What is the difference between the 10% of Remuneration and Total Temporary Wage Subsidy (10%) line? Shouldn't those two equal one another?

Hello imran3,

Knowing the different details of the steps you're taking to record the Temporary Wage Subsidy in QuickBooks Online is the perfect way to make sure you're entering the information accurately and that your remittances to the government will be correct. I'll gladly go over this with you to make sure that you have a sense of the information you're looking at.

It sounds like you're looking at the Payroll Summary by Employee report as outlined in the Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers (10%) article for QuickBooks Online Standard Payroll. In most circumstances, the 10% of Remuneration line will equal the amount of the Total Temporary Wage Subsidy (10%), but there are a instances where it may not. For example, there may be circumstances where the 10% calculated for the subsidy is more than the remittance amount.

In these situations, if you were to insert the full 10% calculated into the Payroll taxes section, it would result in a negative number. It's important here to pay attention to the Total Temporary Wage Subsidy (10%) line as that will tell you the amount you can input in for your payroll taxes, which in this case should be the same as the taxes calculated by the payroll system.

If you ever do run into a situation where the amount calculated is more than the federal taxes for payroll, you can reduce future payroll remittances using the amount left over. Question 7 on the FAQ – Temporary wage subsidy for employers: CRA and COVID-19 page explains. For the QuickBooks portion, you'll be able to see the amount to apply later by comparing the the amount applicable (Total Temporary Wage Subsidy (10%) line) against the 10% calculated (10% of Remuneration line) to see what the difference is. The Payroll Summary by Employee report is static, so you'll be able to reference those numbers at a later time if needed without worrying about things having been changed. You can also track these figures outside the system if you prefer.

I hope that helps clear things up. Feel free to ask more questions if you have them.