Human Resources

Workforce analytics is the data collection and analysis that businesses use to understand their people (i.e., employees, teams, etc.). It can help your business measure employee performance, engagement, behavior, retention, and overall return on investment (ROI) related to your workforce. With technology, it is easier than ever to gather and crunch big data, simplifying work for managers wanting to make data-based decisions for their company. Types of Workforce Analytics All forms of workforce analytics help identify issues and present courses of action to improve business processes. Knowing the type of analytics you want can help define the problem, although sometimes the issues you need to identify may cover more than one solution. Depending on the purpose and end goal, these can be divided into the following types: Descriptive Predictive Prescriptive Diagnostic Descriptive This data can provide a clear view of your employees’ current state or help you understand a past event. For instance, a company can run analytics reports to determine the steps taken when onboarding employees (when the offer letter was sent, how quickly the offer was accepted, how long onboarding took, etc.) or a survey can be done to analyze the hiring and onboarding to find areas for improvement. This can help reduce costs for future hiring decisions by finding ways to expedite the process. Predictive This analysis helps you anticipate future outcomes based on current and existing data. For example, a company may run analytics on the number of support tickets plus the per ticket cost over a period of time. From there, they can predict how much IT help desk support they may need based on trends throughout the year, answering questions like, “When do the number of issues peak, and what months are they at their lowest?” and “Is there a trend around when the most complex and costly issues occur, or is it sporadic?” This data will help users predict the number of support tickets that will be produced and determine areas they can investigate to help them improve support time and potentially decrease their cost per ticket. Prescriptive This type of data can help in deciding better courses of action based on past performance. For example, a company can run a report on their target vs actual employee headcount to determine gaps in hiring and which departments have historically lacked necessary employees. Besides the use of software, such a report can be done from an analysis of records and using the results to project the growth within the company and each department. This data can then be used to make better hiring decisions and improve the recruitment process. Diagnostic This type applies to solving specific problems and is used to find the underlying cause and suggest a course of action. For instance, a company with a high turnover rate may use workforce analytics to determine if the problem lies in pay, company policies, managers, or office culture. A detailed compensation report can help determine where there may be a pay gap within a department or the company as a whole. Company surveys can also determine employee satisfaction, while exit surveys can identify areas where employees may be unhappy. You can use this information to adjust pay to be more competitive with industry standards. How to Use Workforce Analytics Much of today’s HR software and workforce management software allows you to collect data on a regular basis. In addition, some HRIS systems, payroll services, and PEO programs come with employee survey data, which employers use every month to check in on worker satisfaction. Using workforce analytics software, such as , can make tracking and analyzing your workforce easier. Rippling brings all employee data (HR, IT, Finance, and third-party systems) into one platform and allows you to control who can view data by location, role, department, and more. Hiring and interview notes, exit surveys, and performance feedback also provide excellent, ongoing data for workforce analytics. Regardless of how and where you get the data, you should have a clear game plan when using workforce analytics. Identify the Problem Begin with a clear idea of what problem you are addressing and how you want to solve it. Be specific—for instance, “causes for employee dissatisfaction” is very general, whereas “Why do employees leave after four to seven years?” gives you greater focus. Determine the Information You Need You are looking for actionable data—information your business can apply when making a decision. You also need to consider what information you have access to and can gather. How you define the problem can determine the type of analytics you do. For example: Why do they leave? Use exit surveys and interviews to determine a pattern. How do we stop them from leaving? Specific questionnaires throughout the life of an employee can help with retention. What kind of employees leave after four years? Use hiring notes, personality tests, and manager feedback to determine the types of employees who leave. Can we improve retention by doing X? Researching who had the training, support, or promotions in question and whether or not they continued in the company can help determine a path for improved retention. Set Benchmark Questions & Goals Determine what your benchmark questions will be to help you gather the data for your overall goal. For example, if your goal is to improve employee retention, you could ask whether a certain action helps retain employees. Does a raise of a minimum percentage motivate employees to stay, or will a flexible schedule promote better retention? It can also mean getting a certain number or percentage of replies and assessing which responses fall within the different metrics/criteria you use. For example, in the larger analysis of “Why do employees leave,” your benchmarks may include specific lifestyle markers, like a new baby or completing an advanced degree, employee satisfaction at the time of exit, performance factors, and even personality types. Gather & Analyze the Data When you have identified the problem and the information you need and established benchmarks, you can then determine how to gather and analyze your information. You’ll consider what data you may already have available and what new data you may need. As we mentioned earlier, your software tools will often have data readily available for you. Other data you already have may come from previous survey results, resumes and personality assessments, company goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), etc. If you need new information to make the best, most informed decision, consider new team surveys (Slack is a great tool for running frequent informal surveys) or adding new questions or areas of discussion to your performance review process. Benefits of Workforce Analytics Workforce analytics can help lead to actionable changes that make a difference. While an investment, they can save you time, money, and headaches down the line. For example, the Workforce Institute’s 2022 Retention Report found that the majority of reasons for employee turnover are preventable, and it costs nearly 33% of an employee’s annual salary just to replace them. The proper use of workforce analytics can help with the following: Improving Hiring: With analysis, you can determine the best types of employees for your business and what factors you should look for in recruiting and interviewing. Additionally, you can determine which of your company’s values and cultural aspects attract the best candidates. (A recent survey shows that strong company values and culture ranked third, below compensation and work-life balance, for what candidates look for when accepting a job offer.) Managing Employees: Managers can encourage traits that high-performers have in common and determine what keeps them loyal to the company. Analytics can be used to find a correlation between training and performance and improve company policies. Job stress, including lack of proper training, is listed as one of the top reasons employees become dissatisfied with their positions. Organizing Roles: Analytics can be used to determine roles within your organization. For example, you may find three employees are doing different parts of the same task and getting in one another's way. To ease the situation, you could reshuffle the project to one employee, whether an existing worker or a new hire. Engaging Employees: Analysis of how engaged your employees are can give you insight into how you can improve the office culture and encourage collaboration. It will enable you to keep morale high in stressful seasons. According to a popular retention survey, when employees have a higher rating of their supervisors and managers, they stay longer with an organization. Reducing Employee Churn: Workforce analytics can give you insight into why employees leave. Knowing the metrics around employee satisfaction can help your business devise a plan to reduce turnover. In a recent employee turnover insight report, lack of job growth was the top reason employees leave a company. Bottom Line Workforce analytics uses information gathered from surveys and mined from employee records to help you make informed decisions concerning employee hiring, management, and retention. With the amazing amount of data available, especially for companies using HR or workforce management programs, it’s not hard to create and conduct studies to answer vital questions on how to run your company better.

