DEALER PAYROLL · FORD DEALERSHIPS

One Ford rooftop. Three pay rulebooks. One close should carry all three.

A Ford point pays negotiated Ford Blue gross, a fixed no-haggle Model e spiff, and a Ford Pro volume plan, sometimes to one salesperson in one month. WageTime runs all three rulebooks in one close, every EIN in the group, one Friday.

Built on infrastructure processing $35B+ in payroll & taxes · 2.8M+ employees paid

WageTime serves independently owned and operated dealerships. WageTime is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ford Motor Company; Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro are named only to describe the dealerships we serve. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

SOUND FAMILIAR?

Three pay logics under one roof, and the last week of the month disappears reconciling them.

No other domestic brand forces three comp rulebooks together the way a Ford point does. Each is either hours of unpaid office work or a liability quietly compounding while nobody has time to check.

THREE RULEBOOKS

Ford Blue, Model e, and Ford Pro pay by different rules

A negotiated Ford Blue front-end gross, a fixed no-haggle Model e spiff, and a Ford Pro commercial volume plan can land on one salesperson in one month. Generic payroll knows one commission rule and leaves the other two to a spreadsheet.

WARRANTY DRAG

Ford SLTS warranty time runs tighter than customer-pay

Ford flags warranty jobs at fewer hours than the same customer-pay job, so a warranty-heavy period pulls a flat-rate tech toward the minimum-wage floor. The true-up is owed whether or not anyone did the math, and right now that math lives in the controller’s head.

QUIET LAPSES

STARS certs move the rate. Payroll finds out last.

A tech clears Senior Master, or an EV high-voltage cert lapses. The flat-rate figure should move on the effective date. Instead it moves three paychecks later, as a retro adjustment and an argument at the parts counter.

DOUBLE ENTRY

Flag hours live in the DMS; warranty claims live in Ford’s systems

Every period someone exports closed repair orders from CDK, Reynolds, Dealertrack, or Tekion and re-types the hours, while the warranty claims sit in PTS, SERVIS2, and OASIS. Every re-typed number is a chance to short a flat-rate check.

MULTI-ROOFTOP

The Ford store, the second rooftop, and the commercial center, one Friday

The retail Ford store, the second rooftop, and the Ford Pro commercial vehicle center are each their own LLC with their own filings, and the group still closes payroll once, on the same day. Generic providers answer with three logins and a consolidation workbook.

OFF-SCHEDULE MONEY

Factory spiffs, CSI money, and charging reimbursements land mid-cycle

Ford spiffs, OneCX/CSI bonuses, and Ford Pro home-charging driver reimbursements clear off your pay calendar, and still owe correct tax treatment and, often, a check this week, not at the next scheduled run.

Each of the four screens below is shown with sample store data. The commercial-pay and survey-bonus details get straight answers in the FAQ.
01 · FLAT-RATE TRUE-UP

The minimum-wage check runs every period, whether anyone remembers or not.

Ford’s Service Labor Time Standards flag warranty jobs at fewer hours than the same customer-pay work, so every period WageTime divides each tech’s flat-rate earnings by actual clock hours and tests them against the minimum-wage floor.

  • A shortfall becomes a documented true-up earning on the run.
  • The top-up posts before the check goes out, not after a claim.
app.wagetime.com/service/effective-rate

Effective-Rate Check · Jun 16-30

Warranty mix 39%2 techs below floor
Flag hours off closed ROs · Ford SLTS warranty times run tighter than customer-pay · effective rate = flat earnings ÷ clock hours, tested at $16.50/hr
D. Okonkwo #12$47.84/hr
19% wty · $3,540.00 ÷ 74.0 clk hrs
R. Vance #08$35.92/hr
28% wty · $2,730.00 ÷ 76.0 clk hrs
C. Ellis #21$22.61/hr
58% wty · $1,560.00 ÷ 69.0 clk hrs
B. Naylor #17true-up $221.50$13.19/hr
26% wty · $884.00 ÷ 67.0 clk hrsunder floor
T. Suarez #25true-up $430.00$9.33/hr
62% wty · $560.00 ÷ 60.0 clk hrsunder floor
True-up total on the Jul 3 run · earning code TRUEUP$651.50

Replaces the by-hand check the controller runs when there’s time, because the SLTS shortfall doesn’t wait for when there’s time.

