Patent ID: 8082193

Claim:
A method of compiling payroll requirements, the method comprising: cataloging, by using a processor, a plurality of payroll codes that are required in one of a plurality of jurisdictions, the payroll codes being indicative of data types needed to calculate pay; forming, by using the processor, a user representation illustrating only the cataloged plurality of payroll codes and how each of the payroll codes interrelate to each other for a select one of the plurality of jurisdictions, wherein each payroll code in the user representation is dependent on the result of the payroll code or payroll codes to which the payroll code directly points; forming, by using the processor, an implementation representation from the user representation illustrating rules for how a payroll processing engine will calculate pay for the select jurisdiction by: creating an element for each payroll code in the user representation; assigning, to each element, at least one rule or functionality for treating the payroll code the element represents and a type of result when the rule or functionality is applied; removing a select number of elements that only represent values and do not have an associated rule or functionality: adding multiple elements for those elements representing payroll codes with a plurality of rules or functionalities: combining at least two elements if the payroll codes the elements represent have a common rule or functionality: and producing, using the processor, a specification for each element of the implementation representation that is stored in computer-readable instructions to allow the payroll processing engine to calculate pay for the select jurisdiction.