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January 2024

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Letter from the President

Letter from the President

Forward Glances

Reflections as we celebrate 45 years of service

This is the time of year when I like to review our accomplishments and look forward to the New Year and plan for the future.  The best way to do that is to reflect on the past and see how we got to this point.

As we enter 2024, C/F Data Systems 45th year in business, I want to recognize and thank many of you for your patronage and support throughout these past four and a half decades.  We are very privileged to have served so many companies for so many years. 

 

The following list represents our twenty-five longest customer relationships:

Most Veteran
Customers

Carlysle Engineering
Boston, MA
40 Years
Professional Electric of Connecticut
Canton, MA
40 Years
Walsh Contracting
Attleboro, MA
39 Years
Mass Bay Electrical Corp.
E Boston, MA
39 Years
E W Audet
Providence, RI
39 Years
Stadelmann Electrical Service
Brockton, MA
38 Years
Turri Masterson
Torrington, CT
38 Years
Worcester Electrical Associates
Worcester, MA
38 Years
Bennett Electrical
Weymouth, MA
38 Years
Mancini Sheet Metal
Billerica, MA
38 Years
McCusker Gill
Hingham, MA
37 Years
Comalli Electric
Pittsfield, MA
36 Years
The Buckingham Routh Company
New Haven, CT
36 Years
J C Higgins Corporation
Stoughton, MA
36 Years
Barry Communications
Worcester, MA
36 Years
R & R Window Contractors
Easthampton, MA
36 Years
Crowe & Sons Electric
Lowell, MA
35 Years
Grinnell Mechanical Contractors
Burlington, MA
35 Years
Systems Contracting
Plymouth, MA
35 Years
Nutmeg Construction Group
Colchester, CT
35 Years
Glover Sheet Metal
Newton, MA
35 Years
R P Iannuccillo & Sons
Providence, RI
35 Years
Builders Systems
Auburn, MA
35 Years
Annese Electrical
Weymouth, MA
35 Years
Colbert Electrical Company
Reading, MA
35 Years

I wish to thank all of you for your continued confidence in us and I would like to wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. 

Eric Goldstein

Eric Goldstein

President
C/F Data Systems

Office News

News from the Office

STRUCTURE Cloud

Printing

Are you having trouble printing from STRUCTURECloud?

Then consider the TSPrint option.

TSPrint is a third-party app included with STRUCTURECloud that allows you to print files easily from your STRUCTURECloud Remote Desktop environment to your locally connected or networked printers. (For those who aren't yet on STRUCTURECloud but are using terminal servers, you could purchase and install TSPrint.)

 

Using TSPrint is optional. When accessing STRUCTURECloud using MS Remote Desktop, printer redirection is still available without using TSPrint. However, TSPrint can increase print speed and offers more features such as file transfers, direct print to a default printer, and print options for selected printers.

 

It can print a PDF file that can be saved to your local or virtual workstation. It can also email it from your virtual or local workstation.

 

Additionally, TSPrint allows you to open a document stored in STRUCTURECloud on your local workstation or device, allowing you to view and/or save it on your local machine.

 

TSPrint is already installed in your STRUCTURECloud environment. However, you will need to install the TSPrint client on each workstation or device used to access STRUCTURECloud in order to use TSPrint.

 

The TSPrint client will work with Windows, Mac OS, Chrome OS, and Android. The appropriate TSPrint client will need to be installed on each workstation or device used to access STRUCTURECloud.

Note: Currently, there is no iOS client for use with iPhone or iPad.

Click here for the full How-To document for TSPrint: 

Contacting Support

We set you up with a coach, but then you have the whole team behind you.

If you are using STRUCTURECloud, you most likely worked with a singular member of our team who helped you set up and learn to use the new cloud environment.

Now that you're using STRUCTURECloud live, you should contact the C/F Data Support team for all of your STRUCTURE as well as STRUCTURECloud needs going forward, and not just the person you initially worked with.

This will give you a faster response time, as the next available rep will be able to respond, and it will free members of our team who are helping new customers with the transition to the cloud.

