Payroll Outsourcing: How to guide for your small business

The Department of Administration is shifting payroll work to the Department of Transportation in order to fix that problem, but issues elsewhere have persisted. His statement is backed up by figures published by the executive branch, which reported a payroll staff vacancy rate of 35% to the Alaska Legislature earlier this year. Unburdening your HR teams from manual payroll makes their work much more rewarding. Now they can focus on strategic objectives and react in an agile manner as events arise. Take your organisation to the next level with practical tools and resources that can help you work smarter.

We offer custom payroll and timekeeping services that can meet the needs of any size employer. Our best-in-class service includes personal payroll guidance, offering the feel of a small business with the expertise of a large publicly traded payroll company. As all these challenges build up, Emily decides to look into a payroll outsourcing partner. Emily knows that outsourcing payroll can handle her business’s specific needs, including complex compensation structures, multi-state tax calculations, tax filing, and variable staff size. Keeping up with compliance laws in one region requires a lot of time and expertise.

This was particularly the case with benefits in kind (vs general benefits) as they are treated differently across the board. A successful relationship with a payroll outsourcing vendor can last for many years. But there are some common pitfalls when outsourcing payroll, some serious enough to warrant switching providers. The impact of payroll provider under-performance should not be underestimated; it can affect an organisation’s reputation and employee morale significantly. For example, a provider missing salary payments may constitute a breach of employment terms. Similarly, employees not being provided with timely responses to their queries can also adversely affect employee experience and engagement.

Having an international team increases innovation, creativity, and diversity—but it also complicates payroll management. You have to navigate different currencies, exchange rates, bank laws, and compliance requirements. Using payroll software isn’t typically considered outsourcing since it still requires work from your team. But if your team is currently using spreadsheets to manually manage payroll, investing in payroll software is a good first step to improving your processes. Whether you’re running payroll domestically or internationally, you must ensure you’re operating in compliance with the employee’s payroll laws.

• But there are some common pitfalls when outsourcing payroll, some serious enough to warrant switching providers.
• The data insights we deliver keep them on top of emerging regulation, the status of their own activity and any points of risk.
• According to a report by the Australian Payroll Association, 24.7% of all Australian businesses and 37.8% of Australian SMEs with less than 200 employees outsource payroll.
• You rely on payroll partners to handle most of the above, especially monthly recurring activities.
• Companies considering outsourcing their payroll should consider asking the potential provider for their position on SLAs.

Be sure your provider understands the local legislative environment and has a feel of where it is going. You should be able to access this on-the-ground, real-time expertise whenever required, so that you are always up to speed with the latest regulatory changes happening in country. Compliance is key – when partnering with a payroll provider, you are putting your trust in their ability to remain compliant with local regulations. While responsibility for tax compliance and other filings may shift to your provider, the penalties for non-compliance stay with you.

Pros to Outsourcing Payroll

Some think, “Why outsource payroll if I have to know about taxes and regulations anyway? However, it is important to have some kind of idea of how it works so you can check their legitimacy. Not only that, but it’s also important to ensure the payroll company is familiar with local regulations and compliance so you don’t get into trouble. Some PEOs or Employers of Record (EORs) offer payroll outsourcing as a standalone service. If you are hiring internationally and your employees need to be hired by a local company by law, a PEO operating in the area will be able to help with employer of record services as well as payroll processing.

Aggregator model – for businesses looking for a single process globally, using an aggregator payroll provider may seem like the perfect fit. Overall, running payroll in-house is time and cost-intensive, making outsourcing a better, more efficient option. According to Sage, UK workers already spend around 120 working-days per year on administrative tasks. By outsourcing payroll, you can ensure that your employees are spending time ‘on’ your business, rather than ‘in’ your business. However, there are a couple of reasons why this may not be the most practical choice for your business. Number one, you’ll need dedicated staff with payroll experience, and even if you do have staff with the right expertise, handling payroll for businesses with 10+ employees can be a very time-consuming task.

