Volume 9 Issue 4 - April 2026
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Calculating Hours?
Ever wonder how the system arrives at the ‘hour’ values that you see printed on direct deposits? Worry no more…
How the System is Calculating the Total Hours Worked:
Locate the employee’s payment (based on the history and located on the HistoricalPositionPay object).
On the employee payment, locate all pay amount(s) with the Pay Type equaling Regular, Miscellaneous, Overtime and Dock and has a Compensation>Pay Unit set to Hourly.
Total the Units amount(s).
How the System is Calculating the Hours > 40/Week:
Locate the employee’s payment (based on the history and located on the HistoricalPositionPay object).
On the employee payment, locate all pay amount(s) with the Pay Type equaling Regular, Miscellaneous, Overtime, and Dock and has a Compensation>Pay Unit set to Hourly.
Determine the weekly periods or date ranges that make up each week. These are based on the Position>Pay Group date range.
For each pay amount located in Steps 1 - 3 do the following:
Find the Compensation.
Determine each weekly period. This is determined by the System>Configuration>Payment Printing Configuration>First Day Of Week For Hours Over 40 Per Week Count value.
Determine the hours for a week from the Job Calendars.
Locate the Compensation>Job Calendar.
Locate the Compensation>Hours In Day.
Determine the number of days from the Job Calendar.
If the number of days>0, then multiply Compensation>Hours In Day X Number of days counted on the Job Calendar.
Count the hours from Attendance and subtract the hours from Absence records.
Locate Attendance and Absence records for the weekly period.
Locate Compensation>Hours In Day.
Arrive at an Attendance and Absence total. Only Attendance and Absence records within the Pay Group’s pay period will be included.
Attendance and Absence>Unit = Hourly then the value equals the Attendance and Absence>Length.
Attendance and Absence>Unit = Daily then the value equals Attendance and Absence>Length X Compensation>Hours In Day.
Calculated hours from Job Calendar + Calculated hours from Attendance - Calculated hours from Absence records minus 40 = Hours greater than 40.
Total each value in Step 5 for each Position paid.
For more information, please view the HB106 (Pay Stub Protection Act) document.
Leave Adjustments in ESS
ESS Leave Adjustments provide a way to correct or update an employee’s leave balances in both ESS and USPS.
When Can Leave Adjustments Be Used?
Leave adjustments can only be created for ESS leave requests with a status of Exported. This ensures the adjustment is tied to leave that should have already been posted to USPS.
Standard users can create adjustments on their own exported leave requests via their My Leave Requests grid
Leave Managers (or elevated roles) can:
create/view adjustments for any employee’s exported leave requests via the View District Leave grid
delete adjustments that have not yet been exported via the Leave Adjustments grid
export adjustments for processing in USPS via the Leave Adjustments grid
How to Create a Leave Adjustment?
Locate the leave request in your grid and click the adjustment icon (highlighted below) to start a leave adjustment
To adjust one or more specific days on the leave request:
Use the ‘Adjustment Date’ date picker to select the applicable date(s) from the leave request
Enter the ‘Adjustment Amount’ as a positive number (a negative value is applied by default)
Click + to add additional adjustment dates (and – to remove them)
Click ‘Create Adjustment’
To adjust the entire leave request:
use the ‘Negate Full Request’ and click “Create Adjustment”
How to Export Leave Adjustments and post to USPS
Leave Managers can manage and export adjustments via Leave Management → Leave Adjustments
From this screen, they can:
view both exported and non-exported leave adjustments
filter the grid by date, adjuster username, employee or Non-Exported status
select the adjustments they want to export and click ‘Export Selected Adjustments’ to generate a CSV file for USPS import.
Once the CSV file is generated, the leave adjustment will update from ‘Non-Exported’ to ‘Exported’ status
Once the adjustment has been imported into USPS via the Attendance/Absence Import, the next sync between ESS and USPS will update the employees leave balances accordingly in ESS.
For more detailed instructions, step-by-step screenshots, and a summary of outstanding feedback items, please refer to a recent slide show presentation on Leave Adjustments.
You can also review the Leave Adjustments section in the ESS User Manual for additional guidance.
Useful links:
Deeper Dive into Medicare & Retirement Pickup
Looking to dive deeper into understanding how Medicare and Retirement pickup work in USPS? If so, take the plunge and check out our recent recording, Deeper Dive into Medicare Pickup & Retirement Pickup, for a walkthrough of how each is calculated, how to make corrections, common mistakes, and tips to help avoid issues.
1099 Electronic Submissions for 2026 forms & what Submitters need to do now
The IRS is making a significant change in how organizations electronically submit 1099 returns, moving from the FIRE (Filing Information Returns Electronically) system to the new IRIS (Information Returns Intake System) platform.
Entities that electronically submit their 1099 forms, here is what you need to do now to be prepared to submit in 2027:
New TCC Required: You must apply for a new 5-digit IRIS Transmitter Control Code (TCC) through the IRS Taxpayer Portal before the end of 2026. (The FIRE TCC# cannot be used with the new system IRIS)
Choose the Correct Option: Select A2A (Application-to-Application) for automated file submissions. The single-use filer (CSV upload) will not be supported in USAS.
Identity Verification Required: Your application must include at least two responsible officials who will verify their identity using http://ID.me.
Plan Ahead: The TCC application approval process can take 45+ days, so start now!
For detailed instructions, refer to IRS Publication 5717 and the link provided above: IRIS
Approved Leave Requests May Be Edited
New functionality has been added to allow an employee to edit their own leave requests if the current status is Initiated, Rejected, or Approved. If an approved leave request is edited, it will be resubmitted to the workflow for approval and noted in the Leave Request Approval Trail.
The Leave Manager and elevated users can also edit all fields on any user's leave request as long as it has not been exported. This includes requests in an Approved status, where they can modify the position, leave amount, reason, comments, and substitute information. NOTE: When a Leave Manager or elevated role edits an approved request, it will NOT be resubmitted to the workflow for approval again.
Please click here for more information on editing leave requests in ESS.
IPDP Mass Loaders
You can now import data into IPDP using our new mass load options available under the System menu.
These mass load tools can be used to:
Import new data (ideal for districts new to IPDP)
Update existing records
For import criteria, please refer to the Mass Load chapter in the IPDP User manual.
Note: Access to these options is restricted to Admin and District Manager users.
Enhancement to BOT Calculator
We’ve recently introduced several improvements designed to make it even easier to calculate blended overtime. Here’s what’s new:
Employee Selection
Archived employees are now automatically excluded from the employee dropdown lists.
Position & Compensation Entry
You can now select the same position and compensation across multiple lines and adjust the rate after selection.
Future Enhancements
We have even more improvements planned. Here’s a look at what’s coming next:
Blended Overtime Calculator – Print Option
As part of USPSRFB-2045, a new print option will be added to the Blended Overtime Calculator. This enhancement will allow users to easily generate printed records for review, documentation, or auditing purposes.
Post to Current or Future
A new enhancement (USPSR-7338) will give users the ability to post entries to either the current period or a future period,
These improvements are part of our ongoing effort to simplify payroll processes and improve usability. Be sure to take advantage of the new features!
👉 Click here for more information on how this functionality works.