Drake Accounting®: What is the difference between Live and ATF payroll?
Live payroll is when you print negotiable employee or vendor payroll checks and distribute them to (or for) your client. You can print live payroll checks with or without the Drake Accounting® bookkeeping module.
After-the-Fact (ATF) payroll is when your client prints the employee or vendor payroll checks and provides you with the transaction data, which you enter into Drake Accounting® for bookkeeping purposes. You do not print live checks when doing after the fact payroll, you record that they have been printed. It is important to verify the dates for the pay period end and check date in order to produce accurate reports.
Live and ATF payroll entries will combine to produce reports and informational returns, such as the employee payroll reports and withholding reports as well as Forms W-2 / W-3 and state wage reports.
Note: When entering ATF payroll, the withholding calculation method within Drake Accounting® could be slightly different than the employer's calculation, causing discrepancies. You can overwrite the amount under Earnings and Deductions by double clicking on the amount and manually entering it. These overwrites will be colored red to be easily recognized.
See Live and ATF Payroll for more information.