August 6, 2014 Newsletter 
President's Report
Greetings to VSPC Members and Friends:
Let Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference Solve your payroll puzzle needs!!!!
Wow we have about 7 weeks to enjoy the rest of the Summer. I hope you have enjoyed your summer so far. The VSPC committee is working hard planning this year payroll conference “Putting the Compliance Puzzle Together.”
Attending the conference is a “One Stop Shop and a Bang for Your Bucks event. What excellent way for a payroll professional to Earn 13 RCH credits and learn about key issues affecting the payroll industry. The conference is a great environment to enhance your payroll education on top leading payroll topics and laws, network with your peers. Gain knowledge on the upcoming technical trends by visiting the largest vendor hall in the state. We don’t want you to miss out on the events planned for this year’s conference. Early registration deadline is around the corner. To save $50.00 on registration fee you must register by August 22, 2014. The price increases on August 23, 2014. Remember to book your hotel room. The rooms are going fast.
And the winner of the Payroll Professional Award is… Yes folks it’s that time when we need to recognize someone you know who deserves to be the 2014 Payroll Professional of the year. Each year the Virginia Statewide Conference recognizes a payroll professional for their contribution to their outstanding service and their contribution to the payroll community. The VSPC takes pride in announcing the winner of this deserving award. Please visit our Professional Payroll of the Year website at http://vspc-apa.com/content.php?page=PPY for more detail information. Hurry the deadline for accepting nominations is September 12, 2014.
Plan on attending the Exhibitor Hall. Carrie Hovell our Vendor chair is working very hard to provide us with exciting exhibitors and sponsors in the Exhibitor’s Hall for this year. The exhibitors and sponsors play a very intricate role in the conference. I want to thank BNA, Global Cash Card and Robert Half for their contributing articles in this edition of the newsletter.
See you in Springfield, Virginia October 9-10 as we adventure through “Putting the Compliance Puzzle Together.”!!!!
Melinee’ D. Cody, CPP
President
Why Should I Attend?
Why Should I Attend the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference?
By: Daniel Dycus, CPP
Other than the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference (VSPC) being the largest payroll event in the region, why should I attend? Here are 5 GREAT reasons to come:
1. The conference is approved for 13 RCHs. This being broken down to credit hour, members of the affiliated chapters are looking at just over $21 per credit hour and it includes 2 continental breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner and a social on Friday at the end of the conference.
2. You will meet people from around the Mid-Atlantic area (Virginia, Maryland and DC) with similar interest and experience to expand your network.
3. You have the opportunity to ask those difficult questions you need the answers to.
4. Learn about the latest key issues on payroll topics.
5. You get an immediate return on investment by gaining the important payroll knowledge that is available at the conference.
We hope to see you in Springfield at this puzzling event. SAVE today, early bird registration ends on August 22.
Charity
For 2014 The Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference has chosen Birthday Blessing, Inc. At Birthday Blessing they believe when children don’t receive a birthday present on their special day they feel left out and forgotten. Long-term, this can potentially damage a child’s self-esteem. In order to help these children, they have created Birthday Blessing, a non-profit organization which provides birthday presents anonymously to underprivileged children.
The mission is simple, but powerful: It is the mission of Birthday Blessing to reach out to the most underprivileged children in America and provide them with a birthday present on their special day. Our aim is to improve these children’s self-esteem by making them feel loved and wanted. Our hope is by acknowledging these children; we are fostering children that will one day have a positive impact on society.
Visit the Birthday Blessing wish list.
For more information on Birthday Blessing, Inc. take a look at their website and you will be hooked.
Evening Social
PAYROLL PROFESSIONALS COME ON DOWN!!!!
After a long day of payroll puzzle solving, we’d like for you to join us as we unwind at our evening social. We have fun and games in store for you….and of course, FABULOUS PRIZES!
