible machines only. There are two modules to the program. The two modules to be used by employers are: ESC Wages Module used to file Employers Quarterly Tax and Wage Report ESC Claims Module used to file the claims of workers on temporary layoff. The ESCWages, ESCClaims, or BOTH modules can be installed. If only one of the modules is installed (ESCWages), the other module (ESCClaims) will not be visible on the logon screen. The ESCWages module will be covered in detail later on in this document. Navigation of Module Application Windows The ESC TRACS window is designed with two panes. The functions displayed in the left pane will depend on the module that was selected when the application was started. The left pane will be used to select a function and the right pane will display the actual input panel for that function. The left pane itself consists of two sections. The upper section will be used to input employer data. The functions available under the employer section are: Application Settings Selecting the Quarter/Year for Tax and Wage Reporting and the Taxable Wage Base in the ESC Wages module. 1-1

5 Remitter Information Enter and modify Remitter Information in the ESC Wages module. Employer Information Select, add, delete, and change Employer records and also set wages to zero for the selected quarter in the ESC Wages module. Wage Detail Information Add and change Employee records and the data entry of wage amounts for all employees in the ESC Wages module. The lower section of the left pane will be used to input employee data. The functions available under the employee section are: Department- Add, delete and change Employee records and the data entry of individual wage amounts in the ESC Wages module. An example of the ESC Wages window are shown below: Please note that whenever a + is displayed next to a function, double clicking on the function will expand it and display the sub functions. Double clicking will also collapse the tree view. ESC Wages module Employer Section Employee Section Status Bar Please Note at the bottom of the window the status bar displays PANEL: NAME OF THE PANEL, REMITTER MODE: ADD, the number of Employees, Press F1 for field specific help and the System date. When the status bar displays ADD, new records can be added. When the status bar displays READONLY, no changes can be made to a screen. 1-2

6 When the status bar displays EDIT, changes can be made to a screen. Press the CANCEL button to exit the EDIT mode without making changes to the screen. Data Field Types There are three types of fields used for input: Alphabetic (Alpha), Numeric and Alphanumeric. Alphabetic fields are those fields that contain only Alpha characters (letters). They are used for fields such as Name, City, etc.. When a field is Alpha, the program will not accept numeric input. The characters are keyed using the alphabetic portion of the standard computer keyboard. Numeric fields are those fields that contain only Numeric characters (numbers). They are used for fields such as Account Number, Wages, etc.. When the field is Numeric, the program will not accept alpha input. Alpha-numeric fields are those fields that can contain both Alpha characters (letters) and Numeric characters (numbers). Data Entry Modes The ESC TRACS Application uses two Modes for entering data: ADD mode is used to add records. This includes the initial creation of the records as well as adding additional records. Once the user has entered the Add mode, the only way to escape this mode without entering a record is by clicking the Cancel button. UPDATE mode is used to change data in previously keyed records. Once the user has entered the Add mode, the only way to escape this mode without entering a record is by clicking the Cancel button. Edit mode will be used when previously entered data needs to be corrected. Screen Navigation and Miscellaneous Information Formatted Numerics After clicking UPDATE on a panel, numeric fields will be formatted with dashes, commas and/or a decimal point for display only. If you return to this field the formatting will be removed automatically. Error/Information Windows 1-3

7 When incorrect or invalid data is entered in a field, a beep will sound and an error window will appear on the screen. The error window needs a response from you. If the only option displayed is OK, you only need to press <ENTER> to clear the window. Others need a YES or NO response. You can click the <Yes> or <No> button as a response, or, you can press tab to highlight the appropriate button (indicated by a fine dashed line around the button) and press <ENTER>. Field Navigation The <TAB> key is used to skip to the next field. The <SHIFT + TAB> keys pressed together are used to skip backwards to the previous field. The arrow ( ) keys are used to move between the fields on the edit detail records screen. Clear Data There is no clear field key. To change the data already entered in a field in either mode, position the cursor on the field, press the <DELETE> or <BACKSPACE> keys (as appropriate) to erase the characters. Rekey the data and press <ENTER>. Or, double click the data which will put a blue box around the data; rekey the data and press <ENTER>. Delete a Record To delete a record from a table, select the record and press the DELETE button on the panel. There will be a message displayed that details what changes will be made to the database if this record is deleted. The user will be asked to confirm that the record is to be deleted by pressing <OK> to delete the record or <CANCEL> to leave the record in the program. Installation Options The ESC TRACS software needs to be installed on the hard drive of your computer before the Application Modules can be started. The user may obtain this software either by downloading it from the internet or installing the program from a CD. Internet On the Internet, connect to the ESC home page at des.nc.gov and then click on Business Services. Located under Downloads, click on Software. Double-click on the link for the software and note the file folder location where you download to on your PC. When the transfer is complete, navigate to the downloaded file icon and double-click to begin the installation. CD The CD contains the ESC TRACS program and documentation for both applicatons. 1-4

