MBA News - HR Software

Companies that offer payroll services and what to look for

MBAHRO — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:02:00 GMT

Companies that offer payroll services and what to look for

When looking for companies that offer payroll services, some top things to look for include:

Top-notch Customer Service. How they interact with you during the courting/selling phase of the relationship can be an early indication of their ability (or lack of ability) to get you through the tough times. If you need to call them twice to get an answer about their payroll services, move along.
Ability to grow with your expanding needs. Does the company have the ability for you to outsource any other HR needs?
Do they have experience working with other companies like yours?
Can they clearly explain the initial set-up process, and is it acceptable? Do they seem to have a good process leading up to the first paycheck run?
What is the ongoing level of work required by your staff to use the system? What tools will your staff be using to enter timesheet information and how easy are they to use?

Modern Business Associates frequently deals with payroll outsourcing. As a Professional Payroll and HR outsource organization, our clients rely on us to help them effectively deal with these kinds of topics.

Will your Professional Employer Organization bring top-notch human resource software to the table to meet your large business HR system needs?

MBAHRO — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:49:00 GMT

Will your Professional Employer Organization bring top-notch human resource software to the table to meet your large business HR system needs?

As a large business executive, you may be considering outsourcing your payroll or HR processes. Savvy Professional Employer Organizations have developed specialized services and delivery systems that cater to needs specific to larger companies.

A common requirement from large businesses working with professional employer organizations is for the PEO’s technology platform to meet the HR system needs of a large company.

Prior to pursuing a PEO relationship, you’ve probably already made a substantial capital investment in human resource software , sometimes called an HRIS system.
Therefore, as you look at partner companies to help with things like your payroll processing and benefits administration, here are some great questions to ask:

“Why do you believe your technology system will provide reliable data?”

Have the PEO explain their expertise in providing reliable data, and how their HR technology is backed –up. Getting a message that payroll processing will be unavailable for a few days can cost you employee angst. Also, finding problems with data that their system is feeding yours, months after the integration, can be a nightmare to fix.

“Does your HRIS system have the features I need, and what features should I be using?”

Making sure the PEO’s HR system has the features you need is an obvious question, but also taking to time to get the PEO’s advice on what features you could benefit from can provide valuable insight. For example, larger companies are increasingly seeking human resource software platforms with an integrated self-service station that assists with leave administration and that provides employees with access to information such as workplace policies and procedures.

“Can you show me why you think your HRIS platform is an integrated solution, and not a jumble of independent software and online tools?”

Many PEOs arrive at the meeting with you prepared to talk about all their HR technology and online services they have for you, but if they don’t talk to each other, you may get frustrated with extensive training for your people to learn all the different systems. There may also be a need to enter data more than once, which is a data management sin.
For example, can the system handle all of the payroll, benefits, and human resources information needs too?
“In case it’s needed, how customizable is your software package, or online service?”
Understanding that there’s room to customize the software for your specific needs helps you feel more confident in a PEO choice.

“Can your system integrate with what we are already using?”

Seeing the greats features of the PEO system can be exciting, but if it doesn’t tie into pieces of your current HR technology that you will continue to use, then what’s the point?

“How hard is it to train my staff to use the HR system tools?”

In addition, large clients want an HRIS platform that allows for easy access and operation by the end users — both management and non-management workers alike. Get the PEO to paint a picture of how the training is performed and how much time it will take your employees to finish it.

“How will you adapt to our future needs?”

Asking for example of how the PEO has adapted their HR system for a client’s changing needs can help you understand the PEO’s process for changes their offerings to meet your needs and to execute any additional integration and staff training that may be needed.

At Modern Business Associates, our knowledgeable Florida HRO team includes HR specialists with legal backgrounds, employment tax professionals, certified payroll processors, licensed insurance agents and award winning customer service professionals. Our products and services are designed to offer you back-office support so you can focus on new revenue.

Free Payroll Calculator – Taxes, deductions, withholdings? Where’s a good one? Here!

MBAHRO — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:09:00 GMT

Free Payroll Calculator – Taxes, deductions, withholdings? Where’s a good one? Here!

Many of our clients here at Modern Business Associates ask us about whether we have an online payroll calculator. Taxes, deductions and withholdings can be difficult to figure out. We can now answer, “Yes, we do have a payroll calculator: taxes, deductions, and withholdings are incorporated into the tool for you!” Further, it’s free of charge. To gain access to our payroll calculator, just click on the little “Register” link on the right-hand side of any page on our site. After completing the single-page registration form, you’ll be able to click on the “Resources” tab and get to the “Paycheck Calculator.” The calculators include the ability to take into account the federal, state and city level complications involved with calculating payroll deductions and taxes.

Selected Features:

Variety of payroll frequencies (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.)
State specific taxation rules are in this payroll calculator
Tax elements specific to cities
And the Ability to accept withholdings

At Modern Business Associates, you can partner with our available resources including our free payroll calculator, HR staff and payroll processing professionals. Please contact us for more information about utilizing our payroll services.

Our Free Payroll Tax Calculator gives you state and city level accuracy.

MBAHRO — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:57:00 GMT

Our Free Payroll Tax Calculator gives you state and city level accuracy.

What is the use of a free payroll tax calculator, if it isn’t accurate? At Modern Business Associates, our free payroll tax calculator includes deductions, withholdings and includes state and city level nuances.

For example:

Delaware - Wilmington Earned Income Tax
New York – New York City Resident City Tax
Maryland – County Tax %
Ohio – School Tax %
Arizona - % of Federal State Tax

To gain access to our free payroll tax calculator, just click on the little “Register” link on the right-hand side of any page on our site. After completing the single-page registration form, you’ll be able to click on the “Resources” tab and get to the “Paycheck Calculator.” The calculator includes the ability to take into account the federal, state and city level complications involved with calculating payroll deductions and taxes.

At Modern Business Associates, our clients outsource their payroll and HR functions to use, so they can focus on growing their business. Please contact us for more information about utilizing our payroll services.

HR Outsource Companies Need to tie Into Your Accounting System. What to Ask?

MBAHRO — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:30:00 GMT

HR Outsource Companies Need to tie Into Your Accounting System. What to Ask?As a large business executive, do you know why a PEO’s ability to link to your general ledger accounting files may be critical to your success?

As a large business executive, you may be considering outsourcing your payroll processes. A savvy Professional Employer Organization has developed specialized ser

vices and delivery systems that cater to needs specific to larger companies.

A common requirement from large businesses working with Professional Employer Organizations is the ability for the PEO to provide data directly to their general ledger accounting system. This streamlined process increases efficiencies.

Large businesses increasingly require that their outsource PEO provide a general ledger interface (GLI) file that is compatible with their existing general ledger software. The accounting responsibilities of large companies are often more complex than those of small to midsize businesses, so the request for a GL file is a common one.

A compatible GL file posts the payroll data directly into your general ledger system. It completely eliminates the need for your team to manually input payroll data obtained from various reports into the ledger — an error-prone, inefficient, and labor-intensive process.

A compatible GL file improves the efficiency, accuracy, and integrity of your accounting processes and manages the associated risks. All clients want reliable and accurate journal ledger entries. Automation of this process is critical. A Professional Employer Organization should have the ability to deliver a compatible GL file to your large business and should be a major consideration as you evaluate payroll outsourcing options.