January 2021
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Volume 33, No. 1
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Happy New Year from all of us at GMS!
Each and every GMS team member sends our best to you for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2021!
As we look to 2021, we are very excited for the year ahead! In January we will have our first organization meeting of the new year and we are setting our goals high for 2021! We will be continuing to enhance/update features in our current software, as well as begin work on the GMS web applications for both the Accounting and RLSS Software.
We look forward to working with you in 2021!
GMS Team
As we look to 2021, we are very excited for the year ahead! In January we will have our first organization meeting of the new year and we are setting our goals high for 2021! We will be continuing to enhance/update features in our current software, as well as begin work on the GMS web applications for both the Accounting and RLSS Software.
We look forward to working with you in 2021!
GMS Team
Employment Opportunity with GMS

GMS is presently accepting resumes for a Training Specialist position. This position is available to be filled immediately. Responsibilities include providing GMS clients with one on one training, implementing the GMS software with new clients, presenting webinars and regional trainings, working closely with the Software Technical Support Team to ensure quality assurance of the GMS software and teaching sessions each year at the GMS Annual Accounting Summit. There is occasional travel (normally by air) to GMS training functions.
Qualifications required are 5 or more years’ experience with the GMS Accounting Software, a solid background in non-profit accounting, good communication skills, and willingness to travel as requested.
If you would like to be considered for this position, please email your letter of interest and resume to lisa@gmsactg.com.
Qualifications required are 5 or more years’ experience with the GMS Accounting Software, a solid background in non-profit accounting, good communication skills, and willingness to travel as requested.
If you would like to be considered for this position, please email your letter of interest and resume to lisa@gmsactg.com.
Payroll Withholding Tax Rate Changes
We have received notification of changes to the 2021 state payroll withholding tax rates for the states of Arkansas, California, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina along with Ohio School District and Federal Income Tax rates. These changes, along with the change in the FICA maximum for 2021, have been included in Accounting software version 2.4.80.161. To confirm this revision has been installed, Select Help/About within your accounting software.
If you have been notified of tax rate changes for your state and it is not listed above, please let us know.
If you have been notified of tax rate changes for your state and it is not listed above, please let us know.
RLSS Software Changes
On December 8, 2020, we released version 1.1.1.20 of the GMS-RLSS software. Some of the exciting changes in this revision are detailed below.
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To confirm you are using the most current RLSS software, click on Help/About within your software. It should say Version 1.1.1.20. If you are not using this version and do not have the installation instructions, from your Help menu, select Request a Service Call and request that this revision email be sent to you.
Special Pay and How it Can Affect Payroll Processing and the Employee Files
Special Pay is a feature within Payroll Processing in the GMS Accounting System where the main purpose is to have an effect on gross pay or taxes by something that is not timesheet driven. Two (of many) examples of this would be payment to an employee in lieu of health insurance which would affect gross wages or recording a car allowance for personal use of a company vehicle which would not affect gross wages but is taxable to an employee.
There are various questions that need to be answered when setting up a special pay such as the taxability for all levels as well as whether or not this pay affects Unemployment, Workers Comp or Retirement eligible wages. Please see the Help Manual for further details. Another very important question is whether or not the special pay affects net pay. What this means very simply is whether or not the employee actually receives the money as an addition to the regular pay check.
Our first example is payment in lieu of health. Typically this is a payment to an employee because he/she is waiving membership to the employer’s health insurance coverage due to spousal coverage or another health plan the employee already has in place. In this case you want the amount of the special pay to be added to gross wages and the employee’s check, so you would check the Aff Net Pay box. The employee will then receive this amount as part of the payroll check.
Our second example is recording of a car allowance for personal use of a company vehicle. This is typically a result of an employee that has access to an agency vehicle and not only does the employee use it for business functions, he/she also drives it back and forth from home to the office. The cost of driving to and from home as well as any personal errands the car may be used for can be calculated on a cost per mile basis and is considered taxable income to the employee. This amount is then entered as Special Pay. In this case, the actual cash is not added to the employee’s paycheck, however, the amount needs to be added to the employee file so it will appear as taxable income on their W2. So in this example when setting up the special pay the box Aff Net Pay will not be checked.
Another item to consider when setting up special pay is whether or not this amount is to be taken into consideration when percentage based deductions are calculated. The default in the system is to include special pay as part of the gross pay to which a percentage deduction is applied. If, however, you have a case where a special pay amount is not to be included in the base for a percentage based deduction, go to Payroll\Set Up and select Deduction. On the bottom of the form select Wage Base and then the appropriate deduction from the combo box. At that point you can unselect the Include All Wages box, then select Regular Salaries, Overtime Salaries and/or any appropriate Special Pay amounts to be included in the base for this deduction.
For more detailed information about Special Pay and its characteristics please see the Help Manual under Payroll\Payroll Set Up\Special Pay.
2020 IRS Links
RLSS Form 1098
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1098_20.pdf
Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1099mec.pdf
W-2 & W-3
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw2w3.pdf
Forms 1094/1095
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i109495b.pdf
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1098_20.pdf
Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1099mec.pdf
W-2 & W-3
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw2w3.pdf
Forms 1094/1095
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i109495b.pdf
Service orders via email
As you know, GMS strives to provide the best possible service and support to our clients. To help us manage our service, we record all service calls from clients and our responses in our client tracking system. In order to make sure everything is recorded and nothing is overlooked, please make sure that if you send an email about a service issue it is sent to service@gmsactg.com. This will assure it is logged in properly. Even if you have been working with a particular Software Technical Support Specialist regarding an ongoing issue, please send the email to the above address rather than directly to GMS staff. Feel free to reference in your email that you have been working with a particular person. This will help us provide the best service possible. Thank you.
GMS Offices will be closed December 31, 2020, and January 1, 2021, to allow staff to celebrate the holidays with their families.
Several GMS Clients retired from their agencies on December 31. We would like to wish them much happiness and relaxation time in this new chapter of their lives!
Karen Knight, Housing Investments Coordinator at Oregon Health Authority in Salem, OR.
Lolly Ravak, Loan Administrator at Ohio Mid-Eastern Govts Assn. in Cambridge, OH. Jake Huey is Lolly’s replacement.
Winsome Barnaby, Chief Operating Officer at Capitol Regional Council of Governments in Hartford, CT. Pauline Yoder is the new COO.
We would like to welcome Jake and Pauline! We’re here to assist you should you desire it.
Karen Knight, Housing Investments Coordinator at Oregon Health Authority in Salem, OR.
Lolly Ravak, Loan Administrator at Ohio Mid-Eastern Govts Assn. in Cambridge, OH. Jake Huey is Lolly’s replacement.
Winsome Barnaby, Chief Operating Officer at Capitol Regional Council of Governments in Hartford, CT. Pauline Yoder is the new COO.
We would like to welcome Jake and Pauline! We’re here to assist you should you desire it.
To save or print the January issue of GMS News:

January 2021 Newsletter.pdf | |
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