Q: How long does it take to run a payroll?
A: It depends on the number of employees you have and how many different types of hours and money you are using. For a typical 5-20 employee company we estimate it will take about 5 minutes to enter the hours, maybe 1 minute to preview the payroll and another minute to accept the payroll. Remember to include the time necessary to print your paychecks or send your direct deposit file to your bank.
Q: Does Patriot PAY handle expenses and supplemental pays?
A: Yes. You have the ability to setup pay codes for handling expenses, supplemental pays, and other "dollar-related" types of money.
Q: How does Patriot PAY handle deductions?
A: You can set up an unlimited number of payroll deductions to be used by your company, both taxable and non-taxable. When setting up deductions, you can define specific dollar amounts or percentages. When you add a deduction to an employee, your deduction setup will automatically be applied on each payroll run. You may also define deduction stop limits to ensure a payroll deduction automatically stops once a certain amount has been deducted.
Q: Can Patriot PAY calculate our company's contributions towards employee benefits, such as 401k or health insurance?
A: Yes. You can set up an unlimited number of company contribution rules. These rules will calculate your company's match toward benefits (i.e., 401k matching, employer share of medical insurance, etc). When setting up contributions, you can define specific dollar amounts or percentages. When you add a contribution to an employee, your setup will automatically be applied on each payroll run.
Q: How are payroll tax calculations handled in Patriot PAY?
A: When you first set up your company information, you will define the Federal, State and Local payroll tax settings for your company. When adding employees, you will set up each employee's tax withholdings that they have included on their W-4 Forms (and any state or local withholding forms). From there, Patriot PAY will handle tax calculations for your employees for each payroll automatically. Patriot PAY will also allow you to set taxability on deductions, contributions, and other types of payments.
Q: How do I know the payroll and tax calculations will be accurate?
A: Tax calculations in Patriot PAY are handled by a separate application that specializes in payroll tax calculations. The provider for this software has been providing tax calculation software since 1984, and their software currently handles and calculates taxes for millions of paychecks each week. Some of the companies using this tax calculation software include ADP, United Technologies, AT&T, KPMG, General Mills, Qualcomm, Kaiser Permanente, and Walmart.
Q: Can I "preview" a payroll run before finalizing the payroll?
A: Yes. You will have a chance to preview the details of each person's paycheck, and can go back and make any corrections before finalizing the payroll.
Q: What if I make a mistake? Does Patriot PAY allow me to easily correct payroll errors?
A: Yes, you can easily fix payroll errors by several different methods.
If feasible, void and reissue the checks in question.
Make an adjustment in the next payroll run.
If money is still due to the employee, process an extra payroll.
Use the Payroll Edits tool.
Q: Can I run a payroll outside my normal pay cycle?
A: Yes. You may run a payroll whenever you need to.
Q: What are the payment methods allowed by Patriot PAY?
A: You can either issue paper printed or handwritten checks to your employees, use direct deposit through your bank, or direct deposit to your paycard provider.
Q: How does direct deposit work?
A: Patriot PAY allows you to setup unlimited direct deposit accounts for your employees. When payroll is run, Patriot PAY will generate the necessary NACHA file that you will then submit to your bank. For those employees with direct deposit, Patriot PAY will generate vouchers showing their payroll detail. When you submit the NACHA file to your bank, your bank will then deposit the employee's pay directly into their accounts.
Q: What are paycards, and why would we want them?
A: Paycards (a.k.a., payroll cards) are similar to direct deposit, but instead of the employee's pay going to a traditional bank account, their money goes directly to a debit/credit type card. Patriot PAY treats paycards just like a direct deposit (e.g, we create a NACHA file, which you then send to the payroll card provider). If you are interested in offering paycards to your employees, be cautious and do your research, as each provider has different fees (usually to the employee) and different methods for funding payments.
Q: Do I still need my accountant?
A: If you use our TaxBeGone service, Patriot Software will handle all matters of your payroll tax compliance for you. However, you may need your accountant for other business, accounting, or business tax matters.