Alabama Overtime Exemption Formula

We have 5 pay types - regular, OT, incentive, holiday, and vacation. The current formula I am using, from the first January update, only taxed the regular pay, and I noticed too late that it was only taxing the regular pay and nothing else.  I was hoping when I ran the second January 2024 payroll update, it would fix that part.  However, that seems not to be the case.  They offer a solution if you have more than 3 pay types, but according to the instructions "If there are 3 or more regular wage rates, they can be included in the annualization but the amounts must be specified in the formula which can only be applied if the rate is consistent among all employees."

We have over 100 employees, with at least 15 different pay rates.  Assuming that I would also have to set up this formula for each withholding type (single, married, married filling separately, head of household, and special), that means I'm looking at adding around 75 new formulas under "User Maintained."  That is just not practical.  Is there any other way around this?

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    I have the same problem! Have you found a way around this or help with this? 

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    The short answer is no.

    The longer answer...

    We decided that it was impractical to put in so many new formulas and so made the decision to only tax two payrates - our regular and incentive pay.  I followed the directions from Sage to input the formula for two pay rates only.  We will miss out taxing holiday and vacation pay, but the difference will be made up when our employees file tax returns next year, and we figured up they will only be off around $50 or so in tax.  We did it this way because what we class as "incentive" pay makes up a large part of our hourly employee's pay.   

    Really, the only other way I can see getting around this is to just tax the OT pay, and let them make it up next year doing their taxes.  Most of our employees would rather have the break now though.

  • 0 in reply to Hannah Aycock

    Just out of curiosity, did you ever call Sage support? I don't usually get the most helpful answers from them and avoid calling them at all costs, but I think I may have to in order to try and find a solution. We have regular billable, OT billable, regular non-billable, OT non-billable, personal leave, holiday and bonus/incentive pay types for our hourly employees. Not to mention all our employees hourly pay rates are not the same. It is just crazy to me that their solution is based off companies only have 2-3 pay types, 2 pay rates or consistant pay rates among all employees. 

  • 0 in reply to Ashlea

    No, I never called them.  I just chatted online with an agent (after I got past the computer assistant).  I also avoid calling them at all costs.  The agent online is the one that told me I would have to set up a different formula for each pay rate.  Okay...I have a different and much smaller company where that worked because I only have 2 hourly employees.  But anymore than 10, and that's too much to keep track of, especially for an exemption that's only supposed to last 18 months.  I agree it's a weird fix.  

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    We have 18 positions with 7 pay tiers. What they were telling me to do was input a formula for every pay tier plus the different pay rates for each position for each filing status. That would end up with something in the 100s and I will have to edit them every time someone gets a raise or changes positions. It's ludicrous that we have to program the program ourselves!! AND the formulas they gave us don't help the employees that get reg rate pay but over 40 in 7. Doesn't take into account that vac/sick time is separate from working hours. It's such a mess and Sage is totally unhelpful. I just want to make sure my people aren't stuck paying at the end of the year at this point. But how can I make sure of that when the system won't let me keep an accurate record?

  • 0 in reply to Kandi Diliberto

    I feel your pain.  I got the same response from Sage, which is just crazy to me.  If you don't want your employees to have to pay in at the end of the year, you could always just tax the OT as normal and let them figure out their refund at the end of the year.  But then they aren't getting the advantage of more money in their pockets now. I really don't know which way is worse.