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Frequently Asked Questions
How does using a payroll outsourcing firm affect my bottom line?
There are significant time and cost benefits associated with
outsourcing payroll.
The hard cost involved in payroll generation include having a
dedicated PC, software, software upgrades, bank service charges,
check stock, W-2 stock and more.
Additional costs of payroll include the wages paid to staff
or owners for the time of processing and opportunity costs of lost
revenue due to spending time on non-productive administrative
fees.
Why does it make sense
to go paperless with a payroll provider?
You have the option to send payroll information anytime,
anywhere from any Internet-connected computer
freeing
management up for travel and vacation.
Alpine HR can process
and distribute all net pays electronically.
There is no need to have management take the time to
distribute checks,
avoids check cashing fees for employees and time wasted going to a
bank to deposit checks.
What’s more is that there are no live checks to worry about
getting lost or stolen .
Do I lose control of
managing payroll by outsourcing it?
No, you actually have more time to manage your payroll.
You can review it in privacy and have access to our
professional staff to help answer questions and help you avoid
pitfalls you didn’t even know existed.
Does Alpine HR file
payroll taxes on behalf of their clients?
Yes, we will complete and file all forms to all
necessary government agencies.
Payment can be made to Alpine HR for us to pay or paid
directly to the government agency from your bank account.
How does Alpine HR
collect funds for your fee and my company taxes?
We collect the taxes and our fee at the time of service via
electronic transfer in one draft item.
As a service to our clients we will upon request
send notification of the payroll
liability amount
for our clients to be sure to have funding available.
By having the draft taken by Alpine HR it avoids having to
reconcile all the tax accounts separately.
How do live checks
get delivered? Checks can be mailed to the client
for distribution or to the address of the employee.
How do our clients
receive reports? Your payroll reports will arrive via
email for you to view
and print or by tracked mail to be received on pay day.
Can
Alpine HR help me avoid entering transactions into my General
Ledger?
Yes, by the way we bill for the taxes and our service via one
draft this helps to simplify accounting record keeping.
In addition in many cases we can map our reports with your
chart of accounts for an import of General Ledger
pay records directly to our clients accounting software.
Can a payroll be
either too simple or too complex for Alpine HR to process?
Each of our clients has unique aspects associated with
their pay. Our
software along with knowledgeable staff can adapt to most cases.
We have the ability to job cost, generate government
compliant forms for government contractors
and provide certified payrolls
on the more complex side For those small owner operated
businesses, it makes sense to let a professional
do the job so you can concentrate on growing your business.
Can I see my
vacation accruals on my pay stub?
We have the ability to reflect accurate vacation, sick and
personal leave on employee’s pay stubs.
Our clients will need to provide us with opening balances
and accrual rates. On
an on going basis, as time is reported in these income categories,
we will track the balances in real time.
What information
will be asked of me to identify myself?
Confidentiality is important to us.
In order to address questions employees may contact us to
request data for their own pay records.
We will request your name, company, title, department, any
employee ID, date of
birth and other demographic data.
What are the hours
of operation for Alpine HR?
We are open from 9am
to
5pm Eastern Time.
By selecting our urgent response voice mail prompts, our on
call staff will do their best to address, respond and resolve
issues as they arise.
We follow all Federal Banking Holidays.
Who do I contact to make
changes to my account for direct deposit , address or tax
exemptions? First
you will contact your direct manager on site and ask to complete a
change form or a new direct deposit form.
Complete the form and have your manager forward it to
Alpine HR. Note all
forms can be printed from our website
www.AlpineHR.com.
What information is needed for me to set up direct deposit?
We will need your
Banks routing number and your account number, a copy of a
voided check and your signature authorizing the transaction.
Please note that deposit slips do not contain the data we
need to process accurately and cannot be used as a substitute for
a voided check.
Can I
use direct deposit for more than one account?
Yes, you may
choose to have funds directed to a savings account for example.
