1. Gather the necessary timesheets and hours to pay each employee. Calculate hourly/salary pay, vacation, personal and sick time, plus benefits deductions (401k, health, dental, cafeteria plans, and garnishments). Process new hires, terminations, and any tax adjustments.
2. Compare what was submitted to you against what you entered before performing the check run. Once a check run is completed and the payroll is closed, the only way to correct an error is to void the check and issue another. This is why double-checking and even triple-checking are so important in payroll processing.
3. Generate the necessary payroll reports and compare what is printed on each check against the reports. These reports contain a detailed listing of what you entered before the check run was completed. This allows you to catch any mistakes that may have occurred during the payroll processing before the employee receives their paycheck.
4. Ensure correct quarterly reports by reconciling the results of each payroll. Immediately after printing and double-checking the paychecks, ensure that the appropriate federal and state taxes were deducted and balance with the necessary reports. At year-end, the employee's gross wages, benefits deductions, and taxes should coincide with each pay period's report.
5. Close the payroll. Any issues resulting from a specific payroll run, after it's been closed and after the employee receives their check, are addressed upon notice. At that time, you can make the necessary adjustments. Depending on the severity of the error, you can correct the error immediately or on the next payroll run.