Hubstaff is an all-in-one time tracking and productivity monitoring software best for companies with remote or field employees. Its features include GPS tracking, online time sheets, team scheduling, payroll, geofencing, and task management. It is available via desktop, web browser, and mobile apps, and its monthly prices range from $0 to $15 per user. Hubstaff Overview What We Recommend Hubstaff For Hubstaff earned a spot on our best free time tracking software roundup because of its solid employee time tracking features and robust job labor costing and reporting capabilities. Its productivity tools (app and URL tracking, idle time warning, and screenshots) identify and, subsequently, boost your team’s performance. However, its paid options are more expensive than other providers since it requires users to pay for a minimum of two seats. We recommend Hubstaff for: Mobile businesses and companies with field employees working at multiple locations: Using Hubstaff’s geofencing feature, you can either auto-start/stop its timer or send reminders to your staff to clock in when they arrive at their designated location. With its GPS tracker, you can monitor time spent driving and view routes taken. Both features enable you to get detailed, location-based records of work hours even if you are offline. Freelancers needing a time tracking tool with payroll and invoicing capabilities: Hubstaff is one of our top-recommended time tracking software for freelancers. It has online invoicing tools that let you set your rate per project, track budgets and billable hours, and create and send invoices in multiple formats (HTML, PDF, or by email) to your clients. You can also process your team’s payroll by indicating their hourly rates and schedules (weekly, biweekly, and monthly) and pay your staff using third-party providers, like PayPal, Wise, Payoneer, and BitWage. Companies with international contractors: Hubstaff supports multiple currencies, e.g., PHP and GDP. If you’re solely using the system to track time and productivity for international staff in one country, the app may be useful. You can send payments as needed but assign only one currency to your organization (you can’t send multiple currencies to different countries). When Hubstaff Would Not Be a Good Fit Companies needing to track actual work hours of hourly staff: Hubstaff’s time tracker doesn’t monitor employee attendance, breaks, and overtime efficiently. If your business needs this functionality, we would recommend Homebase. It has solid compliance support and tracks federal and state overtime laws plus break regulations. It also has online time clocks that support PIN code clock-ins/outs. Gig workers wanting time tracking solutions with invoicing tools: Hubstaff gives you client billing features and integrations only with its Pro plan and requires you to pay a minimum for two users. If you need free invoicing, then we recommend Harvest. Although its free option is only for one user with two active projects, it comes with time tracking and invoicing. It is the best option for freelancers with a few projects. Hubstaff Top Alternatives Hubstaff Pricing Hubstaff has a free plan and three paid options with tiers that range from $7 to $20 per user, per month. Click on the following tabs for more information on its paid plans. Hubstaff Time, Desk and Field Enterprise: Hubstaff offers custom pricing if you get an Enterprise plan. It includes all features in the Pro tiers, plus VIP support Concierge set up Unlimited job sites Pay by bank debit Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance Hubstaff offers a 14-day free trial of its paid tiers alongside the demo on its website. Also, it has a 60-day money-back guarantee. Hubstaff Features Hubstaff has a mix of time tracking, invoicing, geofencing, and GPS tracking capabilities, and it lets you monitor your employees’ real-time performance using its productivity tools. Paying employees and creating invoices are also easy for freelancers and/or firms that charge by billable hours. To learn more about this solution, let’s look at Hubstaff’s key features to help you determine whether or not it’s the right tool for you. Hubstaff Ease of Use User-friendly controls Intuitive user interface Extensive knowledge base (has FAQs, walkthrough videos, and how-to guides) Overall, Hubstaff is a user-friendly time tracking software with a straightforward interface. It has a feature-rich mobile application that syncs well with its web version—even when offline. In addition, you can access an extensive knowledge base that has FAQs, user guides, and walkthrough videos. For support, Hubstaff has a team of experts who will respond to you through email, live chat, on-screen shares, or video conferencing. What Users Think About Hubstaff Users who left Hubstaff reviews online said they appreciate how easy it is to deploy, given its straightforward interface. Others commented that its robust employee productivity tools helped them improve their team’s overall performance, and some complimented its responsive support team. On the other hand, some reviewers complained that they experienced occasional software glitches, whereas others mentioned that they get distracted from work with the frequent screenshot capturing. Several even suggested that there should be more third-party integrations. At the time of publication, Hubstaff reviews earned the following scores on popular user review sites: Capterra: 4.6 out of 5 based on 1,200+ reviews G2: 4.3 out of 5 based on around 400 reviews New to management? Check out our guide to employee management for practical advice. Bottom Line If you’re looking for a time tracking system with robust employee productivity tools, then Hubstaff is a good choice. It automatically captures work hours, including your team’s location, with its geofencing and GPS tracking features. Also, it allows you to keep an eye on your employees’ day-to-day activities using its app and URL tracking, idle time warning, and work-in-progress screenshot capturing. If you are on a limited budget, Hubstaff has a free plan for a single user, and it’s complete with basic timekeeping and productivity functionalities. If you want to learn more about the platform, then sign up for its 14-day free trial.

Paying employees in Georgia is more straightforward than in more complex states like California. The primary difference is that Georgia requires employers to pay state income taxes. Understanding how to do payroll in Georgia requires understanding these nuances and other unique Georgia payroll laws. If you need help processing payroll in Georgia, consider using payroll software like . It pays and files federal, state, and local taxes, so you don’t have to. You can also pay employees via check or direct deposit at no extra cost. Sign up today and get 50% off for 3 months. Step-by-Step Guide To Running Payroll in Georgia Although doing Georgia payroll is fairly simple, there are special laws you need to pay attention to, especially on your first few payroll runs. Step 1: Set up your company’s Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If your company is brand-new, you may need to apply for a FEIN. This is a simple process completed entirely online via the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). If your company already has one, keep the FEIN nearby as it is required to pay federal taxes. Step 2: Register your business in Georgia. Any company that pays employees in Georgia must register with the Georgia Secretary of State. The Georgia Department of Revenue provides a comprehensive guide to help you tick all the boxes of proper registration, including how to calculate and withhold payroll taxes. Step 3: Set up your first payroll. This isn’t where you actually start running payroll but rather begin your process of setting it up. You may need to create a process for yourself, so you are certain not to miss any important steps. You can opt to do payroll yourself manually or set up an Excel payroll template. Your best bet, however, to avoid problems is to work with payroll software to help you handle your Georgia payroll. Step 4: Collect employee payroll forms. Most efficiently done during onboarding, your employees need to complete various payroll and employment forms. All employees must complete I-9 verification no later than their third day on the job. You need to keep I-9s even after the employee no longer works for the company. Every employee must also have a completed W-4 on file. Unlike some states, Georgia requires a state-specific W-4, called the State of Georgia Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate. Employees must also provide you with direct deposit information. Step 5: Review and approve time sheets. Companies record time in a variety of ways. Whether electronically or using paper time sheets, you need to collect, review, and