On the direct deposit authorization form be sure to
complete the section that requests the amount of your pay to be
directed to each account.
How
long does it take for a new direct deposit to be active and when
will I see my direct deposit funds in my account?
We ask that all new direct deposit data be submitted to
be effective in the same pay period
with the time sheet submittal.
If the data is complete, the funds will be in your account
by that pay date.
Banking institutions have until
midnight on the pay date to deposit the funds
into your account.
When do my time sheets need
to be submitted to Alpine HR? In order to guarantee the
electronic
transmission be made timely, we ask that time sheets be submitted
no later than (2) business days prior to the pay day by
10am.
Time can be submitted to Alpine HR via phone, email,
internet or fax.
When
and how do you collect funds for taxes, your fees and the employee
net checks? Funds for taxes and our fees are submitted
to the bank for collection on the same day as processing. You will
want to make sure the funds are available by
midnight of the eve of
pay date. Direct
deposit transactions occur at the same time and are available to
employees on pay day and are reflected on your statement as one
total. Live checks are
deducted from your account as employees present them
to the bank.
The employee net checks are taken from your bank account directly.
Alpine HR does not collect funds for the employee net
checks.
Does Alpine HR offer a time
and attendance solution?
Yes, we are able to provide clients with both the hardware
and software for time and attendance tracking.
Please contact our office at 410-798-4201 for more
information.
Can you handle deductions
from employees checks for garnishments, pension, health insurance,
etc?
Yes, Alpine HR can process the deduction whether it is pre or post
tax and in some cases remit to the appropriate entity.
What is
pay-as-you-go workers compensation insurance?
Pay-as-you-go workers compensation insurance is calculated
on actual payroll dollars in real time. The carrier does not
require a premium deposit typically on these types of accounts.
With this feature, audits are simplified and payments are
made with each pay to the carrier.
How do I see if my
company qualifies for pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation?
Contact Alpine HR at (410)798-4201 and request an
application for submittal through one of our property and casualty
brokers.
What if I
have a unique human resource or compliance question?
Contact us at (410)798-4201 and we will provide you with
the information on the specific issue.
In the event
the request needs the attention of an HR specialist and you want
recommendations, we will direct you to one of our HR partners.
Where can I access forms for new hires? Forms can be
requested by phone and email.
Our website is an excellent resource to access the data
directly.
www.AlpineHR.com
What forms are needed for a
new hire?
The following current forms must be given to the
new hire in order to be compliant with state and federal
employment law:
Federal W-4,
Appropriate State Withholding Form,
Federal I-9 Form
The
following forms need to be submitted to Alpine HR for payroll
New Hire Form,
Direct Deposit (if applicable), Note: Alpine HR needs the employee
name, address, SSN, rate of pay and tax status
to process . Please be sure this data is complete on the
New Hire Form.
What should I do if I
missed hours on my timesheet and you have processed already?
In this case, you have a couple of options.
We can run a supplemental payroll where everything is
processed like a regular pay with reports and checks or we can
process a pay record and pend it on your next pay date for
collection of taxes.
The employee in either case can have their funds via live check or
direct deposit. We
charge a nominal fee for processing a supplemental
pay and we charge for shipping. In some cases where the
employee needs the funds immediately, clients have asked us for
the net amount and paid the employee from their account as an
advance.
Can Alpine HR help me with
benefits for my employees?
Yes, we are able to quote in MD, DC, VA and DE for health,
life and disability insurance.
If you and your employees are out of this area, we will
guide you through the process with one of our partnered agents
that is licensed in the appropriate state(s).
If I already use Alpine HR how does working with you
simplify my benefit
administration?
We can calculate and deduct the appropriate amount for
employee premium deductions, we know your company better than
another agent not familiar with your business and we can help by
providing a full color
benefit and company
policy summary for you present to your employees.
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"As an owner of an insurance agency my responsiblity often seems
overwhelming. It gives me peace of mind knowing that my payroll taxes are
filed on time"
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