Configuring Calculations

This section provides an overview of calculation configuration and discusses how to:

Call user code.
Configure individual user code modules.

Understanding Calculation Configuration

This section provides overviews of:

User code usage
User code executables
User code module names

User Code Usage

Pension Administration provides a flexible and comprehensive set of calculation options. However, you might need to configure calculation components to exactly conform to your plan rules.

Although configurations enable you to control the system, they can complicate system maintenance, particularly upgrades. Any time that you receive new code from PeopleSoft, you must ensure that the new code does not overlay the configurations that you have instituted.

Because of the potential maintenance issues, the best way to manage your configuration is to isolate your custom code. You must still analyze the effect of PeopleSoft code changes on your configured code, but keeping the PeopleSoft code and your custom code separate makes it easier to reapply configurations after an upgrade.

To help you isolate your modifications, PeopleSoft provides clearly marked user code exit points on many of the system’s parameter pages. Each of these represents a specifically defined portion of one of the system’s delivered functions. When you select the user code option, the calculation runs the configured COBOL module that derives the expected value.

Note. This section discusses user code modules that are associated with the system’s core functions. You can also create user code modules that are not associated with core functions. To incorporate these independent user code modules into the calculation, enter them directly on the Plan Implementation page.

User Code Executables

Each component that offers user code options is associated with a single user code executable—with one exception: All service and break components share a single executable. The system predefines the executable name for a component. All custom processing for a function belongs in the module associated with that function.

To set up multiple definitions with separate modifications, ensure that your code includes logic that checks the definition name to determine the appropriate processing.

If a function has multiple user code points, the delivered user code module already has subsections for the different points. When Pension Administration calls the user code module, the main section performs the appropriate user code subsection, based on the point from which the user code was called.

In all cases, your module must pass back the appropriate values, based on the user code options that are selected.

User Code Module Names

A calculation calls the following modules when it recognizes that a user code option has been selected. Each of these modules is delivered as an empty shell that you can modify. User code modules names begin with PAPX, followed by characters to identify the individual function.

None of the aliases (the components on the Variables menu) employs user code options.

Function	User Code Module Name
Consolidated earnings	PAPXCERN
Consolidated hours	PAPXCHRS
Service	PAPXSVC
Vesting	PAPXVEST
Final average earnings	PAPXAERN
Cash balance accounts	PAPXABAL
Early and late retirement factors	PAPXAGE
Death coverage factors	PAPXDTH
Optional forms of payment	PAPXOPTF
415 limits	PAPX415

Rules	User Code Module Name
Date conversion options, date round options, and duration options	PAPXDTGN
Actuarial assumptions	PAPXCMFN
401(a)(17) parameters	PAPXELMT

The following functions and rules do not include user code options:

Plan eligibility.
Participation.
Retirement eligibility.
Employee accounts.
Social security primary insurance amount (PIA).
Covered compensation.
Benefit formula.
Employee-paid benefit.
Consolidated contributions.
Interest methods.
Projections.
Human Resources (HR) action and reason categories.

Calling User Code

Several functions have parameters that you can mark for custom processing by selecting the User Code in the Zero Options field for a portion of the calculation.

Anywhere that this user code option appears, you can select it to have the system run your configured code to perform that part of the processing.

Two user code options are different:

On the Plan Implementation page, you can insert user code modules directly into the calculation jobstream.

This type of user code module is not associated with the system’s core functions. It is a custom core function that you develop yourself. You set up this type of user code to access values from earlier in the jobstream. To make the results of the user code available later in the jobstream, the user code must create an entry in the alias table so that other calculation components can reference the results by the alias name.
In the Define Calculation (CALCULATE_PENSION) component, a check box for loading external employee data is a user code option because you must write your own data loading procedure.

See Also

Creating a Plan Implementation

Calculating Pension Benefits

Configuring Individual User Code Modules

This section provides overviews of user code modules and the information in this section and discusses how to configure user code modules.

