How to Do a Payroll Reconciliation for Your Small Business

They should also be compared against the payroll register to ensure that the data matches. These steps should be completed before you finish processing payroll and need to be completed even if your payroll software integrates with your accounting software. A payroll reconciliation should be completed whether or not you’re currently using payroll software or a payroll service.

Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. You’ll also have to prepare your taxes and other employer expenses separately, since these are solely your responsibility. If it looks different https://bookkeeping-reviews.com/reconcile-payroll-payment-transactions/ from other payroll runs, determine if there have been any changes to your payroll, such as adding a new employee, or an employee leaving. After going through your year-end reconciliation, you should hold a debriefing meeting with everyone involved in this process.

Long-Term Strategies for Payroll Reconciliation

While an online payroll solution will lessen the burden of your administrative payroll tasks, you should still have one to ensure no steps are being skipped. Even psychologically, lots of people in the payroll department just go through the motions of the reconciliation because they assume that everything was inputted correctly initially. Depending on the size of your operation, you may or may not be involved in the reconciliation process yourself. Most business owners and executives delegate these tasks to others.

But one of the hardest parts about payroll reconciliation is that the person or people going through this process needs to spot their own errors—which is difficult. Fortunately, if you’re switching to a modern payroll system like Gusto, the learning curve isn’t as steep. By quickly reconciling payroll https://bookkeeping-reviews.com/ at least two days prior to issuing checks, it will save you a ton of time in the long run trying to fix errors. Payroll reconciliations also make it much easier for you to prepare year-end W-2s for employees. The form shows all of their wages and deductions for the year, which must be accurate.

What Is Payment Reconciliation?

When it comes time to remit payroll taxes, you’ll be happy you spent a few extra minutes reconciling your payroll. For those of you who are paying employees hourly wages as opposed to a salary, you need a modern system to track those hours. Check out our guide on the best time clock software to find the top option for your business.

Check your general ledger entries with payroll reconciliation for accurate accounting and payroll records. Payroll reconciliation compares your payroll register with the amount of money you’re paying your employees to ensure they match. You’re essentially double-checking your math to ensure you pay your employees correctly. Time Sheet DataTime sheet data should also be reviewed in the payroll reconciliation process. Timecards should be reviewed to make sure that all information is entered properly and correctly.

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Even the entry-level package supports payroll reports and accounting integrations. Changes in withholdings and rate of pay can occur from one pay period to the next. Reconciliation is designed to ensure that these types of changes are accounted for. Payroll RegisterThe first step involves reviewing data in the payroll register.

BlackLine delivers comprehensive solutions that unify accounting and finance operations across your Oracle landscape. Retailers are recalibrating their strategies and investing in innovative business models to drive transformation quickly, profitably, and at scale. Save time, reduce risk, and create capacity to support your organization’s strategic objectives. To respond and lead amid supply chain challenges demands on accounting teams in manufacturing companies are higher than ever. Guide your business with agility by standardizing processes, automating routine work, and increasing visibility. Integrate with treasury systems to facilitate and streamline netting, settlement, and clearing to optimize working capital.

Are there major differences between payroll runs?

This is a relatively easy fix if you catch it before payments are issued. So take the time to go through your list of employees on your payroll software and verify that everyone has been categorized correctly. Effective payroll reconciliation all starts with your payroll system. Today, online payroll services have simplified the way businesses of all sizes process payroll. To help you avoid any late payments to your employees, you should reconcile payroll at least two days before payday during every pay period. You should also reconcile payroll quarterly using Form 941 and at the end of every year once you print your employees’ W-2s.

• All paychecks reflect deductions for social security, Medicare, federal income taxes, and state and local taxes where appropriate.
• Additionally, the registry should include all detailed information pertaining to the employee’s compensation.
• Whether new to BlackLine or a longtime customer, we curate events to guide you along every step of your modern accounting journey.
• Payroll errors can add up quickly if your employees aren’t in the right category.
• Reconciliation is applied to many different accounting processes in the business environment.
• Retailers are recalibrating their strategies and investing in innovative business models to drive transformation quickly, profitably, and at scale.
• BlackLine delivers comprehensive solutions that unify accounting and finance operations across your Oracle landscape.