Phone: 800.370.4357 | 781.337.7200 | Email: support@cfdatasystems.com | Website: cfdatasupport.com

Password Change Notifications

They only take a minute of your time.

With STRUCTURECloud, we take security very seriously. No, we're not NASA or the CIA, but we consider your data just as important.

So when you receive a password change notification in your STRUCTURECloud environment, please don't ignore it. If you do, your password can expire and you will need to contact C/F Data Support to reset it for you. You definitely don't want it to expire outside of business hours!

New Certified Payroll PROC ECE

woman in front of computer excited and c

We are excited to announce our new certified payroll program! 

 

Launching soon, ECE (Export Certified Affidavits) will allow you to easily select the necessary options and run the Federal and State Certified Payroll reports you need.

The reports will be configured in ECM (Affidavit Configuration & Maintenance)  - eliminating the need for control file questions, job notes, or employee notes to be configured in STRUCTURE. (EEX will still be available for those who wish to use it.)

 

EWU will create the certified payroll reports based on the configurations in ECM and the answers in ECE.

For full details about this exciting new program, watch the video: 

Retiring Programs

We will be retiring the following PROCs at the end of the first quarter of 2024:

JOR - Job Information

JWW - Work in Process

JJR - Single Line

You will be able to configure these reports in JMG - Master Report Generator.

For more information on JMG click here.

Upcoming Holidays

The C/F Data Systems offices will be closed on:

  • Monday, January 1st - New Year's Day

    

              The Support Team will not be available on this day.

How To: Set Up 401K Limits

 

There are two deduction codes available for 401K.

   

These exact codes must be used for the system to recognize the 401K deductions:

  • Use an upper-case Z for a traditional 401K.

  • Use a lower-case z for Roth.

NOTE: To start a Roth plan, you must call C/F Data Systems Support first to change a hidden Control File Question.

    

On the second screen of EMT (Employee Maintenance), in the deduction grid enter the Z or z code, frequency, type (flat or %), the amount, and the limit.

    

If an employee has both a Traditional and a Roth 401K, enter the same limit on both the Z and z lines.  The system will know that this is the combined limit for both. 

If the employee has both Z and z, then the full 401k limit must be on both lines.

How To: Set 401K Limits for the New Year

    

Important Note: Wait until after all Payroll Year End steps

have been completed and EYU has been run.

    

From the Year End and W2’s menu, select ES4 - Set 401K Limits for New Year.

    

The ES4 screen will appear.

    

Enter the 401K limit for the new year. The 2024 limit is $23,000. 

    

The limit will update on both the Z and z (Roth) deduction codes in EMT. 

    

After the ES4 is done, change the limit for employees over age 50 in EMT to $30,500 for the catch-up contribution.

Click to print 401k instructions:

Work Orders

Recommended Settings for Dispatch Scheduling (WDS)

The Dispatch Scheduling (WDS) board is designed for users to set their individual preferences. However, for optimum performance we recommend the following settings for all users.

 

From the WDS tool bar - click [Settings].

  • Select ‘Grid View’ for the Work Order List.

  • Set the Auto-Refresh Buffer to ‘240’.

  • Check the ‘Allow Conflicting Appointments’ option.

  • Select ‘30’ for Days to Load (Back) as well as Days to Load (Ahead).

For our full How-To on WDS Scheduling click here.

To print these recommended settings:

Support Tips

Fiscal Year End
Summary Checklist

Accounts Receivable

□ Run AGE – Accounts Receivable Aging – in detail ‐ prior to running the GMC for the month

□ Write off Bad Debt - See Fiscal Year End – Detail, or the Bad Debt How To, for full instructions

□ Optional – run ASR – Sales Analysis by Dollar – enter the dates for your Fiscal Year. Once printed, rerun for the first day of the new year to clear Current Invoice and YTD Invoice total from AMT change mode.

 

Accounts Payable

□ Run VAA – Accounts Payable Aging – in detail ‐ prior to running the GMC for the month.

□ Optional – run VAN – Vendor Analysis - enter the dates for your Fiscal Year. Once printed, rerun for the first day of the new year to clear Current Invoice and YTD Invoice total from VMT change mode.