02 · TWO COMMISSION RULEBOOKS

A negotiated Ford Blue truck and a fixed-price Model e EV, settled in one close.

One salesperson can close a negotiated Ford Blue truck and a fixed no-haggle Model e EV in the same month: two commission rules, one WageTime close. Ford Blue pays front-end gross; Model e pays a flat per-unit spiff at fixed Ford.com pricing.

  • F&I chargebacks net against the month; draw offsets apply automatically.
  • Unreconciled deals roll forward; final-pay recovery blocked where state law prohibits it.
app.wagetime.com/payroll/commission-close

Commission Close · June

6 no-haggle Model e deals1 negative draw carried
Ford Blue pays negotiated front-end gross · Model e pays a flat $500/unit spiff at fixed Ford.com pricing · both settle in one close
27Ford Blue units
6Model e units
$11,000.00June net
SalespersonFord Blue grossNet
Angela P. · 9 Ford Blue3 EV+$1,500.00 draw −$3,000.00$7,020.00$5,520.00
Marcus D. · 6 Ford Blue2 EV+$1,000.00 draw −$3,000.00$4,380.00$2,380.00
Sofia M. · 8 Ford Blue1 EV+$500.00 draw −$3,000.00$5,600.00$3,100.00
Tyler B. · 4 Ford Blue0 Model e · draw −$3,000.00$1,900.00−$1,100.00 carried
3 paid · Tyler B. −$1,100 draw balance carried, not clawed from final paypays on the Jul 3 run

Replaces the two-tab spreadsheet that tries to pay a negotiated deal and a fixed-price deal with one formula.

03 · THE STARS LADDER

In through ASSET or FACT, up to Senior Master: the rate follows the tier on its effective date.

Ford technicians climb their own ladder, tracked by a STARS ID, and WageTime binds the flat-rate figure to each rung with an effective date: clear Senior Master and the new rate starts that day.

  • Rates bind to Ford tiers and the specialization category that gates them.
  • EV high-voltage and CVC premiums stack on the base, each effective-dated.
  • A lapse is flagged before it lands, with the per-period cost shown.
app.wagetime.com/service/cert-ladder

STARS Ladder · Service Dept

1 renewal at risk1 rate change queued
−$158Lapse cost / period
−$2.00Premium at risk /hr
79.0Flag hrs / period
TechRate ruleStatus
D. Okonkwo #12Sr Mstr $44+$2hv→$44.00 Sep5$46.00/flag hrAt risk
R. Vance #08Fd Mstr·Drive·recert Mar 2028$37.00/flag hrCurrent
C. Ellis #21Fd Mstr,ASSET·Sr Mstr passed$28.00 → $33.00/flag hrRate chg Aug 1
B. Naylor #17Gen Line,FACT·Two crs sched$22.00/flag hrCurrent
Lapse impact · D. Okonkwo · the high-voltage premium comes off the base flat rate the day it expires, on every flag hour he turns

Replaces the whiteboard of who’s Senior Master and whose high-voltage cert is due, and the retro-pay cleanup after a quiet lapse.

04 · DRAWS & RECOVERY

Draw balances tracked like the receivables they are.

Every advance, every commission offset, every month’s net lands in a running WageTime ledger per salesperson, with threshold flags. A draw that goes underwater is visible in month one, not month three.

  • Final-paycheck recovery is blocked automatically in states that prohibit it.
app.wagetime.com/draws/tyler-b

Draw Ledger · Tyler B.

Balance −$2,650
Tyler B. · June
Draw paid · June$3,000
Commissions earned$1,900
June net−$1,100
Balance carried−$2,650
Prior monthsDrawCommissions
Marchnet +$240 · balance $0$3,000$3,240
Aprilnet −$700 · balance −$700$3,000$2,300
Maynet −$850 · balance −$1,550$3,000$2,150
Plan rule FD-SLS-02Flag > $2,000 · 3 deficit months

Replaces discovering a −$2,650 balance in month three, or in the exit interview.