Understanding User Code Modules

Although each function uses only one user code module, that code can cover many different situations. Sometimes, the code completes all of the processing without referencing parameters. Sometimes, the code performs one small part of the processing and provides a method or an intermediate value for the function.

Pension Administration expects that the modules perform processing only for the user code options that are selected on the parameter pages.

Understanding the Information in This Section

This section includes summary tables for the system components that have user code options on the parameter pages. These tables include the following information:

User Code Option: The user code option that appears on the system component's parameter page. For example, the Add Periods Rules page contains the user code option Adjustment Rule, which is used in configuring service.
Description: What the function expects the user code to produce.

This section is organized by function and page.

Configuring Service

The following pages appear for add period rules and hours equivalence rules definitions:

Add Periods Rules

This page appears only for elapsed time and hours equivalence definitions.

User Code Option	Description
Adjustment Rule	Returns the adjusted effective date for the specified action and reason.

Hours Equivalence Rules

This page appears only for hours equivalence definitions.

User Code Option	Description
Hours Equivalence Type and Customized Equivalence Rules	Return the number of hours in a period.

See Also

Setting Up Elapsed Time Service

Setting Up Hours Counting Service

Setting Up Hours Equivalence Service

Configuring Break

The following pages appear for break restore rules and break wait rules:

Break Restore Rules

User Code Option	Description
Break Defined By	Sets break for every period in the service history.

Break Wait Rules

User Code Option	Description
One Year Wait and Elapsed Time	Return Y (service is restored) or N.

See Also

Defining Service and Break Rules

Configuring Vesting

The following pages appear for add period and hours equivalence rules definitions:

Vesting Schedule Page

User Code Option	Description
Schedule Type	Returns the vesting percentage for the schedule. This percentage is still compared to results from other schedules, and it is still subject to the full vesting and forfeiture conditions on the Vesting Conditions page.

Vesting Conditions Page

User Code Option	Description
Full Vesting Conditions	Returns Y or N. If the value is Y, the final vesting is 100 percent.
Forfeiture Conditions	Returns Y or N. If the value is N, the final vesting is 0 percent.

See Also

Defining Vesting Rules

Configuring Final Average Earnings

To configure final average earnings:

Parameters 2 of 2 Page

User Code Option	Description
Partial Period Options and Final Period Options	Return two parameters for each partial period in the history: Y or N to determine whether a period is included in the total. If the value is Y, return an earnings amount.
Limit Options - Before Averaging	Returns the limited amount for each period in the history.
Limit Options - While Averaging and Short Service Options	Return the final average earnings amount.
Zeros	Returns the earnings amount for each zero period in the history.

See Also

Defining Final Average Earnings

Configuring Cash Balance Accounts

To configure cash balance accounts:

Cash Balance 2 of 3 Page

User Code Option	Description
Calculate Credit According To..	Returns a credit amount for each period, still subject to minimums, maximums, and partial period rules.
Step Rate Threshold	Returns the earnings amount.
Subject to Minimum	Returns the minimum credit amount that is applied to each period.
Subject to Maximum	Returns the maximum credit amount that is applied to each period.

Cash Balance 3 of 3 Page

User Code Option	Description
Partial/Mini Period Rules	Returns the credit amount for each partial period in the history.

See Also

Defining Cash Balance Accounts

Configuring Early and Late Retirement Factors

To configure early and late retirement factors:

Parameters Page

User Code Option	Description
Subadjustment Method	Returns the adjustment factor. You can use it, or you can disregard the employee and beneficiary from and to ages on the Actuarial Equivalence Method page.

Actuarial Equivalence Method Page

User Code Option	Description
Employee From Age, Employee To Age, Beneficiary From Age, and Beneficiary To Age	Returns the age.

Arithmetic Method 1 of 2

User Code Option	Description
Number of Adjustment Periods	Returns the number of periods used as the basis for the arithmetic adjustment.

