• Passport Business Solutions Version 11.3 Year-End and Enhancements | documentation (.zip)

• Passport Business Solutions Version 11.2 Features and Functions | documentation (.zip)

• Passport Business Solutions Version 11.1 Improvements Listing | documentation (.pdf)

• Passport Business Solutions Version 11.1 Installation and Release Notes | documentation (.pdf)

• Passport Business Solutions Version 11.0 Improvements Listing | documentation (.pdf)

Looking for the latest patches for PBS and additional information regarding year-end updates?

• fixes to all modules
• enhancements to AP & OE
• YE Payroll enhancements

Applying the 2004 Year-End will increase PBS^™ or RW32^™ to this level: 

10.5.3 - PR only **

All other modules stay at the current level.

All updated modules go to V11.1

*

**

If your current system revision level is between V10.2.1 and V10.4 you may upgrade to the V10.5.2 by applying the  10.5.2. PUP upgrade which is supplied in the “svcpacks\win\10.5.2” folder on the V11.1 CD. If you are on V10.5.1 you must download the 10.5.2 patch from the web site to update your system to V10.5.2.

The reason for this complication is that there was a run-time and license change at V10.5, which the V10.5.2 PUP upgrade automatically applied against earlier versions. However, since this run-time and license change has already been applied to the 10.5.1 system it cannot be applied again.

There are two post-release updates to V10.5.2 in the updates section of this site.

The first, labeled “SPR 456/463/810-Windows/Unix/Linux”, relates to quarterly magnetic media. This patch SHOULD be applied to your V10.5.2 system BEFORE installing the 10.5.3 patch IF you intend to produce quarterly magnetic media using the V10.5.3 system. Otherwise this step is not necessary.

The second, labeled “Windows/Unix/Linux - SPR432/458/501 (Updated 9/30/2004)”, applies to the A/P aging report and can be applied to either the V10.5.2 OR the V10.5.3. This is because the V10.5.3 contains no updates to A/P that would interfere with this patch.

2004 Year End Update Details for Passport Business Solutions^™ & RW32^™

The PBS Version 11.1 PUP shipment contains the 2004 Year End changes necessary for processing W-2 and 1099 submissions for paper and magnetic media. Applying the V11.1 PUP to a V11.0 system or applying the V10.5.3 update to a V10.5.2 system will produce a 2004 Year End compatible version of the system. Applying the V11.1 update to PBS will change all modules to revision level 11.1. Applying the 10.5.3 update to 10.5.2 will change only Payroll to 10.5.3, leaving all other modules alone.

Beginning with the 2002 Year End, PSI committed to requiring a specific year end update only when forms or procedures were changed by the government. This meant making modifications to the system to allow the user to maintain any of the Payroll or A/P related year end numbers. As a result all data associated with the Year End processes have now been parameterized so that no program changes are necessary to enter these yearly values i.e. all dates and limit amounts are located in the PBS control files, and these are manually updated by users. 

For the 2004 Tax Year, there were changes in the formatting of magnetic media and a change to the format of the printed Copy “A” of the W2 for 2004. These have required program changes – see below under W2 changes. As a result of these changes almost all PBS users will have to update their software to process the year end. (The potential exception is that people submitting W2's via magnetic media who also are NOT taking advantage of the Health Saving Account options MAY be able to use last year's code).

There have been no significant changes to the processing of 1099's for the 2004 Tax Year.

• The social security maximum wages was increased to $87,900.
• Subject to individual plan differences the 401-k limit is now $13,000 with an additional $3,000 if the ‘50+ catch-up' is utilized.

Additional items for Magnetic Media submitters using the BSO (Business Services Online) for submission of W2 information:

1. December 2004. If you have already registered, change your password to keep your PIN from expiring. Passwords must be changed at least once every 365 days. BSO will not be available between December 30, 2004 and January 9, 2005.
    

2. Beginning January 10, 2005
   BSO will begin accepting Tax Year 2004 submissions on January 10, 2005.
    
3. March 31, 2005
   The Internal Revenue Service will consider electronic annual wage reports for Tax Year 2004 to be late if they are submitted after March 31, 2005.

• Useful information, directions for help and telephone numbers

• Another useful site

Looking Ahead

This is the final year that magnetic tapes and cartridges will be accepted. These will not be accepted for 2005 Tax Year reporting. Tax year 2005 will be the last year that 3 ½ diskettes will be accepted

These older electronic formats should be replaced with the online submission system using the MMREF-1 specification which is part of the PBS software. Currently the magnetic submission options are mandatory if submitting 250 or more W-2 forms but can be used for fewer employees.

More information is available at this site for the SSA Business Services Online. An employer-oriented handbook of services and procedures is also available, or call (800) 772-6270 for further information.

1099’s and Magnetic Media

Employers who have registered and used the online submission system, called “FIRE”, in the past obtained an Employer Identification Number (EIN). If the user has not used the system in more than a year, the Personal Identification Number (PIN) that was issued as part of the registration process may have to be re-established. The system will inform the user if this is the case when they attempt to login.

• The logon site for the FIRE system.

• Interested in more information on obtaining an EIN?

• In the upper left hand corner, enter keyword EIN in the search box.

• You may also call (800) 829-4933.

The governing IRS document for 1099's is publication 1220 and this may also be obtained in PDF format at the same site by entering “1220” in the publications search box also in the upper left.

In addition, to electronically submit data to the IRS, a TCC (Transmission Control Code) will be required. The TCC must be entered into the PBS software during the process of creation of the Magnetic 1099's. This code will need to be renewed if it has not been used in two years. To obtain a TCC code, a Form #4419 must be filled in and submitted to the IRS. Details on this submission process are available in the Publication 1220 referred to above. As with the 1220 publication, the 4419 form can be obtained online at the above URL – use 4419 in the publications/forms search.