8 Note: Installing this software on a NETWORK drive is possible; however, users will not be able to access the database simultaneously. To Install the Software: 1. Insert the CD into the appropriate drive. The installation window opens automatically if Autorun is enabled on your system. Note: If you have Autorun disabled on your computer, choose Run from the Start menu to open the Run dialog box. Type D:\setup.exe, and click the OK button. (If your CD drive is something other than D, substitute the correct drive name.) 2. Follow the instructions on your screen to complete the installation. 3. It is recommended that you accept the default directory as prompted. You may change the directory if you desire, however be sure to install the program in its own subdirectory, such as C:\. Always choose a subfolder of the desired drive. 4. Click the button as instructed to begin the installation. A check for necessary disk space will be performed, then a prompt for the ESC TRACS program group. When the installation is complete, you will be notified. Uninstalling the Software: 1. Choose Settings from the Start menu, and select Control Panel. 2. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs. 3. Select the name of the program you want to uninstall (ESC TRACS if you accepted the default name during the installation) and click on the Add/Remove button.. 4. Click on Yes to confirm the program deletion. Starting The ESC TRACS Application 1-5

9 Once the program has been successfully loaded to your hard drive, you are ready to start the ESC TRACS application. Locate the ESC TRACS icon depicted in Figure 1-2 on your desktop. Double click on the ESC TRACS icon to start the application. Alternatively, the icon can also be found by clicking on the Start button, followed by Programs... ESC TRACS... ESC TRACS. Figure 1-2 The ESC Reporting Software screen will be displayed as shown in Figure 1-3. Note: If you installed one of the applications, i.e., ESC Wages and not the other, i.e, ESC Claims, the display shown in Figure 1 3 will only show the button of the installed application. Figure 1-3 Getting HELP in ESC TRACS HELP can be accessed several ways in ESC TRACS: Select Help from the Menu Bar Click the Help button from the application panel for additional information about each application panel. 1-6

10 Field Help is provided by tabbing to a field and pressing the F1 function key. Please refer to the How To Use Help section of HELP if you need additional instructions. Switching to the other Application Module If both modules have been installed, it is not necessary to exit and open the program to switch modules. To Switch from one application module to the other. For instance, to switch from the ESC Wages module to the ESC Claims module, click on File from the Menu and select Return to Logon Screen to as shown below in Figure 1-4. Figure 1-4 The ESC TRACS application will return to the screen depicted in Figure 1-3. This will allow the user to select the other application module. Exiting The ESC TRACS Program 1-7

11 To exit the ESC TRACS application entirely, click on File..Exit as shown in Figure 1-4. You can also click on the X in the upper right-hand corner of the application window to exit the application. The application can be exited by clicking on the icon in the upper left hand corner of the application window and clicking on Close. Be sure to update any changes prior to exiting the application. If you do not update changes, the changes will be lost once the application is closed. 1-8

12 GENERAL INFORMATION ESCWAGES The ESC Wages module may be used to report single employers, employers with branch accounts, or multiple employers. In addition, the program will accumulate tax and wage information for four calendar quarters to allow the system to calculate and print Form NCUI 101, Employer s Quarterly Tax and Wage Report. It will print the Magnetic Media Transmittal form, which must accompany the diskette(s), created with the software. You may use this software to file by diskette or the Internet. The ability for the program to calculate excess wages requires that all wages are available for the software. If you begin using the program to report any quarter other than the first quarter of the calendar year, you must either: Recreate any wage data already reported for previous quarters; or Manually calculate the excess wage amount. We have attempted to make this program as user friendly as possible. ESC shall not be responsible for any damages incurred by the employer or user as a result of the use of this program. The use of this program shall not excuse any untimely and/or incorrect reporting of wage records unless it can be shown that program error caused the untimely and/or incorrect reporting. Form NCUI 101, Employer s Quarterly Tax and Wage Report, must be submitted for each employer account. If payment is due, please pay by credit card at des.nc.gov; or enroll in our Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) program; or send a check or money order with your report. Diskettes must be submitted by the end of the month following the completion of the calendar quarter in order to be considered timely. For example, reports for the quarter ending June 30, 2001 must be submitted no later than July 31, NOTE: This program may not be used to produce paper listings of employee detail wage information to be submitted in lieu of diskette file(s). The Employee Wage Listing created with this application software should NOT be mailed. Files created with ESCWages module may be transmitted to the Internet. See Electronic Transfer of Quarterly Wage Data included in this publication for additional information. If you have questions concerning the submission of magnetic or electronic files for wage reporting, or if you need to request a remitter number, contact: 2-1

13 Employment Security Commission Tax Department Wage Records Unit Post Office Box Raleigh, North Carolina Telephone Number (919) Fax Number (919)

