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Is This Your Situation: Feeling Overwhelmed with Payroll Regulations

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Your company is growing, and that’s great! You now have an office full of employees—and the headaches that come along with that: figuring out each person’s tax liability based on their W-4 forms, calculating overtime for nonexempt staff and more. Did you know you can outsource this whole task to a third-party provider?

Here are some of the advantages:

  • It frees up your time to do other things, like product development, sales and marketing.
  • You don’t have to become an expert. Managing payroll requires specialized knowledge and there are a lot of pitfalls that can lead to regulatory nightmares.
  • You don’t have to depend on one employee. Even if you have a staff member handling payroll, if that person suddenly leaves or is absent for an extended illness, you’ll find it nearly impossible to bring someone in immediately to take over. Meanwhile, problems will crop up.
  • You can actually save money by doing by outsourcing. Let’s say you and perhaps a staff member—both untrained in the nuances of payroll—incorrectly file paperwork. Before you know it, you could find yourself hit with penalties ranging from $500 to $1,000. The penalty costs will soon be higher than outsourcing would’ve been in the first place.

Of course, some companies try to save money by handing payroll over to an outsourced administrative assistant, who may be organized but unfamiliar with payroll rules. You’re still not off the hook! Even if this assistant makes a mistake, in the eyes of the law, you’re still responsible as the employer. You need an outsourced provider that is familiar with the many payroll rules.

To find out a little bit more about what the IRS requires, have a quick look at the payroll section  on the IRS website. If nothing else, it should convince you this is one task you don’t want to take on all by yourself. Give us a call today, and we’ll be happy to have a no-obligation talk about your particular situation and how qualified outsourced payroll solutions can help—no matter how small you are today or how big you’ll be tomorrow.

“Copyright 2018”

Beware of Tax Scams as Tax Season Starts

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Both businesses and individuals can be subject to tax scams from criminals who often impersonate the IRS or other government agencies in an attempt to extract money. It’s an old trick, but it seems that the scammers get more sophisticated every year. Soon we’ll be in the middle of tax season, when we’re especially anxious about money and often easy prey for scammers.

According to the IRS, scammers may pose as IRS agents and target especially vulnerable taxpayers, such as older Americans, newly arrived immigrants and those whose first language is not English. But even more sophisticated individuals can be victims: criminals have been known to threaten CPAs with immediate suspensions of their licenses if they didn’t immediately send money, even though individual states, and not the IRS, license CPAs!

The IRS has also reported that some sophisticated scammers can fake a caller ID so it appears you are getting a call from the IRS. They even may copy official IRS letterhead for use in email or regular mail.

In a recent memo, the IRS says that fear is one of the principal tactics scammers use: “Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money.” It is true that some states will suspend the drivers’ licenses of those who are delinquent in their taxes, but that only happens after the state has exhausted all other collection methods over a long period of time.

The IRS notes that it will never:

  • Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
  • Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
  • Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
  • Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  • Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.

If you think you are the victim of a scammer, you can contact the IRS with the “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.

Copyright 2018

Investigating the Advantages of Outsourcing Payroll

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As fulfilled and engaged as your employees may be with their jobs, if they have any issues with their paychecks, it won’t take long for them to become frustrated. Some companies have dedicated payroll departments and others find it useful to outsource this process to one of many companies that specialize in payroll. How do you know which option is right for you? Here are some things to consider.

  • How big is your company? One of the biggest concerns when it comes to answering this question is how many employees your organization has on staff. However, the answer isn’t cut and dry. Small companies like to use payroll services so they don’t need to employ a dedicated payroll department. Larger companies like to use them to maintain consistency.
  • Do you need more than just payroll? There are other reasons to consider an outside vendor, especially if your small company also wants insurance or other services. An outside vendor may be able to meet a wide variety of your needs.
  • Are your employees exempt or nonexempt? Exempt employees are traditionally paid an annual salary. Nonexempt are usually hourly employees who receive hourly pay and qualify for overtime. The more complicated the payroll process, the more important it might be to outsource it.
  • How often is payday? Another thing to consider is how often you pay your employees. Salaried employees are frequently paid twice a month. Hourly employees might be paid every two weeks or every week. This is something a payroll service can work out with you to be the most effective for your type of business.

Do you have more questions about outsourced payroll? Call us today! 916-550-8174

Copyright 2018

California to Require Unpaid Parental Leave at Small Businesses

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Employers with between 20 and 49 employees must provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected
parental leave to bond with a new child within one year of the child’s birth, adoption, or foster-care
placement, effective Jan. 1, 2018, under a measure (S.B. 63) signed Oct. 12 by California Gov. Jerry
Brown (D). Read more