Payroll Service, Changing Providers. Chapter Two. What Should you Look for in a New Provider?

By Charles Read
What should you look for in a new payroll provider?


Service
Technology
Professionalism
Cost
Location?

Service. Can your new provider handle your unique needs? You can only ask. But don’t just take their word. Ask for references in your size and type of business. Smaller providers may only be able to get close but that is OK. You’re concerned about how, not what, service is provided. Ask the references for other reference back to the provided that they did not provide you with. That is where you may get your best information. But in all fairness, remember the old adage “You can’t make all of the people happy all of the time.”

Technology. Is the provider up to date on payroll technology? It is hard for the major payroll providers to upgrade a system for hundreds of thousands of users. They will always be slower to change just because of size and inertia. The very small payroll service providers can’t afford the newest technology. You also don’t want bleeding edge technology just leading edge. Currently (and this changes all the time) you want to talk about paperless payroll, online payroll, payroll debit cards and employee self-service. There are other topics that will apply to your unique circumstances.

Professionalism. How long as the company been in business? Are they a fly-by-night outfit and will disappear with your tax deposits. Do they have standing in the community? Are they an EFTPS batch filer meaning they have at least 100 clients they file tax deposits for?

Do they have qualified payroll professionals and CPAs on staff to handle problems? You will have dealings with the IRS if nothing else over mistakes that the IRS makes. Without a CPA on staff you will either have to deal with the IRS yourself or pay your regular CPA to handle the problem. If your CPA does not deal with payroll tax problems on a regular basis it will be time consuming for him, and expensive for you. to get up to speed with IRS procedure and policy on an area he doesn’t deal with daily.


Cost. How important is cost in the mix of factors in making a decision on which payroll service provider you choose? That question you have to ask yourself. If all other things mentioned above were equal then cost would be the determining factor. If you get the best price and then spend hours every pay period because of obsolete technology, hours fixing their mistakes. Then spend hours placating your employees. Then spend hundreds of dollars with your CPA fixing an IRS error because the new payroll service provider has no CPAs on staff. What have you gained?

Please also review the cost paragraph in chapter one to better understand how payroll companies can mislead you about pricing.

Location. There was a time that location of a payroll company was important, delivery of checks and reports, long distance phone calls, local banking relationships and so on. It does not matter much in this day and age. With email and FedEx it does not matter very much where your payroll service provider is located in relationship to your business. With paperless payroll location is absolutely irrelevant as everything is handled over the Internet and all money is moved through the banking system electronically.


Check out

Payroll Service, Changing Providers. Chapter One. Reasons to change Providers

And

Payroll Service, Changing Providers. Chapter Three. What should happen when I Change?




About the author:

Charles J. Read, CPA has been in the payroll, accounting and tax business for 30 years, the last fifteen in private practice.
Mr. Read is the author of “How to Start a New Business.”

To find professional payroll service at a budget price go to www.PayrollonaBudget.com a paperless payroll company.

For a full service payroll bureau with CPA’s on staff visit www.CustomPayroll.com .

See an excerpt of Mr. Read’s interviews from William Shatners “Heartbeat of America” television show on the web sites linked above.


Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Payroll Delaware, Unique Aspects of Delaware Payroll Law and Practice

By Charles Read
The Delaware State Agency that oversees the collection and reporting of State income taxes deducted from payroll checks is:

Division of Revenue Withholding Division
820 N. French St.
Wilmington, DE 19801
302-577-8200
www.state.de.us/revenue

Delaware allows you to use the Federal W-4 form to calculate state income tax withholding.

Not all states allow salary reductions made under Section 125 cafeteria plans or 401(k) to be treated in the same manner as the IRS code allows. In Delaware cafeteria plans are: not taxable for income tax calculation; taxable for unemployment insurance purposes. 401(k) plan deferrals are: not taxable for income taxes; taxable for unemployment purposes.

In Delaware supplemental wages are required to be aggregated for the withholding calculation..

You must file your Delaware State W-2s by magnetic media if you are required to file your federal W-2s by magnetic media.

The Delaware State Unemployment Insurance Agency is:

The Department of Labor
Division of Unemployment Insurance
4425 N. Market St.
Wilmington, DE 19802
302-761-8446
http://www.delawareworks.com/Unemployment/welcome.shtml

The State of Delaware taxable wage base for unemployment purposes is wages up to $8,500.00.

Delaware has optional reporting of quarterly wages on magnetic media.

Unemployment records must be retained in Delaware for a minimum period of four years. This information generally includes: name; social security number; dates of hire, rehire and termination; wages by period; payroll pay periods and pay dates; date and circumstances of termination.


The Delaware State Agency charged with enforcing the state wage and hour laws is:

The Department Labor
Division of Industrial Affairs
Labor Law Enforcement Section
4425 N. Market St.
Wilmington, DE 19802
302-761-8200
www.delawareworks.com

The minimum wage in Delaware is $6.15 per hour.

There is also no general provision in Delaware State Law covering paying overtime in a non-FLSA covered employer.

Delaware State new hire reporting requirements are that every employer must report every new hire and rehires. The employer must report the federally required elements of:

Employee's name
Employee's address
Employee's social security number
Employer's name
Employers address
Employer's Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)

This information must be reported within 20 days of the hiring or rehiring.
The information can be sent as a W4 or equivalent by mail, fax or electronically.
There is a $25.00 penalty for a late report in Delaware.