14 ESC Wages Module Application The following section deals with the ESC Wages application. It is assumed that the user chose ESC Wages at logon. If you need assistance with Starting the ESC Wages Application, please refer to Starting The ESC TRACS Program in Section 1. Introduction. If this is your first time using this application, the message shown in Figure 2 1 below will be displayed. This message will also be displayed if the Remitter information is missing. If you are submitting your own tax and wage report, you do NOT need to enter remitter information. This application will automatically assign a generic remitter number. Click No to accept the generic remitter number of If you are third party submitting tax and wage reports for one or multiple employers, you will need a remitter number and must enter remitter information in the application. Click Yes to access the remitter screen. Figure 2-1 Your remitter number is assigned by ESC. It is a unique six-digit number and is NOT the same as your account number. If you do need a remitter number you may obtain a remitter number by going to the ESC web site ( and selecting Quarterly Tax and Wage Report from the Online Services. You may also obtain a remitter number by calling the Wage Records Unit at (919) or sending an to esc.tax.wr@ncmail.net. Note: You do not need a remitter number unless you plan to submit quarterly tax and wage reports for others. An example of the remitter information panel is shown on the next page in Figure

15 Remitter Information The Employment Security Commission will use the Remitter information provided to contact you should there be a problem with your tax and/or wage filing. If you do not enter the Remitter Information and choose to accept the generic remitter number, ESC will use the contact information in our records to contact you if necessary. Please note that if you are entering Remitter information, initially the Remitter Number and Name, Employer Number and Name and Branch Number and Name Fields in the header are blank. Once the Remitter Information has been keyed and saved (Clicking the UPDATE button saves this information in the database table), the Remitter Number and Name fields will reflect the saved information from this point forward. Account Header Figure 2 2 Key the Remitter No (number) assigned by the Employment Security Commission. Key the Remitter Name. There are two fields provided for this information. The first remitter name field is a required field. Key the Remitter Address. There are two fields provided for this information. The first remitter address field is a required field. Key the Remitter City and Remitter State. When the two-character state code is entered, the complete state name in addition to the two-character state code will be displayed when the cursor advances to the next field. 2-4

16 Key the Remitter Zip Code. Key the Remitter Contact Name, Remitter Contact Telephone Number and Remitter Contact address. Once you have input the remitter information, click the UPDATE button to save the information. To change from the generic remitter number to an assigned remitter number, click Remitter Information panel and click Edit. You will then be able to update the remitter number and enter all pertinent data. Click Update to accept the changes. At the Initial logon shown in Figure 2 1, clicking No will cause a generic remitter number to be assigned. Employers only filing their own quarterly tax and wage should have the generic Remitter number. If you accept the generic Remitter, a remitter number of will be entered in the database. The Remitter number will appear to be blank as shown in Figure 2-3 below. Figure 2-3 Employer Information The message below in Figure 2-1 will only appear when no employer information has been entered. This usually only occurs the first time you use the program or if you have deleted all employer information from the program. Multiple employers and branches can be added 2-5

17 Figure 2-4 Click Import From Data File to import the employer data from a file (See Import Function). Click Add New Employer and the screen shown in Figure 2-5 will be displayed. Key the Employer Account No (number). Key the Branch Account No (number) if applicable, if no branch account number is entered, the employer number default to the branch account number. Key the Employer Name. Key the Branch Name, if applicable. Account Header Figure

18 Key the Employer Address. There are two fields provided for this information. The first remitter address field is a required field. Key the Employer City, Employer State and Employer Zip Code. Key the Employer County name of the county where the business is located. When you enter an Employer County, the Employer Local Office will automatically be displayed. If the county selected has more than one LOCAL OFFICE, you will need to select the local office from the drop down box. Key the Tax Rate, as a four-digit field. Example 1: Tax rate : or or 2.25 Keyed rate : 2250 Example 2: Tax rate : or or 1.80 or 1.8 Keyed rate : 1800 Example 3: Tax rate : or or.005 Keyed rate : 0005 Example 4: Tax rate : or or.010 or.01 Keyed rate : 0010 Once you have entered all your information, click Update. If you fail to enter data in a required field, an error message will be displayed when you press Update. Please note that initially the Employer Number and Name and Branch Number and Name Fields in the header are blank. Once the Employer Information has been keyed and saved (Clicking the UPDATE button saves this information to the database table), the Employer Number and Name fields will reflect the saved information from this point forward. For additional employers, click Add again and enter your information. Once the employer information has been entered and updated, you can change the information in any of the fields by clicking Edit. Employers can be deleted by pressing the Delete button. When Delete is pressed, you will be see the following message shown in Figure 2 6 below: Figure 2-6 Click Yes to delete the employer or No to cancel the deletion of the employer. 2-7