Printed W-2s and Magnetic Media W-2s - Changes for 2004

New size for 2004 Forms W-2's (and W3's): The major change this year involves the change to the printed forms for the W2's. The 2004 W-2 (and W3) forms were reformatted to conform with the size and margins used in the substitute black and white laser Forms W-2 and W-3 shown in Exhibits E and F of the May 2003 revision of Pub. 1141 , General Rules and Specifications for Substitute Forms W-2 and W-3. (You can Google “Pub. 1141” to get all the information you could want on this topic.) All W2 forms that include the Copy A (red copy) have changed. All programs involved with printing these have been modified.

PSI continues to support the following forms type for W2's [ the entries in brackets correspond to Trainor Business Forms & Printing part numbers (800) 356-7925]. In many cases other part numbers are available for different numbers of multi-parts (e.g. 5 or 6 part).

• W2 One Wide also called Continuous Single (form size is approx. 8 ½ by 11 with two forms per sheet). When printing this form in PBS select “S” - Single and “N” for using W2 Mailers.

[Form X17 4part]

• W2 Twin Sets – same as the W2 One Wide except in this case two separate boxes of forms each with a differenct form type are purchased to allow for the printing of the different copies - one box has a multipart form with Copy A, 1, D (Form#13) and the other box has Copy B, C, 2 (Form#13A). When printing this form in PBS select “S” - Single and “N” for using W2 Mailers.

[Form X13 3 part], [Form X13A 3 part]

• W2 Mailer 1 Wide also called Continuous Self-Mailer Single – same as the W2 One Wide except the form includes a mailer envelope after the A and D copies. The envelope contains the B and C copies. When printing this form in PBS select “S” - Single and “Y” for using W2 Mailers.

[Form XF1 4 part]

• W2 2-Wide Continuous also called 2 Continuous Single (form size is approx 14 by 11 with two compound forms per sheet. The right side is formatted for the Copy A (the red copy) and includes multiple additional parts for Copy B, C and D. The left side is a smaller version of the W2 form and is suitable for Copies D, 1 or 2. This is the version of the form that requires “RED on the RIGHT”. When printing this form in PBS select “D” - Double and “N” for using W2 Mailers.

[Form X2 4 part]

• Laser W-2 Cut Sheets also called Laser Single (form size is approx. 8 ½ by 11 with 2 forms per sheet. When printing this form in PBS select “S” - Single and “N” for using W2 Mailers.

[Forms LW2A (Copy A/red copy), LW2B (Copy B), LW2C (Copy C), LW2D1 (Copy D and 1), LW22 (Copy 2)]

• Laser W-2 Combined also called Laser double 4-up (form size is approx 8 ½ by 11 with 4 forms per sheet. In squeezing 4 forms per sheet, the requirements for the sizing for the Copy A cannot be met. Therefore this form cannot be used to produce a Copy A and the form is only suitable for cases where magnetic media will be used to supply the “Copy A” to the government. The other copies (B,C, D etc) can be produced via this form. When printing this form in PBS select “L” - Laser Double and “N” for using W2 Mailers.

• Form L4UP (copies B, C, 2, 2)

• Forms L4UPR (copies 1/D, 1/D, 1/D, 1/D)

Think Right ***

Passport Business Solutions is supporting the "red on the right " two-wide W-2, and the 4UPLaser with the #12 boxes right justified.We believe in getting it right !

• Health Savings Account (HSA).   A new code, Code W –Employer's contribution to an employee's Health Savings Account, has been added to Form W-2 for use in 2004. This change required reprogramming of both the W2 printing function and the magnetic media (to add the additional HSA fields to the employee wages and the totals record types). The HSA is entered through (a new) field 20 on the Federal W2 information entry screen and is reported as a code “W” in Box 12.
   

• Dependent Care Benefits (DCB). Previous versions of the PBS system allowed you to set up an earnings code for DCB by specifying a special “D” code in field 18 of an Earnings Code record for the DCB Earnings. Specifying a “D” caused the earnings specified to be included in the wages but also directed these monies to be accumulated for printing in Box 10. There is a cap (currently $5000) for how much DCB can be allowed as a pre-tax deduction. To allow for year end entry of either Employer dollars or equivalent at Fair Market Value (e.g. the employer provides day-care and wants to ‘charge' it to the employee as an employer contribution), PSI has modified the entry of the Federal W2 information screen. Once field 1 through 20 have been entered on this screen, an option has been added to press F7 to see the values computed and accumulated for presentation in Boxes 10, 12 and 14. Previously this was a display only ‘window-lette'.

With V11.1, once the ‘window-lette' has been displayed, you may press F7 again to prompt for the entry of additional DCB dollars. These dollars will be added to any values stored in the QTD History file to produce a new total displayed to the right of the entry field. Any value here is stored only in the W2 Year End data for W2 print purposes - no data in the QTD History is updated. Changing the value here will only replace a previously entered value with the new value.

 

The program also provides a warning you if you exceed the $5000 limit. Exceeding the limit will typically impact the other fields by making the excess over the limit potentially taxable. The current PBS system makes no adjustment for being over the limit – it simply provides a warning of this condition.

• Printing W2's in Employee Name or Social Security Number sequence This feature, available as a special version of the program last year, is now standard. During the entry of the parameters for printing the W2 forms you are prompted (Field 9) for a sort sequence option with values of “E” – employee number, “N” – employee name or “S” – Social Security Number.

Passport Business Solutions Tech Notes

Solutions to common problems, new work-arounds, addendum to PBS user and installation documentation, and other important information. This information may save you a call to our Support Department.
 

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