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December 2014 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 11 As you gear up for your frst fling season, now is the time to make sure you have ever y thing you and your sta f f w i l l need to ef fec t ively a nd e f f i c i e n t l y s e r v e y o u r c l i e n t s . Double-chec k you r resou rces to make sure you have enough staf on board, as well as the most updated sofware and correct forms. Fi rst, you wa nt to be su re t hat you f ully understand the scope of you r new pay rol l bu si ness . T h i s means understanding each client's u n i q u e b u s i n e s s n e e d s a n d k now ing the personalized level of s e r v i c e y o u' l l h a v e t o p r o v i d e . E x a m i ne you r l ist of cl ient s a nd create a database to manage fling r e q u i r e m e n t s , d e a d l i n e s a n d required documents for each client. Rev iew the master schedule w ith your sta f to ensure t hey a re a lso a w a r e o f i m p o r t a n t d a t e s a n d compliancy requirements for ever y client they w ill be work ing w ith. Constant and open communication is also key to preparing for your frst fling season. Schedule time to meet with each client, preferably face-to- face. Use these meetings to discuss your client's needs and expectations, as well as your own expectations. Make su re t hey a re aw a re of i mpor t a nt deadlines and fling requirements. If there are important documents that they will need to provide, this is the time to discuss. New laws w ill t y pically go into efect January 1, so now is the time to make sure you are fully aware of any changes that will afect your clients. If there are new requirements or fl- ings, ensure they are aware of them and start planning to gather the nec- essary data and information that you will need to fle. Once you have put toget her a master schedule of deadlines and made a list of the required flings for each cl ient , you w i l l have a t r ue picture of the work that lies ahead for your frst fling season. Carefully a ssess how much t i me wou ld be needed to adequately ser ve each client against your number of staf members and their available time. If necessary, make plans to hire addi- tional seasonal staf to help your frm work through the fling season. W hile you are busy preparing and f i l i n g for m s for c l ient s , re g u l a r pay rol l task s w i l l sti l l need to be carried out. It's important that the p r o p e r p r o c e s s e s a r e i n p l a c e beforeh a nd to avoid t hese t a sk s being overlooked during the height of busy season. Hav ing an estab- lished process will make it easier to focus on any urgent maters that may arise. You w il l a lso want to make sure that both staf and clients are aware of the process and any steps they need to take. Keep in mind that even the best- laid plans will not be perfect. Inevi- t ably, i s s ue s w i l l a r i se . Create a process to hand le any issues that occur during fling, such as misfl- ings, incorrect information or errors or pena lt y notices. Consider cre- at i ng a hot l i ne or ema i l add ress specifcally for f ling issues. Make sure all staf is trained on your frm's process to handle any issues they may encounter with clients. Filing season is busy and can be a stressful time for frms – new and old, alike. But, having a plan in place will help ensure your practice is prepared for your frst fling season. Payroll Accountant's Checklist for December ✓ Suggest clients double check employees' pretax deductions, coding for Form W-2, Box 12 and year-to-date amounts. ✓ Remind clients to have employees submit a new Form W-4 if their family status changed, or they claimed an exemption from income tax withholding in the current year. ✓ Cut manual checks for employees separated from the company between the last payroll of the current year and the frst payroll of the next year. ✓ Perform a fnal review of the general ledger for "hidden" wages, notably noncash fringes. ✓ Input the new Social Security wage base, state unemployment and disability wage bases (if applicable), federal and state withholding allowances, federal and state tax rates and employees' benefts data into the system for the frst payroll of the new year. ✓ Perform a system back up prior to processing the frst payroll of the new year. ✓ Send holiday greetings to clients! A Year in the Life of a PAYROLL Accountant is sponsored by SurePayroll and ADP Connect to ADP ® At ADP, we're all about connections — connecting accounting professionals like you to the right resources and opportunities to support your frm's objectives: • Give your clients access to big-business payroll and HR solutions by referring them to ADP • Generate more revenue and simplify payroll processing with our customized platform for accountants • Discover other segments to invest in or retire sooner by selling your client payroll base to ADP When you partner with ADP, you also connect to integrated HR products, retirement and more — everything your clients need to help protect and grow their business. For more information, visit adp.com/accountant or call 1-855-408-3751. The ADP logo and ADP are registered trademarks of ADP, LLC. Copyright © 2014 ADP, LLC. HR. Payroll. Benefts. Prepping for Your First Filing Season W hen you start a new business, there's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that must happen to ensure you are delivering a high quality product or service to your customers. Tis is especially true for payroll practitioners just starting out.