Equus Software

An Authorization or Initiation is the process of obtaining and documenting formal approval for an assignment. 
You can check this article for a video on the basics about authorization/initiation.

What is an Authorization / Initiation?

An assignee is an employee who is or will be on assignment. In AssignmentPro an assignee/employee can have multiple assignments associated with their employee record.

What is an Assignee?

A balance sheet (also known as Compensation Calculation) is a document that describes all elements of payroll compensation that an assignee will receive. Typically lists compensation in home and host

What is a Balance Sheet / Compensation Calculation?

A Tax Cost Estimate (TCE)  is a calculation of the total costs of an assignment that includes the company’s tax costs as well as the employee’s tax costs. 

What is Tax Cost Estimate?

A cash payment to the employee to cover certain temporary living expenses. This usually includes meals, lodging, and incidental expenses; expressed as a daily rate. The Per Diem is typically based on

What is a Per Diem?

A Letter of Assignment (LOA) is a  document used to detail all of the logistical and compensation elements of an assignment. In some countries an LOA may carry the weight…

What is a Letter of Assignment?

A compensation element that is typically separate from base compensation and considered a bonus to reward the employee. 

What is an Incentive Compensation?

Allowance to cover the cost of housing in the assignment location. An allowance may or may not include utilities, and is typically paid directly to the assignee. Alternatively, the company…

What is Housing Allowance?

The country to which the assignee is temporarily assigned to work. Also referred to as the assignment location. 

What is a Host Country?

Allowances, reimbursements or payments made by an employer increase an assignee's taxable income. Employers may alleviate this impact by paying the employee an additional amount to help with the incre

What is Gross-up?

The payment made to offset the difference in the costs of goods and services between the host and the home countries. 

What is Goods and Services Differential?

A method of determining a goods and services amount. Examples are EPI (Efficient Purchaser Index); Mean to Mean, Efficient, Expatriate. Each method uses a base set of assumptions regarding the…

What is Goods & Services (G&S) Index Method?

The term "Goods and Services (G&amp;S)" refers to items included in a market basket used for comparing costs in both the home and host countries. 
The Goods &amp; Services (G&amp;S) Index…

What is Goods & Services (G&S) Index?

The Global Statement of Earnings (GSOE) aggregates all elements of compensation, benefits and allowances paid that are sourced from the Pay Register and Comp Accumulator.  Elements from the Pay Regist

What is Global Statement of Earnings?

An Expat / Expatriate is an employee who is sent on an international assignment to live abroad for a defined time period. An expatriate is expected to relocate abroad, with or without family, for as…

What is an Expatriate?

Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) is a payment intended to mitigate a higher cost of living (food, housing, clothing and other basic necessities) in a given city or country.  
Changes in…

What is Cost of Living Allowance?

A summary of all elements of compensation, benefits and allowances paid to an employee. Typically includes the company costs and well as any employee contributions, and demonstrates the overall detail

What is a Compensation Summary?

A cap (in context of a compensation element) is an upper end used in calculating assignment allowances or premiums. Typically stated as either a salary cap (used in the calculation…

What is a Cap?

A Cost Estimate (CE) or Cost Projection (CP) (used interchangeably) is a report listing the approximate cost of necessary services or line items (e.g., allowances, vendor services,tax costs, etc.) ass

What is a Cost Estimate / Cost Projection

Social insurance treaties that have been entered into between countries that allow an assignee to be exempt from social tax contributions and benefits schemes in the host country. Generally limited…

What is Totalization Agreement?

A Third Country National (TCN)  is an individual who is employed in one country, whose home country is in another and has accepted a position in a yet another (third)…

What is a Third Country National?

The net amount due either to the assignee (paid by the employer) or to the company (paid by the assignee) that results from the tax equalization calculation. 

What is Tax Settlement?

Tax Equalization (EQ or TEQ)  is a tax reimbursement approach utilized by employers to neutralize the impact of an international assignment on an employee’s tax liability. A tax equalization policy…

What is Tax Equalization?

The amount that a typical individual or family spends on goods and services at home. 

What is Spendable?

A short term assignment (STA) is an assignment that is less than one year in duration. 

What is a Short Term Assignment?

Refers to an employment relationship established between the employee/assignee and the host company in the host location. Sometimes, the existing employment relationship with the home entity is termin

What is a Secondment?

Compensation received in exchange for work or services performed. Typically consists of monetary rewards, also referred to as a wage or salary or compensation. 

What is Remuneration?

Repatriation (or Repat) is the process of returning the assignee to their home country from the host country where the duration of their assignment was completed.

What is Repatriation?

A monetary incentive to help balance the negatives of an assignment. 

What is a Premium?

An amount that represents the stay-at-home equivalent that an assignee would pay had they remained in the home country. Examples include a housing norm or an education norm. 

What is a Norm?

The bottom line of an assignee’s pay – the amount of cash remaining after all elements of base compensation, assignment allowances, and deductions. 

What is Net Assignment Pay?

Inpatriate (or Inpat) is a term used to describe an international assignee working in the headquarters country of the company. 

What is an Inpatriate?

Hypo Tax or Hypothetical Tax is an amount that represents an employee’s home country tax liability during an assignment.  Hypo tax withholding replaces actual tax withholding. It is usually a negative

What is  Hypothetical Tax?

The portion of base salary normally paid in the home country for both housing and utilities by an assignee’s counterpart at an equivalent salary level and family size in the same…

What is Housing Norm?

Housing Allowance minus Housing Norm equals the Housing Differential.

What is Housing Differential?

The country to which an assignee is tied by economic and social aspects, where he/she normally resides and to which he/she intends to return after the international assignment. Typically the…

What is a Home Country?

Hardship Allowance or Premium (also known as Danger Pay or Quality of Living) is an allowance intended to compensate for subjecting an assignee (and family) to harsh or difficult conditions. May…

What is Hardship Allowance?

A Foreign Service Premium (FSP) is a premium paid to compensate an assignee for leaving their home country and having to adjust to a new work environment. Typically a FSP…

What is Foreign Service Premium?

An amount paid to an international assignee to reimburse the cost of education of dependent children in primary and secondary schools in the host country. Private schooling is often needed…

What is Education Allowance?

A Destination Services Provider (DSP) is a company that assists an assignee in relocating to another location. Services provided often include location tours, house finding assistance, local license a

What is a Destination Services Provider?

A consulting company that produces data to support compensation elements for an assignment. This data is obtained by measuring the costs of goods and services in the home country and…

What is a Data Provider?

Compensation Accumulation (or Comp Accum) is the process of gathering the details of all items of payment made to or on behalf of an assignee. Typically includes coordination with the compensation…

What is Compensation Accumulation?

Cost of Living Allowance Index. Also referred to as a Goods &amp; Services (G&amp;S Index). See G&amp;S Index. 

What is COLA Index?

Global Mobility

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