Tie a payroll register to the GL and note the reclass

About this exercise

You're tying October's payroll register to the general ledger. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting "Register gross:", "GL wages:", "GL bonus:", "Reclass add-back:", "Difference:" and "Question:". The add-back is the amount reclassed out of wages to another account. Show the math on Difference. The Question line asks one question for payroll about the reclass and doesn't explain it. Under 80 words. No bullets or numbering.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Including employer tax. The AI adds the $3,691 of employer tax and reports a mismatch. Try: Add: "Leave out employer payroll tax; it is not gross pay."
• Ignoring the reclass. The AI reports a $500 difference without the add-back. Try: Add: "Reclass add-back: the amount JE-2041 moved out of wages."
• Explaining the reclass. The AI states the reclass was for a contractor. Try: Add: "Question: ask about the reclass; don't explain it or repeat the guess."
• Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

• Names the six lines
• Excludes employer tax
• Shows the difference math
• Asks one question
• Caps length

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