One of the biggest headaches of any HR department is payroll. It is the place where companies are the most likely to have compliance violations from taxation issues to pay cycles and overtime. Being savvy in this area is vital to business success.

Here are some of the areas of payroll compliance and what they mean.

Pay Cycles

There are several intervals for pay cycles, and each company uses a different one based on their needs and desires. The less frequently you have to process payroll, the easier it is. However, monthly payroll is extremely unpopular with employees and less than 11% of American companies opt for this option.

The majority of companies choose a bi-weekly pay cycle option. This is the easiest to figure, although in some months employees get three paydays instead of two. Bi-monthly pay cycles such as on the 1^st and 14^th are also popular, but it is a little harder to stay in compliance with overtime rules, and sometimes holidays and weekends will mess with the cycle. The best policy in this case is to pay employees on the day before the weekend or holiday, but sometimes this can make it challenging for employees to schedule bill pay and automatic payments.

Whichever pay cycle you choose, the key is to stick with it and meet your payroll deadlines on time. This way, you keep your employees happy, and avoid penalties from the IRS.

Federal and State Taxes

This is the most common area … READ MORE ...