Group Online Remittance FAQ



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

|Creating a Remittance |

|Q. What is the difference between ‘Create New |A. ‘Create New Remittance’ is sending a remittance using the same data from your last submitted |

|Remittance’ and ‘Upload New Remittance’? |remittance, while ‘Upload New Remittance’ is submitting a remittance using data from an Excel |

| |spreadsheet. |

|Q. When would I use the ‘Upload New Remittance’|A. Instead of using the ‘Create New Remittance’, the ‘Upload New Remittance’ option is an alternative |

|option? |for first-time users and for plan administrators with payroll extracts from their payroll system. |

| |This option also gives plan administrators with large group plans the added benefit of saving time and|

| |minimizing data errors. |

|Q. Can I submit remittances in any pay-period |A. No. You should submit your remittances in chronological order (e.g. July 1-15, then July 16-31, |

|sequence? |not the other way around). Additions and deletions to and from submitted remittances may affect the |

| |accuracy of your new remittance. |

|Q. Does an employee that I’ve deleted in a |A. No. All deleted employees will be removed and will not be displayed in your next/new remittance. |

|previous remittance appear in my new | |

|remittance? | |

|Q. Does an employee who skipped contributions |A. Yes. Employees who skip contributions are not deleted from the remittance, but their contribution |

|in the last remittance appear in my new |amounts are entered as zeros. They will appear in the next remittance. |

|remittance? | |

|Q. What do I need to start using the ‘Upload |A. You will need to download a copy of the AGF Excel Template, which is posted on the homepage. If |

|New Remittance’ option? |you decide to use another template, ensure that all fields, columns, headers, labels, etc, are exactly|

| |the same as what is in the template. The Excel template includes format/layout and data instructions |

| |that you can use as a guide. |

|Excel Template |

|Q. Can I use my company’s existing remittance |A. No, unless you customize it adhering to the Excel template available online. |

|template? | |

|Q. Do I have to use Excel to upload a |A. Yes. Excel is the only document format that we support at the moment. |

|remittance? | |

|Q. Are there formatting instructions in using |A. Yes. You can hover over the column headings and see formatting instructions for each column data. |

|the excel template? |Layout and data instructions are also available in the bottom section of the excel spreadsheet. |

|Q. Do column headers have to be in the first |A. Yes, column headers or field headings must be on the first row of the data sheet. If the first |

|row of the data sheet? |row is left blank, the system will read it as ‘end of file’ and validation will fail. |

|Q. Do I have to include ‘Totals’ in the |A. This is an optional field. You may or may not include totals in your spreadsheet. |

|spreadsheet? | |

|Q. Do ‘Totals’ have to be in the last row of |A. Yes, the ‘Grand Totals’ row at the bottom of the excel sheet (if used) must be on the last row |

|the data sheet? |after all the entered data. If a blank row is inserted in between data rows, all subsequent data rows|

| |in the sheet will be ignored. |

|Q. Does the ‘Grand Totals’ label have to be |A. Yes. The ‘Grand Totals’ label must be placed on the first column; otherwise, the system will read |

|displayed in the first column of the |it as an error. |

|spreadsheet? | |

|Q. Why can’t I have any blank rows in the |A. You can have blank rows at the end of your data but not in the first row or in the middle of it. |

|spreadsheet? |Blank rows indicate ‘end of file’, and if a blank row is found in between data rows, the system will |

| |not read and will ignore any subsequent data. |

|Q. Do column headings have to follow any |A. Yes. Column headings must display the exact names or labels as shown on the excel template. The |

|display format? |order of all columns must also be displayed exactly as shown on the template. No column(s) should be |

| |deleted from the sheet. |

|Q. What do I do with new employees without |A. The Account Number field must be left blank. Enter the employee’s required information in the ‘new|

|assigned account numbers? |account’ section to the right of the spreadsheet. Account numbers will be assigned to these new |

| |employees once your remittance is processed. |

|Q. Do I need to enter spousal information in |A. Spousal information is optional. However, when spousal data is entered, all spousal fields (except |

|the spreadsheet? |for the Spousal Middle Initial) become mandatory. |

|Q. Do I need to have the $ symbol in the column|A. No. The $ symbol is optional. You have the choice to remove or leave the $ symbol in your column |

|headers for contribution amounts? |headers. |

|Q. What is the maximum number of data rows that|A. The maximum is 2000 rows. If you have more than 2000, please contact us and we will modify the |

|I can upload? |configuration in our system. |

|Q. Can I use the regular method of creating and|A. Yes, you can by entering your employee information through the online application. If you have a |

|submitting a remittance if I don’t want to use |large number of data, we encourage you to use the excel upload option, especially if you are |

|the excel upload for the first time? |extracting information from your payroll system. This method will also help minimize the time spent |

| |on typing or entering information online. |

|Q. Can contribution amounts be entered in |A. Yes, both number formats are supported. If amounts are entered in English but you want your |

