Describe the uncontrolled risks associated with these systems as they are currently designed.
4. Generators R Us (Manual and Stand-Alone PC Procedures)
Generators R Us (GRU) is a manufacturer of portable electric generators used for emergency power supply in both civil and private disaster situations. GRU’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities are in Dallas, Texas, where they employ 125 manufacturing and clerical staff. Although much of the company’s accounting system employs advanced technology, its payroll and fixed asset systems are legacy systems that rely on manual processes supported by stand-alone PCs. Recently, GRU has experienced operational problems with these processes and the management has hired your auditing firm to assess its operations and internal control procedures.
Payroll System
In the GRU production departments, each worker records the number of hours he or she has worked each day by clocking in and out on a time card machine. The supervisor oversees this process and each week sends the hard-copy time cards to the payroll department. Using a stand-alone PC, the payroll department clerk enters time card data and prepares hard-copy paychecks. This process automatically updates the digital employee payroll records. The clerk files the time cards in the payroll department and sends the employee paychecks to the supervisor for review and distribution to the employees. The payroll clerk also prepares three copies of a payroll register. Copies one and two are sent to AP and the general ledger departments, respectively. The clerk files copy three in the payroll department. Upon receipt of the payroll register, the AP clerk manually prepares a check for the entire payroll, which she deposits in the payroll imprest account at the bank. A copy of the check is filed in the department, along with the payroll register. Using the payroll register and the department PC, the general ledger department clerk posts to the appropriate GL control accounts. The clerk then files the payroll register.
Fixed Asset System
Asset acquisition begins in the user department when the manager recognizes the need to obtain a new or replace an existing fixed asset. The user manually prepares two copies of a purchase requisition, filing one copy in the user department and sending one copy to the purchasing department. The purchasing department uses the purchase requisition to prepare three copies of a purchase order. One copy of the purchase order is sent to the supplier, one is sent to the AP department, and the last copy is filed in purchasing with the purchase requisition. The AP clerk receives the purchase order from purchasing, the asset invoice from the vendor, and a packing slip from the receiving dock after the assets arrive. The AP clerk reconciles the purchase order with the packing slip and invoice. Then, using a department PC, the clerk posts a liability to the AP subsidiary ledger and records the asset in the fixed asset inventory subsidiary ledger. The purchase order and packing slip are filed in the AP department. Next, the clerk prepares a cash disbursement voucher, which she sends along with the invoice to the cash disbursements clerk. At the end of the day, the clerk prints hard-copy summaries of the AP and fixed asset inventory ledgers, which she sends to the general ledger department. Upon receipt of the cash disbursement voucher and invoice, the cash disbursements clerk, using the department PC, prepares a check and posts the relevant data to the check register. The clerk then prints a hard copy of the check and sends it to vendor. The cash disbursement voucher and invoice are then sent to the general ledger department. User department managers handle the asset maintenance and disposal. They calculate
Required:
2. Describe the uncontrolled risks associated with these systems as they are currently designed.
Payroll security fraud
Payroll security fraud refers to any illegal activity that involves manipulating an organization’s payroll system for financial gain. This can include various types of fraud, such as embezzlement, identity theft, and false claims.
In the last couple of years, payroll security fraud has posed a growing threat to companies. 46% of the surveyed organizations in PwC’s latest Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey reported experiencing fraud, corruption, or other economic crimes in the last 24 months. In 31% of the cases, the main perpetrator was a company employee.
2. Withholding taxes at the wrong rate
Withholding taxes incorrectly results in non-compliance with tax laws. This can lead to fines and penalties, legal expenses, audits from government agencies, and damage to the company’s reputation.
3. Not keeping adequate payroll records
Most countries have labor laws requiring employers to keep records related to employee pay, hours worked, and other payroll information. If a company fails to keep these records, it may be out of compliance with the law and subject to fines, penalties, and other legal action.
4. Employee misclassification
Employee miss classification is the illegal practice of labeling workers as independent contractors – usually to reduce labor costs – when they should be classified as payroll employees. It can result in penalties and fines for the employer.
5. Outdated security software
Outdated security software can render your payroll system vulnerable to cyberattacks. This can lead to data breaches, resulting in employee personal data – such as addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank account numbers – being compromised.
6. Under and overpayments
Under and overpayments refer to errors in the amount of money employees are paid for their work. This can happen due to various reasons, such as incorrect pay rate, incorrect calculation of hours worked, failure to include overtime pay or withholding taxes at the wrong rate.
Both under and overpayments can create problems for employers and employees. Underpayments can cause financial strain for employees, while overpayments can cause financial losses for the employer. Both errors can also lead to legal issues if they are not corrected.
7. Centered and controlled access of one employee to payroll software
Centered and controlled access refers to a system of granting access to payroll software to specific employees. Centered access means that only a designated group of employees who are responsible for managing payroll get access to the software. Controlled access means assigning different levels of access and permissions to different users, depending on their roles and responsibilities in the payroll process.
Step by step
Solved in 3 steps
