Red Wing Software customers have been experiencing the benefits of electronic tax filing (“eFiling”) for many years. eFiling can be done seamlessly using Red Wing Software Payroll Software. Customers simply begin the process within the software, and complete the service via Aatrix, Red Wing Software’s eFiling partner.

Through a recent survey, Aatrix gathered some comments from Red Wing Software eFiling customers.

• “Aatrix makes it so easy and affordable that I don't even consider doing it myself.”
• “Very efficient. I like the way you can confirm that each report has been sent.”
• “Wish we had utilized the service sooner!”
• “Since using Aatrix, I have not had any issues with any reporting agencies in payroll as it is very accurate.”
• “The customer service team could not have been more helpful and endlessly patient!”
• “Most definitely makes year-end much easier to accomplish. Cost-effective, easy to understand and helpful support staff - can't ask for more.”
• “Well worth the money!Tax filing doesn't make my head hurt any longer!”
• “I file for only about 15-20 employees annually. Aatrix eFiling has made my life easier - what took days now takes an hour! Will always use it.”
• “Aatrix is easy to use and accurate.I have complete trust that Aatrix is correct and that it will be filed correctly and on time.If you are like me and at the last minute getting the reports finished and filed, Aatrix is the saving grace.I have absolute confidence in this company, which is saying something in this day and age.Fantastic job Aatrix and thank you for being there!”

For more information about electronic tax filing, please call 800-732-9464!

By Stephanie Elsen

As an employer, you are aware of the importance of making accurate employee wage garnishments. Calculating withholdings and making payments can be complex, and processing them incorrectly can result in legal repercussions. Here are some ways payroll software can help ensure deductions are made accurately and on time.

Set up and track garnishment calculations. By setting up garnishment calculations to compute automatically when payroll is processed, you are assured a consistently accurate dollar amount is being withheld, keeping both employee and creditor happy.

Set up and pay garnishment creditors from your payroll system. By setting up creditors within your payroll system, you can easily process and send checks right from the system instead of having to look up the address and print the check from another location. This also provides the ability to run reports to see who has been paid, and how much.

Specify a minimum net pay. Many garnishment court orders require that an amount be deducted from the pay, yet the employee pay should not go below a specified amount. By setting this up within your payroll system, you are confident the proper garnishment is taken out, and that the employee gets their minimum amount.

Set up a garnishment priority. When an employee has more than one garnishment, you will need to know which garnishment takes priority. Setting up a priority system within your software allows you to automatically deduct the garnishment in the correct order, so that the proper amount is deducted for each creditor.

Specify the priority of other deductions. A garnishment may be set up to allow the employee to contribute money to other areas before the garnishment is taken, such as a 401(k) contribution. In this case, setting up a rule within your system to handle this will make certain that the garnishment is taken only after the other deductions are taken.

Employee payroll garnishments can be complicated. Use every tool at your disposal to ensure you are in compliance with a court-ordered garnishment, and look after the needs of your employee at the same time. Payroll software is a tool that can work wonders in keeping both parties satisfied.

Wage Garnishment Setup in CenterPoint Payroll Software

By Stephanie Elsen

Are you searching for a payroll solution to handle your company’s growing needs? If so, you are not alone! We talk to businesses every single day who are seeking a better way to manage their payroll processes and tax filing. About 380 people each day search the internet with the term ‘payroll software’. That’s a lot of searches! So how do you know if you’ve come to the right place? Consider these figures about those who benefit from our payroll software.