PRICING

Simple payroll pricing. No surprises.

Full-service payroll is $10 a month per person paid that month, plus $50 a month per company, with unlimited runs. No long-term contracts, no per-run charges.

  • Full-service payroll, unlimited runs
  • Federal, state & local tax filing
  • Year-end W-2s & 1099s
  • Direct deposit, checks & pay cards
  • Contractor payments & filings
  • Off-cycle runs & bonuses, no extra fee
  • Employee paystubs & W-2 access
  • QuickBooks integration
$10/mo per person paid
+ $50/mo per company

Off-cycle runs and bonuses cost nothing extra. No long-term contracts; cancel anytime.

Example: 50 people paid × $10 + $50 company = $550 for the month

HR & hiring, onboarding, PTO, time tracking, benefits, and workers’ comp are optional add-ons, priced separately when you’re ready.

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THE INFRASTRUCTURE BEHIND WAGETIME
$35B+
in payroll & taxes paid
2.8M+
employees paid
4.3M+
W-2s & 1099s filed
100%
of tax filings automated

Ford dealer payroll FAQ

We sell Model e EVs at fixed no-haggle prices but negotiate on Ford Blue trucks: can payroll run both commission rules in one month-end close?

Yes: the month-end commission close runs both rules in one pass. Negotiated Ford Blue deals pay front-end gross; fixed no-haggle Model e deals pay a flat per-unit spiff. Both settle against the same running draw ledger, F&I chargebacks net against the month, and unreconciled deals roll forward instead of holding the close.

Our EV and commercial techs carry Ford high-voltage and CVC certifications on top of Senior Master: do those premiums bind to the rate on their effective date?

Yes. Rates bind to certifications with effective dates, so a Ford high-voltage or Commercial Vehicle Center premium stacks on a Senior Master base and starts on the day the cert takes effect. Let one drift toward lapse and it’s flagged before it lands, with the per-period cost shown, not a retro adjustment three paychecks later.

How do you handle Ford Pro commercial and fleet salespeople who are on a volume pay plan instead of retail front-end gross?

A commercial or fleet salesperson can run on a volume plan in the same close as retail front-end gross: the commission close handles both. Ford Pro home-charging driver reimbursements are treated as a taxable, reportable earning, and pay on an off-cycle run at no extra cost if they land mid-cycle.

Warranty jobs pay fewer hours under Ford SLTS than the same customer-pay job: does the true-up catch a warranty-heavy tech automatically?

Yes. Ford’s Service Labor Time Standards flag warranty jobs at fewer hours than the same customer-pay job, so a warranty-heavy period pulls a flat-rate tech’s effective rate down. Each period, flat-rate earnings are divided by clock hours and tested against the wage floor; a shortfall posts as a documented true-up earning before the check goes out.

Our flag hours and warranty claims live in PTS, SERVIS2, and OASIS through FMCDealer: do you re-key those or import them?

Neither is re-keyed. We import clock and flag hours off your closed repair orders so there’s no double entry, and the warranty claims you file in Ford’s systems stay there. Finished payroll posts to QuickBooks mapped by department. Tell us your DMS on the demo and we’ll confirm the exact flow for your setup.

We gate advisor and salesperson bonuses on Ford OneCX survey scores and President’s Award goals: can the run book those to the right person and period?

Yes. When a CSI or survey threshold gates a bonus, that bonus is booked to the right person and pay period once you confirm who cleared it. Off-cycle bonus runs cost nothing extra, so a spiff that clears after the close still pays on time with correct tax treatment.

Bring your worst Ford close.

Last month’s Ford Blue and Model e deals in one sheet, a warranty-heavy fortnight of SLTS flag hours, the STARS list off the whiteboard, one draw that’s underwater. Twenty minutes with a payroll specialist on a live demo store: if WageTime can’t carry all three rulebooks, you’ll know before the meeting ends.

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