When Job Cost and Payroll do not appear to agree, the instinct is often:
Sometimes that is true.
But the first thing we want to understand is whether the two reports are actually measuring the same activity at the same point in the workflow.
Timing Can Be Different
Sage documents that Time Track can post job and cost-code information to Job Cost independently from Payroll.
That means Job Cost can be updated before payroll is processed.
If one report includes current Time Track labor and another reflects only completed payroll, the numbers may be different without either one being inherently wrong.
Scope Can Be Different
The reports may not be using the same jobs, cost codes, dates, employees, departments, or other selection criteria.
Before changing data, we want to confirm that the comparison itself is valid.
The Labor May Have Lost Project Context
When Job Cost is used with Time Track, Sage can capture job number and cost code with the employee's time.
If the expected job or cost code is missing, incorrect, or applied differently than management expected, the payroll amount may exist while the project view looks wrong.
Do Not “Fix” the Difference Until You Understand the Workflow
A mismatch is evidence.
It tells us two parts of the system are presenting different views of the activity.
The useful response is to trace:
- Which time entries were involved
- Which job and cost codes were assigned
- Whether Job Cost was updated before payroll
- Which dates and selection criteria each report used
- Whether the comparison is before or after payroll processing
Only after the workflow is understood do we know whether the difference is expected, a setup problem, a timing issue, or something that actually needs correction.