Managing a company is full of various tasks, including payroll compliance for employees. Although it may seem like a simple task at first glance, it can become a complex and time-consuming process over time, especially as the company grows.
The first thought that may come to the minds of many business managers is that payroll accounting is something they could do themselves or delegate to their regular accountant or financial manager. However, there are risks in this kind of thinking – payroll accounting can be extremely complex and time-consuming, involving not only salary calculations but also tax compliance, processing of personal data, and often a lot of communication with employees who require additional information about their payroll calculations. All of this distracts the accountant’s attention from other company-related activities and adds an additional time burden.
In addition, organizing payroll accounting also requires the payroll provider to be up-to-date with constantly changing laws and regulations that a regular accountant may not even come into contact with. In order for the financial officer and accountant to focus on their regular work and minimize the risks of not knowing relevant laws resulting in additional tax obligations, it is worth considering outsourcing payroll services from an external service provider.
Outsourcing payroll services is an increasingly common practice among both small and large companies. There are several positive aspects behind this, which we will discuss in more detail in this blog post.
1. Saves Time
One of the key advantages of outsourcing payroll services is the saving of time and resources.
For large companies, in-house payroll accounting can be a labor-intensive task. Having a large number of employees also means a significant amount of payroll documentation, and it can be challenging to manage it accurately and on time. Outsourcing payroll accounting services means that your team no longer has to spend hours processing payroll, tracking employee working hours, and calculating taxes every month.
By using an experienced service provider, the company can focus on other important activities and business challenges that create more value, such as sales and marketing. Saving time resources can be highly valuable and necessary, especially if you have a growing company.
2. Cost Savings
One of the following advantages of outsourcing payroll services is cost savings, applicable to companies of all sizes. By outsourcing the service, you can save money on salaries, payroll taxes, other benefits, and overhead costs associated with maintaining an in-house payroll team. Additionally, outsourcing avoids the costs of purchasing and maintaining expensive payroll accounting software and technology.
Finding a competent payroll accountant in today’s market can be quite challenging and costly. Large companies often require more than one full-time payroll accountant due to the high volume of work and the need to ensure replacement during sickness, vacation or resignation. If, in the latter case, substitutability is not guaranteed, the company faces a big problem – hiring a new payroll accountant usually takes longer than leaving the previous one, and how to manage in the meantime, because salary payments cannot be postponed. When using a service provider, companies do not face this issue – for example, Finance Lab’s team always has at least two specialists on each project who can fill in for each other when needed.
Smaller companies may struggle with not having enough full-time work for a payroll accountant, and often the solution is to assign payroll responsibilities to a regular accountant who may not possess the necessary competence in preparing payroll and tax calculations, resulting in additional costs for correcting errors later on.
Outsourcing payroll services could be a solution for companies facing such challenges. The best payroll accounting service providers offer scalable pricing models based on the number of employees, making it affordable for both large and small to medium-sized enterprises.
3. Compliance and Risk Mitigation
Payroll processing can be complex even with a few employees, and becomes even more challenging when there are many employees in a company. Payroll processors need to stay updated with constantly changing laws and regulations, which can be complicated and confusing.
Often in our work, we come across situations where standard payroll processing is manageable, but issues arise when dealing with various allowances or multiple payments in a single month, especially when applying tax-exempt minimum thresholds. In such cases, there is a risk that errors are only detected after some time, which can result in additional tax and interest risks, as well as employee dissatisfaction.
One of the advantages of outsourcing payroll services is that they are provided by specialists in the field. Reputable payroll service providers stay up-to-date with regulatory changes and ensure that your payroll processing is always in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In addition, handling various allowances and multiple payments in a single month is not a problem for competent payroll processors. The Finance Lab team has calculated salaries for thousands of employees and thus encountered all kinds of special cases in salary calculation. In addition, we constantly update our knowledge and inform their clients in a timely manner about any upcoming changes in the law that may affect them.
4. Expert Assistance and Advice
In some cases, companies may require specialized skills and knowledge in payroll accounting. Using an external service provider gives the company access to professionals who specialize in this field and can provide relevant advice. The use of an external service provider often includes legal and tax advice, which can contribute to resolving both legal and tax-related issues for the company. In addition, external experts can provide feedback to the company on how to improve existing payroll accounting processes and ensure their timely and accurate operation.
Employees appreciate accurate and timely payroll accounting, which in turn helps improve their satisfaction with the company and may reduce employee turnover. However, there are often situations where employees do not understand how their wages are calculated, which can cause resentment and reflect negatively on the company. Payroll service providers can also train the company’s employees to better understand the payroll accounting process, legislation, and other relevant information. This can help the company better understand how payroll accounting works and how it impacts the company’s financial position. In addition, payroll service providers can offer support and advice on payroll-related matters, which can help the company avoid mistakes and maximize the benefits of the payroll accounting process. Finance Lab can also provide updates on legislative changes and their impact on employee wages directly to the company’s employees when needed.
5. Data Security
When managing payroll, it is important to consider that sensitive data is being handled, and steps must be taken to ensure that unnecessary eyes do not come into contact with employees’ information, both internally within the company and with external parties.
A payroll service provider can offer increased data security, as they have their own login credentials and authorizations that ensure safe data management. Service providers typically implement various security measures to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data. For example, authentication and authorization are used to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. Using an external service provider also ensures that employees within the company do not have access to confidential information about their colleagues. Finance Lab follows GDPR rules in payroll processing and ensures that access to payroll information is limited to team members designated by the client, and information sharing with the client is done through secure channels and encrypted if needed. We document with the client who has personal rights to access payroll data and do not deviate from it.
Data backup and recovery are also important to ensure that data is not lost or damaged. Often, with in-house payroll processing, data backup and retention may be overlooked or forgotten altogether. Finance Lab understands that this is an important part of the payroll process and retains data in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
In summary, outsourcing payroll services offers several advantages to companies, ranging from time and cost savings to improved quality and data security. It allows companies to focus on their core activities while leaving payroll administration to experts. In particular, companies need to consider whether replacing in-house payroll administrators with an external service provider will result in increased efficiency, cost savings, and security. If a company wants to optimize its financial management and ensure a higher level of payroll accuracy, it may be wise to consider partnering with an external service provider. Considering all these benefits mentioned above, it is not surprising that many companies use external partners for payroll services.
If you are unsure whether outsourcing payroll services would be the best choice for your company, feel free to contact us HERE and we can discuss various options together. If you are looking for a reliable and competent partner in payroll administration, Finance Lab is always a secure choice.