The Delaware new hire reporting agency can be reached at 302-577-7171 or on the web site at www.state.de.us/dhss/dcse/index.html .

Delaware does not allow compulsory direct deposit.

Delaware requires the following information on an employee's pay stub:

Wages due
pay period dates
hours worked for hourly workers
itemized deductions

Delaware requires that employee be paid no less often than monthly.

Delaware requires that employees must be paid within 7 days after the end of the pay period.

Delaware payroll law requires that involuntarily or voluntarily terminated employees must be paid their final pay by the next regular payday or by mail upon request.

Deceased employee's wages up to $300.00 must be paid to the surviving children under 21 custodian, surviving spouse, children 21 and over or the deceased's parents (in that order) when a "Proper Demand" has been made.

Escheat laws in Delaware require that unclaimed wages be paid over to the state after five years.

There is no provision in Delaware law concerning record retention of abandoned wage records.

Delaware payroll laws allow for a tip credit against Delaware State minimum wage of $3.92 per hour.

In Delaware the payroll laws covering mandatory rest or meal breaks are: a 30-minute meal period during a 7 and one half-hour shift. Taking place after the first two hours and before the last two hours o the shift.

The Delaware law requires that wage and hour records be retained for a period of at least three years.


The Delaware agency charged with enforcing Child Support Orders and laws is:

Division of Child Support Enforcement
P.O. Box 904
New Castle, DE 19720
302-577-7171
http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dcse/services.html


Delaware has the following provisions for child support deductions:

When to start Withholding? 7 days after first payday after receipt of order.
When to send Payment? Payday.
When to send Termination Notice? "Promptly" Maximum Administrative Fee?
No Provision
Withholding Limits? Federal Rules under CCPA.




Please note that this article is not updated for changes that can and will happen from time to time.




About the author:

Charles J. Read, CPA has been in the payroll, accounting and tax business for 30 years, the last fifteen in private practice.
Mr. Read is the author of “How to Start a New Business.”

To find professional payroll service at a budget price go to www.PayrollonaBudget.com a paperless payroll company.

For a full service payroll bureau with CPA’s on staff visit www.CustomPayroll.com .

See an excerpt of Mr. Read’s interviews from William Shatners “Heartbeat of America” television show on the web sites linked above.


Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Payroll Service, Changing Providers. Chapter Three. What should happen when I Change?

By Charles Read
What should happen when I change payroll service providers?
Timing
Forms
Procedures

Timing. It is easiest for all concerned to change payroll service providers at calendar year end. That way there is no question about responsibility for any tax forms or deposits. Every form, deposit or payment starting with January 1 is the responsibility of the new payroll service provider. There is no trying to balance the payroll numbers and make sure no terminated employee is missed and that all deposits were made on time. If you can’t change at year-end then calendar quarter end (March 31, June 30, and September 30) is second best. That said, if you need or want to, you should be able to change at any time of the year.

How long should it take? The bigger the company the longer it will take simply because the more employees there are the more data there is. If you have employees in multiple states that will make the process take longer. You should however be able to take a business of 50 employees and change over in less than two weeks, from submitting the paperwork to a payday with the new payroll service provider.

Forms. The new payroll service provider should provide you with a complete set of forms. These will include bank authorization forms, employee data forms, direct deposit authorization forms, information sheets on the company, tax deposit frequency information, forms detailing earnings/deductions/benefits/accruals, payroll submission information and Powers of Attorney forms. This provides the new payroll service provider with all the standard data necessary to set up your payroll to suit your needs but gives the provider all the current data to bring files to date and be able to create year end forms such as a 940 and W2s.

Why the Power of Attorney forms? The CPA at the payroll service provider needs that form so they can discuss your account with the IRS and your State. Without these forms you must always be in the middle between the government and the CPA solving the problem. It works best for the CPA to work directly with the agents and officers at the IRS.

Also in the forms should be a privacy policy disclosure for your files. The best privacy policy is one that states no information is given out to anyone except under the order of a court of competent jurisdiction.


Procedures. Once you complete all the forms and returned them to the new payroll service provider the provider should follow up with any clarifications and provide additional forms if there are unique circumstance that require additional information. The provider should then provide you with the necessary training for you to create the input documents for payroll. They should go over with you or the person you designate exactly how payroll is entered. They should demonstrate any additional steps you as the client must take to keep your payroll records accurate. They should confirm the first entry date and the first payday. They should answer any question you or your staff has about the procedures or output.

After the first payroll is entered and processed the provider should go over the reports and output with you to make sure there are no questions or misunderstandings.


Also check out the following Articles

Payroll Service, Changing Providers. Chapter One. Reasons to change Providers

And

Payroll Service, Changing Providers. Chapter Two. What Should you Look for in a New Provider?




About the author:

Charles J. Read, CPA has been in the payroll, accounting and tax business for 30 years, the last fifteen in private practice.
Mr. Read is the author of “How to Start a New Business.”

To find professional payroll service at a budget price go to www.PayrollonaBudget.com a paperless payroll company.

For a full service payroll bureau with CPA’s on staff visit www.CustomPayroll.com .

See an excerpt of Mr. Read’s interviews from William Shatners “Heartbeat of America” television show on the web sites linked above.


Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com