approve them. Georgia employers must pay employees regularly and at least twice monthly. So, you need to make sure you begin this process several days before the scheduled payday to make sure you have enough time. Having employees sign their time sheets is a good idea. Step 6: Calculate your payroll, including taxes, and pay employees. Calculating every employee’s pay, the taxes owed by them and the company, and the deductions and withholdings required will be a huge challenge if you do it by hand, especially if you have more than a few employees. You can simplify the process and reduce mistakes if you use a standard process and payroll software to calculate pay automatically. Step 7: Pay federal and state payroll taxes. At each regular payroll run, you must pay federal and state taxes. The IRS provides instructions on paying federal taxes, while the Georgia Department of Revenue provides instructions on paying state taxes. Step 8: Save your payroll records. This step is often overlooked but is also one of the most important. It is vital that you keep detailed payroll records showing that you have regularly and correctly paid every employee, as well as state and federal taxes. Federal law requires you to maintain these records for three to four years, and Georgia’s law aligns for all private employers. Step 9: Process annual payroll reports. Every employer, regardless of which state your business is in, will need to complete W-2s for all employees and 1099s for independent contractors. By law, you must provide all employees and contractors with their annual tax form no later than Jan. 31 of the following year. Download our free checklist to help you stay on track while you’re working through these steps: Georgia Payroll Laws, Taxes & Regulations Doing payroll in Georgia is very similar to doing payroll in other states. Most regulations follow federal laws, so you are less likely to get confused by conflicting rules. No municipalities or cities in Georgia charge additional taxes, simplifying the process even more. Georgia Payroll Taxes Beyond federal taxes, Georgia levies state taxes on businesses and employees. Businesses must calculate and withhold the correct amount of tax from both employers and employees. Employer Unemployment Taxes Georgia does not have state disability insurance, but it does have State Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA) taxes. The current rate for employers ranges from 0.04% to 7.56% on a wage base of $9,500. With few exceptions, every employer in Georgia must pay SUTA. Workers’ Compensation Any Georgia employer with three or more full-time, part-time, or seasonal employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance coverage. Depending on the industry in which your business operates, your premiums will vary. Income Taxes Georgia has a progressive income tax system, meaning that the more an employee makes, the more they are taxed. The state’s income tax has six brackets ranging from 1% to 5.75%. Make sure that you are withholding the correct amount for each of your employees, especially as their salaries change over time. Georgia Minimum Wage Georgia’s minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour, aligned with the federal minimum wage. Tipped minimum wage is $2.13 per hour. The tips the employees receive make up the difference, but if an employee’s tips do not get them to the $7.25 per hour minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. Calculating Overtime Georgia’s overtime rate is time and a half. So, if an employee makes minimum wage, any overtime hours they work will be paid at $10.88 per hour. In Georgia, overtime pay is only required when an employee works over 40 hours in a single workweek. Paying Employees Georgia requires that employers pay employees at least twice per month. Companies are free to run payroll more frequently. Regardless of the pay schedule your company uses, you must have regular and consistent pay days. Employers in the farming, sawmill, and turpentine industries are not subject to this requirement and may pay employees just once per month. Employers have several options for paying employees: Cash Check Direct deposit Payroll cards Pay Stub Laws Georgia does not require businesses to provide pay stubs to employees. Your business may choose to do so, and if you use payroll software, it may create one automatically. If you’d like a template to make creating your own pay statements easier, then download one of our free pay stub templates. They’re already formatted—you can print and use them today. Georgia Paycheck Deductions Georgia does not specify what deductions can be taken out of an employee’s pay, aside from taxes. Because of this ambiguity, employers may be able to deduct the following, provided that it does not take the employee’s hourly pay below the minimum wage: Cash register shortage Damage or loss of employer property Uniform fee Tool or equipment fee Other items necessary for employment Terminated Employee’s Final Paychecks Georgia has no specific law or regulation detailing when or how an employer pays wages to a recently resigned, laid off, or terminated employee. To be safe, we recommend that you follow normal payroll practices and simply pay them their final paycheck during the next regular run; this aligns with federal regulations as well. Georgia HR Laws That Affect Payroll Many of Georgia’s HR and employment laws align with federal regulations. However, there are some additional employment laws and regulations you need to be aware of to make sure your company remains compliant. Georgia New Hire Reporting Employers are required by law to report all new hires to the Georgia New Hire Reporting Center. You must do this within 10 days of the employee’s start date. You must report new hires, rehires, and temporary employees. No business is exempt from this law. Breaks Georgia does not require employers to provide breaks, paid or unpaid, to employees. Businesses in the state are still required to follow federal law and may choose to provide paid breaks beyond that. So, at a minimum, companies in Georgia must pay employees for small breaks, around five to 20 minutes. Georgia Child Labor Laws Georgia does not restrict workers aged 16 and over. Employees under 16, however, are restricted from working more than: Four hours on a school day Eight hours on a non-school day Forty hours during a non-school week In addition, workers under 16 cannot start work before 6 a.m. or finish work after 9 p.m. No workers under 16 can work during school hours. Time Off & Leave Requirements Georgia doesn’t regulate paid time off (neither does the federal government). However, you will need to pay attention during voting season, as you are required to allow employees time off to cast their ballots. Payroll Forms Payroll forms can vary from state to state. Fortunately, the only state-specific form your employees need to worry about is the Georgia W-4. Three forms are applicable to Georgia employers (you’ll likely qualify for two of them): G-7: Required for businesses submitting quarterly tax returns and may be filed electronically DOL-4A: Only required if you’re a household employer, meaning you’re paying nannies, caregivers, and other staff who work at your home); you’ll use it to report quarterly tax and wage reports DOL-4N: This form is used to submit quarterly employee wages, tax information, and account changes. Federal Payroll Forms Here is a complete list and location of all the federal payroll forms you should need: W-4 Form: Provides information on employee withholdings so you can properly calculate and withhold federal and state income taxes W-2 Form: Used to report total annual wages for each employee W-3 Form: Used to report total annual wages for all employees Form 940: Used to calculate and report unemployment taxes due to the IRS Form 941: Used to file quarterly income tax Form 944: Used to file annual income tax 1099 Forms: Provides information for non-employee contract work Georgia Payroll Tax Resources The Georgia Department of Revenue provides many forms, information on the latest laws and regulations, and other employer-specific information. Tax withholdings may be confusing, and reviewing Georgia’s Employer’s Tax Guide may help you. For extensive information on how to get workers’ compensation coverage, Georgia’s Department of Labor offers guidance. Bottom Line Learning how to do payroll in Georgia can seem complicated at first glance. However, the state follows federal regulations fairly closely, and you only need to concern yourself with less than a handful of state-specific forms. Once you make sure your business has the proper registrations, completing regular payroll runs becomes routine. By keeping up with ever-changing employment laws and regulations, you can make sure you get your Georgia payroll right every time.

