SYSTEM FOR WEB-BASED PAYROLL AND BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION

The system provides an automated, centralized back-end payroll service with a full-featured web-based payroll system. Both aspects of the system have access to a central database, which includes, for example: profile information on employers and employees; timesheet, salary and hourly wage data; overtime data; employee benefit data; and information regarding third-party providers and miscellaneous payees.The full-featured payroll system functionality is implemented in a manner that provides employers and employees (to the extent security policies permit) with a robust, data-driven user interface via a standard web browser. The central database provides the system's back-end (server-side) payroll service functionality with constant access to the data. The system implements and enforces compliance with a wide variety of tax-related and employment-related rules across federal, state and local jurisdictions relating, for example, to overtime pay, benefit limits, payment frequency, and scheduled reporting requirements. The system can automatically receive and implement electronic updates to these rules, modifying its own functionality to conform to these changes and ensure compliance with current rules. The payroll system functionality includes the automated collection of employee data and the calculation of employee income, taxes, and pre- and post-tax deductions. The system automatically calculates overtime, imputed income, and paid-time-off benefits, and allocates the sharing of payments for other benefit programs between employers and employees, as well as enabling employers to set up custom policies. Employers can review and validate employees' paychecks and print paychecks locally and/or submit the payroll to the system's automated back-end payroll service.The system's back-end payroll service functionality generates disbursement information for payments to employees, benefit providers, miscellaneous payees, and various tax authorities, subject to compliance with the system's database of rules and automatically effects transfers of funds, payment information, and reports, whether electronic or otherwise, at the appropriate times.