Why pay someone else to do the work you do yourself?
Before you spend money on payroll management services, you should consider how much money you could save by doing the payroll management yourself.
Regardless of the size of your business, you will spend a lot of time managing your payroll and other financial aspects of your business. Payroll management, in particular, is time-consuming and there are many considerations for full-time hourly workers, part-time hourly workers, seasonal workers, and permanent part-time workers. Paid time off, bonuses, direct debits, handwritten checks, not to mention taxes. Not surprisingly, using a payroll management service seems like a good idea.
Stop for a moment and look at how much money and time you are spending with this payroll service. Often, all payroll-related documents are kept on-site, including daily entries, hours worked by each employee, leave and sickness information, and much more. All of this information is captured and recorded and, in most cases, the data is summarized in reports. These reports can then be sent to payroll departments to receive paychecks or set up direct deposits. Information is processed each time a new employee joins the company, each time they leave, each time their situation changes, and each time they need to adjust their work schedules. This takes a lot of time and effort – your time. Once all the data is entered, the easiest thing to do is to write a check or make a direct deposit.
Out of curiosity, I recently searched the internet for the definition of payroll management services. On the U.S. Census website, payroll management services are defined as follows. Payroll services consist of receiving information from client companies on hours worked, wage rates, and other wage and compensation data, and using this information to produce pay statements, payroll reports, and payroll tax returns.” The keyword here is “obtain.”
Before a company can use a payroll service, it must collect all the information it needs to send to the payroll service. This means that you have to invest your time. This may already seem like a lot of work, but keep in mind that you can process this data yourself if you have the right payroll software. Many companies can reduce their costs and increase their profits by processing their payroll in-house.
When choosing payroll software, there are a few things to consider.
Flexibility
To get the most out of your payroll software, you need a system that is flexible enough to meet your needs. There is a multitude of payroll management systems on the market today. There are stand-alone programs that can be used with the general ledger and, preferably, payroll software that is fully integrated with your accounting system.
Versatility and adaptability
The goal of payroll software is to save time and money. Look for payroll software with tools and wizards that make it easy to set up. Software that allows you to modify the reports you need and get the information you want.
Option. Options. Option
Opt for payroll software that covers different aspects of payroll and doesn’t just collect information for printing checks. For example, software that supports piecework, seasonal, shift, or hourly pay, or a combination of the above payroll methods, can save you a lot of time by ensuring the right calculations are made.
Automate W-2, state, and federal forms
If your payroll software is capable of automating W-2, state, and federal forms and submitting them electronically, you can save processing time and money. Payroll data can be automatically inserted into the required forms and filed electronically or printed on plain paper. If possible, choose the W-2 and 1099 filing options as an additional resource.
Technology
When selecting payroll software, be sure to choose software based on the latest technology, such as applications based on the Microsoft.NET framework. This ensures that the data required for payroll management is secure and reliable.
Experience, expertise, and customer service
Make sure you find a company that has the experience and development expertise to create user-friendly payroll software that meets the needs of your growing business. Finally, pay attention to the support and service offered by the product. Is there personal support? When you call the help desk, are you really talking to a person and not an automated response?
There are many payroll programs available. Some have all of the features mentioned above, others only some. When choosing a payroll software program, make sure it offers all the features your business needs and review them carefully.
If you still feel that using a payroll management service is the best solution for your business, make sure you choose a partner that adds value to your business, handles most of the data collection and processing and minimizes the time spent on payroll management!
Remember, the purpose of in-house payroll management and purchasing payroll software is to make your business more efficient, reduce costs, access the information you need, and most importantly, use a wide range of additional tools to pay your employees on time.
About Author
Tina J. Wagner Phillips is a 31-year-old. She enjoys Accounting, working on Online Payroll Service, and bookkeeping. She has a degree in accounting, politics, and economics, obsessed with films and tank tops.