Thursday evening, October 9th you’re invited to participate as an audience member, or the lucky and brave can be a contestant in a live game show! After a few rounds of Price is Right fun we’ll transition the rest of the evening into dancing with a live DJ and a few nostalgic board games for groups to enjoy and play at their leisure. For those looking for a bigger challenge, try your skill at our GIANT Jenga and Kerplunk games.
We hope you come and play with us!
Chapter News
Charles Town West Virginia Chapter of the APA - CTWV-APA is the first chapter in West Virginia and affiliated with the APA in April 2010. Our Chapter is dedicated to providing an opportunity for networking, educational growth and community outreach to payroll professionals in West Virginia. Our meetings are held quarterly. Join us on Friday September 6, 2013 at 2 pm to hear Bill Dunn to speak on Government Relations Updates and celebrate NPW. Please visit us at www.ctwvapa.org for more information.
Colonial Capital Chapter of the APA - The Colonial Capital Chapter of the APA is excited to announce Wex Inc. rapid! PayCard is a sponsor of our NPW celebration. Our theme this year is “Payroll – A Walk in the Park”. The CCC will be hosting a day in the park on
September 6th for members to gather and celebrate their great profession. The event will be held at the Newport News Parks & Recreation, FREE for CCC members and family. The traditional summer picnic food will be provided along with sport activities 
as in cornhole and horseshoes. To feed the members competitive spirit there will be a “NPW Dessert Contest”.
Hampton Roads Chapter of the APA - As of January, 2014, we have new officers! We have a full line up of new speakers and topics for the year, as well as some new and exciting community service projects for the upcoming year.
For information on our meetings and events, visit our website at www.hrapa.com.
Richmond Chapter of the APA – This year the Richmond Chapter will be celebrating our 30th anniversary in conjunction with NPW on September 5, 2014. Please visit the Chapter’s website for more information. The Richmond Chapter hosted an all day seminar on July 17th. The attendees received 6 RCH’s.
Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter of the APA – The WMAC was honored to have won the 2014 Chapter of the Year following a year of celebrating its 30-year anniversary in 2013. The WMAC-APA is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to our members and colleagues through various venues including chapter meetings, all day Saturday classes on various payroll related topics, and by 
conducting CPP study classes. We are also committed to supporting our community by coordinating volunteer opportunities and supporting various charities through monetary giving and donations of needed items.
On September 20th, WMAC will be holding its FIRST Workforce Development Day. This session is designed to help our Members in the area of Career Development. The day will include Resume building and interviewing skills, How to sell yourself to get to that next level, adult learning, presentation skills, the CPP/FPC exam and what effect social media can have on you. For more information visit our Workforce Development Classes under the Education Page. Registration can be found on the Events page. The Workforce Development Day is approved for 3 RCHs.
Visit our website at www.wmac-apa.org for more information about our Chapter and upcoming events.
Exhibitors / Sponsors
Exhibitors and sponsors play a very important role in this conference. Not only do they provide financial support to the conference, but they educate our members on recent trends and solutions in an ever changing environment.
Bloomberg BNA: A Message for Payroll Professionals
As technology advances, greater workforce output expectations follow. How does your payroll department effectively manage state and federal compliance requirements, continuing education needs, and administrative challenges such as overpayment situations?
For those attending the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference, visit the Bloomberg BNA table. See for yourself why so many payroll managers rely on us for answers to the toughest questions. Enter our raffle for a chance to win an Apple iPad Air. Be sure to take home our free Payroll Reference Ruler for you and your staff. We also offer coupons for free Bloomberg BNA payroll webinars.
When you visit us, ask for a complimentary demonstration of Bloomberg BNA products and services. See how our resources work for you. The Payroll Decision Support Network offers access to payroll-related webinars, custom-research answers to the most pressing questions, strategic white papers and full access to our Payroll Library. Check out our new State Gateway feature that enables quick access to specific state information. You'll also learn more about our newest product, International Payroll Decision Support Network, the global solution for payroll professionals. At our table in the exhibit hall you also can sign up for a free trial to any Bloomberg BNA product.
