Payroll fraud schemes can be costly. According to a 2024 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) study, the median loss generated by payroll fraud incidents is $50,000. It’s essential to know the payroll schemes making the rounds and how to prevent them or at least catch them before they go on very long.
5 Steps to Creating a Pay Transparency Strategy
Today’s job seekers and employees have grown accustomed to having an incredible amount of information at their fingertips. As a result, many businesses find that failing to adequately disclose certain things negatively impacts their relationships with these parties.
7 Common Payroll Risks for Small to Midsize Businesses
If your company has been in business for a while, you may not pay much attention to your payroll system so long as it’s running smoothly. But don’t get too complacent. Major payroll errors can pop up unexpectedly — creating massive disruptions costing time and money to fix and, perhaps worst of all, compromising the trust of your employees.
Small Business: Choosing a Payroll Service Provider
When choosing a payroll service provider to handle payroll and payroll tax, employers should choose a trusted payroll service to help them avoid missed deposits for employment taxes and other unpaid bills. Typically, these clients remain legally responsible for paying the taxes due, even if the employer sent funds to the payroll service provider for required deposits or payments.
Filing Payroll Taxes Electronically Using E-file
Business owners can simplify things by filing payroll taxes electronically. E-file software performs calculations and populates forms and schedules using a step-by-step process. It will also alert the filer if they are missing information which reduces the chances of receiving an IRS notice.
Choosing a Payroll Service Provider
When choosing a payroll service provider to handle payroll and payroll tax, employers need to make sure they choose a trusted payroll service that can help them avoid missed deposits for employment taxes and other unpaid bills. Typically, these clients remain legally responsible for paying the taxes due, even if the employer sent funds to the payroll service provider for required deposits or payments.
Reminder: Deferred Payroll Taxes Due in December
If you’re a household employer or self-employed and chose to defer paying some Social Security taxes under the CARES Act the deferred Social Security taxes are due by December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022. If you also deferred the employee share of Social Security taxes the balance is included in the installment amount due by December 31, 2021.
Small Business: Understanding Payroll Expenses
Federal law requires most employers to withhold federal taxes from their employees’ wages. Whether you’re a small business owner who is just starting or one who has been in business for a while – ready to hire an employee or two – here is what you should know about withholding, reporting, and paying employment taxes.
Employer Tax Credit Extended for Payroll Workers
The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, enacted December 27, 2020, made several changes to employee retention tax credits. These tax credits were previously made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The most notable change was the modification of the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). Several of the changes apply only to 2021, while others apply to both 2020 and 2021. As such, employers can take advantage of the newly-extended employee retention credit, designed to make it easier for businesses that choose to keep their employees on the payroll – despite challenges posed by COVID-19.
Six Tips for Starting Your Own Business
Starting your own business can be an exciting prospect, but there is more to it than simply writing a business plan. Also, if you expect to have employees, there are a variety of federal and state forms and applications that you need to complete to get your business up and running. That’s where a tax professional can help. With this in mind, let’s take a look at what you need to know before you start a new business.