Research Reports

Today’s increased demands on payroll professionals — to do more work in less time without sacrificing compliance or customer service to the company’s employees — have become a way of life in most payroll departments across the country.

This Research Report from IOMA is designed to meet the needs of all levels of payroll professionals — in companies of all sizes — who are ready to increase their efficiency in all the department’s functions.

With over 300 pages, Managing the Payroll Department features best-practice methods developed by nationally-recognized payroll expert Vicki Lambert in years of working with payroll department staffs to overcome the inertia of “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”

In it, you’ll learn best practices — and how to put them into effect — that will lead your department to the path of increased efficiency and compliance. You’ll get detailed explanations and step-by-step guidance in areas, such as:

Form W-4
When is it required? State requirements related to W-4s. Typical errors that invalidate a W-4. Special rules for non-resident aliens. Processing new hires.

Staffing Your Payroll Department
Devising a master calendar and setting written procedures. Hiring and training. Should you hire only Certified Payroll Professionals (CCPs)? Working successfully with HR.

Management Issues
The expanding role of customer service in-house and outside the company. Preventing fraud. Working with the IRS and Department of Labor. How to conduct internal audits for wage/hour and federal/state tax compliance. Security basics.

Benefits and the Payroll Department
Who should input employees’ deductions for benefits. Meeting payroll deadlines. Customer service and benefits. Setting up new charts and databases for the new year. Tracking benefits or payments for year-end taxation.

Payroll Systems
In-house systems versus service bureaus. Selecting and implementing a system. Interfacing and integrating with key departments in your organization. Disaster recovery. Self-service.

Paying Employees
Paying with paper checks. Direct deposit. How to set up a direct deposit program. Using payroll debit cards, including stored value and branded/non-branded cards.

Year End — and the New Year
Planning and surviving the year-end. Sample year-end checklist. Reconciling 941s and W-2s. New year system set-ups. Establishing the new processing calendar.

Benchmarking Payroll Department Processes and Transactions
Key metrics to help payroll professionals determine how close they are to optimal efficiency in their processes.

Managing Payroll Department Costs
10 best ways to reduce payroll department costs. Case Study: Stein Mart delivers pay 100% electronically to 17,000 employees & saves $100k annually. Best ways to handle garnishmets efficiently.

Appendix: Payroll Department Job Descriptions & Organization Charts
The critical role of job descriptions. Payroll job titles. Sample organization charts.

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Click here to review this report's Table of Contents and Preface.