Payroll

Do You Know About the Social Security Wage Base?

Determine if you are withholding as much as you should be and when to stop. Social Security tax is a tax that applies to both employees and employers. As an employer, you are required to withhold a certain percentage of each employee’s paycheck and to make a matching contribution. Social Security tax does not change each year (with a few exceptions). However, the case is not the same as...

5 Ways to Simplify Your Small Business Payroll

Eliminate payroll headaches with these tips. Small business owners sometimes struggle with their employees’ payroll. Getting payroll figures worked out and delivering paychecks each pay period is important for your business. Payroll processing is often complex and time consuming for small businesses. To make it less difficult to manage, we have created a few steps to simplify the process. 1. Simplify your policy. Take time to look over your...

Employee Reimbursement 101 – Minimizing taxable expenses and staying compliant with laws and regulations.

Keeping clients happy, vendors paid, and operations running smoothly is a tall task for any business — especially smaller organizations. For convenience’s’ sake, many employers find that allowing employees to pay certain expenses from their own pockets and reimbursing them later is a virtual necessity. However, business owners should be aware that this common practice does entail a bit of responsibility.
 Broadly speaking, there are three different ways of...

Staying Compliant with New Ban the Box Laws

Across the nation, state and city governments are passing laws forbidding employers from inquiring about criminal record status until late in the hiring process. In fact, even the federal government has taken a position — federal employee applications no longer include questions regarding conviction status. At this rate, it appears as if, sooner or later, criminal records may be added in some form or another to legal non-discrimination lists...

Five Things to Stress When Training New Employees

Effective employee training strategies are important for many reasons. They help you get a maximum return on the investment you make through your payroll, for starters. Just as importantly, training helps you remain compliant with safety regulations and industry standards. Last but not least, proper training procedures help guarantee a quality customer experience. In this article, we will cover a few of the most important aspects of effective employee...

Wage Theft: What You Need To Know

One of the most important topics in modern employer/employee relations: wage theft. According to a recent study published by the Economic Policy Institute, wage theft has become an “epidemic” in the United States, costing workers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.   The problem of wage theft has not gone unnoticed. Many state and local governments have responded with strong regulations, for example, and many unions have made...

7 Rights and Responsibilities Employers Should Take Into Account

Hiring employees goes along with a variety of important rights and responsibilities. Here a few tips that every employer should be aware of: Hiring Must Reflect Necessity. Have concrete reasons for hiring the employees you hire, and document them. This will help protect you from claims of discrimination and other unfair hiring practices. You may also wish to review the EEOC’s guidelines on fair hiring practices. Worker’s Comp Insurance...

The Most Common Accounting Mistakes That Small Businesses Make

Have you fallen victim to poor accounting practices? Are you looking to avoid the mistakes that your competition is making? Read on to learn more about smart accounting. Not Taking Bookkeeping Seriously Enough. For many small businesses, bookkeeping may seem very simple and straightforward. This is especially true in the earliest stages of a business, when you the owner may actually be the only employee. Unfortunately, this can foster...

5 Time Management Tips for Small Business Owners

The responsibilities of running a small business can really add up. In order to be healthy, happy, and productive as a business owner, it is very important to manage your time correctly. Here are five tips that can help you. Set Daily Goals. Each and every morning (or, better yet, each and every evening), set some concrete goals for the day ahead. Most motivational psychologists recommend striving for balance...

8 Skills to Look For in Every New Hire

Hiring is one of the most important HR functions that any company performs. Your employees represent your company, and they help define its culture. Certain skills and talents are always going to be valued more heavily depending on the position you are filling—but other qualities are simply universal. Here are 8 skills that you should look for in every new hire. Communication. Whether it means facilitating teamwork or ensuring...