Solving Those Pesky Payroll Issues

New software implementation can be a pain – time and time again clients express their angst with payroll implementation issues. Whether someone has been using payroll software for a long time and it was never properly set up, or someone has just selected new payroll software, streamlining payroll administration and maximizing the system’s output can be a daunting task for many HR professionals. In this article, we’ll focus on three issues that can be cleaned up and optimized by bringing in an implementation consultant with background in accounting, benefits, payroll implementation, and payroll processing.

Some of the reasons to consider the importance of a payroll system and effective payroll implementation may include:

  • Compliance

  • Reporting

  • Streamlining critical functions such as payroll, benefits, and attendance

  • Tax requirements

  • Benefits Administration

To help maximize the capability of a payroll system we recommend starting with:

1. Home Page and Notifications

Since this is the first thing you see, this is a good starting point. Filtering through and cleaning up the home page message center can ensure that everyone receives pertinent notifications. These notifications can include important dates (Ex. Bank closed holidays or tax filing deadlines) to be displayed on the home page. Sorting through the clutter to keep important tasks on top is a simple, yet effective start towards maximizing your software.

2. Audit the Benefit Plan Set Up

When the client is using a separate vendor for benefits, there is room for error in the benefit set up module. Calling in an expert to accurately interpret your policies to ensure that calculations, exclusions, and effective dates are correct is important towards guaranteeing accurate benefit deductions in the payroll.

3. Analyzing Employee Data for Compliance

Remaining compliant is at the top of most HR professionals list when it comes down to employee data. To properly pull reports from a payroll system and evaluate compliance on an employee level you should be asking the following questions as a starting point

  • Are your employees being paid the minimum wage according to the state they work in?

  • Are your employees coded correctly to their lived in, worked in, and SUI state?

  • Are your employee’s deductions and earning being validated on their paystubs as well as the master control to ensure accurate reporting on their W-2s at the end of the year?

As your full spectrum broker we want to ensure that we are helping you every step of the way. If you need any help optimizing your payroll system, our ADP123 team is ready and available to help you every step of the way. Our team offers real people providing real help… no robots or automated answers here!