Onboarding new employees is the process of integrating a new worker into your company culture, ethos, policies, and teams. The goal is to provide the new hire with the tools and information needed to become productive and to help them feel welcome. Prepare your new employee for success by: Confirming new hire data before the first day Providing welcome materials Introducing new employees to other team members Holding a formal orientation Defining job responsibilities Discussing strategic growth Providing company training Scheduling regular performance reviews Our new hire onboarding checklist is designed to provide you with the best practices you should follow when onboarding your new employees. It can be downloaded and customized to fit your business needs. Step 1: Prepare for Your New Hire Before your new employee begins their first day with your company, we suggest mapping out your onboarding plan and materials, confirming that pre-hire paperwork has been completed, and working out their schedules. Start by making sure you have: Confirmed all documents from the hiring process have been signed and verified, including the offer letter Verified the salary and start date Set up all IT systems and equipped the new hire to use office equipment, including computer, printer, building access keys, and company software Prepared a welcome packet that includes new hire paperwork, payroll information, a summary of benefits, the employee handbook, etc. Then, prepare the new employee’s schedules, especially if they are an hourly employee who may work different shifts throughout the week. Consider using scheduling templates and software—they can help streamline your employee scheduling demands overall. We recommend: : Best for brick-and-mortar businesses (such as retail and restaurants); free for one location : Best for shift-based workplaces (such as medical and professional services); free 14-day trial Step 2: Provide Onboarding Materials On the first day on the job, your new hire should receive onboarding materials that include paperwork and a generalized exposure to their new role. Give your new hire time to digest the new employee forms and fill out needed documents. All of the personnel information that you need should be included in the first section of any packet (even if it is an electronically shared packet). The onboarding materials packet should have: Payroll-related forms, including W-4, a direct deposit form, and Form I-9 Personal information and contact numbers. Create an employee data sheet with emergency contact information Employee handbook. Have the employee review and sign it and ensure they understand your employment-at-will policy Company policies unique to your business that aren’t covered in your employee handbook; examples include sexual harassment policies, maternity leave policies, and time-off policies Confidentiality, noncompete, or nondisclosure agreement Employment contract Job description Background check authorization (if relevant) Drug screening approval (if relevant) Summary of benefits Organizational chart with important emails Use a new hire checklist to ensure you are providing your new hire with all necessary documents. Step 3: Hold a Formal Company Orientation The new hire should participate in a new employee orientation, which introduces them to the company culture. While the onboarding process can (and should) last up to a year, overall new hire orientation (including the presentation) should be established within the first week of employment. New hire orientation should follow the steps below: Welcome and Introductions: Introduce the new hire to key team members they’ll work with and provide them with important policy information. Also, describe the training they will undergo and let them know where they can raise their questions. New Hire Paperwork: Provide the new employee forms and other required documents, collect their identifying information, and give them time to review the materials. Orientation Video: Through an orientation video (or a one-on-one with HR), provide the new employee with information on the company culture, history, mission, vision, and values. Also, make sure to highlight the benefits offered by the company. Training Sessions: Set up one-on-one sessions and provide how-to videos for software, non-discrimination and sexual harassment training videos, and job-specific training videos. Acclimation to the New Position: Provide the new employee with the tools and software needed for job success, set up job shadowing with a peer, and give them time to digest everything. Read our article on conducting new employee orientation for a more in-depth guide. Step 4: Clearly Define Job Responsibilities Although your new hire may have experience in their assigned role, they may not have experience working in your industry or with your specific product or service. Be sure to sit down with them and discuss the job description and role requirements. We recommend utilizing both the employee’s job description (details of their job) and a company organizational chart (who in the company their role will be impacting) when sharing with the new team member what their role is all about as the organization strives to meet its strategic goals. Step 5: Discuss Their Strategic Growth Plan Each employee within your organization should have a clearly defined strategic growth plan that outlines their goals and responsibilities. The growth plan should be specific and focus on the employee’s continued improvement within their position. When developing a growth plan within a specific position, be sure to Set clear, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals Add an educational plan for training and development Implement strategies for success Analyze results with performance management Your new employee should clearly understand their role and responsibilities related to the growth plan and have a clear understanding of how to achieve those goals. Step 6: Introduce the New Team Member The new team member should be introduced to their immediate team and the entire company within their first week of employment. This helps to acclimate the employee to their environment and allows them to meet the employees they may need to interact with regularly. Step 7: Provide Role-specific Training Throughout the first months on the job, the new employee should be exposed to education and training sessions specific to their role. This goes beyond the basic training during orientation (where the employee learns their role) and encompasses more detailed training and development sessions. Personalized training provides the necessary education for employees and helps them keep track of their progress. Training management software can be used to deliver courses and track progress in one easy place. Step 8: Schedule Regular Performance Evaluations Throughout the first year of employment and as your new employee gets settled into their role, it is important to schedule performance evaluations. This ensures the employee is following their growth plan and meeting metrics set for success with the company. Onboarding for Transitioning or Remote Employees Although everyone thinks of new employees when discussing employee onboarding best practices, there are a few employee groups that require a renewed introduction to parts (or all) of the company and its processes. Whether an extended period away from work or moving into another company region, large changes can more easily be embraced with onboarding processes. Objectives of Great Onboarding The reason for ensuring that you have a solid onboarding experience for new team members is because of the value it adds to the new hire and the organization, leading to optimal organizational performance. Successful onboarding also: Ensures legal compliance: A robust onboarding process includes many requirements and legal obligations. Deploys consistent experience: Maintaining an onboarding program that all new employees receive ensures that everyone gets a thorough welcome and direction. Makes new hires feel “at home”: The purpose of an onboarding program that offers a comprehensive experience is to embrace new employees so that they feel welcome at the earliest stages possible. Leads to better ROI: When a thorough onboarding process meets talented and ambitious new hires, companies get an incredible ROI. Improves employee retention: When you hire an employee, you are investing in people. It takes money, people, and time to properly onboard new team members. Safeguarding your investment by retaining your top employees is critical to competing in business. Using HR Software for Onboarding HR software can help with the onboarding process by automating many of your HR-related tasks such as creating custom employee profiles and tracking employee progress. With onboarding software, HR professionals can focus on more important tasks such as helping new employees learn the company's culture and policies. For as low as $8 per employee, per month, software can handle onboarding for you, leaving you to get back to the heart of your business. Rippling can automatically add employees to the apps they need, internationally onboard contractors in over 100 countries, and prepare your new employees with a laptop that is set up, ready to use, and delivered straight to the employee. How To Onboard With Rippling Below are the steps to onboard a new hire with Rippling. Once the new hire has been successfully input into the system, Rippling will reach out to the new hire to complete the final steps of onboarding, which include entering their address information, banking, healthcare options, I-9 form, and more. Bottom Line Onboarding your new team members is one of HR’s (or a supervisor’s) most critical roles. New team members’ first impressions play into how long they remain with your company and how they feel about leadership. Incorporate employee onboarding best practices and you will have an edge on your competition. The good news is that your company does not need to spend a fortune to get a robust, polished onboarding program established and active.