• About 33% have outgrown their basic payroll software. Perhaps your system has hit its limit on number of employees or years of history? Maybe you got new computers and the old software system you are using won’t work with them, or you are losing support for an older system. We talk to people every day with these issues, and our newer technology and no cap on number of employees, years of history, and other data can help tremendously!
• About 27% need specific features to accommodate their business needs. Whether it’s the management of payroll in multiple states, pay by piece rate, different pay types for an employee during the same pay period, or MANY more features, CenterPoint Payroll Software can fulfill those needs! If you have a specific feature that is missing from your current payroll software, just ask us. There is a good chance CenterPoint can handle it and make your life so much easier!
• 27% are new businesses. Whether your business is small or large or in between, it is special and can have unique payroll needs. Restaurants need a system to help manage employee tips, farms may need to manage piece rate for the picking of produce, and accountants need to manage after the fact payroll. All of these (and many more) are important features yet can typically not be managed with basic payroll software. That’s why so many new businesses start out with CenterPoint Payroll Software.
• 13% or so are cutting costs or bringing their payroll back in-house. Using a payroll service is popular and those who like it should stay with it! But for those wishing to bring their payroll back in house, CenterPoint is an excellent option. Some companies want to save money, and some want to gain control of their payroll. If you would like to check into those options, be sure to keep CenterPoint Payroll Software on your list of options.

Red Wing Software and CenterPoint Payroll Software help thousands of businesses manage their payroll efficiently and for less money. To see if we have a good fit for you, please call 800-732-9464 or e-mail: info@redwingsoftware.com.

MICR stands for “Magnetic Ink Character Recognition” and is a special kind of ink that can be detected by check processing machines. Some payroll software systems offer the ability to print checks on blank check stock, using MICR ink. This feature can benefit some businesses greatly and make payroll processing much easier. Here are some of the ways printing your checks on blank check stock with MICR ink can help you and your business.

Various check designs, various companies.

If you run the payroll for multiple companies, the MICR printing option could save you some serious time and frustration. Instead of having to load up the correct check paper for each separate company, use the MICR option and print checks with different designs onto the same blank check stock. This can also save you money if suspect there will be an address change or other information revision to your check stock. Instead of throwing out the old stock, you will be able to simply change the design and print onto your blank check paper. Using the MICR option allows you to print checks using multiple bank accounts too, especially helpful in the case of doing the payroll for separate companies.

Print check signature.

Another benefit of MICR printing is the ability to print a signature on file right onto your paychecks, especially helpful if the signing party is away or cannot sign the checks. Payroll software will typically require you to set up a security policy for each signature, so that only users who are given permission will have access to print checks with them. This is especially important, since the printing of checks would typically be allowed to only a very few people.

Sometimes we do something the same way for so long, that we don’t realize there is a much more efficient way to accomplish it. Even when we know there is something better, it’s hard to make the switch. Change can be hard. But if there is clearly a faster and more efficient way of getting your payroll done, you could save yourself wasted time and agony. Here are some of the top time wasters when it comes to payroll processing.

Double entry

If your employees are filling out a time sheet, and then you are taking that data and entering it by hand into a payroll software, you are double entering data. This not only wastes time, but leaves an additional margin for error. You can streamline that process by implementing an electronic time clock, where you pull in the hours electronically into your payroll system. Yes, there is an added expense for the time clock, but you will quickly recoup that expense with the time saved! You will wonder how you went so long without it.

Tracking employee leave time on a spreadsheet

A surprising number of people could use their payroll software to track employee leave time, but instead use a spreadsheet and manage the process manually. Maybe the thinking is that their leave calculations are too complex for software to compute or that the setup will take too long. Either way, it’s worth your time checking into whether your payroll software can handle your employee leave calculations. A good payroll system will be able to handle a variety of calculation methods and make the job of calculating leave a whole lot easier for you, and also maintain accuracy.

Troubleshooting problems on your own.

Yep, we are a payroll software company. So you might be thinking this is a plug for us, but it’s not. Far too many people think they can personally handle questions, problems and issues they are having with their payroll, when a payroll support team could easily help them resolve questions and issues much faster. So, no matter whose payroll software or service you are using, opt in for a support plan. Calling for help and getting your issue resolved right away will bring peace of mind, and may also stop the issue from snowballing and becoming worse!

Once you stop the payroll time wasters, payroll processing will go much more smoothly, and you can expect accuracy to be improved as well.