If you are searching for payroll solutions, then you have surely realized the necessity to streamline the processes for such an important part of your business. The subject of payroll can be daunting with the timely tax filing requirements, employee benefit tracking, and a whole host of other concerns. What system will be best for you and your business for processing payroll accurately and efficiently?

Manual processing

Of course this is the most basic of payroll solutions! Processing payroll by hand might seem like a good solution at first, in fact, it might not be so bad to start out. But then there comes a point when things like employee benefits, wage calculation, and many other payroll functions are too difficult to track by hand or in a spreadsheet.

Payroll software

Payroll software refers to a software application that is installed at your physical business location. Once the system is installed and working, your data is entered and also stored and accessed from your location and on your computers. Many people like the control offered by keeping the software and data in-house, rather than outsourcing it. Things like accessibility and security are completely within your control.

Payroll Service

Payroll services take some of the burden of payroll processing off the shoulders of the employer. While payroll services vary greatly, one of the key benefits is that the service takes care of the punctual filing of tax payments. Payroll services can also provide other services such as the distribution of employee checks and providing reports.

Only you can decide between payroll solutions and which one is best for your business. Things that go into the decision would be the size of your business, the complexity of your payroll, and how much control you wish to have.

No matter whether you use payroll software or a service, payroll solutions are definitely a key way of ensuring your payroll is easy to manage, accurate, and that taxes are paid on time! And of course most importantly, that your employees get their checks. There are a few additional steps you can take to make your employees happy. Just by adding features that may already be included within your payroll solution, you may increase the happiness level of your employees!

Add direct deposit

You might just be surprised how much happier employees would be by receiving their pay directly deposited into their bank account, rather than receiving a paper check. Direct deposit allows employees to eliminate the hassle of going to the bank, and also reduces the chances of lost checks. Some payroll solutions even allow for the depositing of funds to unlimited bank accounts, allowing for Christmas savings accounts, additional checking accounts, child savings accounts, and more!

Offer pay card option

Some employees may not have bank accounts, and in those cases it can be difficult or costly for them to find a way to cash their paychecks. Pay cards can be a great way to solve this problem! Deliver employee pay on reloadable debit cards instead of paper checks and you have just made some of your employees very happy by providing them an easy way to access the money they have earned.

Translate pay stubs into employee language

Do you have employees who are not native English speakers? Depending on their language skills, these employees may be better able to understand the important details of their pay and benefits if you have them printed on their pay stub in their native language. Payroll solutions that offer this feature will typically allow you to enter the translation one time, and assign it to the applicable employee(s), and the pay stub will be printed that way automatically from then on.

Add important information to pay stubs benefit summary etc.

Are employees constantly asking how much vacation time they have left? How much they’ve contributed to their 401K? Details like this, and much more can be included on a pay stub. Surely your company has its own unique set of details which you may want to include on the pay stub, so add whatever is most important to your business and your employees.

Add online pay stub access.

Many payroll solutions are now offering the ability for employees and previous employees to access their pay stubs online! No more searching around for slips of paper to access the information they need. Provide employees or previous employees with a password, and they will be able to look up their pay stubs and even W-2 forms online, making it easy for both them and you.

Don’t assume that what you are doing is the best or only solution available! You could make your own job easier as well as bump up employee happiness by adding features you may already have in your payroll system.

Looking for payroll solutions?

Payroll is an important part of your business. Staying compliant with payroll tax filing and paying employees on time are both crucial functions. The right payroll solutions help businesses stay compliant with taxes, keep employees happy, and streamline payroll processing.

Here are some of the first things to think about on your journey to finding good payroll solutions, and more specifically, the right one for your business!

Basic, Medium or Advanced Payroll Solutions

Basic: most basic of payroll programs can often be purchased easily off the internet or on the shelves of retail stores. These programs often work very well for business that are just starting up and have only one or a few employees. Remember, you will need to get updated tax information so your tax forms are up to date. Once it’s time to get updated tax forms, this will typically incur a cost. Also, once you reach a certain number of employees or other data, the software provider may require you upgrade to a paid service to accommodate that. One popular provider of basic payroll is Quickbooks Payroll by Intuit. They offer several basic options. Signs you need a basic payroll solution:

• You only have one or a few employees.
• You are just starting to run payroll.
• You don’t have any special payroll needs.

Medium: When your business grows, you start growing in your payroll needs as well. Adding more employees means more employee garnishment types, more ways to pay employees (such as salaried, commissioned, piece rate, and more), and maybe even the management of multiple company payrolls. These are just a few of the signs you need a better payroll solution. Many companies start tracking information by hand and quickly find it frustrating and inefficient. Medium payroll solutions can usually handle the tracking of that information for you, streamlining your job and ensuring accurate payroll data. For medium solutions, you should write down your specific needs and work with a company representative to be sure their software can meet all you are looking to accomplish. Check out CenterPoint Payroll Software by Red Wing Software, which helps thousands of businesses in the U.S. accommodate their growing payroll needs. Here are just a few of the signs you are ready to move to a medium solution:

• Spreadsheet tracking of payroll information is cumbersome.
• You need to enter and track payroll information for multiple locations or multiple states.
• Functions such as pay or deduction codes are more complex than your system can accommodate.
• Your system is bogged down, slow, or experiencing crashes and lock-ups.

Advanced: If yours is a very large business, you may start to require more advanced functions than small or medium payroll solutions can offer. Detailed human resources management, employee and manager self-services resources, and time management are just a few of the things large companies may require for the efficient management of payroll. For advanced payroll solutions, you will likely work at length with a company representative or team about your needs. Implementation and training may take weeks or even months. Check out Lawson Software. Some of the signs your business needs advanced payroll:

• Standard systems just cannot handle your business needs, so software code changes are required.
• You are using several different systems that don’t work well with each other.
• You need much more detail than offered by a payroll solution, such as human resource management, benefits administration, or a multitude of other functions.