|English and French formats? |remittance to be in French, the system will automatically convert that for you. You can also enter |

| |your numbers in French directly. |

|Q. What is the acceptable date format for Date |A. Any format supported by Microsoft Excel is acceptable. |

|of Birth (DOB)? |Sample formats: DD-MM-YYYY, YYYY/MM/DD, DD-MMM-YY |

|Q. What happens if I enter field characters |A. The system will truncate your entry to the maximum number of characters with no returned error(s). |

|that more than the maximum allowed? | |

|Q. Can I enter comments or notes below or to |A. You can enter data outside of the template area but the system will ignore it. |

|the right of the spreadsheet? | |

|Q. Do I need to show the template instructions |A. No. Anything below the ‘Grand Totals’ row will be ignored by the system when reading and |

|in my excel file? |processing your remittance data. You can remove the instructions from your spreadsheet if you want. |

|Q. Do the Upload New and Create New Remittance |A. Yes. Both methods are processed the same way and they also produce the same results in the end. |

|produce the same results in the end? | |

|Q. What do I do if I want to delete an |A. Remove from or don’t include the employee in the spreadsheet. You will be prompted to confirm the |

|employee? |deletion during the validation process upon upload of the remittance. |

|Q. What if an employee wants to skip |A. Include the employee in the spreadsheet but enter zeros (0.00) in the contribution amount fields. |

|contributions for a pay period? | |

|Q. What is the difference between ‘Skipping’ |A. Skipping contributions means the employee is only missing out on the current period’s contribution,|

|(Contributions) and ‘Deleting’ (Accounts)? |while Deleting accounts means the employee is removed from the group account permanently. |

|Q. Are there validations when a remittance is |A. Yes. There are 2 types of validation: (1) layout/format validation, and (2) data validation. |

|uploaded? |These validations are consistent with the instructions in the excel template. |

|Q. What is data validation? |A. Data validation is validating the accuracy of data entry; e.g. SIN, Postal Code, DOB entered |

| |incorrectly. For example, SIN should be entered as 123456787 with no space(s); if entered as |

| |123-456-789, the system will return an error. |

|Q. What is layout/format validation? |A. It is validating the column headers and their layout and format. Account number has to be spelled |

| |out as Account Number (not Account #). Otherwise, the system will return an error. Other examples: |

| |should be First Name, not Fname; should be Last Name, not Lname. |

|Q. What do I do if I get validation errors? |A. You will get a message online explaining where and what the errors are. You can go back to the |

| |excel template and check the instructions to correct your errors. |

| |Note: If you’re extracting data from your payroll system, you should update the information in your |

| |payroll system. |

|Remittance Details |

|Q. When do I need to save a new remittance? |A. It is encouraged that you save your remittance as soon as you start creating one to ensure all data|

| |is saved. |

|Q. When do totals in the remittance details |A. Totals are updated online when you hit the ‘Save Remittance’ button in the Remittance Details |

|page get updated? |page. |

|Q. Hoe does the ‘Select/Deselect Accounts on |A. It selects or deselects all accounts on the current page. It applies to two (2) functions: |

|this page’ checkbox work? |deleting employees and resetting contribution values to zero. |

|Q. What is ‘Reset to Zero’? |A. It is resetting any existing contribution values to zero by first selecting an account, multiple |

| |accounts, or all accounts on the current page. |

|Q. What do the Grand Total $ figures on every |A. The ‘Grand Total $’ figures on every page of the Remittance Details sum up the total contributions |

|Remittance Details page represent? |(employee and employer) for the overall remittance. |

|Submitting a Remittance |

|Q. Can I edit a submitted remittance online? |A. No. Once your remittance is submitted, it is immediately locked for processing. |

|Q. What is an ‘EFT verification number’? |A. If you are using electronic fund transfer in remitting your money, you can enter your bank’s |

| |verification number in the field provided when you submit your remittance. |

|Q. What if I am sending a cheque for my |A. Print the online confirmation page of your remittance once you submit it, and attach it to your |

|remittance? |cheque when sending it. |

|Browser ‘Back’ Button |

|Q. Can I use the browser ‘Back’ button to go to|A. You can use it in some instances. If you are creating a remittance with multiple pages, you can |

|a previous page? |go back and forth when working within the same functionality (creating a remittance). You cannot use |

| |the browser Back button in instances where you’re moving from one functionality to a different |

| |functionality (from editing a saved remittance to viewing a submitted remittance, and then back to |

| |editing a saved remittance again). The system will return an error message in these situations which |

| |are not allowed. |

|General Questions |

|Q. How long are remittances saved online? |A. Remittances are saved online for 90 days (before submission), and displayed online for 3 years from|

| |the submitted date. |

|Q. Do you display contribution amounts based on|A. Yes, under ‘View Submitted Remittance’, by searching by employee name or account number. |

|tax years? |Contributions are displayed based on tax year. |

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