Even small companies can be hit with payroll fraud

January 31, 2013

Unless the owner handles all aspects of computing and paying payroll, there is room for fraud in every small business. The fact that your company has only a few employees does not guarantee that you will be safe.

Perhaps one of the easiest payroll fraud techniques is the overpayment of withholding or payroll taxes. Your bookkeeper simply overpays the government. When the refund check arrives, it is deposited by the employee to his or her personal account. In some cases, the employee will have an account at a different bank but in the company name. Such an account could be used for the fraudulent deposit of other company receipts as well.

The greater the number of employees, the easier it is to pull off a scam. Perhaps the payroll clerk has invented a fictitious employee or falsifies hours or commissions for a cooperating employee who shares the stolen funds. Or perhaps the employee holds the payroll deposit funds in his or her own interest-bearing account until it is time to make the payroll deposit to the government.

A payroll review by an independent accountant may help prevent such employee schemes. Even in small companies, it is possible to divide office tasks to make employee theft more difficult.

Give us a call; we will gladly review your company’s internal controls to determine what changes may be needed.

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Posted by gillilandcpa

Tips for cutting costs in your business

October 23, 2012

Keeping costs under control is crucial in today’s challenging business environment. Without a doubt, one of the quickest ways for a business to cut costs is through staff reduction. But cutting jobs is not always the best cost-cutting strategy. Drastic job cuts can lead to a vicious cycle of reduced productivity, followed by even slower growth and decreased profitability. Replacing skilled workers when times improve may be difficult, leaving your company to struggle longer still.

Here are some alternative cost-control strategies that companies could consider.

* Look at the cost of your office or plant. If the company owns expensive office space, consider moving to a less costly location that will not mean losing clients or business. If a move is out of the question, consider sharing office space with a compatible company. What you save in shared operating costs goes directly to the bottom line (after taxes, of course).

* Consider sale-leaseback arrangements, which enable the company to generate funds for operations and transfer the burden of ownership to the buyer from whom you rent back the office space.

* Review the cost of supplies and inventory. Analyze the cost of materials and supplies. Are you stocking too much material too far in advance? Can you arrange to have products shipped directly to customers by your suppliers?

Periodically conduct a competitive review of suppliers, and select those who can deliver good quality and service at the lowest cost possible. Also, you may not have to pay full price; inquire about volume discounts.

* Outsource some processes. Consider outsourcing certain activities that either consume a great deal of time and resources or are prone to errors. For example, you may be able to have payroll processing done by a vendor at a fraction of the current cost to you.

For help in finding the best cost-control strategies for your business, give us a call.

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Posted by gillilandcpa

Do you owe the “nanny tax”?

January 25, 2011

If you had a housekeeper, nanny, gardener, or other household worker help out in 2010, you may have payroll tax obligations (commonly called the “nanny tax”). These payroll taxes apply if you paid a household worker $1,700 or more in 2010, and filing requirements must be met by January 31, 2011. For assistance, call our office.

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New law includes a payroll tax cut

January 18, 2011

There’s a new tax break this year, and you’ll want to update your budget to accommodate it. The compromise tax legislation passed in December included a payroll tax cut for 2011.

* How it works when you’re an employee: Your employer will deduct less social security tax from your wages during 2011. Prior to the change, your employer was required to withhold social security tax from your paycheck at a rate of 6.2% of the first $106,800 of your wages. That rate was reduced to 4.2% for 2011, meaning your take-home pay will go up – with no impact on your eventual social security benefits and no payback required.

The Medicare tax rate remains unchanged at 1.45%, which your employer will continue to deduct from your check.

* How it works when you’re self-employed: You’ll pay less self-employment tax. In the past, you calculated self-employment tax using a 12.4% rate for the social security portion. For 2011, the rate you’ll use is 10.4%. Your income tax deduction – that is, the amount of self-employment tax you subtract from ordinary income – will not be affected.

* How it works when you’re an employer: The reduced rate only applies to the social security tax you deduct from employee wages in 2011. To calculate your expense, you’ll continue to use the 6.2% rate for social security tax, plus Medicare tax of 1.45%, for a total of 7.65%.

You have until January 31 to implement the change, and until March 31 to refund any overwithheld social security tax to employees.

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Posted by gillilandcpa

Mark these tax deadlines on your 2011 calendar

January 11, 2011

It’s time to file various tax returns once again. Among the tax deadlines you may be required to meet in the next few months are the following:

* January 18 – Due date for the fourth quarterly installment of 2010 estimated taxes for individuals unless you file your tax return and pay any taxes due by January 31.

* January 31 – Employers must furnish 2010 W-2 statements to employees. Payers must furnish payees with Form 1099s for various payments made. (The deadline for providing Form 1099B and consolidated statements to customers is February 15.)

* January 31 – Employers must generally file annual federal unemployment (FUTA) tax returns.

* February 28 – Payers must file information returns, such as Form 1099s, with the IRS. This deadline is extended to March 31 for electronic filing.

* February 28 – Employers must send Form W-2 copies to the Social Security Administration. This deadline is extended to March 31 for electronic filing.

* March 1 – Farmers and fishermen who did not make 2010 estimated tax payments must file 2010 tax returns and pay taxes in full.

* April 18 – Individual federal income tax returns for 2010 are due.

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W-2 reporting of health costs optional for 2011

November 16, 2010

The IRS and the Treasury are giving employers additional time to adjust payroll systems and procedures to meet the requirement to include the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage on employees’ W-2 forms. This reporting requirement was mandated in the 2010 health care reform legislation and was scheduled to take effect with the issuance of W-2 forms for 2011.

Reporting the cost of coverage will be optional for Forms W-2 issued for 2011. Employers who fail to report the cost of health coverage for their employees will not be subject to penalties. The IRS notice included a reminder that the reporting requirement is for informational purposes only. The amount reported on an employee’s W-2 is not taxable income to the employee.

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Posted by gillilandcpa

Form W-11 certification required for new hires

May 18, 2010

The HIRE Act, passed in March, provided tax incentives for companies to hire unemployed workers. One of these incentives is an exemption from social security payroll taxes for every qualified worker hired after February 3, 2010, and before January 1, 2011.

 A new IRS form is now available for employers to document this payroll tax exemption for hiring unemployed workers. Form W-11 (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act Employee Affidavit) is to be filled out by the new hire, certifying under penalty of perjury that he or she was either unemployed or worked fewer than a total of 40 hours during the 60 days prior to taking the current job. The W-11 forms are not filed with the IRS; the employer must retain them along with other payroll records.

Leave a Comment » | May 2010 | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by gillilandcpa

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