19 Once wages have been entered for a quarter, the wages can be deleted by clicking the Clear N th Quarter Wages as shown in Figure 2 7 below. Figure 2-7 Once you click on Clear N th Quarter Wages, the following message in Figure 2 8 will be displayed. Figure 2-8 Click Yes to clear all of the employee wages for the specified quarter. Department 2-8

20 As new employees are added to the database, they are placed in the A99999 Generic Department by default. There may be occasions where more departments will be needed. To Add a department for an employer, click Add Department from the employer section of the left pane as shown in Figure 2 9. When you click on the Add Department, the Department Information Panel shown in Figure 2-9 will be displayed. Figure 2 9 Click Add. Key the Department Number (this is an alphanumeric field), Department Name and Department Description. Click Update to save this information. To Change an Employee s Department, first double click on the Current Department (most of the time this will be the Generic Department). Select the employee by clicking on the name. The Employee Information Panel as shown in Figure 2-10 will be displayed. 2-9

21 Figure 2-10 Click the Edit button and then click the down arrow to the left of the department field as shown in Figure Figure 2 11 Select the appropriate Department and click Update. Quarter/Year Selection 2-10

22 To select the Quarter/Year for which you are reporting Tax and/or Wages, double click on Application Settings from the employer section of the left pane. When you double click on Application Settings, two options, Quarter/Year. Settings and Wagebase Settings will be displayed. Click on the Quarter/Year. Settings and the Quarter/Year Panel shown in Figure 2-12 will be displayed. Figure 2-12 Click Edit. You can now select the reporting quarter and year. Select the quarter you are reporting for by clicking on the appropriate button. Select the year by clicking the down arrow beside the year field to bring up the drop-down menu and selecting the year. Important! You must click Update to save your changes. WageBase 2-11

23 To change the Wagebase for the year for which you are reporting Tax and/or Wages, double click on Application Settings from the employer section of the left pane. When you double click on Application Settings, two options, Reporting Qtr/Yr. Setting and Change Wagebase will be displayed. Click on the Change Wagebase and the WageBase Panel shown in Figure 2 13 below will be displayed. Figure 2-13 Click Edit key the appropriate WageBase and click Update to save this information. 2-12

24 Employee Data Entry To enter the individual employee data, you will first need to select the employer. To Select the Employer account you wish to enter employees for, click the down arrow in the employer section of left pane of the ESC Wages application window as shown in Figure 2 14 below Select Employer Account Employer Pane Figure 2 14 Double click on Employer Information from the employer section of the left pane as shown in Figure When you double click on Employer Information, two options, Add Employee and Add Department will be displayed. Click on the Add Employee and the Employee Information Panel shown in Figure 2-15 below will be displayed. 2-13

25 Figure 2-15 To enter employee data, click Add. Key the Employee SSN, Employee First Name, Employee Middle Initial (if available) and Employee Last Name. You are not required to complete every field on this screen. The required fields have an asterisk *. You may wish to do so however, if you anticipate filing claims for these employees. The ESC CLAIMS application requires an entry in every field. Wages can be entered on this panel by placing a check in the box beside Add Wages. Wages can also be entered under Wage Detail Information Panel. If wages are entered from this screen after clickingupdate, Figure 2-16 will be displayed as shown below. Figure 2-16 Key the wages for the employee and click SUBMIT. Once the employee information has been keyed and updated, you can change the information in any of the fields by clicking Edit. 2-14

26 You can delete employees by pressing the Delete button. When Delete is pressed, you will be see the message displayed in Figure 2-17: Figure 2-17 Click Yes to delete the employee and wages or No to cancel the deletion of the employee. Wage Data Entry To enter individual employee wages, double click on Wage Detail Information from the employer section of the left pane. When you double click on Employer Information, you are presented with the option, Add Employee. If you select Add Employee the panel shown in Figure 2 15 will be displayed. Single clicking on Wage Detail Information will display the Wage Detail Information Panel shown below in Figure The individual wages can be sorted by clicking the SSN, Last Name, Initials, Non Seasonal or Seasonal column headings. Click on the field name once to sort the wages in ascending order. Click again on the field name to sort the wages in descending order. Once you have determined the sort field and order, the EDIT mode can be entered one of two ways. Select the first employee in the list and click the EDIT button or double click on the employee s record to enter the EDIT mode. Once in the EDIT mode, wages for all the employees may be keyed or changed. In addition to the complete listing of employees, please note that the current employee s wage record is displayed above the listing. As each individual employee s wages are entered, the employee s wage record will be displayed above the list. In Figure 2 18, NE Employee s ( ) wages are in the editable field. Pressing the enter key will advance to the next employee in the list, in this example IM Employee ( ). Once the wages for the last employee have been keyed, the message shown in Figure 2 19 will be displayed. Pressing the Edit Complete will update the wages for all the employees. Please note: Be very careful when entering employee wages. Be certain to verify the SSN and Employee Name as wages are entered. 2-15

