11 code 197 total wages wage record comparison check
Total Wages / Wage Record Wages Comparison Check - Code 197
As the highest numbered, and therefore least significant, error condition, this check concludes the edit processing methods. This specific edit is almost identical to the Code 192 edit, with the one exception that it uses the absolute value of the wage difference, rather than looking for only the total wages in excess of the WRW value. All preconditions checked for the earlier edit exception also apply here (type coverage of zero, MEEI of ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘4’, or ‘6’, for a reporting unit number of zeroes and a non-zero, numeric wage record wage value, and the micro AME at or above the cutoff value specified in the PK049 record of the Lookup File).
Once it has been ascertained that an employer can be edited, the coding looks like this:
Note that the only difference between this equation and the one for Code 192 is that the absolute value notation replaces parentheses around the difference of the two wage values. That means that any time the Code 192 exception appears, Code 197 will also appear, since the tolerances are the same and the sign of the difference is the same. The only time a different result occurs is when the Wage Record Wages (the “WRW” field) is larger than the Micro File total wages. Neither condition is expected, since the wage record wages are supposed to be summed to form the total wages of a firm. Although the employment values listed in the micro data are for people who worked during the pay period including the 12th day of the month, the wage values are supposed to include all wages paid out. The edit exception message for this condition is, “Total Wages Vary Greatly from Wages on Wage Records.” BLS classification: C.4.9.
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