Configuring Death Coverage

To configure death coverage:

General Parameters Page

User Code Option	Description
Calculate Reduction Using	Provides the final adjustment factor.
Apply Table-Defined Schedule	Provides the final adjustment factor, using values provided by the specified table.

Define Fixed Period Page

User Code Option	Description
Determine Fixed Period Length	Returns the number of periods that the arithmetic rule uses to determine the factor.

See Also

Defining Death Coverage Reductions

Configuring Optional Forms of Payment

To configure optional forms of payment:

General Parameters Page

User Code Option	Description
Non-Taxable Amount Calculation	Returns the nontaxable portion of the payment for each form in the formset.

Forms Definition Page

User Code Option	Description
Conversion Method	Returns the factor for converting to the optional form of payment.

Lump Sum Parameters 2 of 2 Page

User Code Option	Description
Use Alternate Assumption Set	Returns the factor for converting to alternate lump sum amount.
Lump Sum Not Available	Returns Y or N. If value is N, the payment option does not appear in the calculation results.

See Also

Defining Optional Forms of Payment

Configuring Consolidated Earnings

To configure consolidated earnings:

Generate Earnings Page

User Code Option	Description
Generation Method for Action Reason and Generation Method for Custom Statement	Return the earnings amount for the period. This amount is still subject to minimums or maximums.

Earnings Adjustments Page

User Code Option	Description
Adjustment Method - Term	Returns the earnings amount to replace earnings from the termination period.
Adjustment Method - Hire	Returns the earnings amount to replace earnings from the hire period.

See Also

Consolidating Payroll Data

Configuring Consolidated Hours

To configure consolidated hours:

Generate Hours Page

User Code Option	Description
Generation Method for Action Reason and Generation Method for Custom Statement	Return the earnings amount for the period. This amount is still subject to minimums or maximums.

Define Hours Adjustments Page

User Code Option	Description
Adjustment Method - Term	Returns the hours amount to replace hours from the termination period.
Adjustment Method - Hire	Returns the hours amount to replace hours from the hire period.

See Also

Consolidating Payroll Data

Configuring Duration Options

To configure duration options:

Calculation Options Page

User Code Option	Description
Date Math Method	Uses the two date end points and returns a decimal date. If this option is used on the Duration Definition page, the duration utility converts this date to the six other formats.

Conversion Options Page

User Code Option	Definition
Decimal Conversion Method	Uses a raw duration and returns a decimal value.

Configuring Date Rounding Options

To configure date rounding options:

Date Round Option Page

User Code Option	Description
Date Type	Uses the date to which the method is applied (raw or decimal) and returns a rounded value.

See Also

Using Date Aliases and Date Options

Configuring Date Conversion Options

To configure date conversion options:

Date Conversion Option Page

User Code Option	Description
Extract	Returns a custom value based on a raw date.
Conversion Method	Uses the date to which the method is applied (raw or decimal) and returns a converted value.

See Also

Using Date Aliases and Date Options

Configuring Actuarial Assumptions

To configure actuarial assumptions:

Interest Basis Page

User Code Option	Description
Interest Basis	Returns an interest rate.

See Also

Using Actuarial Assumptions

Configuring Interest Methods

To configure interest methods:

Interest Method 1 of 2 Page

User Code Option	Description
Interest Rate Method	Returns an interest rate.

Interest Method 2 of 2 Page

User Code Option	Description
Full Period Technique	Returns an interest credit for all full periods to which the rule is applied.
Partial Period Technique	Returns an interest credit for all partial periods to which the rule is applied.

See Also

Using Interest Methods

Configuring 401(a)(17) Parameters

To configure 401(a)(17) parameters:

401(a)(17) Parameters Page

User Code Option	Description
Earnings are Limited on and Carry Back Limits	Returns a limited earnings amount for each period to which the rule is applied.