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- iHaveNet.com: Small Business Guide
Small Business Money Matters
The task of managing your company's payroll can be delegated to a staff member, managed by your accountant, or outsourced to a payroll service provider-a company that contracts with your business to handle payroll details, including check generation, tax filings, and compliance with government regulations.
The following breakdown of each method's advantages and disadvantages can be used to help you decide which is right for your company.
Internal Payroll Management
Advantage
Highest level of control over payroll issues
Disadvantages
Requires staff expertise in multiple areas
Greater opportunity for error
Company is directly liable for IRS filing errors
Actual cost is often higher than expected due to additional man-hours invested in payroll-tax preparation and filing
Companies often reap greater value from staff member's time being devoted to core business issues
Accountant
Advantages
Management by financial expert
Offers more control than payroll service provider, less than internal staff member
Disadvantages
May be unable to manage payroll add-ons such as 401(k) plans and direct deposit
Often more costly than internal management or payroll services
May take more time to prepare payroll documents than payroll service providers
Payroll Service Provider
Advantages:
Payroll expertise: these companies are familiar with all necessary tax and regulatory issues
May be able to provide additional services such as 401(k) and direct deposit
Controls your payroll processing costs by setting a standard fee
May take financial responsibility for fees and penalties resulting from payroll filing errors
Disadvantages
Restricted opportunities to make adjustments to payroll amounts
One step removed from tax filing documentation
The decision to outsource payroll management or not may also come down to cost. To find out which payroll management option is most affordable, estimate the number of hours you or your employees spend calculating and preparing checks, computing and filing tax forms, and preparing additional payroll documents such as W-2s or direct deposit information.
Add to this figure the time spent correcting IRS filing errors, then multiply your total by an hourly wage that represents the value of your and your employees' time. Compare this figure to the cost of having your accountant manage payroll (based on his/her hours and fees) and to a payroll provider's fees.
Small Business Guide
- Starting Up Your Business
- Coming Up With a Winning Business Idea
- Common Startup Mistakes
- The New Rules for Startups
- Business Incubator FAQs
- Naming Your Business
- Researching Your Business
- Your Personal Savings
- Registration, Licenses, and Permits
- Getting a Tax ID Number
- Fast-Growth Startup Resources
- Structuring Your Business
- Overview: Corporations
- State Offices of Incorporation
- Incorporate Out of State?
- Writing a Partnership Agreement
- Choosing a Board of Directors
- Basics of a C Corporation
- Basics of an S Corporation
- Basics of an LLC
- Basics of a Sole Proprietorship
- Basics of a Non-Profit Corporation
- Basics of a Professional Corporation
- Basics of a General Partnership
- Basics of a Limited Partnership
- Your Company's Public Relations
- Elements of a Successful Public Relations Campaign
- How to Use Your Press Coverage Effectively
- Press Releases
- How to Write a Successful Press Release
- Sample Product/Service Press Release
- Sample Commentary Press Release
- Sample Event Press Release
- Sample Tips Press Release
- Sample Personnel Press Release
- Effective Competitive Analysis
- Managing Purchasing to Maximize Cash Flow
- Top Six Pricing Mistakes Businesses Make
- How to Avoid Lowering Your Prices
- Bidding Basics
- Hiring Staff
- Creating an Effective Job Description
- Do You Know How to Pick Them?
- Little-Known Hiring Resources
- Classifying Contract Workers
- Tips for Successful Interviewing
- What You Can't Ask in a Job Interview
- New Hire Paperwork
- Small Business Insurance
- Types of Insurance for Small Businesses
- Small Business Insurance FAQs
- Insurance Resources for Small Businesses
- Home Office Insurance: Myths & Realities
- Small Business Resources
- Government Resources for Small Business on the Web
- Resources for Women Entrepreneurs
- Fast-Growth Startup Resources
- Small Business Security Resources
- Taking Time Off
- Your Pre-Vacation Checklist
- How to Take a Vacation
- Learning to Delegate
- Getting Away When You Can't Get Away
- Preparing for Tax Season
- Year-End Planning Tax Savers
- 10 Ways to Pay Less in Tax
- 25 Common Business Deductions and Expenses
- Avoid These Common Errors and Audit Triggers
- Understanding the Home Office Deduction
- Corporate Income Taxes Primer
- Employment Taxes Primer
- Sales Tax Primer
- Sole Proprietorships and Partnerships Tax Primer
- How to Get a Filing Extension
- Year-End Reconciliation
- Getting the Most from Your Accountant
- Developing Accurate Financial Projections
- Cash Flow
- 10 Ways to Help Increase Your Cash Flow
- Cash vs Accrual Accounting
- Bookkeeping and Record Keeping Basics
- Quick Ways to Get Through a Cash Crunch
- Projecting Cash Flow
- Cash Flow Triage
- Getting Funding
- Cash Flow Through Factoring
- Small Business Investment Corporations (SBIC)
- Traditional Funding Sources
- Non-Traditional Funding Sources
- Your Company's Credit
- How to Read a Business Credit Report
- Credit Terms Glossary for Your Small Business
- How to Protect and Improve Your Business Credit Rating
- Give Your Business the Financing Edge
- Employee Compensation
- Employee Benefits
- Bonuses: How To Be Fair
- Workers' Compensation Q&A
- Keeping Workers' Compensation Costs Down
- Payroll Management Choices
- Key Elements of Payroll
- Working with a Payroll Service Provider
- How to Create a Business Plan
Small Business Money Matters - Small Business Payroll Management Choices
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