Learn About Payroll
Q. I just started a new job and my employer wants me to do the payroll too. How do I learn some more about it so I don’t mess it up?
A. Thank you for looking for more education. So many people think that payroll is nothing more than taking out taxes. The payroll process has grown so complex in the last 15 to 20 years that it takes some serious education and study to keep up with everything. There are several places you can look for payroll education.
- I don’t know what state you are in, but there is likely a local chapter of the American Payroll Association close to you. You can find the one closest to you using this chart. Local chapter meetings allow you to network with your payroll peers and gives you a chance to ask questions as you learn.
- The American Payroll Association itself has courses and books available that can guide you through issues you may be having. They also offer an email list-serve and member hotline that can be useful resources as well.
- PayrollTalk.com is a good resource. It is a free online forum for discussion payroll topics. Everything from tax calculation, to international payroll, to handling complaints is discussed. You can read and search other posts or add your own after registering. There are already several thousands members of this community who actively discuss payroll issues each day.
- PaycheckCity.com can help you learn about the effect of different pay frequencies and W-4 values on your paycheck. It can even be used for training your employees how to read their paycheck and the impact on take home pay of making changes to their W4.
- Your local community college likely offers a class or two about payroll. If not, payroll is often included as part of the accounting curriculum.
- Publication 15 is the document published by the IRS that spells out fairly clearly your responsibilities as an employer for paying withholding taxes from employees.