Knowing how to hire great employees is the key to growing your business. The process of hiring employees includes well-written job descriptions, effective recruitment ads, and strong interview processes—all of which should promote your values and culture and adhere to fair labor practices. Step 1: Create a Detailed Job Description A detailed job description helps you connect with qualified applicants as well as clarify their work expectations once hired. A great job description should include the educational and professional requirements and a preview of the company culture. Include the following in every job description: Job Outline Before the duties of the job are discussed, basic information is often shared at the top of the job. For example: Company logo Job title Status (full time, part time, temporary) Job location (remote, city/state) Salary range A position summary can be added at the bottom of this section that gives a brief (four to six sentences) description of the position. This is where you let potential candidates know the basics of the position; greater detail can be given further down in the job description that outlines specific duties and responsibilities. Detailed Position Information This is the area of the job description where you define the job and its duties and responsibilities in specific detail. It is not uncommon to highlight more than 10 primary features of the job, listed in order of importance. The more detailed a picture you paint of the position, the more qualified candidates you will attract. Essential Functions Be sure to include all essential functions of the position. These are the duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) governs what is considered an essential function, partially through the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). Some of these functions may include: Ability to sit or stand for long periods Able to lift a certain amount (i.e., 50 pounds) Languages required to be successful Required travel Ability to use general office equipment Skills When you create your job description, make sure you’re describing the skills necessary for a candidate to be successful in the role. These may be learned skills, like proficiency in certain computer software, or soft skills, like personal development. Education Most business owners list a minimum educational requirement in their job description based on the job role when hiring employees. For example, a solar installation company may desire its workers to have at least a GED or high school degree to be able to read complex instructions. Meanwhile, a CPA firm might prefer its associates to have a business or accounting degree (bachelor’s or master’s), whereas a Biomed testing facility may need Ph.D. candidates for licensing purposes. Experience Think about the work experience a candidate must have. In addition to education and training, many skills are learned on the job. More often than not, it is best to clarify what is “required” and what is “preferred” in experience, education, and skills. Here are some examples of the kind of “experience statements” that you might want to include in your job description: Four years of customer service experience in a fast-paced sales environment; two years in IT sales preferred. Five years of diesel mechanic experience or two years of experience if ASE certified. Ten years in multi-restaurant management or former GM managing at least $100K in sales each month. Three years of transportation dispatch experience with temperature-controlled carriers; foodservice transportation experience preferred. Six years of technical or supervisory experience in any construction trade; three years of solar panel installation referred. Company Culture This is the section of your job description where you can let your business shine. Define the cultural and management values of your company. Explain how employees can benefit from working for you. Describe your company values and how you got your start in the business. Besides these, give some details of your employer branding; this highlights how your company is perceived by prospective and current employees both online and on-site. And, positive employer branding can reduce hiring costs by attracting more candidates per job opening. Step 2: Advertise & Recruit Once you’ve created your job description, it’s time to advertise your job. Many businesses use job boards to find qualified employees and make recruitment easier. Job board services like will not only increase visibility and attract top-tier candidates, but it offers templates to assist you with crafting a job advertisement. Follow the steps below to advertise your job: Write a Compelling Job Ad The difference between the job description and a job ad is subtle. A job ad starts with a job description’s most critical details, but it also adds marketing details and a call to action to entice job seekers to apply. For example, it might include more about your company culture, showcase the benefits you offer, or include a hiring bonus. However, it is not necessary to list every single duty the job requires—this can be discussed during the interview. Post the Job Online You can post a sign at your business to attract walk-in applicants, but the most common means of finding qualified job candidates is to use an online job board for hiring employees. Once you post a job, you can share it on social media or email individuals you hope will apply. In addition, some employers prefer to use a free applicant tracking system to keep track of where their jobs are posted and who has applied to each job. Ask Employees for Referrals Employee referral programs are a great way to find job talent, as your employees may know of qualified candidates to join your company. If you post your job on an online job posting site, you can share the link and job description with existing employees and ask them to help you recruit their next co-worker. Here are some tips on making the most of employee referrals: Be a company of choice: That’ll make your existing team members more likely to recommend jobs to people within their network. Communicate your enthusiasm: When talking about open roles and opportunities, share your enthusiasm, which can help engage and attract employees’ friends and family to apply. Focus on the opportunity: Emphasize what a great opportunity the role is and the importance of the position to the company. Reward employees: When you hire an employee referred to you by an existing team member, consider offering your team member a referral bonus. Hire a Recruiter Another popular option is to work with a recruiter or recruitment firm with expertise in sourcing candidates. Typically a recruiter will charge you a percentage (ranging anywhere from 20%–35%) of the new hire’s first-year salary. For example, if you are looking to fill a position at a salary of $40,000, it would typically cost around $8,000 in fees. But, that may be worth it to get a top-notch candidate you may not have found on your own. Step 3: Evaluate Resumes Once you begin receiving job applications, you’ll have to screen job applicants to find qualified ones to take to the next step. If you’re using a job posting site like , you’ll have access to online tools that assess job applicant qualifications in advance; otherwise, you’ll start by reading applications and resumes to determine which candidates to interview. Thoughtfully Read Through Resumes Pick a time during the day when you can fully concentrate on the resumes. Give them a full read-through and look for any skills or experience the candidate has that aligns with your job description. You should be looking for past job experience similar to the role, skills the candidate possesses that can help them perform the job, and anything “extra” that the candidate might bring to the table (i.e., certifications). Sort Resumes You’ll find that a large percentage of job seekers fire off resumes with no regard for whether their skills match the ad posting. It’s easiest to set those aside into a “no” or “not qualified” pile once you recognize that candidates do not qualify for your role. Sorting your resumes into three groupings is a great way to get a handle on which candidates you may want to follow up with. Oftentimes you have a “Qualified-Interview” pile, a “Qualified-Maybe” pile, and a “Not Qualified-No” pile. The “No” pile will typically be your largest, followed by your “Maybe” pile and then your “Interview” pile. Your end goal is to have a short stack of three to five individuals to interview. Step 4: Interview Candidates Once you’re done sorting, it’s time to schedule interviews. Be certain you have a good interviewing process established, which should always include more than the hiring manager or the HR representative. Schedule Interviews Set up an interview schedule with your top candidates. Although this can be done via email, we suggest doing so through a phone call to assess each job seeker’s interest before committing yourself or your managers to the full interview process. Some applicants may have already accepted a job with another firm, while others may not be as good a fit as they appear to be on paper, so this could be another layer of screening before settling on one candidate. The most common forms of interviews include: Phone Interviews: A phone interview is generally brief. You contact the candidate, thank them for applying, and ask if they would mind answering a few questions. How they react will tell you much about their true interest in the role. Video Interviews: Video interviews are great for team interviews (with more than one of your managers) or remote and work-from-home candidates. Don’t worry if you don’t already have video conferencing software as many are free. In-person Interviews: In-person interviews are the most common interview type managers think of when they imagine interviewing a new hire. But in-person interviews are notoriously inefficient and may result in you selecting a candidate based on how similar they are to you rather than how qualified they are. Thank Candidates A best business practice is to acknowledge those candidates that took the time to apply to your open position. Remember to communicate just as promptly with those who didn’t make the cut as those who did. For those you’re going to be turning down, you can send rejection letters or use a job board, like , that will allow you to send bulk emails to candidates, including interview requests and rejection letters. Select the Best Candidate for the Job The best candidate for the job is the individual who most closely fits the job requirements and has the highest likelihood to succeed in the role within your organization. If the candidate will be working in a specific department, it’s recommended for direct supervisors to have a say in which candidate is right for the job. It’s also a good idea to contact prior employers and check the candidate’s references to get insight into the candidate’s strengths. Take a look at your candidate’s LinkedIn profile to be sure it matches the attributes listed in their resume. [Optional] Conduct a Background Check Once you have selected the candidate