Small Business Information

Be Nice to Your Payroll Department


Ok, so next to the taxman, your company payroll department might well be the most criticised people on the planet. Of course, when your pay is accurate and on time then you love the payroll people with a passion but when things go wrong it is a completely different matter. Rightly or not the payroll professionals come in for an awful lot of abuse if your pay is not perfect.

I have had experience of working in a payroll department, in fact, I WAS the payroll department so I am going to put forward a few ways that you can help your payroll department perform their job more efficiently and process all the money that you are due correctly. Yes, it is largely up to you I am afraid!

Your payroll department is only able to work with the information that you give it so it is important that you provide them with everything they need. I don't mean handing in your expense forms the day after they are due either. It is your responsibility to send your payroll department everything that you are claiming for in good time for them to process it.

If you live in a country where you have a tax code that may be open to change due to your circumstances, your payroll department can't be expected to be psychic, even if you wish they were. For example, in England, if you have not submitted your previous tax form when you start with a new company then the payroll department is obliged to set your tax deduction rate at the basic rate. This is a lot higher than your tax code is likely to be but it is the only course of action that they can take. So, when your pay is processed you may find that you have a lot more tax deducted than you should have. This is down to you and means that you have to wait until the end of the tax year to claim back your overpayment form the local tax office, not your payroll department.

Of course, not every country works the same way but they do have similar policies when it comes to claiming work related expenses. If you do not send in your claims in a timely and accurate manner your payroll department is not going to be able to reimburse you for the amount you have paid out.

Payroll departments are usually extremely busy around pay day because of the volume of last minute submissions for expenses and other additions to your pay. They are only human and mistakes are not always avoided due to the high pressure they are under.

At the end of the day, your payroll department IS only human. You need to do your part to help them perform their job efficiently. The larger the company that you work for, the more that liasing with your payroll department becomes a necessity. Next time you look at the amount of pay that you have received and start to complain about it being less than it should be, think long and hard about whether it is the payroll department's fault or yours. Chances are, it is the latter!

This article was written by May Bowden of http://www.vipayroll.com. With her previous knowledge in payroll, she can help give you information relating to any of your payroll needs. Be sure to contact her if you have any questions.


MORE RESOURCES:

BBC News

Kerry, Snowe, Schumer Push Sec. Paulson to Purchase Small Business ...
MarketWatch - Nov 20, 2008
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ranking Member Sen. Olympia Snowe and Sen. Charles Schumer, a senior ...
Is TARP Really a TRAP but is Scott Malkinson really Scott Malkinson? thestockmasters
all 323 news articles


What should a small business owner look for in a new lease agreement?
Bizjournals.com, NC - Nov 21, 2008
“You want lease terms so that they are not a la carte. You want as much included as possible. … The real critical piece is who is paying for the ...


Small business honored by Tulare Chamber of Commerce
Visalia Times-Delta, CA - 10 hours ago
It turns out the award winner was Gainsborough Photography, which was named Tulare Chamber of Commerce's Small Business of the Year. ...


California Conference Recommendations on Small Business ...
Imperial Valley News, CA - 5 hours ago
Los Angeles, California - On behalf of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor’s Small Business Advocate Marty Keller received the top small business ...


The Forgotten Small Business
Pahrump Valley Times, NV - 23 hours ago
Almost all elected officials will tell you how important small business is in their states. However, the financial crisis largely has been focused on the ...


Wells Fargo named top small-business lender in Texas
Bizjournals.com, NC - Nov 19, 2008
Wells Fargo Bank, NA has been ranked the leading small-business lender in both the United States and Texas, according to the latest Community Reinvestment ...


Small Business Scene: Drager's Classics
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Nov 20, 2008
If you know a small business we should visit, e-mail us at smallbusiness@seattlepi.com. Jeri Drager sells cars from the heyday of the American automobile. ...


EPA Reform of SPCC Rule Benefits Small Business
MarketWatch - Nov 20, 2008
The Office of Advocacy of the US Small Business Administration is encouraged that the EPA listened to small business and included those provisions in the ...
SBA steps aimed to fuel small-business lending Finance and Commerce
Small business loans dwindle The Tennessean
Small Business Center Provides Assistance During Tough Economic Times Memphis Daily News
Bizjournals.com - MarketWatch
all 62 news articles


DOE Recognized for Small Business Achievement
7thSpace Interactive (press release), NY - 6 hours ago
WASHINGTON, DC - The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced it has met all goals of the Small Business Administration (SBA) Scorecard for Fiscal Year ...


ASTA Asks Obama To Expand Small Business Lending
Travel Agent, NY - Nov 21, 2008
The move is a follow-up to ASTA's recent letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA). On November 18, ASTA wrote to the SBA asking that the agency use ...
Uncertainty, Not Tight Credit, Chills Small Biz Lending CFO.com Magazine
Lenders: Credit Standards Tougher Inc.com
Tough times for small businesses Staten Island Advance - SILive.com
all 5 news articles

Small-Business - Google News

home | site map
© 2006