Calculate and update a budget forecast
The Process Forecast report combines posted actual values from completed payroll months with a simulation of the remaining months. Start the forecast, and check the resulting forecast entries together with budget and actual values in the Budget Schedule Overview.
Prerequisites
- At least one payroll run for the selected allocation group is posted for the current year.
- Employees' allocated salaries are up to date—future changes in the timeline (TimeMachine) are considered in the simulation.
- The budget schedule column layout contains a column with entry type Forecast Amount so that forecast values can be shown.
Options in the “Process Forecast” report
Open the report through Tasks > Process Forecast in the SwissSalary Budget Role Center. The request page contains the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Allocation Group | Allocation group for which the forecast is calculated. Required. |
| Calculation Year End Date | Ending date of the forecast calculation. The date is set automatically to the last day of the entered year (for example, entering 30.06.2025 results in 31.12.2025). The entire calendar year is calculated. |
With the Filters in the data item section, you can restrict the calculation to specific employees, departments, or places of work (fields: Employee No., Department, and Place of Work).
Hinweis
SwissSalary recommends always calculating for the full calendar year. This is the only way to project the annual maximum limits for OASI, UI, ALVZ, AIA, UVGZ, and daily sickness benefits correctly.
Forecast calculation process
When you choose OK to start the report, SwissSalary Budget performs the following steps:
1. Transfer actual data
The GetActualEntries procedure reads all posted payroll runs for the selected allocation group for the period from the first day of the calculation year to the last posted monthly date. Payroll runs of type Normal and Additional (Type = " " or Additional) are included. For each payroll run found, the actual salary entries, payroll header data, and employee dimension entries are copied to temporary tables.
2. Simulate remaining months
From the first month that hasn't yet been completed until the end of the year, SwissSalary Budget runs a complete payroll simulation for each employee and each month. The following rules apply:
- Allocated salaries: The currently valid allocated salaries (SwS Allocated Salary) are used. The Valid From and Valid To fields for each salary component are considered.
- TimeMachine changes: Future changes stored in the timeline (for example, a salary increase from August) are included in the simulation from the relevant validity date.
- Pro rata temporis: For salary components with a pro rata calculation (field Pro Rata temporis > 0), the proportionate amount is determined using the configured method.
- Employment and resignation: For months in which an employee joins or leaves, the costs are calculated proportionately according to the Employment/Resignation Calculation setting for the salary type.
- Provisional payment/pre-run: Payroll runs with the status Provisional payment aren't included in the actual data.
3. Write forecast entries
The results from both phases are written to the SwS Bdg Forecast Entry table. At the same time, all existing forecast entries for the allocation group and calculation year are replaced with the newly calculated entries in one step.
Wichtig
The forecast calculation always replaces all previous forecast entries for the selected allocation group and forecast year. You can repeat the run as often as needed. Previous forecast entries are lost.
Check forecast entries
Open the Payroll Budget Forecast Entry page by drilling down from the Budget Schedule Overview or directly through search. The page is read-only.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Employee No. | Employee number. |
| Posting Date | Posting date (the first day of the respective month). |
| Department | Department code. |
| Place of Work | Place-of-work code. |
| Global Dimension 1 Code | Value of the first global dimension (for example, cost center). |
| Global Dimension 2 Code | Value of the second global dimension. |
| Amount | Forecast amount in the company currency. |
| Headcount | Number of employees. |
| FTE | Full-time equivalents. |
| Employment % | Employment percentage. |
| Salary Type No. | Salary type number. |
| Text | Description of the salary type or entry. |
The FactBox on the right shows master data for the currently selected employee.
Common checks
- Are forecast entries available for all months of the year?
- Do the actual months (completed payroll runs) match the actual salary entries?
- Are future salary increases visible from the correct month?
- Do the FTE values match the expected employment percentages?
- Are employment and resignation considered proportionately?
Check actual entries
The Payroll Budget Actual Entry page shows the actual entries transferred from posted payroll runs. It is also read-only and contains the same fields as the forecast page.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Employee No. | Employee number. |
| Posting Date | Posting date of the payroll run. |
| Payroll No. | Payroll run number. |
| Amount | Amount actually processed. |
| FTE | Actual full-time equivalents. |
| Headcount | Number of employees. |
| Employment % | Employment percentage. |
| Salary Type No. | Salary type number. |
Tipp
Compare actual entries with forecast entries for the same month and salary type to identify systematic variances between budget and actual values early.
Update the forecast
Update the forecast when relevant bases have changed:
- A new payroll month was posted (new actual-data status).
- Salary increases or contract changes were added to the timeline.
- New employment or resignation dates were entered.
- Changes were made to allocated salaries or salary components.
Start the Process Forecast report again with the same parameters. All existing forecast entries for the allocation group are replaced automatically.
Good to know
- You calculate the forecast only for partial months and assume that annual maximum limits (OASI, UI, and AIA) are correct—caps and limits are applied incompletely.
- You start a second forecast run and want to keep the previous entries—the run replaces all forecast entries for the allocation group and forecast year.
- You release scenarios without comparing actual and forecast entries for the same period and salary type—variances aren't identified until later.