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A Checklist for Picking a Payroll Provider
Like politics, payroll services are all local. No matter the payroll provider, your ultimate satisfaction with the service depends on how well the local office delivers. Here are some questions that can help you avoid any unexpected surprises down the road.
BASICS
- When was this branch/office been established?
- Who runs the office? How long has this manager been there?
- How many clients do you serve from this office?
- Will I be working with a dedicated representative or a customer service pool? If I have a dedicated representative, what happens when he or she is out of the office? If I have a pool, how many reps are in my pool?
- What training do your customer service reps get? How long have they been working there?
FEATURES
- What does your basic service include?
- Could you send me a sample payroll package that includes all the materials I would receive each payroll period? each quarter? each year?
- Can I see an example of the worksheets I will be using to enter payroll data? What codes, if any, do I need to enter for each employee?
- What methods do you use to ensure the accuracy and confidentiality of the entered data?
- How quickly can you rerun a payroll if a mistake happens? Will you rerun the payroll reports if it does happen?
- Can you track sick days, vacation days, and FMLA [Family & Medical Leave Act] days, for each employee, too?
TAX FILING/NOTIFICATION
- If I use your tax-filing service, do you cover the penalties and/or interest charges?
- What steps do I need to take if a problem arises and I believe your service should cover the charges?
- What is the cost to file taxes for multiple states? Do you provide filing assistance for local taxes?
- If you don't file taxes for me, will you notify me of my federal and state tax obligations, and complete all the forms I need to submit?
- When are the funds for paying taxes taken from our company's account?
CHARGES
- What is the cost for your service for one year, including W-2 forms?
- How long are these rates in effect? What rate increase should I expect after that?
- Are there charges for adding/dropping an employee or for adjusting employee information?
- If there are data mistakes, how long will it take to reconcile the errors, and what will it cost?
- Are paychecks and tax payments drawn against our company's accounts or yours? If yours, when are funds transferred?
- If we are dissatisfied with your service, how much would it cost to transfer our payroll information from your service to another?
QUESTIONS FOR REFERENCES
- How responsive is the service to your questions?
- What, if any, problems have you had with accuracy?
- How flexible is the service in meeting your needs?
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