Intro By Stephanie Elsen:

Red Wing Software Payroll Programs use Aatrix as a provider of payroll tax reports and filing options. This feature is integrated directly into the payroll programs. Payroll tax reporting is a crucial component of payroll software which can have a direct impact on your processes. We checked in with Bruce Senti of Aatrix this month, and in this post he shares survey results and other information about customers using Aatrix.

By Bruce Senti:

Aatrix has asked their customers opinion on their performance every year for six years. The response has been amazingly consistent. Below is a brief comparison of desired features in a W-2 eFile solution and the responses to the 2012 Aatrix W-2/1099 eFile survey.

The best measure of overall satisfaction of any service is whether customers would recommend that service to other businesses. 93% of Aatrix’s customers say they would recommend the service to others.

W-2 eFiling solution.

Processing W-2s is one of the most important requirements businesses face every year. It is the time of year many payroll administrators dread for obvious reasons.

Complete W-2 eFiling services can eliminate most of the pain associated with processing W-2s in-house. In the past these services were provided by payroll service providers and were often very expensive. The addition of complete eFile services to many payroll software solutions has made this option very affordable, and offers significant efficiencies to small businesses.

What to look for in a W-2 eFile solution.

When determining whether a complete W-2 eFile solution is the right choice for your business, there are key features to look for.

The solution should be integrated with or connect to your payroll software to improve the ease of processing W-2s and the accuracy of the filings. Getting set up for the service should be simple and easy to complete. The process should be easy to follow and understand. Below are the results of the 2012 survey of Aatrix eFile customers. The results were compiled from over 1800 businesses that responded to the survey conducted in April 2012.

• 97% of Aatrix’s customers agreed that the Aatrix solution worked well with their payroll software.
• 95% of Aatrix’s customers agreed that the Aatrix process was easy to understand.
• 95% of Aatrix’s customers agreed that the Aatrix enrollment process was easy to understand and complete.

The service must be affordable. Typical in-house cost of processing W-2s is from $3.85 to $4.35 per employee. This cost includes processing time, forms, envelopes, and postage.

98% of Aatrix’s customers agreed that the Aatrix solution is affordable.

Many of Aatrix’s customers offered comments regarding their experience with their W-2/1099 eFiling experience with the Aatrix solution. The following are a few of these unedited customer comments from Red Wing Software users:

• “WONDERFUL!!!! It's great to have this at my fingertips since at this time of the year when all the taxes need to be sent out there is so much more going on. Whether it is personal or work related it's a huge pile of things that NEED to be done. So Aatrix was a life saver this year!!!”
• “LOVE IT!!!”
• “We found that overall the prices were very affordable.”
• “I could do it myself but because the value is there and the price is reasonable I continue to use Aatrix.”
• “With the prices you charge a person would be silly to do it on their own when you add up your time, stamps, ink, paper etc.”
• “I love this service. It saves me hours every year over the old way we used to do it!”
• “I have never had a problem, it is fast and easy and along with all the year end taxes and stress, this definitely was the easiest part.”
• “Time saver and definitely a user friendly system!”
• “I was hesitant at first but realized how much easier it was to have you do it. We winter in AZ so very efficient for me to do. Quick and easy.”
• “This makes payroll processing in house extremely economical and so easy! We put in the data and Aatrix does all the work. It's great!”
• “Aatrix takes away the headaches of printing my own tax forms.”
• “Aatrix is a great way to e-file W-2s. Quick, easy & economical.”
• “I have never gotten the service I get at Aatrix anywhere else. The people totally ROCK!!!!!”

If you have employees, you are aware of your responsibility to file payroll taxes on time and accurately. These days, your business has several options on how to file those taxes. Here are the four major ways available for employers to file their employer taxes.

1. Manually produce and file tax forms.

   Whether you are keeping track of information in a spreadsheet style format or on paper, you have the option of taking that information and manually typing it onto tax forms. You purchase the forms, and must type your tax information onto the form with a typewriter. This option is used less and less because of newer and more convenient options. However it may be the only option for those who are unfamiliar with computers.

2. Outsource tax form generation and filing.

   Some companies are more confident knowing there is an outside service, many of which offer a guarantee their taxes will be filed accurately and on time. While there may be added expense associated with this method, some companies find the added expense is worthwhile because of reduced worries. To outsource your payroll taxes, you can choose to have your accountant do it or use a payroll service.

3. Print and send forms with information generated from your payroll software.

   This is more convenient than the manual method of producing tax forms because you pull information that has been entered into each pay run along the way. Not only do you have the information available at your fingertips, but you can populate a form within the system and print it on plain paper, saving you the time and expense of purchasing forms. Once the information is generated and placed on the electronic form within your system, you just print and send.

4. Generate and file forms electronically.

   This is by far the fastest and most convenient option! Information for tax forms is pulled in directly from the information entered from pay runs along the way. That information is then seamlessly placed onto the form on your computer, where forms can be saved, and can then be filed electronically via the internet. With this method, there are no stamps, forms or envelopes to be purchased. Also, filing happens instantly so there is no time delay for the mail.