Whether your company is small or large, the payroll process is vital. It involves compensating employees for their work, making tax deposits promptly, and filing all government paperwork properly. However, mistakes are inevitable, and it is important to have a system in place to address them. This article will cover six of the most common payroll process errors and how to avoid them.
Misclassification of Employees
A payroll error can cost employees more than just a paycheck. When a company mistakes the status of an employee (like exempt vs. nonexempt), it could face legal consequences from the government for not filing taxes properly or failing to pay statutory wages and overtime. Human error will always be a factor when one person is responsible for processing data and distributing paychecks. However, creating a checklist for each payroll run and reviewing key details like tax withholding amounts and deductions can help prevent mishaps. The most common payroll mistakes include misclassifying employees as contractors and submitting taxes late. Workers misclassified as independent contractors are denied statutory benefits like minimum wage and overtime, while businesses that make mistakes lose valuable tax dollars. It can be particularly costly for landscapers, truck drivers, nail salon workers and home health aides, whose lower median incomes already put them at higher risk of being misclassified.
Inaccurate Data
Whether it’s an employee miscalculation, or a failure to keep up with tax law changes, inaccurate data is the foundation of many payroll mistakes. This issue is often more serious than an overpayment or underpayment, as it can cause compliance and legal problems for both the employee and the company. One of the best ways to prevent this problem is to validate all the information used to process payroll before it’s finalized. It can help ensure that deductions, wages, and benefits are accurate and consistent with previous pay periods.
Additionally, if you identify an error, it’s important to communicate with employees transparently about how their paycheck has been corrected. It will help ease their concerns and build trust in your organization. You can also address the error’s root cause by improving quality control procedures in accounting, conducting regular audits, and providing more training for your staff.
Incomplete or Incompletely Filled Timesheets
Regardless of how well your employees work, payroll errors will happen from time to time. These mistakes can add up quickly, Whether because of miscalculations, tax deduction errors, or missing hours worked on a project. It’s important to have procedures that help mitigate these problems. Having policies and guidelines on record management, processing payments, and filling out tax forms can help to keep your employees happy and prevent these errors from occurring in the first place. It’s also a good idea to promptly ensure your employees are aware of errors. Sending out a written statement or email that clarifies the situation will help to avoid confusion for your staff members and prevent them from getting upset. Most states will have a statute of limitations on how long you can wait to correct payroll errors, so fixing them is important. It will ensure you don’t get fined for late payments.
Incorrect Taxes
Payroll is a complex process, and mistakes happen. But when they impact payroll taxes, they can cause serious ramifications both for employees and the company. The IRS requires specific information on each employee to calculate and pay the appropriate amount of tax. Incorrect information can lead to over- or underpaying employee taxes, resulting in fines and a disgruntled workforce. Payroll teams must also comply with regulations regarding supplying HMRC submissions, P11Ds, P60s and FPS and meet deadlines for paying tax. Getting payroll right is vital to your organization and can build employee trust. It is one of the least appreciated, yet most important, functions in any business. Ensure you have the right people, processes and technology to get payroll right every time. Invest in HR tech to eliminate manual errors and avoid costly mistakes. It’s also crucial to act quickly when a mistake is discovered. The longer you leave a payroll error unchecked, the more it will cost your organization in lost productivity and fines from state and federal agencies.
