In retropay processing, a retrospective bonus based on salary is not included. What is a likely cause?

• A. Retropay has not been enabled on the bonus element.
• B. Retropay has not been enabled on the salary element.
• C. Element entry changes are not included in the retroactive event group.
• D. Bonus element changes are not included in the retroactive event group.

Answer: (A)

In retropay processing, each pay element can be marked to participate in retroactive recalculation. Only elements with this flag enabled are considered for retroactive events. If a bonus that is based on salary isn’t showing up in retro pay, the most likely cause is that retropay has not been enabled for the bonus element itself. Even though the salary-based calculation influences the bonus, the retroactive engine will skip recalculating that bonus unless its own element is enabled for retropay. Enabling retropay on the salary element alone won’t ensure the bonus is included; the bonus element must have retropay turned on for it to be recalculated and included in retroactive pay. The other factors—such as whether element entry changes or bonus element changes are included in the retroactive event group—affect what triggers retro calculations, but the direct reason a salary-based bonus isn’t included is that the bonus element’s retropay setting is disabled.