27 Figure 2 17 Figure 2-18 Figure 2-19 To enter wages non-seasonal wages, click on the non-seasonal field once you are in the EDIT mode. You will able to key the non-seasonal wages for any and all employees using column keying. The amount of excess wages (if any) will be calculated and displayed in the column on the far right. Finding Employees When you need to change information for an individual, click on the Find Employee By SSN or Find Employee By Last Name by selecting Tasks from the Menu bar as shown in Figure You can then make your changes using the Edit function. 2-16

28 Figure 2 20 Key the employee s SSN (dashes in the SSN are not required) or Name as shown below in Figure Click OK Figure 2 21 The employee s record will be displayed in the Employee Section under the Department in the left pane as shown in Figure The right pane displays the Employee Information Panel. 2-17

29 Figure 2 22 To edit the employee record, click Edit as shown in Figure 2 21 above. Note the beside the employee s name. The indicates that there are wage records for this employee. To view the employee s wage records, click on the to expand the listing and show the quarters the employee has wages as shown in Figure 2 23 below. Figure

30 Click on the Quarter you want to modify and Figure 2 24 will be displayed. At this point, you will be able to edit the Non Seasonal and Seasonal Wages for the employee. Figure 2 24 Remember to click Update to save your changes. 2-19

31 Prepare Quarterly Tax and Wage Report Once all the employee and wage data has been entered, the Quarterly Tax and Wage Report can be prepared by selecting Prepare Quarterly Tax and Wage Report from Reports on the Menu Bar as shown in Figure 2 25 below. Figure 2 25 Note: It is important that the system date on your PC is correct. This software determines the timeliness of your report based on the current date. Please note the system date displayed on the Status bar. If this date is incorrect, go to your date/time icon in your control panel to correct it. The View Calculation Rates window will be displayed as shown in Figure The minimum late filing penalty, minimum late payment penalty and interest rate for the filing period can be adjusted here. Beginning with the 2 nd quarter 2001 filing there is NO minimum late filing or late payment penalty. Prior to the 2 nd quarter 2001 filing, a minimum $5.00 late filing and $5.00 late payment penalty are assessed when applicable. 2-20

32 Figure 2 26 Enter the number of covered workers as of the 12 th of each month during the quarter as shown in Figure If necessary, enter your excess wages manually. In most cases, you should not have to use this function. The next step is to use the Create Wage File button to produce the report file. Create Wage File The functions used here allow you to produce the tax and wage report file that will be sent to ESC on the Internet or on a diskette. Click Create Wage File, as shown in Figure

33 Figure 2 27 If you have not entered the number of covered workers as of the 12 th of each month in the fields shown above, the default filing is a NO- Operations (NO-OP) report. The following message box in Figure 2-28 will be displayed. Figure 2-28 If you are filing a NO-OP report, click Yes. If you are NOT filing a NO-OP report, click NO. You must enter the number of covered workers and the message shown in Figure 2-29 will be displayed. Figure 2-29 If filing a NO-OP report, the following message will be displayed. If filing a regular report, once the number of covered workers entries have been made the message in Figure 2 30 will be displayed. 2-22

34 Figure 2-30 If you want to include the NCUI-101 information with the wage listing, click Yes. If you do not wish to include the NCUI-101 data, click No. If you submit only the wage file you have NOT complied with the Employment Security Law that requires you submit Quarterly Tax Reports. First, select the disk drive. If you intend to send a diskette to ESC, use the dropdown tab on the right and select a: If you intend to submit your report via the Internet, write the report file to your C drive. The default directory is the ESCWages\Reports as shown in Figure 2-31 below. ESC highly recommends that you include the NCUI-101 data in your file and that you transmit your report file to us from our web site des.nc.gov. Figure 2 31 Click Save. Please note the drive where the file was saved, especially if you did not save the file in the default drive. Once the file has been saved, you will see the message shown in Figure

35 Figure 2 32 The message shown in Figure 2 33 will be displayed once you click on the message above. If you wish to view the NCUI-101 Report click Yes. You can also view the NCUI -101 Report by clicking View NCUI-101 Report as shown in Figure Figure 2-33 Multiple employer reports may be submitted in one file, by successfully creating the file for the first employer as shown in Figure 2-32, for example, employer Perform the steps to create the report file for the next employer as outlined above. At the Save Wage File window shown in Figure 2-34, select the existing filename, for example, employer w wgs instead of the filename, w wgs as shown. Figure 2-34 Click Save after selecting the correct filename. The message box shown in Figure 2-35 will be displayed. 2-24

36 Figure 2-35 Click Yes to append the current employer file to the existing file. Numerous employer files may be added to the file. Multiple employers may be reported on a single file when filing by diskette also. Saving Wage File to Diskette Figure 2-36 To save the wage file to diskette as shown in Figure 2-36, select the Floppy(A:) drive. A message box to remind you to check the available space on your diskette will be displayed as shown in Figure 2 37 below. 2-25

