Payroll Help

Your Payroll Software questions answered here

What Information Is Needed to Set Up Payroll?

In this article:

Learning how to set up payroll with Patriot Software’s payroll software is easy. Gathering this information ahead of time will ensure a quick and efficient setup. To begin, you will need the following items:

Setup checklist

Print the setup checklist.

  1. Your company legal name, DBA (if applicable), and all worksite location addresses
  2. All of your tax ID numbers, including:
    • Your federal employer identification number (EIN)
    • Your state tax withholding ID number
    • Your local tax ID numbers (if applicable)
  3. Your state unemployment (SUTA) account number and SUTA rate for your company. Note: Your state unemployment agency may send your SUTA rate determination in a separate letter. This rate is based on your industry and your company’s individual claim history for unemployment.
  4. The business owner’s information for identity verification if using direct deposit or full-service payroll: full name, SSN, address, DOB, and driver’s license number. This is in accordance with the Patriot Act’s Know Your Customer and Customer Identification Program required by our bank. If your identity is not automatically verified, we may ask you to upload the business owner’s photo ID. Acceptable photo IDs are the business owner’s driver’s license, state ID, or passport.
  5. If you are paying employees with direct deposit or using our full-service payroll, you may need to upload a copy of your most recent commercial/business bank account statement. Unfortunately, we can’t accept a brokerage or personal bank account.
  6. The W-4 form information (filled out by your employee), including :
    • Name
    • Date of Birth
    • Hire Date
    • Address
    • Social Security number
    • Tax filing status
  7. The pay rate and pay frequency (weekly, biweekly, etc.) for all employees.
  8. Details on current deductions & contributions for all employees.
  9. All payroll registers for the current year by pay date.
  10. All employer taxes for the current year, by pay date.
  11. Copies of all tax filings for the current year (i.e. 941, state & local tax returns, SUTA).

Once you sign up as a payroll customer, the software will prompt you to enter the information step-by-step in the onboarding wizard.

Are you a new business owner?


If you have a new business and still need to apply for these tax accounts, check out our payroll information for employers page for information specific to your state. Check the box “I don’t have my EIN right now” for these tax accounts until you receive all your tax account information and continue with your setup.

Let us help with free setup assistance


Did you know that Patriot Software offers free payroll setup assistance for all new customers? We can help enter your employee data and your year-to-date payroll information. If you’d like to take advantage of this option, first, sign up for a free trial. Then, call 877-968-7147 option 2, email success@patriotsoftware.com, or chat us to request free setup assistance. We’ll take it from there!

Have questions?
We want to help. We can walk you through the setup process and point you in the right direction, and provide ongoing support. The best part — routine support is free. Call us, chat us, or send us an email.

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