you want to hire, consider conducting a background check and/or a pre-employment drug screen. A background check can verify a candidate’s employment history, experience, education, and may shed light into any criminal activity. This is especially important for certain roles such as finance, accounting, and jobs that include driving. A background check company will verify the candidate’s information and report any issues directly to your business. The best companies are FCRA-compliant, offer transparent pricing, and provide you with a quick response. Step 5: Craft a Job Offer Your final step in hiring a new employee is to write a formal job offer letter. This letter should outline what the role is, when it starts, and what it pays. Additionally, include a benefits statement, contingencies, and an offer timeframe that the candidate must respond by to accept the offer. Download our free offer letter template. When describing your company and the position being offered, make sure the personality and culture of your company come through. Include benefits as well as your company’s unique mission. It’s also a good idea to make the job offer contingent upon a successful background check, required physicals, drug tests, or any other pre-hire requirements. Don’t be surprised if your job candidate doesn’t accept your first job offer. Be willing to negotiate unless you simply can’t pay a penny more. Many new hires are open to receiving off-site training, getting a few more days of paid time off (PTO), or working remotely in exchange for a lower-than-desired salary. Post-hire Considerations Once your new hire has agreed to your job offer, it’s time to plan their onboarding. Additionally, when you take into account recruiting expenses and new employee training costs, retaining good employees is the most profitable way to keep your business fully staffed. Bottom Line Hiring employees to grow your business and promote your brand is a huge building block in your company’s foundation for sustained success. Take your time to find the person most likely to be successful in the job based on the candidate’s resume, interviews, and employment references. Maintain a clear vision when recruiting and selecting your new team member. Consider using to find your next top employee. It can assist with the entire hiring process—job description templates, job posting to over 100 sites, interviewing, tracking, and hiring. Plus get an exclusive free “Highlight” Enhancement to make your job stand out. You May Also Like… Hiring Seasonal Employees How To Hire Temporary Employees How To Hire Remote Employees How To Hire International Employees Hiring Employees in China

offers affordable online payroll services that include unlimited pay runs, direct deposits, new hire and year-end reporting, automatic tax payments and filings, and even a do-it-yourself (DIY) payroll option where you handle tax filings. It also provides access to employee benefits, HR forms, compliance posters, and an HR adviser. For $29.99 monthly plus $5 per employee, you can get its full-service plan that automates the entire payroll process, including payroll tax deposits and filings. What We Recommend SurePayroll For With over 20 years of payroll and tax experience, SurePayroll has been helping small businesses run payroll and comply with tax laws and regulations at an affordable price. It offers automatic and unlimited pay runs, flexible payroll options, a mobile app, and access to employee benefits. In addition to providing online software that’s easy to set up, learn, and use, this provider offers flexible tools that can handle the wage processing needs of various small businesses, including restaurants and household employers. In short, SurePayroll is best for: Household employers: SurePayroll, our best overall nanny payroll service for household employers, is affordably priced and has efficient tools to help you pay your nannies and other household staff. It also prepares Schedule H that all household employers must submit with their 1040 annual filing—something you won’t get with other payroll services. Sole proprietors: Handling self-employed payroll can be confusing and stressful for sole proprietors. With this provider, you can choose between its self-service and full-service options, and it’s easy to switch from one to the other when needed. Some single-employee businesses may even opt to initially handle tax filing to save money, making SurePayroll’s DIY payroll plan a good option. Small companies with employees in multiple states: Although it costs extra ($9.99 per state beyond the first) to run payroll in more than one state, SurePayroll can handle it affordably. This is great for small business owners with employees distributed throughout the US, as it allows them to maintain payroll compliance in multiple states without having to sign up for more complex (and costly) online payroll services they don’t need. Restaurants: Aside from the free setup assistance, SurePayroll can help restaurant business owners efficiently manage the intricacies of handling their staff’s multiple pay schedules and tip payouts. Rated as one of our leading restaurant payroll software, SurePayroll provides restaurant-specific reporting that includes FICA Tip Credit and Tip Sign-Off reports. Accountants: SurePayroll has an accountant partner program that comes with basic payroll and HR tools plus white-labeling options with wholesale pricing. It ranks in our top payroll software for accountants guide. When SurePayroll Would Not Be a Good Fit Large companies: Businesses planning to quickly scale to 1,000+ employees may not find SurePayroll a fit for their requirements—its reporting and payroll features are designed for businesses with a simple structure, and its HR features may not be as robust as you need. The range of SurePayroll pricing plans isn’t really suitable for businesses of different sizes. Check out our guide to HR payroll software for more options. International payroll operations: SurePayroll does not support payroll for international employees or even those assigned in US territories. Check out our guide on top international payroll providers, as they are better suited for this. Top SurePayroll Alternatives If you’re not sure if SurePayroll is right for you, check out our list of top payroll systems for more options. SurePayroll Pricing SurePayroll’s pricing plans consist of a “No Tax Filing” plan ($19.99 monthly plus $4 per employee) that requires you to handle tax filings yourself and a Full-Service option ($29.99 monthly plus $5 per employee) where the provider will file payroll taxes for you. Both come with unlimited pay runs, automatic payrolls, direct deposits, online pay stubs, two-day direct deposits, and new hire state reporting. You can even purchase add-on solutions (like accounting and time clock software integrations) to customize your plan. *Subscribers can access HR forms, compliance posters, and online how-to guides. If your business is located in Ohio or Pennsylvania, note that SurePayroll charges extra for local tax filings. You also have to pay add-on fees for multiple state filings, year-end tax reports, and integrations with time clock and accounting software. SurePayroll Add-ons Multiple state filing: $9.99 monthly Ohio or Pennsylvania local tax filing: $9.99 monthly Time clock integration: $9.99 monthly stratustime integrated time clock: $5 plus $3 per employee monthly Accounting integration: $4.99 monthly Year-end fees to generate W-2/1099 forms: $45 plus $4 per employee and contractor annually SurePayroll Features Since Our Last Update: We go into more detail on SurePayroll’s tax guarantee for its Full-Service Payroll and “No Tax Filing” plans. SurePayroll is a user-friendly software that small businesses can use to process payroll quickly and accurately, and you are free to choose whether you will handle the tax filing yourself or not. While it has a step-by-step setup wizard that’s easy to follow, its representatives can also help new users through the process for free. Let’s take a look at some of SurePayroll’s essential features to help you determine if it fits your requirements. SurePayroll Ease of Use User-friendly with an intuitive dashboard Email payroll reminders Knowledgeable support staff Supports multiple payroll options Mobile application to run payroll anywhere Self-service portal SurePayroll is very easy to set up and use, provided that all of your business and employee information is available. You can navigate through its dashboard with ease since its interface is not overwhelming and the learning curve isn’t steep. In case you need assistance, SurePayroll’s customer service is available from Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time, and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central time. What Users Think About SurePayroll Many of the SurePayroll reviews on third-party sites like G2 and Capterra are positive. Users appreciate its affordability, efficient payroll tools, and easy-to-use interface. Some reviewers also mentioned that the software works seamlessly once it is set up. On the other hand, a few users dislike waiting for SMS verifications before they can log in to the system. Some even mentioned that while it has reasonably-priced payroll plans, the monthly costs can get expensive if you have add-on solutions (like accounting software integration). In terms of customer support, many complained about having to wait long before they could contact its support team. The quality of support also seems to depend on the customer rep that users were able to contact—some of the reviewers said that the reps who handled their case were helpful, while others were unhappy with the service they received, even citing difficulties getting SurePayroll to help with addressing tax issues and filing errors. At the time of publication, SurePayroll reviews on popular sites earned the following scores: Capterra: 4.1 out of 5 based on 220+ reviews G2: 4.3 out of 5 based on 400+ reviews Bottom Line SurePayroll is a user-friendly and affordable payroll software that’s ideal for small businesses, household employers, and even restaurants. It has a self-service payroll plan if you prefer to handle tax filings yourself and a full-service payroll that includes automated payroll tax payments and filings. You do have to pay extra for certain features like multi-state payroll and time and attendance integrations. Overall, it performs all of the basic functions you need to pay employees and even provides same-day expedited pay runs should you require it. Sign up with SurePayroll for a 60-day free trial—no credit card required.