37 Figure 2-37 Click OK to save the file to diskette and the following message as shown in Figure 2 38 will be displayed if the save was successful. Figure 2 38 The transmittal form must accompany diskettes mailed to ESC, click Yes to generate the transmittal file. A preview of the Transmittal as shown in Figure 2 39 will be displayed. Figure 2-39 By using the scroll bars you can view the entire report. To print the NCUI-101 report, click Print from the toolbar. 2-26

38 The standard Windows Print window will be displayed as shown in Figure Figure 2 40 You may view the NCUI-101 by clicking Yes as shown in Figure View NCUI- 101 Report When you click View NCUI-101 Report, a preview of the NCUI-101 is presented as shown in Figure By using the scroll bars you can view the entire report. To print the NCUI-101 report, click Print from the toolbar. 2-27

39 Figure 2 41 Please mail this report only if you did NOT include the NCUI-101 on your file or diskette. The NCUI 101 should only be mailed to ESC if it is NOT included on your report file. If you chose to Create Wage File with NCUI 101 then you do not need to send a paper copy of the report. By including the NCUI-101 on the diskette and submitting the file to ESC on the Internet, or on diskette you are meeting your reporting requirement. You may choose to remit your payment electronically via the internet, connect to the ESC home page at des.nc.gov and then click on Business Services. Locate the Electronics Payment section, click on Use a credit card to pay your taxes or Use Electronic Funds Transfer to pay your taxes. Please follow the instructions for making these electronic payments. If you choose to remit payment via paper check and you have included the NCUI 101 on your diskette or electronic file, then only remit the tax due to the Employment Security Commission of NC. Please DO NOT send a paper copy of the NCUI-101 if you have included the NCUI-101 on your file or diskette. Employee Wage Detail Report To view the Employee Wage Detail Report, select Employee Wage Detail Report from Reports on the Menu Bar as shown in Figure You may select the order in which you would like this report sorted as shown in Figure

40 Figure 2 42 Click OK to get a preview of the Employee Wage Detail Report as shown in Figure By using the scroll bars you can view the entire report. To print the Employee Wage Detail Report, click Print from the toolbar. Figure 2-43 Please note that this report is for your records only and should not be sent to ESC. 2-29

41 Import Function If you produce a wage report file with another software program, this is the screen to use to load your data into the ESCWages database. You may use this function to import wage files created from an earlier version of ESCWages. You may use this function to import employee and employer ASCII data files. This function can be accessed by one of two ways: (1) Click Import From Data File to import the employer data from a file as shown in Figure 2-4. (2) Click File Import by from the Menu Bar as shown below in Figure Figure 2 44 The default setting for the file import is the ESCWAGES format as shown in Figure You also have the option of creating a custom field definition format. Additionally, Employer and Employee files can also be imported using this function. The functionality for importing these files is very similar. Detailed instructions will be provided for importing the wage files. To import wages using the ESCWAGES default format, click Import Data. 2-30

42 Figure 2 45 Select the location and filename for the file that you wish to import as shown in Figure Figure 2-46 Select your file and click OPEN. 2-31

43 The message shown in Figure 2 47 will be displayed. Verify the employer number, remitter number the reporting quarter and year. Click Yes to continue the Import function. Figure 2 47 Once the Import is complete, you will receive a message that N of N employee records have been updated in the database as shown in Figure Figure 2 48 If you receive an error message during this process, refer to the Technical Support section of this document. Export Function You may use this function to export employer and employee files created using. Select the Export function by clicking File from the Menu Bar as shown below in Figure Details for exporting the employer file will be discussed here. 2-32

44 Figure 2-49 Select the location for the employer.txt file as shown in Figure 2 50 below. Click SAVE. Figure 2-50 Once the Export is complete, you will receive a message that the files was created successfully as shown in Figure

45 Figure 2-51 Backup Database To Backup your database, click on Backup Database from Database on the Menu bar as shown in Figure Figure 2 52 The window in Figure 2 53 will be displayed when you select Backup Database. Select the save location and filename for the database. Once you have keyed the filename, click Save. 2-34

46 Figure 2 53 When the database has been saved, the message shown in Figure 2 54 will be displayed. Figure 2-54 If you receive an error message during this process, refer to the Technical Support section of this document. Restore Database To select a database, click on Restore Database from Database on the Menu bar as shown in Figure You will need to select the filename of the database you want from the window displayed in Figure

47 Figure 2 55 Select the filename and click Open. When the database has been changed you will see the message shown in Figure Figure 2 56 If you receive an error message during this process, refer to the Technical Support section of this document. 2-36

