Tips for Effective Payroll Management in Small Businesses

Are you tired of trying to effectively manage and streamline your payroll process?

Payroll is a complex task for any company, and for many small businesses owners it is probably something that takes up an inordinate amount of their time, yet still isn’t as good as they would like it to be. Here are 5 useful tips to help you deal with your payroll system better,:

Get Payroll Software

Probably one of the smartest things you can do is to invest in good payroll software. This will automate the entire process, and make managing payroll much less complicated for you. From generating pay slips to calculating taxes, these software and apps are smart enough to make your life easier.

Xero for Payroll Management in the UK

Details. Details. Details.

Whether you’re doing it manually or using payroll software, when managing payroll, you need to pay special attention to employee details. The process of collecting and recording employee details can be time-consuming and cumbersome – so you obviously want to get everything right in the first place.

From joining dates, to date of birth, and change of address – your record needs to be accurate. Sloppy errors in this process will create further trouble and waste a lot of time too.

Follow Up With the Payroll Legislation

Payroll is regulated by law. Any changes in the payroll-related regulations may impact the way you calculate, process, and manage your payroll system. Hence, it is extremely important to stay updated about the major laws governing payroll.

You will also be required to keep abreast of taxation laws. These laws deal with the benefits and employee tax rates that change frequently. You may not have to get into the nitty-gritty of these laws, but it helps to be informed about them when managing payroll.

Train Your Payroll Staff

You can purchase sophisticated payroll software, but it won’t be of much use if your payroll staff don’t know how to use it.  Then what do you do? You invest in training your staff. Enroll them for short, flexible training courses that help them become familiar with and learn how to operate the software efficiently. This will save you a lot of time.

Plan for the Rainy Days

For small businesses, it is often difficult to keep the working capital flowing. Hence, it is important for you to stay on top of your credit control system. It becomes inconvenient when you have to chase customers for your payments that are already overdue, because you pay your employees when your customers pay you.

There are times when these things don’t go as planned. Your customers default or the payment gets delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. Save yourself the embarrassment and maintain a surplus fund to pay out salaries on time.

A great solution for small businesses to immediately take control of their disorganised payroll process is to consider outsourcing it to the professionals. They will make sure your payroll is processed timely and the necessary documentation is in place, without hampering the routine operations of the business.  It really can be false economy not to call in an experienced outsourcer.

For professional help, get in touch. If you found this information useful, let us know! Feel free to share it so others can benefit too.

 We can offer you more guidance on handling your payroll efficiently when you call Les’ Hotline:  07732090847, les@akbook-keeping.co.uk.