To Payroll or not to payroll?

[SusanKovalesky]

I'm an aspiring bookkeeper with a corporate accounting background so I'm in the process of learning Quick Books and getting my ProAdvisor Certification.

My question is this:

Do you offer payroll services? If so, why? and If not, why not? Please give explanations.

I'm just trying to figure out how this all goes together and works.

Thanks so much!!

Susan Kovalesky

[Balanced Business Service]

Hi Susan,

I currently do not offer payroll for a couple of reasons. First, even though I learned bookkeeping by hand posting first and then took on QuickBooks, the class I took didn't offer how to calculate payroll so I just don't have the proper experience. I am doing some payroll now for a church preschool for their teachers but that is a volunteer position and the previous person has shown me how to do it and is always available if I have a question. I'm happy to be getting this experience. With the QB service, it's not that bad really. However, even if down the road I have more experience and feel more comfortable with it I have to ask myself do I really want that responsibility/liability and do I want to be jammed up every Friday creating payroll. Currently I let the pros do that part. When a client asks me if I do payroll, I say no but I have people I can refer them to. I am also currently a one woman show so if you plan on having staff you may not be as conservative as I am right now. This may not always be the case for me but for the moment, this is my stance. I don't know if not offering payroll has kept me from getting business but I still have paying clients and I take their payroll report from their payroll company and show everything from these reports appropriately in QB.

Also you may want to check out www.aipb.org and www.nacpb.org. I get the list serve e-mails for aipb and that allows me to read a lot about what other bookkeepers go thorough.


Good luck with your decision. I hope this helps.

[vrsi-office]

I do offer payroll services. I operated my own payroll business (employee leasing) for 12 plus years. I closed this business in 2007 (for health reasons) and have since opened up my VA business. Since I have so many years of payroll experience (I could do payroll in my sleep) it was a natural transition for me to offer payroll and HR as a service in my VA business.

However, I would caution, if you do not really know payroll, do NOT offer it as a service. Payroll can be very complicated, and you can really get your client in trouble with the government if their payroll is processed incorrectly.

Julie

[Balanced Business Service]

However, I would caution, if you do not really know payroll, do NOT offer it as a service. Payroll can be very complicated, and you can really get your client in trouble with the government if their payroll is processed incorrectly.
Julie

Amen to that! You absolutely must know what you are doing.

[vainparadise]

I do not for the many reasons listed. It is good to know Julie that you do offer it, have had a few inquiries in the past for this service.

[Shellye Biser]

Great advice as always. I was trying to decide myself whether or not to include this service. I think not for right now....Thanks everyone.

[Melissa~HVAS]

I totally agree with the advice already given. I do not have any bookkeeping clients currently, but refer to my bookkeeping services as "Light Bookkeeping - A/P, A/R, & Bank Reconciliations" on my website & other marketing materials. Best wishes!

[KMartin]

I agree with all the posts here. If you don't know what you are doing - don't do it! I spent the weekend working on a set of books where the company had contracted a popular payroll service to do their payroll and it was totally messed up. The reports didn't match the checks and vice versa. I didn't even get a chance to match the amounts on all the quarterlys and year end reports! I'm still working on that. Hopefully everything will come out in the end. Otherwise they could be looking at some hefty fines. Now they have had to pay for my services to clean it up along with the fees they paid originally!

I would say if you decide to proceed with payroll services, make certain you have insurance! Nobody intentionally makes mistakes but sometimes they happen so make sure you are covered.