48 Create New Database To create a new database, click on Create New Database from Database on the Menu bar as shown in Figure You will need to key the new database name in the window displayed in Figure Figure 2-57 Key the database name and click Save. When the database has been created you will see the message shown in Figure Figure 2-58 If you receive an error message during this process, refer to the Technical Support section of this document. 2-37

49 FILING BY THE INTERNET ELECTRONIC TRANSFER DATA The Employment Security Commission of North Carolina (ESC) receives Employer Quarterly Tax and Wage data transferred by the Internet. The agency s web site is located at des.nc.gov. To access the agency s web site from within the ESC Wages module, click File..NC ESC Website as shown in Figure 3 1 below. Figure 3-1 In order to transmit data files, you must: Have a web browser that is at least Netscape version 4.79, Internet Explorer 4.01, Internet Explorer for Mac 5.1 or AOL users must have version 7.0 or higher. For transmitting ESC Wages files you must: Know your account number and the PIN assigned to your account. If you have forgotten your PIN contact our Status Unit by phone at (919) or contact a tax auditor at your nearest ESC local office. PINs are assigned to ensure that only you or your authorized representative has access to sensitive information about you or your account. We take certain precautions to ensure that your PIN is not disseminated to unauthorized individuals. It is also your responsibility to protect your PIN from misuse. Contact the Wage Records Unit at (919) or via at esc.tax.wr@ncmail.net to obtain a PIN if necessary. 3-1

50 FILING OPTIONS The Internet may be used to transmit ASCII files in the ESC, Federal (diskette) and ICESA formats as well as files created using the ESC TRACS software. If Form NCUI 101, Employer s Quarterly Tax and Wage Report is not included in the wage file, you must submit a report for each employer account number and remit payment if a payment is due. If payment is due, please remit payment by credit card at des.nc.gov; or, enroll in our Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) program; or, send a check or money order with your report. If you choose to send a check or money order, please note the account number and quarter year on the remittance. You can include form NCUI 101 data with your detail wage information and submit it on Magnetic Media, as described in this publication. You can also report to the Internet. File(s) must be transmitted by the end of the month following the completion of the calendar quarter. For example, reports for the quarter ending June 30, 2001 must be transmitted no later than July 31, TRANSMITTING TAX and WAGE DATA 1. After accessing the agency s website. Click on Business Services, then ESC Login. Login to our secured services area using your ESC Account Number plus pin. 2. Click on File Quarterly Tax and Wage Report. Main Menu Page--Options include: File Online Upload a Wage Report Print a Custom Report 3. Select the appropriate option. Select Upload a Wage Report to upload the wage file from the C: drive. 4. To upload a file, follow the instructions within the program. Your wage file will customarily be located at: C:\Program Files\ESCNC\TRACS\esctracs_rpts Select the appropriate file for the quarter for which you are filing. 5. Once completed, record the confirmation number for future reference. 3-2

51 ESC FORMAT FOR NCUI 101 RECORD TAPE and DISKETTE LOCATION FIELD NAME LENGTH DESCRIPTION 1-1 Record Identifier 1 Constant "N" 2 8 Employer Account Number 7 Enter the employer s account number assigned by ESC of NC. Numeric only. Omit hyphens, spaces and check digit. 9 Reporting Quarter 1 Enter the calendar quarter to which this report applies. Numeric only. Period Reporting Quarter Jan. Mar. 1 Apr. Jun. 2 July Sept. 3 Oct.- Dec Reporting Year 4 Enter the four-digit calendar year to which this report applies. Numeric only Month 1 Employment 5 Total number of employees covered by U.I. who worked or received pay for the pay period including the 12th day of the 1st month of the reporting period. Numeric only. If none, enter Month 2 Employment 5 Total number of employees covered by U.I. who worked or received pay for the pay period including the 12th day of the 2nd month of the reporting period. Numeric only. If none, enter

52 ESC FORMAT FOR NCUI 101 RECORD TAPE and DISKETTE LOCATION FIELD NAME LENGTH DESCRIPTION Month 3 Employment 5 Total number of employees covered by U.I. who worked or received pay for the pay period including the 12th day of the 3rd month of the reporting period. Numeric only. If none, enter QTR Unemployment Insurance Total Wages QTR Unemployment Insurance Excess Wages QTR Unemployment Insurance Taxable Wages 11 Quarterly wages subject to NC U.I. tax. Include all tip income. This should be the total of all wage amounts reported for NC employees. Numeric only. 11 Quarterly wages in excess of the NC U.I. taxable wage base. Numeric only. 11 Quarterly U.I. total wages less quarterly state U.I. excess wages. Numeric only. This field cannot be negative Remitter Number 6 Enter the six-digit Remitter Number assigned by ESC of NC. The generic Remitter Number is Employers filing their own quarterly tax and/or wages, this field will default to If filing quarterly tax and/or wage reports for others, you should have a remitter number that has been assigned by ESC. 68 Format Indicator 1 Constant E Blanks 12 Enter spaces. 3-4