Many payroll professionals turn to Bloomberg BNA every day for fast answers, solutions to complicated day-to-day questions, payroll best practices, benchmarking information, continuing education and more. Payroll Decision Support Network is the all-in-one, next generation information solution for payroll professionals.
For more information on Payroll Library, Payroll Decision Support Network, International Payroll Decision Support Network or any of our payroll industry and human resources products and services, visit www.bna.com/hr. To take advantage of special trial offers, visit the right side of the home page.
Small Steps Can Yield Big Benefits in Accuracy, Compliance
By: Charlotte Hodges
Republished from Bloomberg BNA’s Payroll Administration Guide Newsletter, July 2, 2014
Charlotte Hodges, CPP, payroll manager for Towers Watson & Co., is a member of the Bloomberg BNA PAG advisory board.
Payroll departments are being challenged to do more with less and without compromising the ability to meet payroll deadlines and compliance requirements while delivering quality customer service.
Improving payroll processes with available tools and resources is one way to efficiently achieve accurate and consistent results. Collaboration with other departments within the organization and with business partners also needs to be considered to achieve seamless payroll-process delivery to internal clients, such as employees, and external clients.
Additionally, documentation of operating procedures is needed to provide uniformity and offer references for tasks and best business practices.
Feedback in Audits, Work-Arounds
Employers can find the need for upgrades through a number of observations: during audits, in requests from managers and government agencies, in time-consuming work-arounds that include manual data entries or in unnecessary processes.
Create a list of the processes performed by the payroll department, noting the steps that are documented and update those that are incomplete or missing. Process mapping, which outlines business operations, can provide a graphic representation of a process from start to finish.
When conducting process reviews, meet with those who perform the day-to-day activities. Review the processes, including those that touch departments outside of payroll—human resources, accounts payable, information technology, financial institutions, government agencies and third-party vendors.
Identify data inputs, such as spreadsheets, uploaded files and manually keyed-in data, and data outputs, such as paychecks, bank files and tax forms.
The performance of payroll processes should be compared with expected results.
A component of the process-improvement initiative is to challenge each step and review it critically:
•What are the purposes?
•If automated, to what extent?
•Is the process necessary?
•What are the inputs, outputs and dependencies?
•Can the process be streamlined?
Ask those performing the tasks for ideas to improve the process.
Identify the causes and effects of problems found. A long-term solution, based on a careful analysis, should be developed and entered into payroll documents.
These standards are important to ensure consistency and accuracy as well as providing training and reference tools for new employees. Payroll staff members also can refer to the operating standards to enforce checks and balances and internal controls. Employees, managers, government agencies and third parties also would benefit from improved services.
Standard operating procedures vary widely—there is no right way or wrong way to write them—but once a format is determined, it should be applied consistently. If a template is available, ensure that it is used throughout the company.
An operating procedures manual should include the purpose of the process, desktop procedures and the steps needed for approval.
Access to computing systems, network directories and e-mail should be included as part of the general requirements. Desktop procedures should include detailed documentation of each step of the process, definition of terms, access to forms and templates and a history function to monitor versions and approvals.
Encouraging Staff Engagement
Different staff roles should be accounted for with all tasks. For example, a department member responsible for processing payroll may not be the same team member who sends the direct deposit file to the bank. Job titles, not employee names, should be listed among tasks.
Reference should be made to other procedures. For example, the procedures needed in setting up a housing stipend for a summer intern may include a reference and link to the new-hire procedures to find the employees starting date. With this information, the employer can determine whether the stipend should be prorated for the intern's first pay period.
Include any checklists that are required as part of the execution of the procedure. An example may be a checklist that is used as part of the procedure for processing off-cycle checks. The checklist is completed and may require a manager's approval before the check is processed as an internal control measure.
After documenting procedures, have staff members review the tasks they are to perform, test the system and provide feedback. Additionally, someone with limited knowledge should carry out the tasks to ensure that the functions work as designed.
Improving payroll tasks is never-ending, even after the operations manual has been implemented. Review operations regularly, update documents and find ways to improve the process.
