|
|
|
 
 |
||||
 |
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
(Please email all other questions not covered here to Lisa Analyst) Why do "Hours" show on my paystub when I am salaried?The ADP Payroll System calculates biweekly salary by multiplying the hours for the pay period by the biweekly salary rate. The default for exempt (salaried) employees is 80 hours. Hours for non-exempt (hourly) employees are loaded from a file from the Time Entry System. Using the same method to calculate base salary for all Motorolans greatly reduces processing time. Back to TopWhy did I have to be moved from my Domestic Payroll to the Expatriate Payroll? Why couldn't I stay where I was?Expatriates receive additional compensation that must be calculated by an external program (GEMS) and loaded by file feeds. Motorola determined that due to the complexity of the expatriate compensation packages and different payroll systems, it would be best to keep the Expatriate population separate from all domestic payroll systems and in one place. Additionally, this also greatly facilitates the tax preparation and equalization processes with KPMG. Back to TopWhy am I still on the Expatriate Payroll when my assignment ended earlier this year?In short: Tax reasons. You will remain on the Expatriate Payroll through the end of the current year so that KPMG and Motorola can accurately manage your tax issues for the benefit of both you and Motorola. While on assignment, your payroll data is tracked in a way that makes it much easier for KPMG to use. The expatriate specific compensation items cannot be transferred directly to a domestic payroll with the same descriptions required for accurate tax calculations. Most domestic payrolls will lump the assignment earnings that don't match their existing earnings codes into one catch-all code ("Overseas Bonus"). When this would happen, KPMG would have to request the domestic departments to prepare manual breakdowns of this amount, greatly slowing down the tax and year end processes. Back to TopWhat is Hypothetical Tax?The deduction Motorola takes for your share of U.S. tax is called "hypothetical tax". It is called hypothetical simply because you pay it as if it was actual tax, but the tax is not remitted to the IRS. Motorola retains the hypothetical tax and uses it to pay host country tax and excess U.S. tax. Motorola deducts hypothetical tax from you each pay period, but the amount deducted does not necessarily equal your final U.S. tax liability. This aspect is similar to when you have actual income tax deducted from your wages while working in the U.S. A set amount is deducted each pay period, but when the actual tax return is filed you either owe more tax or you get a refund. It is the same with hypothetical tax. We estimate an amount up front, but when KPMG finalizes the TEQ (Tax Equalization) and all of your actual income and deductions are factored in, you either owe additional tax to Motorola, or Motorola owes you a refund. But all things being equal, this is the same additional tax you would have owed to, or refund you would have received from, the IRS had you worked in the U.S. the entire year. For further questions regarding Hypothetical Tax, please contact Dave Tax, Corporate Manager of Expatriate Programs. Back to Top Back to Earnings DescriptionsWhat is Tax Equalization?Tax Equalization (abbreviated as TEQ) is the process that KPMG and Motorola use to calculate how much you would have owed in taxes if you had not taken your foreign assignment compared to the amount of Hypothetical Tax withheld. The difference, plus or minus, is the TEQ amount that appears on your paystub. Click here for a detailed explanation of this subject that has been prepared by Dave Tax, Corporate Manager of Expatriate Programs. Back to Top Back to Earnings DescriptionsWhat is the "Expat GU" that appears on my paystub?"Expat GU" is the Expatriate Grossup calculation that used to be referred to as :FICA Reimbursement" prior to 1999. This reimbursement is the amount of Social Security and Medicare taxes taken on Motorola taxable assignment earnings at the time they were paid. Click here for a detailed explanation of this subject that has been prepared by Michelle Manager, Expatriate Payroll Manager. Back to Top Back to Earnings DescriptionsWhy can't you mail my paystub directly to me (at my assignment location)?The ADP Payroll System is a domestic system adapted for expatriate use. (Currently, nobody makes an "Expatriate Payroll System.) As such, it cannot physically accept addresses that are not in the U.S. format. Motorola Federal Expresses the paystubs to PMI (Personal Mail International) in New Jersey, who's job it is to forward the mail to the actual foreign addresses. Back to TopCan you email my paystub?No. The payroll system does not have an email function or a way to tie in email addresses and a paystub "database" to send out such emails. Nor are we sufficiently staffed to send to individually email more than 600 paystubs to all of the expatriates. And even if there was a way, Motorola would not allow it due to security issues! However, access to your payroll information is available 24 hours a day with the IVR Phone System. Back to TopCan I access my payroll via the Web?Again, the answer is no. It is an option we have explored, but due to security issues, Motorola does not want individual payroll information on the Internet or its own Intranet. Back to TopI was supposed to get a raise months ago: Where is it?Salary and Merit increases are fed to us by either the HR Database (SAP) or by an SPS HR representative by email or fax (SPS has a separate HR database that does not "talk" with us). Once we are notified by either of these methods, we process the increase and any applicable retroactive payments with the next available payroll. In most cases, the delay is not with Payroll, but in getting the HR side updated and us notified. If your increase is overdue, please have your manager contact the proper HR representative to verify that it has been processed properly. Back to Top
|
|
|
|
||||
| Webmaster | Updated: October 06, 2008 |