53 ESC FORMAT FOR WAGE DETAILS TAPE AND DISKETTE LOCATION FIELD LENGTH DESCRIPTION 1 Reserved 1 Reserved for ESC of NC use only. Enter a space Employee Social Security Number 9 Enter the employee's Social Security number. If unknown, enter all zeroes. Numeric only; omit hyphens and spaces Employee Last Name 12 Left justify; fill with spaces Employee Initials 2 Left justify; fill with spaces. Enter the employee's total wages Employee Wages 9 paid during the quarter, including dollars and cents. Right justify; zero fill. Numeric only. Do not include decimal points or commas. Omit zero or negative amounts. To report wages as seasonal, you 34 Seasonal Indicator 1 must have been deemed a seasonal pursuit by ESC of NC. ENTER "N" IF: - you have not been deemed a seasonal employer. - you are a seasonal employer but the worker is not a seasonal employee. - you are reporting wages for a seasonal worker during your non-seasonal period. ENTER "S" IF: - you are reporting wages for a seasonal employee during your designated seasonal period. 3-5

54 ESC FORMAT FOR WAGE DETAILS TAPE AND DISKETTE (Continued) LOCATION FIELD LENGTH DESCRIPTION Remitter Number 6 Enter the six-digit Remitter Number assigned by ESC of NC. Numeric only. Contact ESC of NC at (919) if you have not previously requested a Remitter Number Employer Account Number Branch Account Number 7 Enter the employer's account number assigned by ESC of NC. Numeric only; omit hyphens, spaces, and check digit. If no branch number has been 7 assigned by ESC of NC, enter zeroes. If using a valid branch number, enter numeric characters only, omit hyphens, spaces, and check digit. 55 Reporting Quarter 1 Enter the quarter for which this report applies. Numeric only. 1,2,3, or 4 are the only valid entries Reporting Year 4 Enter the four-digit year for which this report applies. Numeric only Employer Name 20 Enter employer's name. Left justify; fill with spaces. 80 Blank 1 Enter a space or for employer's use. 3-6

55 TECHNICAL SUPPORT Error Messages Below is a listing of some of the error messages you may encounter while using the application as well as possible solutions. Please make notes that will be useful to you The changes you requested to the table were not successful because they would create duplicate values in the index, primary key, or relationship. Change the data in the field or fields that contain duplicate data, remove the index, or redefine the index to permit duplicate entries and try again. You are attempting to enter a record that already exists in the database. Check the employer account number or the employee SSN number The Employer Account Number Field is a required field. The Branch Account Number Field is a required field. Enter the Employer Account Number in the Account Number Field The Employee s Department Code Field is a required field. Enter the Employee Department Code in the Department Code Field The Employee First Name Field is a required field. The Employee Last Name Field is a required field. Enter the Employee First and Last Name in the Employee First Name and Employee Last Name Field (2001) The data entered is invalid. Enter the correct date

56 (2004) The Remitter # must be 6 digits long and it must be numeric. If you are not using the default Remitter of , the remitter is a required field and it must contain 6 numeric digits. Enter the Remitter number in the Remitter Field (2005) The Employer Account Number Field must be 7 numeric digits long. The Employer Account Number field is a required field, enter the Employer Account Number in the Employer Account Number Field (2006) The Employer Branch Number Field must be 7 numeric digits long. The Employer Branch Account Number field is a required field, enter the Employer Branch Account Number in the Employer Branch Number Field (2007) The name field must be between 1 and 35 characters long. The Employer Name field is a required field, enter the Employer Name in the Employer Name Field (2008) The first address field must be between 1 and 35 characters long. The Employer Address field is a required field, enter the Employer Address in the Employer Address Field (2009) The city name field must be between 1 and 20 characters long. The Employer City Name field is a required field, enter the Employer City Name in the Employer City Field (2010) The state field can not be blank. 4-3

57 The Employer State field is a required field, enter the Employer State in the Employer State Field (2011) The zip code field must be 5 digits long. The Employer Zip Code field is a required field, enter the Employer Zip Code in the Employer Zip Code Field (2012) The contact name field must be between 1 and 35 characters long. If you are not using the default Remitter of , the contact Name Field is a required field. Enter the Remitter Contact Name in the Remitter Contact Name Field (2013) The Phone # field must be 10 digits long and it must be numeric. If you are not using the default Remitter of , the Phone Number Field is a required field. Enter the Remitter Phone Number in the Remitter Phone Number Field (2014) The Employer tax rate field must be between and The Tax Rate you are trying to enter is invalid. Enter a valid rate between and (2015) A required table key is missing from the object which is necessary to perform requested action" (2016) A file name was not specified. Enter a filename (2017) The specified file already exists. The filename you entered already exists, enter a different filename. 4-3