Understanding ‘For Period’ and ‘In Period’ in SAP HR

If you work with SAP HR, especially in the payroll area, you’ll inevitably come across the terms “for a period” and “in period.” These concepts are crucial for understanding when payroll was calculated and during which period the results were created. Let’s break them down:

What is ‘For Period’?

• ‘For period’ refers to the specific payroll period for which an employee’s salary and other payments are calculated.
• It’s the time frame for which the payroll system computes wages, deductions, taxes, and other benefits.
• Example: If your company runs payroll from the 1st to the last day of each month, and you run payroll in May, the ‘for period’ could be May 1st – May 31st.

What is ‘In Period’?

• ‘In period’ indicates the payroll period in which the pay calculations are executed, and the payroll results are generated or stored.
• Example: Using the same scenario, you might run the May payroll on June 2nd. In this case, the ‘in period’ would be June, even though the calculations were ‘for’ May.

Why Do These Concepts Matter?

The distinction between ‘for period’ and ‘in period’ becomes essential in these situations:

• Retroactive Payroll Adjustments: An employee’s pay rate changed in April, but the adjustment wasn’t entered until May. It would help if you reranactively rerun payroll to ensure the employee gets the correct back pay and deductions. When you do so, the ‘for period’ would be April, while the ‘in period’ would be May (when the retroactive calculation occurred).
• Audit Trails: Distinguishing between ‘for period’ and ‘in period’ helps maintain a clear record of when payroll calculations were made and assist with compliance and auditing.

Where to Find ‘For Period’ and ‘In Period’ in SAP HR

You’ll primarily encounter these terms in payroll results tables like PC_PAYRESULT. The fields are usually named similar to:

• FORPER – For Period
• INPER – In Period

Key Takeaways

• ‘For period’ is the target period for pay calculations.
• ‘In period’ represents when the calculation and result generation happened.
• Understanding these concepts is vital for retroactively adjusting pay and maintaining accurate HR records within SAP.