Business owners accumulate substantial volumes of employee records like employment applications, performance reviews, payroll records and disciplinary actions. At the beginning of the year, when many employers can’t stuff another piece of paper into crowded filing cabinets, they often decide it’s time to purge old files. But, before you start throwing out any documents, you need to make sure you’re in compliance with federal, state and local laws that require you to retain employee records for a specified time period. (more…)
One thing a small business owner never wants to hear in connection with his payroll is BACK PAY. Don’t be confused, Back Pay is not when you give an employee a raise and make the start date in the past and allow for retroactive pay. No, Back Pay is a remedy for wage violations. It’s an order that the employer make up the difference between what the employee was paid and what the employee should have been paid. It’s a serious situation. (more…)
Every four years, the calendar offers up a dilemma to the world: How exactly will you spend that extra day in the wonderful blustery gray month of February? Well, actually leap year doesn’t really present too much of a problem. It’s pretty predictable – it comes every four years at the same time. So not a whole lot of preparation is required. But there are other calendar irregularities that can cause a bit more of a problem. (more…)
Are you an employer or employee who likes to get that paycheck in your hand every pay period? There are people who like that trip to the bank to make deposits. However, they may be putting themselves – and their employers – at risk by getting that paper check.
When paychecks go missing…
It’s not an uncommon event to have paychecks stolen. One small business owner found himself in a pickle. A man simply parked his car at a hotel to have dinner with a friend and when he returned, the bag containing the checks was gone. The thief may not have even known he was stealing checks because they were completely out of sight in a bag. But in any event, the employer now has a big problem that has to be resolved right away. Employees are waiting for their wages.
Replace your paycheck system and improve processes
Entrepreneurs have to take leadership roles and sometimes that means dictating processes that ensure safety and security – like with payroll. And most often in today’s workplace, payroll is paid in one of two ways:
Automatic deposit into employee bank accounts
Credit to a payroll card and used by the employee
Small business owners have enough to think about to keep the workplace running. In addition to using automatic deposits, more and more employers are outsourcing their payroll to a payroll provider. Not only does hiring out for payroll services ensure accuracy and efficiency, it keep the budget in line.
Employers are realizing that it is just not worth the risk when dealing with taxes and employee wages to keep it in house. The payroll fees are far outweighed by the costs of in-house processing and definitely as protection against error in payroll taxes, reporting and making deposits.
Streamlining the payroll process so that it can be handled virtually from start to finish eliminates the potential of having paychecks stolen from the back of a car during an errand run. And, with it being automated, it can be handled efficiently, which means it is cost effective.
As an employer, whether you are a big or small business, you have the responsibility to hire employees who are authorized to work in the United States. One of the ways many employers ensure workers are legally able to work is by getting employees’ social security number. Easy, right? Well, not so much. Let me tell you a story from the offices of The Payroll Department. (more…)
I am opening a new sales location for The Payroll Department in Zionsville!
As all of my clients already know, The Payroll Department recently completed a complete conversion to a new software that allows us to better serve them. It was a huge process and one that offers complete transparency and accessibility to our client employers and their employees.
While it has been a challenge to get every little detail in place, it was well worth every hour and every bit of effort. We now have more capabilities and options than ever before. (more…)
You know you’re having a bad day when a mistake you made gets covered by the local newspaper. Not exactly the kind of publicity you want! As this article reports, the town of Windham, Connecticut, recently found themselves in the middle of a payroll mess that resulted from problems with a new accounting system. (more…)
You may have heard of National Payroll Week. Started in 1996 by the American Payroll Association, it celebrates “many things important to each of us who work” according to their website, nationalpayrollweek.com. During National Payroll Week, workers are given a chance to share their opinions on current topics in the areas of work and payroll. This is a good chance for today’s workers to share their thoughts. (more…)
As we all know, changes in the world of small business are not only inevitable, they are also constant. More than likely, if you are an entrepreneur, you already have your hands full, just trying to get through your daily responsibilities. That’s one reason why The Payroll Department stays up with the trends. We want to always provide small business owners with the education and information you need. (more…)
Entrepreneurs have to take leadership roles and sometimes that means dictating processes that ensure safety and security – like with payroll. And most often in today’s workplace, payroll is paid in one of two ways:
