CHIPS 25 Fund Accounting Software Release

The CHIPS 25.0 Release is loaded with new features, improvements, and refinements.  These changes have come from the Annual Survey, technological advances and requests submitted throughout the year.  Our goal in updating CHIPS is to keep the product technically state-of-the-art, more efficient, and more pleasing to use. Below are highlights of the major changes and new features found in CHIPS 25.0.

1. System.  The interface has been updated to feature a more modern design. Controls such as entry fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and push buttons now share a uniform appearance consistent with other applications in the Windows environment. As new Windows versions are introduced, the appearance of these fields will automatically adapt to align with the updated design. This enhancement has impacted almost every screen within the system. To ensure a cohesive look, screen fields have been adjusted for consistent sizing and spacing. In certain areas, screens have been redesigned to accommodate information within the designated space. Push buttons with images have been modernized to adopt a "flat" style, blending seamlessly into the screen. When the cursor hovers over a button, it becomes visible and interactive.  Additionally, the Excel image has been removed from the "Excel" push buttons to preserve the native Windows aesthetic. 
2. Employee Maintenance.  There have been numerous changes to Employee Maintenance, they are as follows:

• A new TTOC field has been added, this is the Treasury Tipped Occupation Code that is assigned by the U.S. Department of Treasury and IRS to occupations that customarily and regularly receive tips.  If the employee is a tipped employee and is part of a category that received tax breaks because of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the TTOC code should be filled in. 
• New “FLSA Overtime Premium Rate Information” buttons have been added next to the Overtime and User Defined Pay Types sections. These buttons become active when the corresponding options in System Controls for Overtime and in User Defined Pay Types, are marked as FLSA Overtime Premium Applicable. When you click the button, a screen will appear, allowing you to enter the FLSA Overtime Premium Amount. For example, if an employee earns $20 per hour and their overtime rate is 1.5 times the regular rate (i.e., $30/hour), the premium amount of $10 should be entered into this new field.
• On the Year To Date tab, the Pay Type grid has been changed to now have the FLSA overtime premium amount.
• On the Previous Years YTD screen, the interface has been changed so the grid with the years on the left has been removed.  The Payroll Year field has been changed to now be a Droplist with all of the available payroll years in it.  Once a year is selected, the information on the screen will be changed to the YTD totals for that year.
• On the Detailed History screen, there is a new “FLSA Overtime Premium Detail” button.  When this button is pressed, a screen will display listing any FLSA Overtime Premium Pay for Overtime and user defined pay types.

3. System Controls.  Below the Overtime Pay Factor, on the Controls tab, is a new “FLSA Overtime Premium Applicable” checkbox.  This new field will be used to have the system include the Overtime Premium amount calculated for the employee.
4. User Defined Pay Types.  A new “FLSA Overtime Premium Applicable” checkbox has been added.  This new checkbox will be used to have the system include the Pay Type in the FLSA Overtime Premium calculations for the employee.
5. Deduction/Earning Codes.  There is now the ability to set a W2 Box Code to “TP” when specifying a W2 Box number of 12.  This is the new code used for Qualified Tips for the new One Big Beautiful Bill No Tax on Tips changes.
6. Time Payroll.  On the Payroll Distribution screen, there is now a field for the FLSA Overtime Premium Rate.  This value for the pay type gets defaulted from the value in the Employee, but it can be overwritten as necessary as needed on this screen.
7. Payroll Edit List.  The FLSA Overtime Premium Rate has been added to the distribution area of the report.
8. Payroll Register.  The FLSA Overtime fields have been added to the report.  Also, headings have been added to where the user defined pay amounts print.  Previously, there were no headings.
9. Consolidated Payroll Register.  The FLSA Overtime information has been added to the report.
10. Check Print.  There is the ability to include the FLSA Overtime Premium Pay information on the check stub.  There is a “Print FLSA Overtime Premium on Check” checkbox in System Controls, on the Preferences tab to turn this feature on.  There is also the ability to print the YTD totals for the FLSA Overtime by checking the “Print FLSA Overtime Premium YTD on Check” checkbox below the other new checkbox.
11. Payroll Journal.  The FLSA Overtime information has been added to the Payroll Journal.
12. Manual Payroll.  There is now the ability to modify the FLSA Overtime amounts for an employee.  On the bottom of the Manual Payroll entry screen is a new “FLSA Overtime Premium Pay Amounts” button.  Once this button is pressed, a window will display with the FLSA amounts that can be changed for the employee.
13. Manual Payroll Edit List.  The FLSA Overtime information has been added to the Edit List.

We at FREY Municipal Software would like to thank everyone who responded to the CHIPS survey and the beta testing of the product.  The ideas and suggestions that we receive from our users is the driving force behind the changes that are implemented into CHIPS.

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