A payroll system that ensures employees are paid on time and guarantees complete compliance is a dream both employees and employers share alike. However, in most cases, many businesses fall short of common payroll errors that cause immense financial and emotional damage to all parties involved. But just because it’s a common occurrence doesn’t mean it should be the norm for your business. Aside from the reputational damage and employee satisfaction it might incur, a faulty payroll system can lead to your business suffering from financial pitfalls.

A business study done by EY found that a single payroll mistake can cost a business an average of $290, and if these errors happen on a rapid or multiple basis, businesses can end up losing thousands of dollars annually. While that might seem like a high cost to pay for some common payroll mistakes, it’s important to consider the chain reactions set off by these errors which can have costs of their own.

Aside from the obvious financial consequences such as overcompensating employees or leaving areas for potential fraudulent activities, payroll disruptions can have serious repercussions. These include serious legal implications, an overworked HR department, complex legal issues, and the reputational damage of an employee relationship and the overall business’s image. It’s important to learn about common payroll mistakes, understand their extensive consequences, and learn ways to avoid them to establish a streamlined payroll system for your business.

Common Business Payroll Mistakes to Avoid in 2024

Timely and accurate pay is one of the primary and basic expectations employees harbor from their company. However, multiple internal and external factors can prevent timely paychecks, W-2s, and related payroll reports which can result in serious legal and financial implications. Here are some common payroll mistakes to avoid to ensure timely payroll processing for your business and ensure complete legal compliance and employee satisfaction:

1.    Inaccurate Tax Calculations

Tax plays a huge part in payroll processing as employee salaries are subject to both income tax at source (TDS) and professional tax deductions. However, tax brackets and rates often change rapidly which can make room for tax miscalculations when releasing employee payments. These miscalculations can incur serious consequences such as inaccurate or late payments, non-compliance to labor laws, interest payments, etc.

2.    Employee Miscategorization

It’s become a norm for businesses nowadays to hire freelancers, contractors, and part-time workers for short-term projects to fill skill gaps. And while doing this proves to be very beneficial for businesses on a productive basis, it becomes a hassle for them to process their payroll.

Since commission-based workers differ from full-time employees, their tax rates also vary. If you’re working with freelance or commission-based workers and have a slow or un-updated payroll system, it can lead to inaccurate employee categorization which can result in noncompliance and penalties for your business.

3.    Unorganized or Incomplete Records

Did you know one of the biggest factors behind a slow or error-prone payroll system can be as simple as unorganized and incomplete records? This can be especially true if your HR team keeps payroll records on separate devices or uses physical storage for them. Doing this can lead to extreme difficulty when your payroll needs employee data to process payouts.

Payroll information comprises important information such as pay stubs, tax forms, employee investment and other declarations, receipts for out-of-pocket expenses, tax receipts deposited with the government, etc that can influence your business losing money by falling short of fraudulent activities or incurring non-compliance.

4.    Failure or Delays to Provide Tax Forms

Tax forms are of utmost importance when it comes to processing payroll. It’s the employer’s responsibility to provide correct tax forms (W-2s and 1099s) to salaried employees to enable them to file their tax returns individually. These forms detail the distribution of all salary components for the year. They also hold the record for the withholding tax deposited by the organization on behalf of the employees. If your employees face any delays or are unable to access these forms on time, it can lead to tax penalties.

5.    Employing Outdated Payroll Software

Most business owners tend to neglect upgrading their payroll technology after investing in it once. This can lower payroll efficiency and productivity and shift the focus to manual processing, leading to costly mistakes and increased administrative workload.

However, since regularly investing in payroll software can be a costly venture for many businesses (especially for startups and small businesses), working with a payroll service that uses advanced payroll software such as Gusto, ADP, or Paychex can help them increase payroll accuracy, compliance, and efficiency while being cost-effective.

6.    Releasing Inaccurate Payouts

Every employee has a pay structure that comprises various components, including basic pay, bonuses, provident fund contributions, leaves, allowances, etc. All these elements must be calculated accurately to ensure there are no miscalculations when releasing monthly payouts.

Almost all businesses experience this payroll error, however, it must be avoided at all costs since any error in updating this data or miscalculations can lead to over or underpayments. This can result in out-of-cycle payment adjustments, which contribute to a disrupted financial flow, unsatisfactory employee experience, and a loss in productivity and efficiency.

7.    Unprotected Payroll Data

One of the reasons why many payroll systems are often prone to fraudulent activities is because they deal with essential financial and employee data. Securing your payroll information is vital if you wish to streamline your processing and ensure its safety from any malicious activities.

Some of the most important payroll data include tax details and account numbers which can put both employees and employers at risk of identity fraud and theft if it falls into the wrong hands. It’s crucial to ensure payroll data confidentiality with a safe cloud service or portal that’s easy to access and safeguards it diligently.

How can Professional Payroll Support Streamline Payroll for Your Business?

Proper payroll management doesn’t just include timely payouts, it encompasses resource allocation, risk mitigation, and promoting a positive working culture. As the era of digitization progresses forward with each passing day, businesses (especially startups and small businesses) can’t manage their payroll on their own.

This is why hiring professional payroll processing support can be the right choice for you to streamline your payroll system and make it scalable to your growing needs. Here are some ways outsourcing expert payroll support can help you navigate your business’s payroll and promote proper financial management: 

• Saves businesses time by freeing up the resources to focus on more priority tasks
• Reduces operational costs as businesses work with external teams instead of in-house ones
• Helps businesses avoid IRS penalties and non-compliance by ensuring proper tax-backed payroll processing
• Maintains and updates various tax requirements and forms for compliant payroll
• Boost data confidentiality by offering cloud-based payroll portals and dashboards
• Supports various payment platforms to offer an accommodating employee experience
• Offer analytic-based payroll reports for strategic financial decisions

Aside from this, payroll services offer a team of HR, finance, and tax experts who are well-versed in managing the payroll needs of businesses of all sizes and belonging to various industries. As businesses continue to adopt more hybrid working spaces, employ advanced technology, and uphold tax and compliance, hiring an external payroll support service has become the most viable option for them to establish a diverse and fortified payroll system.

Future-Proofing Your Business With Streamlined Payroll Processing

Ask any business owner about some of their biggest and most complex worries and they’re likely to name payroll as one of them. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A proper payroll system has the power to elevate a business’s growth potential and transform its efficiency and productivity rates.

As your business is growing, you might come across various payroll obstacles which might affect your other operations too. However, with the right tools and resources, you can eliminate the potential of these obstacles ever coming your way. Digibookacounting offers expert payroll support services for all businesses to revolutionize their payroll processing and establish a fortified payroll system backed with advanced technology and expert skills to boost their HR and financial management for streamlined business growth.