1.1 This directive takes effect on October 1, 2009.
1.2 It replaces the Comptrollership Policy on Pay Administration (dated April 1, 1997).
This directive applies to departments as defined in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act.
3.1 This directive supports the Policy on Internal Control by establishing a pay administration process within departments that ensures the accuracy and integrity of payroll expenditures, and accounting control over pay financial transactions.
3.2 Payroll accounting and financial control over the pay administration processes are part of financial management, whereas the application of employee compensation policies and supporting directives are part of human resources management.
3.3 The chief financial officer and human resources senior management share the responsibility for pay administration in departments. However, the chief financial officer is responsible for the effectiveness of the financial controls related to pay administration.
3.4 This directive is to be read in conjunction with the following:
3.5 This directive is issued pursuant to section 7 of the Financial Administration Act.
3.6 This directive is to be read in conjunction with the Guideline on Financial Management of Pay Administration and the Policy on Internal Control.
Definitions to be used in the interpretation of this directive are in Appendix.
To establish adequate financial controls over pay administration in a manner that ensures its accuracy and integrity.
The chief financial officer is responsible for establishing management practices and controls to ensure effective internal control over the financial management of pay administration, including the following:
6.1.1 Developing, in conjunction with senior human resources management, efficient and effective departmental accounting and controls;
6.1.2 Ensuring that the verification of pay input data by financial management personnel does not duplicate the work performed by human resources personnel;
6.1.3 Verifying that all persons with delegated signing authorities for pay transactions have successfully completed required training and understand the responsibilities associated with the delegated authority;
6.1.4 Providing functional direction to persons who are responsible for cheque and direct deposit payment statement distribution;
6.1.5 Ensuring that the controls relating to all pay administration are identified, understood and applied;
6.1.6 Ensuring the proper administration of sections 33 and 34 of the Financial Administration Act for all pay administration disbursements;
6.1.7 Ensuring effective controls (e.g. accuracy, completeness, timeliness, authorization) are in place for all processes and systems that support pay administration, and;
6.1.8 Ensuring that adequate segregation of duties, such as ensuring the custody and distribution of cheques and direct deposit payment statements, is performed by a person who does not have signing authority in the areas of staffing, classification, or pay input transactions.
6.2.1 Establishing and maintaining internal procedures and adequate documentation to administer agreements that may provide for salary expenses, including allowances and employer-paid benefits to be reimbursed in a timely manner by the host organization for employees on secondment or for persons on an interchange assignment to or from an outside organization; and
6.2.2 Establishing, in collaboration with Human Resources, a departure procedure to ensure that all money or any other material issued by the host organization to a person on secondment or on an interchange agreement is recovered or accounted for when the person returns to the home organization;
6.3.1 Establishing a process that is in compliance with Part I and the appropriate division of the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act, its regulations, and relevant provincial or territorial laws to permit creditors and others to garnish salaries and other remuneration paid, as well as money owed to individuals employed under contracts for services. This process includes ensuring adherence to all prescribed time frames; and
6.3.2 Verifying that financial officers who administer garnishee processing have undergone the necessary training and apply the relevant procedures and information as found in the Receiver General Guidelines on Garnishment, the Receiver General Directive 1983-5R2, Garnishment of public servant's salaries and monies owing to individuals employed under contracts for services, the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act, and its regulations and relevant provincial or territorial laws;
6.4.1 Establishing and maintaining adequate record-keeping to meet the requirements of the Income Tax Act and provincial or territorial income tax acts for filing information returns with respect to allowances and other taxable benefits paid in addition to basic pay;
6.5.1 Ensuring the recovery of any salary replacement from other sources, such as the workers' compensation board, when an employee has been injured and in rare instances due to administrative error the employee was also receiving full salary during the predetermined period as established by the employer;
6.5.2 Ensuring that recovery is not made when the salary replacement stems from a personal disability policy for which the employee or the employee's agent has paid the premium; and
6.5.3 In consultation with PWGSC Compensation Sector, ensuring the appropriate provincial or territorial legislation is applied to determine whether employment-injury benefits received from the workers' compensation board are taxable and consulting the Injury-on-Duty Leave policy and Workers' Compensation policy for additional guidance concerning workers' compensation and injury-on-duty leave;
6.6.1 Establishing, in collaboration with Human Resources, a departure report and checklist process to sign off and certify that all money owing to the Crown, or any other material, is accounted for before an employee leaves the department, which:
6.6.2 Ensuring that when a departing employee owes money or has not accounted for other materials a process is put in place to inform Compensation in order that a deduction can be made from any amounts due to the employee or, if necessary, that an account receivable is established and recovery action taken.
6.7.1 Chief financial officers are responsible for supporting their deputy head by overseeing the implementation and monitoring of this directive in their departments; bringing to the deputy head's attention any significant difficulties, gaps in performance, or compliance issues and developing proposals to address them; and reporting significant performance or compliance issues to the Office of the Comptroller General.
6.7.2 The Comptroller General is responsible for monitoring departments' compliance with the requirements of this directive and conducting a review within five to eight years.
7.1 In instances of non-compliance, deputy heads are responsible for taking corrective measures within their organizations with those responsible for implementing the requirements of this directive.
7.2 In support of the responsibility of deputy heads to implement the Policy on Internal Control and related instruments, chief financial officers are to ensure corrective actions are taken to address instances of non-compliance with the requirements of this directive. Corrective actions can include requiring additional training, changes to procedures and systems, the suspension or removal of delegated authority, disciplinary action, and other measures as appropriate.
7.3 Individuals are reminded that section 76 to 81 (Civil Liability and Offences) of the Financial Administration Act as well as sections 121 (Frauds against the Government), 122 (Breach of Trust), 322 (Theft) and 380 (Fraud) of the Criminal Code may apply.
This section identifies other significant departments with respect to this directive. In and of itself, it does not confer an authority.
8.1 Public Works and Government Services Canada (Compensation Sector) is responsible for the operation of the following:
8.2 Treasury Board Secretariat
10.1 Please direct enquiries about this directive to your departmental headquarters. For interpretation of this directive, departmental headquarters should contact:
Financial Management Policy Division
Financial Management and Analysis Sector
Office of the Comptroller General
Treasury Board Secretariat
Ottawa ON K1A 0R5
Email: fin-www@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Telephone: 613-957-7233
Fax: 613-952-9613
10.2 For enquiries concerning compensation operational issues, departmental headquarters should contact:
Labour Relations and Compensation Operation
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Ottawa ON K1A 0R5
10.3 For enquiries regarding Public Works and Government Services Canada (Compensation Sector), departmental headquarters should contact:
Compensation Sector
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Ottawa ON K1A 0S5
Email: ncr.rgenquire@pwgsc.gc.ca