Form 941 is a quarterly tax form that tracks FICA (Social Security and Medicare) payments made by employers throughout the year. Employer FICA tax payments (6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare) are typically due monthly or semiweekly, and Form 941 is due quarterly. Since filling out the Form 941 can be time-consuming and confusing, let’s go through each of the sections and cover what you need to do. Once complete, filing your tax return electronically is the easiest route, but if you prefer to mail it in, check out our mailing address by state table further down in the article. 1. General Information & Form 941 Reporting Period In the top section of the form, you will provide general information about your business such as business name, tax ID, and mailing address. You will also indicate the quarter for which you are filing the return. 2. Form 941 Part 1, Lines 1 Through 15 3. Form 941 Part 2, Line 16 In this section, you must select the type of depositor you were for the quarter (monthly or semiweekly). If you were a monthly depositor, you will enter the FUTA tax liability for each month. If you were a semiweekly depositor, you must also complete Schedule B. 4. Form 941 Part 3, Lines 17 & 18 If your business closed during the year or you let all of your employees go, you need to indicate the date you closed your business and/or stopped paying wages to employees. In addition, if you are a seasonal employer that does not have to file a quarterly 941 form, you need to indicate that information in this section as well. Lines 19-28 are specific to organizations with qualified health plans or qualified leave wages. If this does not pertain to you, then you can skip ahead to part 4. 5. Form 941 Part 4 According to the Form 941 instructions, you can give permission for the IRS to speak to someone about this form on your behalf. For example, you could put your CPA as a third-party designee. Be sure to include their complete name and telephone number. If you don’t want to designate anyone, you can select no. 6. Form 941 Part 5 In this section, you will sign and date Form 941 indicating that you agree with the information that has been included on this form and that, to your knowledge, it is accurate. Form 941 Basics: Who, When & Where As an employer, you are required to withhold taxes from your employees’ paychecks. Generally, these taxes include income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. The IRS requires that you report these taxes quarterly on Form 941. The employer’s share of FICA taxes is reported on Form 941 along with the employee’s share. You must use Form 941 to report the following: Wages you paid to your employees Tips your employees reported to you Federal income tax you withheld from employees’ paychecks Both employee and employer share of Social Security and Medicare taxes When To File Form 941 The due date to file Form 941 is the same for all employers, regardless of whether you are a monthly or semiweekly depositor of FICA taxes. Form 941 is due on the last day of the month that follows the end of the quarter. If the due date falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date is the next business day. You will submit Form 941 four times per year. Below you will find a summary table of the due dates for Form 941: Where To Mail Form 941 The best way to file tax forms is to use e-file. This service, offered by the IRS, allows you to file your tax returns electronically for free. Filing your tax return electronically will ensure that it is received on time. If you prefer to mail in your tax forms instead, the state you live in will determine where your tax return is mailed. Refer to the table below for the address to mail your Form 941 return. Remember that information may change, and it’s always best to verify the mailing address before sending anything. Form 941 Mailing Address by State Form 941 Late Filings Failure to file Form 941 and/or make your tax payments by the due date will result in penalties and interest. In general, penalties are typically a one-time payment, but interest will continue to accrue until your tax payment is made. If you don’t file Form 941 on time, you could be subject to the following penalties and interest. Bottom Line As you can see, there is a lot that goes into reporting Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes for both you as an employer and your employees. By following these instructions to file and pay your payroll taxes you can avoid penalties and the headache of IRS notices. If you’d rather not manually fill out Form 941, consider using a payroll software like . Gusto will automatically pay FICA taxes and complete all payroll form filings on your behalf, so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself. Check them out for a free 30-day trial.

Processing payroll in Oregon is more complex than in some states because some municipalities levy local taxes, adding a layer of complexity to your work. Oregon also has state-specific forms, so you need to pay close attention to new hires and ensure you’re giving them federal and state forms. However, you don’t have to try to remember it all. The best way to avoid costly fines is to use an all-in-one HR software. We recommend because it monitors tax laws to ensure total compliance for your organization. It then calculates all your taxes and submits your tax forms and payments automatically. Get 50% off Payroll Software for 3 months. Step-by-Step Guide to Running Payroll in Oregon Running payroll in Oregon requires your full attention to make sure you don’t miss any steps and face costly government fines. Here are your basic steps for running payroll in Oregon. Step 1: Set up your business as an employer. If your company doesn’t already have one, you need to get a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). This simple process can be completed online via Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). Your FEIN is required to pay federal taxes. Step 2: Register with Oregon. If your business is new, you need to register with the Oregon Secretary of State’s Oregon Business Registry. Some cities and counties also require that you register with them directly. You can search your business location to see if your company is subject to local registration. Any company that pays employees in Oregon must register with the Oregon Department of Revenue. The state also provides a startup toolkit with information and links to help you move through the steps. Step 3: Create your payroll process. An established business may have a payroll process you inherit. If it does, or if your company is brand-new, you may want to make some adjustments to the process to help you streamline your steps. Overall, you can opt to do payroll yourself manually (not recommended), set up an Excel payroll template, or sign up for a payroll service to help you handle your payroll. Step 4: Have employees fill out relevant forms. During the onboarding of new hires, you must collect certain federal and state forms from your employees. Every employee must complete I-9 verification within the first three days on the job. New employees must also have a completed W-4 on file. The state also requires employees to complete Oregon Form OR-W-4. Step 5: Review and approve timesheets. Your payroll processing will begin several days before your payroll is due when you collect and review time sheets for your employees. Starting a few days early allows you to spot and address any issues and concerns in a timely manner. Whether you use paper time sheets or time and attendance software, it's important to review time sheets for accuracy. If your company uses paper time sheets, have your employees sign them before they submit them to you. That is verification that they agree to be paid based on the hours listed, and you do not have to try to chase them down later for verification. The benefit of using an electronic system is that there’s a built-in function to have your employees digitally sign their time sheets. Step 6: Calculate employee gross pay and taxes. This is where things get complicated if you’re using pen and paper or manual spreadsheets to run payroll. Using payroll software would help standardize this process and make sure you don’t miss any steps or make any inaccurate calculations. You can also follow our guide on how to calculate payroll for good measure. Oregon has one of the highest income taxes in the country—plus, some localities also levy taxes. The state’s tax is progressive, so the higher an employee’s salary, the higher the tax burden. Making these calculations by hand will be complex and may lead to costly mistakes. Payroll software can eliminate these mistakes. Step 7: Pay employee wages, benefits, and taxes. The vast majority of companies and employees use direct deposit, but cash (not the best way) and paper checks are also options. Make sure you are paying your employees at least the Oregon minimum wage, which increases every year July 1 and varies based on where employees work (more detail on minimum wage further down). You can pay your federal and Oregon state taxes online. If you use a benefits provider, it should work with you to make deductions simple, automatic, and electronic. Step 8: Save your payroll records. As with any business record, you want to ensure you keep a copy for at least several years. Oregon law requires companies to keep time sheets or time records for at least two years and all other payroll records for at least three years. These records may be kept electronically, so using payroll software will save you file cabinet space. Step 9: File payroll taxes with the federal and state government. All Oregon state taxes must be paid to the applicable state agency on the schedule provided (usually quarterly), which you can do online at the Oregon Department of Revenue website. To pay federal taxes, you can make those payments online using the EFTPS on one of the following two schedules: Monthly: When the IRS assigns you a monthly schedule, you need to deposit employment taxes on payments made during a calendar month by the 15th of the following month Semiweekly: When the IRS assigns you a semiweekly schedule, you must deposit employment taxes for payments made Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday by the following Wednesday, and for payments made Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, by the next Friday Please note that reporting schedules and depositing employment taxes are different. Regardless of the payment schedule that you are on, you only report taxes quarterly on Form 941 or annually on Form 944. Step 10: Complete year-end payroll reports. Every year, you will need to complete payroll