Prepare payroll deductions, host tips, and commissions

These instructions describe FECForge 1.32.35. If a control is missing, check your role and installed version before continuing.

1. Prepare your account and source information

   Open Payroll from the launcher using an authorized payroll account. Have the correct pay period, employee list, POS tip totals, and source reports ready.

1. Find the employee

   Start typing a name to narrow the shared employee list.

2. Add each purchase or deduction

   Use a configured quick-add for common items such as employee shirts, or enter a custom description and amount.

3. Review the employee total

   Multiple entries are tallied together. Expand the employee row to see the individual items behind the payroll deduction.

1. Open Settings → Tip verification & fees

   Specify whether the venue uses handwritten host entries, register-only totals, or both. This determines which totals the Tips workflow asks you to compare.

2. Enter host tip lines

   Search for each host and add the tip amount from the manager sheet. Party names and party dates are not required.

3. Add a missing host without leaving the report

   As a manager or owner, select Add employee next to Host employee. Enter First name and Last name, then choose Add and select employee. The new employee is selected and your existing report lines and typed tip amounts stay in place. Search carefully first to avoid adding the same person twice.

4. Import collected Party Bookings tips

   When both Payroll and Party Bookings are licensed and your account can use both, open or create a tip report for the collection period. You can create it without manual lines. The import offer appears when eligible tips are available; Import birthday tips also opens it on demand. Review the party, amount, and payroll recipient, select the entries, then choose Import. Only fully paid live invoices qualify—not test payments or draft invoices.

5. Keep legacy entries during the changeover

   Imported tips and manual tips can share one report. Already-imported bookings are skipped across payroll reports, but FECForge cannot identify a booking tip that you previously typed by hand. Check manual lines before importing so the same tip is not paid twice. An import does not automatically reverse a later refund; review any later payment correction before submitting payroll.

6. Choose how future imports work

   In Payroll settings, choose whether to review the import offer, automatically import tips with an active assigned host when a report opens, or turn the automatic offer off. Unmatched hosts need your review. The explicit Import birthday tips button remains available. Existing report reconciliation and fee settings still apply.

7. Turn off new manual entries when ready

   Leave manual host-tip entries enabled while legacy bookings are still being completed. When you no longer need them, turn off the manual-entry option in Payroll settings. Existing manual records are kept and can still be corrected or removed while the report is open.

8. Enter register totals

   On reconciliation, enter the POS total for each host plus the Other Host or Misc amount used as a catch-all.

9. Apply card-fee handling if allowed

   Enable the optional card-fee deduction and enter the venue percentage only after confirming the rule is permitted for the venue. The report calculates the payable amount for each host.

10. Finalize with a documented variance

    Written and register totals do not have to match. Review the difference, record the reason when known, and finalize the report.

1. Open Settings → Commission periods & categories

   Choose whether commissions follow report upload date, event date, or the venue’s configured method. Confirm the period rule before importing the report.

2. Import the sales report

   Map the spreadsheet fields and review the preview before saving events.

3. Resolve possible duplicates

   Use the duplicate review to exclude repeated events or explicitly keep a valid duplicate that should count.

1. Review the period report before payroll entry.

   Employee totals should reconcile to the approved source records, with duplicate and variance decisions documented. FECForge does not submit payroll to your payroll provider.

2. If the result is not what you expected

   If values differ, inspect the individual lines and period rule before finalizing. Restrict payroll exports to authorized people; do not apply card-fee deductions without an approved lawful policy.