 
General Ledger

After completing the steps in Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, you will be ready to close the year in General Ledger.

□ GMC – Month End Close

□ GFR – Current Month Financial Reports

 

While You Wait for Your Accountant’s Year End Figures:

You can continue posting your daily activity into future GL periods before doing the year end close in General Ledger.

 

Optional: If you haven’t already done so, set up the following Prior Year Reports to be archived:

□ PTB ‐ Trial Balance

□ PPF ‐ Financial Reports

□ PIC, PBC, & PCC ‐ Comparative Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Supporting Schedules

□ GPU ‐ Period Update

 

When You Get Your Accountant’s Year End Figures:

□ GJE – Journal Entries – Enter your accountant’s adjustments for the end of the year

□ GJU – Current Report and Update – to check your entries and update.

□ GFR – Current Month Financial Reports

□ Optional: GTR ‐ Trial Balance ‐ in Detail, for G/L Period 01 through G/L Period 12

□ Optional: Run Prior Year Financials (PTB, PPF, PIC, PBC and PCC)

□ GPU – Period Update (for period 12) – The system will automatically close the year. No one should be working in STRUCTURE when this is running! This Update will take longer than other period updates, and you will receive a report.

 

Other Applications

Job Cost ‐ Optional

□ JMF – Summary Reports – enter the dates for the cost and billing you want moved into COST PRIOR YEAR and BILLED PRIOR YEAR. Run one of the reports from JMF that includes Total Cost and Total Billing to check the information.

□ JPY – Move Costs to Prior Year Column ‐ will move total cost and billing amounts (based on the JMF report above) into the Cost Prior Year column and Billed Prior Year on your Job Cost Reports. Your Work in Process reports use this information for various columns and calculations, including “COST INCUR THIS YR.” Happy New Year!

 

Inventory - Optional

(NOT for users with ‘Roll Inventory’. Call C/F Data Support for detailed instructions.)

□ IMC – Clear Month to Date Totals - Clears the totals from the Units MTD column of the Material Usage Report (IUR)

□ IYC – Clear Year to Date Totals - Clears the totals from the Units YTD column of the Material Usage Report (IUR)

□ IIU – Inventory History Clear - This is usually run as part of the instructions for doing a physical count for inventory

Click here to print this checklist: 

Support Contact Information

Phone: 800.370.4357 | 781.337.7200 | Email: support@cfdatasystems.com

The phone lines are open from 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday (ET). Email support is available Monday through Friday 8:30am to 7:00pm.

Support may be unavailable Monday (9:00am-9:30am) and Thursday (8:45am-9:45am) for staff meetings.

Year End

2024 Tax Changes

Tax changes go out the second week of January. Admin users should be getting a notification to run an upgrade upon logging into STRUCTURE. If you have not received this message by the second week of January please contact support.

 

Please do not make any changes yourself to the tax tables, especially the description. Doing so can void the changes we send you. Correcting these errors will be billable.

 

After the tax changes are made, the description field for any state that had a change will include a January 2024 date.

 

Unemployment

The tax upgrade will update the State Unemployment Limits in the system. If you have a change to your percentage, you need to enter that in field 13 of EQS - Company State Info for EQU.

 

EQF

FICA limit will change to $168,600.

 

401K

The 401K limit is $23,000. You must enter the amount in ES4. This will update the 401K limit for both 401K and Roth. Employees 50 years of age or older are eligible to make additional catchup contributions. The 401K catch-up contribution for 2024 is $7,500. Enter $30,500 in EMT in the limit field for qualified employees with a “Z” or “z” code.

 

If an employee has both regular 401K and Roth, put the same limit on both deduction lines in EMT.

 

Federal Tax Changes

Important: FUTA - Go into EQF and verify that field 8 states 00.6000. The Federal tax tables have changed.

 

The Social Security tax rate remains at 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate remains at 1.45% for employee and employer. An extra 0.9% in Medicare is withheld on an employee whose wages are in excess of $200,000.

 

Make Sure You Read the Release Notes

Read the release notes that accompany the upgrade for a list of states with changes.

Print these changes: 

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