Autumn 2009

The cycle continues. The leaves fall, it’s downright cool in the mornings and almost hot in the afternoons, the light is spectacular although there is less of it, and all we can do here is sit and think about the end of the year.

Within the next month, you will receive a comprehensive checklist on ensuring a successful year-end. Please pay particular attention to items such as Health Insurance for S Corporation Owners, Group-Term Life Insurance, and personal use of company automobiles. Now is a good time to determine whether you plan on making additional retirement plan contributions. It’s also an excellent time to review your benefits to your employees including retirement, health, supplemental, legal or other benefits. Please feel free to contact us with questions on any of the above.

Manage your HR with a little sharper knowledge

Log in to HR Support directly from our website. There is so much here from check lists on hiring and termination of employees to templates for evaluations. If you can’t recall your login and password, please CONTACT US.

Software Transition

We are making tremendous strides with our new software (a two plus year project for us). Currently we have over thirty seven companies and counting on our new system. It’s a more secure environment for your data, direct deposit vouchers can be directly emailed to your employees, backing up our data offsite is almost instantaneous and our flexibility to help you with different tools is greatly enhanced – all for the cost of adjusting to similar, but slightly different reports. ☺

There’s the IRS and then there’s the States…

We process payroll in nineteen states in addition to Colorado. If you have employees that work for you in another state, please let us know. It’s usually not that difficult to add another state to your payroll which is much easier than having the other state discover you owe them unemployment taxes and your employee owes them income taxes.

Never forget – the bad guys want your data!

We were reminded recently that the hackers would love your payroll information. To help you better identify fake or fraudulent emails, we follow strict rules. We will never send you an email requesting the following personal information:

• Credit and debit card numbers
• Bank account numbers
• Social Security Numbers
• Employer tax ID numbers
• Driver's license numbers
• Email addresses
• Passwords

A genuine The Payroll Department, Inc. email will never include:

• Attachments without your knowledge beforehand
• Software
• A link to a download without a phone call asking you to do so.

If you have any question about the authenticity of an email, please call us prior to opening.

More steps to help protect you from vulnerability of hackers:

• Monitor your account. Check your account periodically for suspicious activity.
• Keep your security software current. Update your firewalls and security patches frequently.
• Be smart about your password. Change passwords often and use unique passwords that include letters, numbers, symbols as well as upper and lower case text.

It’s worth repeating…

Independent Contractors vs. Employees (1099 vs. W2)

The state of Colorado recently passed legislation making it very expensive to incorrectly classify an employee as an independent contractor. The Department of Labor may impose a fine of up to $5,000 per misclassified employee for the first misclassification with willful disregard, and up to $25,000 for a second or subsequent misclassification.

Got payroll blog?…

There are writings on Durango, on Time and Attendance, Overtime, on being able to live where we do, etc. Most blogs are around 300 words – about half as long as this newsletter.

Screen’em Dano…

One positive side effect of this economy is there are many high quality job applicants available. And yet, if your employees work in other peoples’ homes, work with money, drive your company vehicle, work with children, or engage in other activities in which trust is a major component, it is prudent for your organization to run a background check on your new hires. We offer an easy to use verification process at a reasonable price. FIND OUT MORE.

Save time, save money with Time and Attendance

Using a web clock will organize the collection of pay data, reduce overtime, and make your payday life much easier. Those who have made the switch, 62 and counting, have been very pleased. If you would like a demonstration of how this could work for your business, please CONTACT US or VIEW A DEMO. At the bottom of the page, click on the link for a demonstration.

When you call our office, most likely you will hear the voice of Monica Rodriquez who started with us this August. Monica worked with Sports Express for six years prior to joining us in customer service. We are fortunate to have someone like her.

We appreciate your business and your willingness to continue to place your trust in us….and thank you for your referrals.

Sincerely,
Bryan Dear
with Eric Malone, Tanya Campbell, Melinda Shishim, Mary Wagner, Kyla Zufelt, Monica Rodriguez, and Scott Southworth.