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Mass add widespread stipend/bonus

This article explains how to assign a widespread one-time stipend or bonus payment to many employees at once. Examples include attendance incentives and holiday bonuses. The most efficient way to do this is to create a position for the stipend/bonus and pay it with a Simple Amount payroll item, which will be mass edited to be used on only a single pay period.

If you have a different stipend/bonus situation, read Stipend/Bonus/Extra Duty Options to determine which method best fits your needs.

Step 1: Create Stipend/Bonus Pay Period Group
Step 2: Create Position types for your Stipend/Bonus
Step 3: Mass Create Positions
Step 4: Mass Add Payroll Items to Stipend/Bonus Positions
Step 5: Mass Edit Simple Amount Item

Step 1: Create Stipend/Bonus Pay Period Group

If the stipend/bonus is paid only one time, in order to not excessively withhold federal and state income taxes, it is generally recommended to use a Pay Period Group set to calculate salary percent based upon 1 pay period. For a full explanation, see Stipend/bonus pay period groups.

You may already have a pay period group like this set up. If not, create a new one. These instructions are written to create a Pay Period Group that may be reused for other stipends in the future.

To create a new stipend/bonus pay period group: 

  1. Go to Financials Main > Payroll > Pay Period Groups
  2. Create
  3. Enter a name like “Stipend/Bonus” in Description field
  4. Select “Based upon ____ pay periods”
  5. Enter a 1
  6. Select all your pay periods
  7. Save
  8. When you see the warning “Since the sum of the salary percent is greater than 100%, the total amount paid across all pay periods will be more than the annual salary,” select Yes

Step 2: Create Position types for your Stipend/Bonus

You’ll want to give the Stipend/Bonus position a name that identifies it separately from the employee’s main position, like Attendance Bonus. Some districts create very specific position types like Girls’ Basketball Coaching, while others may use a more general title such as Coaching Stipend.

To create a new position type:

  1. Go to Financials Main > Human Resources > Position Types
  2. Create Position Type
  3. Enter a Description
  4. Pick the State Position Type. Typically bonuses are not reported to EIS or MOSIS, so you can select 9999 - Other - Not Reported to State.
  5. Save

Step 3: Mass Create Positions

To save time, you can add the position to many employees at once. However, many different fields are attached to a position, so if some fields require different values for different employees, you may need to repeat this position creation process multiple times.

  1. Go to Financials Main > Human Resources > Employee Positions (multi-view)
  2. Mass Create Positions
  3. Select the Position Type
  4. Fill out all the fields that will apply to a large group of people. The following recommendations are typical for stipends/bonuses:
    • FTE = 0
    • Work calendar can match the employee’s main position’s work calendar
    • Pay Period Group should be the one created in step one above
    • Compensation type should be left blank
    • Wage Payroll Item should be left blank
    • Fill out the Certified, Payroll Account Breakdown, and retirement-related fields as needed
  5. Check everyone who needs this position with the details you filled out. Take great care when selecting employees. There is no mass delete or undo.
  6. Save

You can repeat this process with different variations on the position details. For example, if both certified and non-certified staff are receiving a bonus, you can do one round of Mass Creating Positions with certified details filled in, and another round with non-certified details filled in.

Step 4: Mass Add Payroll Items to Stipend/Bonus Positions

As with every new position, payroll items must be added to add the wages, taxes, and retirement plans. Like the Mass Create Positions step, you may need to do a few rounds if different groups of employees need different payroll items.

  1. Go to Financials Main > Payroll > District Payroll Items
  2. Mass Add Employee Payroll Items
  3. From the dropdown menu select:
    • Simple Amount
    • Federal Tax Withholding
    • State Tax Withholding
    • Medicare (employee)
    • Medicare (employer)
    • Any other retirement plan-related items that may be needed (FICA/SS/OASDI, TRS or IMRF items in Illinois, PSRS or PEERS items in Missouri)
  4. Apply
  5. Filter the Position column to show only the new stipend/bonus position
    • You may filter other fields such as Certified or Retirement Plan to further narrow the list
  6. Check all the employees who need to receive the items you selected above. Take great care when selecting employees. There is no mass delete or undo.
  7. Save

Repeat this process until all employees have the items they need. In some cases, individuals may not conform to a group pattern, e.g. if one employee contributes 5% of their gross pay to a 403(b) plan, you may add that using the Mass Add Employee Payroll Items page for just that one person, or you may add it from Employee - Single View.

Read about adding payroll items for more details when you want to add to one person at a time.

Step 5: Mass Edit Simple Amount Item

Now you need to specify some details on the Simple Amount wage item that you added to the employees. Each employee will need an amount, and the specific pay period to use must be selected. Additionally, customers in IL may need to add a TRS Payment Reason.

To mass edit the Simple Amount items:

  1. Go to Financials Main > Payroll > District Payroll Items
  2. Mass Edit Employee Payroll Items
  3. Select Simple Amount from the dropdown menu and click Apply
  4. To right of the Apply button, choose the Position Pay Period Group for stipends/bonuses that you created in step one. Wait for the page to refresh.
  5. Check the box beside the Amount and enter the amount of the bonus
  6. Check the Regular Pay and Update box above it to make this item appear on the selected run automatically
  7. For customers in Illinois, if this stipend is being given to certified staff, check the Update box beside TRS Payment Reason and choose the appropriate payment reason
  8. Check the Update box beside Pay Period Group and select Use Custom Pay Periods
  9. Check the Update box beside Custom Pay Periods and select the date that employees will receive this stipend/bonus
  10. In the Employees to Update section, filter the Position column to show only the new stipend/bonus position
  11. Check all the employees who will receive that amount of stipend/bonus in that pay period
  12. Save

As above, you may repeat this process if different groups of employees will receive different stipend/bonus amounts or if they will receive the stipend/bonus on a different pay period.