Employee Self-Service overview

Employee information that is uploaded and downloaded via the employee portal

Employee information that is uploaded to the employee portal

New or updated employee W-4 information.
This includes login information used for portal creation and for disabling Employee Self-Service for an employee.
Changes to the status of uploaded employee checks (void or delete).
New handwritten payroll checks.
note
Existing handwritten payroll checks and historical checks are not uploaded to the portal.
If a handwritten check has been uploaded to the client's portal but was generated as an historical check, the application will remove that check from the portal.

Client payroll schedules (timesheets) are uploaded to NetClient CS for remote payroll entry. (Payroll schedules for multiple clients can be uploaded at the same time.)
Payroll checks are printed
for at least one client
.
W-2 forms are printed
for at least one client
.
1095-C forms are printed
for at least one client
.
An employee's W-4 information is changed and the employee record is saved.
note
This includes the employee's name, EIN/SSN, address, and W-4 information on the Payroll Taxes tab of the employee.

Employee information that is downloaded from the employee portal

The Setup > Employees screen is opened.
The client's payroll schedule is selected in the Actions > Enter Batch Payroll Checks screen and the Actions > Enter Batch Handwritten Payroll Checks screen.

Enable Employee Self-Service for a client

Select
Setup
, then Clients.
Select the
Payroll Information
tab.
Select the client and click the
Edit
button.
In the Employee Data Integration section, mark the
$ Employee Self-Service
checkbox.
note
When this checkbox is marked, the client has access to all Employee Self-Service functionality, and Employee Self-Service is automatically enabled for all of the client's employees. If necessary, however, you can disable Employee Self-Service for individual employees.
Your firm must be licensed for Accounting CS (including payroll and payroll compliance for clients who will be doing time entry) and NetFirm to use Employee Self-Service. If this checkbox is grayed out and unavailable, verify that you have downloaded and applied your Accounting CS license after you paid the Employee Self-Service fees.
Select
Enter
  to save the updated client setting.

Select
Setup
, then
Employees
to add information for the client's employees.
note
In the Main tab of the Employees screen, be sure to enter a valid email address for each applicable employee.
If this is the first time Employee Self-Service has been enabled for this client, a registration email will automatically be sent to all employees with a valid email address specified in the
Main
tab of the Setup > Employees screen.
note
The email provides a link that directs the employee to the NetClient CS account registration page, where the employee can create a login and specify a password to access their account.
To specify the format and content of the registration email, follow the instructions for modifying templates for notifications that are sent by NetFirm CS and select the User Activation > Employee Self-Service template.

Enable Employee Time Entry for a client

In the
Payroll Information
tab of the client record, the
Employee Self-Service
checkbox should be marked.
Select the ellipsis button next to the field in the Payroll Schedules section.
In the Payroll Schedules dialog, select the schedule that applies to the employees who will enter their time, and select
Edit
.
In the Time Entry Method section, select the
Import
option and select
Remote payroll entry
in the Source field.
Mark the
Enable Employee Time Entry
checkbox, and change any other payroll schedule settings, as needed.
Select
Enter
to close the dialog, and then save the client record. The client's employee portals will now include a My Time application.

Enabling Employee Time Entry for a client

Sending Form W-2 to the employee portal

Sending Form 1099-MISC or 1099-NEC to the employee portal (for independent contractors)

Select
Actions
, then
Edit Payroll Tax Forms
.
Select
1099
as the form type,
1099-NEC
or
1099-MISC
as the 1099 type, and the applicable year.
Select
Refresh
.
By default for the selected client: Mark the
Send 1099-NEC to Employee Self-Service
checkbox in the Independent Contractors section of the 1099 Additional Information dialog. The application sends an electronic copy of the 1099-NEC form to the Employee Self-Service portal for all independent contractor employees every time you print 1099 forms, unless you have only Copy A selected during processing.
At print time: Choose File > Process Client Forms and then mark the
Send to Employee Self-Service (Independent contractors only)
checkbox in the Print Options dialog for Form 1099. The application sends an electronic copy of the 1099-NEC form to the Employee Self-Service portal for all independent contractor employees. This checkbox affects only the forms currently being printed, regardless of what is selected in the 1099 Additional Information dialog of the Setup > Clients screen.

Send Form 1095-C to the employee portal

Activating employee portals

Open the registration email and then select the
Register
link in the message. Show me.
In the NetClient CS page, enter a unique ID and password to use as your Employee Self-Service login. (The password must be between 7 and 50 characters, and at least one character must be a number.)
Click OK. NetClient CS verifies the employee's credentials and completes the activation.
The NetClient CS login page opens. The employee can access their Employee Self-Service portal by entering their login and password information and then clicking the Login button. 

Viewing or editing an employee's W-4 information

Type (Standard, Agricultural, Household, Independent Contractor)
Resident address (street address, city, ZIP code, county, country, etc.)
EIN / SSN

Name (first, last, middle initial, suffix)
Email address
Federal W-4 information (filing status, amounts claimed for dependents, other income, and deductions, nonresident alien status, federal tax-exempt status, etc.)
State W-4 information for each applicable state (filing status, number of allowances, additional or fixed amount or percentage, etc.)

Log in to the Employee Self-Service account through https://secure.netlinksolution.com/nextgen.
Select the
My W4 Information
portlet to view and edit W-4 information.
Make any necessary changes, and then click the Enter button
note
The fields reflect those on the 2020 Form W-4. All employees hired as of January 1, 2020, must fill out the new version of the Form W-4. Any changes to W-4 information for existing employees must be done on the new version of Form W-4.
When you open the Enter Batch Payroll Checks screen or the Enter Payroll Checks screen, you will be prompted to accept or reject the changes the employee made in their portal.

Viewing an employee's check stub information

Log in to the Employee Self-Service account through https://secure.netlinksolution.com/nextgen.
Select the
My Check Stubs
portlet to view a list of uploaded paychecks.
Select the paycheck to view or print.

Viewing an employee's W-2 form

Viewing an employee's (independent contractor's) 1099-NEC form

Viewing an employee's 1095-C form

Changing an employee's login information

Log in to your Employee Self-Service account through https://secure.netlinksolution.com/nextgen.
Click your name in the upper-right corner of the screen, and then choose the appropriate command.
To update your login ID, name, or email address, select
Edit Account
.
To update your password, select
Update Password
.

Resending a registration email message to an employee

Select
Setup
, then
Employees
.
Select the employee to whom you want to send the email message, then
Edit
On the
Main
tab of the Employees screen, verify that a valid email address is specified in the
Email
field.
Select the
Personal
tab.
In the Web Access section, select
Send Registration Email.
The email will be sent when Employee Self-Service information is uploaded.

Disabling Employee Self-Service for a client

Select
Setup
, then
Clients
.
Select the client, then
Edit
.
In the Employee Data Integration section of the
Payroll Information
tab, clear the
$ Employee Self-Service
checkbox.
Select
Enter
to save the change for the selected client.
The application displays a message prompt warning you that all existing employee portals for the client will be disabled. To continue, select
Yes
.

Disabling the Employee Self-Service features for an individual employee

Choose Setup > Employees and then click the Personal tab.
Select the employee for whom you want to disable Employee Self-Service, and click the Edit button.
In the Web Access section, mark the Employee Self-Service disabled checkbox.
Click the Enter button to save the change for that employee.
The application displays a message prompt warning you that the employee portal will be disabled. To continue, click the Yes button.