Copyright 2014, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
Reproduction or redistribution, in whole or in part, and in any form, without express written permission, is prohibited except as permitted by the BNA Copyright Policy.
Month 3 Results: Cardholders Thrilled over Visa Swipe Your Way to Extra Pay Promotion
Thousands of Global Cash Card Visa cardholders enthusiastically made signature transactions in June to qualify for the ‘Swipe Your Way to Extra Pay’ sweepstakes. Three cardholders were surprised and grateful when they found out they were the lucky winners. Erick Solorio, a cardholder with Chipotle Mexican Grill, was thrilled when he found out the news he was the $3500 winner. The $1000 winner Brittany Blair, a cardholder from Personnel resources, and the $500 winner, Earl Sipp, a cardholder with Whole Foods Market, were equally ecstatic to have won.
Brittany Blair knew exactly what she wanted to do with her winnings. “Of course I need to pay my bills,” said Blair, “But then I am going to take a trip to Hobby Lobby! I am so excited, and can’t believe my good luck!”
Eligible cardholders who made 10 or more signature transactions in the month of June were automatically entered to win $3500, $1000, or $500. The promotion will continue to run every month through December 31st, 2014.
Cardholders who receive their pay on a Global Cash Card Visa paycard enjoy faster access with no lines, no hassles, and no check-cashing fees. The card can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted including missions of retailers and ATMs worldwide. For more information on the sweepstakes: please visit: www.globalcashcard.com/visasweeptakes.
Practicing the Art of Communication and Confidentiality
John learned Mary is making more money than he is when he overheard a conversation between two payroll employees. Needless to say, he was not happy about this discovery. He’s worked for the company longer than Mary and does essentially the same job as she. But what John doesn’t know is Mary has more experience and technical skills. Now, there’s trouble in the company.
Preventing situations like this and others like it is why confidentiality and proper communication are so important for payroll professionals. In fact, a recent survey from the American Payroll Association found that those two soft skills are the most important ones for payroll workers to possess.
Communication + Confidentiality = Confidence
Employees need to feel confident their paychecks will be processed timely and accurately. They also need to know their personal and financial data are protected. Payroll professionals who can clearly communicate and explain issues like payroll deductions and tax changes will instill this sense of confidence.
On the flip side, some information should never be communicated. You should never talk about sensitive employee data in areas where others can overhear. If you work in an open office, discuss salary via secure email or text messages. When you have to talk about confidential information, book a conference room and close the door.
You already know that, when it comes to paperwork, always shred instead of recycle when you no longer need the information. And if your office doesn’t have a dedicated printer, copier and fax machine for payroll and human resources, you should get one so that confidential documents don’t inadvertently get left in a place where other people can see them.
National Payroll Week
National Payroll Week, which coincides with Labor Day, is designed to honor the economic, cultural and social achievements of payroll workers. In the United States from Sept. 1-5, 2014, payroll professionals will have opportunities to publicize what they do within their company, including issues related to communication and confidentiality in the workplace.
Accountemps, a Robert Half company, is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The staffing firm has more than 340 locations worldwide. More resources, including online job search services and the Accountemps blog, can be found at accountemps.com.
Compliance Facts and Trivia
1. What was the first federal minimum wage?
When the federal minimum wage first became law in 1938, it was 25 cents.
2. How many states do NOT have a state income tax?
9 – They are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming
3. When were the words "In God we Trust" first printed on U.S. paper currency?
IN GOD WE TRUST was first used on paper money in 1957, when it appeared on the one-dollar silver certificate. The first paper currency bearing the motto entered circulation on October 1, 1957.
4. Is Vacation, Sick and/or Holiday pay guaranteed under FLSA?
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or federal or other holidays. These benefits are matters of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee's representative).
5. What is reported on Form 940?
Use Form 940 to report your annual Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax. Together with state unemployment tax systems, the FUTA tax provides funds for paying unemployment compensation to workers who have lost their jobs. Most employers pay both a federal and a state unemployment tax.