reports, including all W-2 forms and 1099 forms. These forms must be in the hands of employees and contractors no later than Jan. 31 of the following year. Download our free checklist to help you stay on track while working through these steps: Oregon Payroll Laws, Taxes & Regulations Oregon mirrors federal regulations. To ensure that you maintain compliance with payroll regulations, review the ins and outs of doing payroll in Oregon below and consult with an employment law expert in your area. Oregon Taxes With few exceptions, most employers in the US must pay Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes. The current FICA tax rate for Social Security is 6.2% and 1.45% for Medicare. Beyond federal taxes, Oregon levies state taxes on businesses and employees. Some localities also levy taxes. Employer Unemployment Taxes All businesses in Oregon must pay State Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA) taxes. The current wage base is $43,800, and rates range from 1.2% to 5.4%. New employers have a standard rate of 2.6%. Businesses that pay SUTA in full and timely can claim a tax credit of up to 5.4% on your Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) taxes. Workers’ Compensation Oregon businesses with one or more employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ comp premiums will vary depending on the industry in which your company operates. Exceptions to this requirement include: Sole proprietors Casual labor (less than $500 in monthly payroll) Domestic workers Workers who live out of state Income Taxes Oregon employees who work out-of-state may get a tax credit for taxes paid outside of Oregon. If an employee lives in Oregon but works in another state, then they can receive a tax credit in Oregon for the taxes paid on their income in the other state—but only if that state does not provide a credit of its own. For employees who live in Multnomah County or reside elsewhere and work in the county, they are subject to a 1.5% tax if they earn over $125,000 as an individual or $200,000 as a couple. On Jan. 1, 2026, this rate will increase to 2.3% for employees earning over $250,000 as an individual or $400,000 as a couple. This tax funds preschool services in Multnomah County. Oregon also levies a transit tax statewide. The tax is 0.001% or $1 for every $1,000 in wages and applies to both Oregon residents and nonresidents who work in the state. There is another Oregon tax that helps fund TriMet, the public transit system in the Portland area. The tax rate is currently 0.7837% of wages paid by an employer for work performed within the TriMet boundary. You can check TriMet’s interactive map to see if your business is within the boundary. Oregon Minimum Wage Oregon’s minimum wage is complicated. Not only does the minimum wage go up each year July 1 based on the Consumer Price Index inflation rate, but different areas of the state have different minimum wage rates too. To make matters more confusing, if an employee works across multiple minimum wage zones, the employer must pay the minimum wage rate where the employee conducts the majority of their work. An important note for tipped employees: Oregon law does not allow for tip credits, so employers of tipped workers cannot count the employee’s tips against the minimum wage. You can find more information on Oregon’s minimum wage website. Calculating Overtime Unlike some other states, Oregon's overtime regulations are fairly straightforward. If you have employees eligible for overtime pay, you must calculate their overtime as 1.5 times their regular rate. An employee is eligible for overtime if they have worked over 40 hours in a workweek. To help ensure your overtime calculations are accurate, use our overtime calculator to verify: Paying Employees Oregon law is less strict than most other states when it comes to pay frequency. It requires that employers pay employees at least once every 35 days regularly. Oregon also provides several options for paying your employees: cash, paper check, and direct deposit. Pay Stub Laws Oregon law mandates that you provide employees an itemized pay stub detailing the wages paid, deductions, and purpose of deductions. The pay stub can be a part of the paycheck or a separate document, delivered either by hand on paper, via email, or through payroll software. Oregon Paycheck Deductions Besides the deductions listed above, Oregon law requires that employees consent in writing to any additional deductions. Employers can only withhold additional amounts for: Collective bargaining agreements Repayment of a loan to the employee Any other deduction authorized by the employee, so long as the company is not the recipient Terminated Employee’s Final Paychecks Oregon provides different rules for paying final pay to an employee based on the type of departure from your company and the notice given. Oregon HR Laws That Affect Payroll Many of Oregon’s HR laws go beyond federal minimum guidelines, so pay close attention to the distinctions to keep your business out of hot water. Oregon New Hire Reporting Your business must complete an Oregon New Hire Reporting Form for each new employee. This is used to enforce child support orders and must include the employee’s name, address, and Social Security number. Breaks Meal Breaks Companies must provide employees with at least one 30-minute unpaid and uninterrupted meal break when the employee’s scheduled shift is more than eight hours. If an employee is required to work during their meal break, the entire break must be paid, even if the employee only worked a portion of the break. Oregon also mandates when the employee should take a meal break: If an employee works seven hours or less, their meal break must start no earlier than their second hour of work and end no later than the end of their fifth hour of work If an employee works over seven hours, the meal break must start no earlier than the end of their third hour of work and end no later than the end of their sixth hour of work Tipped employees can waive their meal break if the following conditions exist: The employee is paid to serve food and drink, receives tips, and reports tips to their employer The employee is at least 18-years-old The employee has worked for the employer for at least seven days The employee has signed a waiver form The employer retains the waiver form for at least six months after the employee no longer works for the employer The employer provides a reasonable opportunity for the employee to eat at any time during their shift The employer pays the employee for any meal breaks The employer does not coerce the employee to waive their right to a meal break Rest Breaks Oregon mandates employers provide employees with two paid 10-minute breaks for every eight hours of work. If an employee is under the age of 18, the breaks must be 15 minutes for every four hours worked. Lactation Breaks Employers should provide nursing mothers reasonable breaks as needed to express milk. They are also required to provide a space that isn’t a bathroom. These breaks are unpaid, but an exception is if a nonexempt employee takes their lactation break during a paid rest period. Time Off & Leave Requirements Family Leave Oregon follows the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) protects workers who need to take leave for a covered reason. The leave under the OFLA does not have to be paid, though it can be. Paid family leave is scheduled to be provided in Oregon in January 2023, though that date may get pushed to later in the year. To be eligible for OFLA, an employee must have worked an average of 25 hours per week for 180 days before the leave, and your company must employ at least 25 workers. Under OFLA, employees can take protected leave for the following reasons: Parental leave Serious health condition of the employee or family member Pregnancy leave Sick child leave Military family leave Bereavement leave Paid Time Off Oregon does not require employers to provide employees with paid vacation leave. Employers may create a policy if they wish. Paid Sick Leave The state does, however, require that employers with 10 or more employees—or six or more in Portland—provide paid sick leave. Employers with fewer than 10 employees must provide sick leave, but it can be unpaid. There is no minimum amount of sick leave required. If you need help calculating your PTO accrual, use our free PTO calculator: Voting Leave Oregon has no requirement for employee voting leave. Bereavement Leave Oregon requires any employer with 25 or more employees to give paid bereavement leave, per the OFLA. Employers with fewer than 25 employees are not required to provide any bereavement leave, paid or unpaid. Oregon Child Labor Laws Oregon generally follows the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) child labor laws. Under the FLSA, there are restrictions for workers under the age of 18. Oregon allows for people as young as 14 to work up to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week. Stricter limitations exist around school days, where children ages 14 and 15 can work only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and cannot work more than three hours per day and 18 hours per week. Children ages 16 and 17 can work up to 44 hours per week, regardless of whether school is in session. Oregon Payroll Forms Payroll forms can vary from state to state, and some have their own W-4, like Oregon. Fortunately, that’s the only one: OR-W-4: Employee withholding form Federal Payroll Forms Here is a complete list and location of all the federal payroll forms you should need. W-4 Form: Provides information on employee withholdings so you can properly calculate and withhold federal and state income taxes W-2 Form: Used to report total annual wages for each employee W-3 Form: Used to report total annual wages for all employees Form 940: To calculate and report unemployment taxes due to the IRS Form 941: Used to file quarterly income tax Form 944: Used to file annual income tax 1099 Forms: Provides information for non-employee contract work Oregon Payroll Tax Resources Oregon Department of Revenue provides many forms, information on the latest laws and regulations, and other employer-specific information. Tax withholdings often trip up employees processing payroll; reviewing Oregon’s comprehensive information may help you. For extensive information on how to get workers’ compensation coverage, Oregon’s Department of Labor offers guidance. Bottom Line Learning how to do payroll in Oregon can be more complex than for most states—but handling it is still simpler than in states like California. There is only one state-specific form, but there are multiple taxes you need to pay attention to.