How partnering with an HR tech and service provider can support your business

Between July 2020 and the end of June 2021, the state issued 163 of those letters. Jeff Kasper, business manager of the Alaska Public Employees Association, the union that represents payroll workers, said the problem has worsened over the last several months. We now manage payroll for over 1,000,000 clients worldwide, across all industry sectors. Imagine running payroll in just a few clicks — anytime, anywhere, on any device.

With role-based access controls, you can easily make sure that each department gets the necessary payroll processing information they need to make sure your employee needs are addressed. SurePayroll specializes in offering online payroll solutions for business with up to 10 employees. These what is a bookkeeper and when do i need one two physical payment options are usually an extra charge or only included in upper-level plans for other companies for outsourcing payroll. Before partnering with Deel, they faced many challenges paying workers across borders, as it had to be done manually without a centralized system.

When and how to outsource payroll

Payroll outsourcing also allows access to convenient and secure cloud-based payroll solutions. QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero is a comprehensive accounting software option to save you time and keep you compliant with government regulations. You can use the app or desktop version to manage everything from direct deposits to tax withholdings. Payroll outsourcing is the use of an external provider to handle the administration of your company’s payroll.

Through this portal, they can check when payday is coming, claim pay stubs, check their hours, request paid leave, and view important HR documents. If you have a small administrative department and are looking to make payroll and other HR tasks simpler for them, you may want a provider that has a powerful, easy to use and integrate software platform. A Human Resources Information System (HRIS) may be a good option if your staff are already somewhat familiar with payroll and deductions. The payroll processor presents a bi-weekly or monthly report to the client with full details on total payroll disbursement, total tax withheld, and benefits payments made.

• You can create customized screening questions, message templates, and hiring reports.
• You may also have a hard time complying with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) or fair work laws, and employees may experience frustration due to long wait times for paychecks.
• Paycor also integrates with every 401k plan and benefits administration too.

Payroll outsourcing is where a company hires a third-party payroll program to pay independent contractors and employees rather than paying a full-time payroll professional. Additionally, you’ll have a convenient place to streamline your HR processes. The goal of cleaning up your employee management is to provide a better experience for your workers, which helps with employee retention.

When does your business need to outsource payroll?

Human Resources outsourcing (HRO) is when you contract with an independent provider to handle some or all of your HR functions. You can contract for a variety of services, from basic and day-to-day HR to more strategic offerings. Only 17% of US businesses outsource payroll—it’s common to not know when to make the switch.

A New York- or San Francisco-based company that keeps payroll in-house, for example, must pay “big city salaries” to attract the right employees for managing payroll, just like the rest of its internal workforce. If many hours of work can instead be assumed by third-party employees somewhere with a lower cost of living, the outsourced functions tend to become cheaper to perform. Allowing a third party to direct company funds and manage highly sensitive information may once have been unthinkable. Much of the payroll process, however, involves routine tasks and follows established guidelines, making it possible to delegate responsibilities to trusted partners without relinquishing decision-making authority.

In small and quickly growing companies, employees often wear many hats, performing functions across different categories. What’s more  it can take up many work hours when all related tasks are included. Small companies may only have one or two employees handling payroll processing, all HR tasks, as well as client order fulfillment. During busy times, payroll processing can take valuable time that could otherwise be spent on tasks that keep customers happy and grow the company. Outsourced payroll services will also generally include the processing of deductions for employee contributions to benefits packages, as well as employee taxes. When you are trying to outsource processing payroll, Paychex is one of the largest payroll software companies as they are responsible for the payroll services for 8% of U.S. private-sector workers.

Outsourcing payroll can ensure maximum data security and even prevent embezzlement, identity theft, and other risks. Outsourcing your payroll to a third party can help you ensure accuracy and automate certain processes to deliver paychecks on time, every time. Outsourced payroll systems typically use standard processes that closely adhere to compliance rules set forth by the state, federal government, and other governing agencies.