Northstar News - April 04

The Northstar News - April 2004

Recap of April 15^th Monthly Meeting

Chapter president Sharlene Smith CPP opened the meeting at 8:00am with her usual on-topic quote:

“There are more than 100,000 web sites already, and the number doubles every 2 ½ months. The message for business people contemplating their place in cyberspace is simple and direct: Get linked or get lost.”

--Profits in Cyberspace, U.S. News and World Report, 1995

Sharlene then turned over the podium to Program Chair Barb Muellerleile CPP, who spoke of a contact recruiting for a high level payroll position for candidates with leadership skills and PeopleSoft 8.0 experience. The position reports to the Payroll Director of the organization (email the chapter for contact information). Barb also noted that there were flyers on two additional job openings at the registration desk.

Vice President Karen Klein CPP then spoke about the chapter’s annual scholarship award program, which is underway now. She noted that program details would soon be available on our web site (posted to the home page as of this writing), and encouraged anyone eligible to apply. The application deadline is May 31^st.

Robin Murphy CPP stood up and asked for a show of hands of those in the group who would be attending the annual APA Congress in Nashville. She mentioned that the Minnesota attendees always try to get together one morning for breakfast. She noted that it would probably be on Wednesday this year, and to look for a note on the bulletin board at the hotel.

The main meeting topic was “Payroll Resources Using the Internet” and Robin, Sharlene, Karen, and Barb conducted a collaborative presentation, each reviewing several web sites of use to payroll professionals. The sites they reviewed are re-printed below, along with comments of note made by the speakers (they have been re-arranged into a logical reference order, rather than the original presentation order). NOTE: Click here for the Northstar Payroll Links page!

Robin reminded attendees that once they locate a site they find beneficial, they should save it in their “Favorites” group using the browser header at the top of the screen, for quick future access. She also mentioned that we are able to actually ‘send’ sites to colleagues and others via a direct link imbedded in an email, using the File/Send option

The meeting adjourned at about 9:30am. Barb reminded attendees to fill out the evaluation forms.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

	http://americanpayroll.org/ American Payroll Association -- Sharlene noted that this site has an especially useful “Links” option, available even to non-members. The most useful link is to all of the state agencies, presented in a very user-friendly colored graffic arrangement. Also helpful is the “Vendors” link, which offers a single portal to many systems and other payroll support solutions.
	http://www.shrm.org Society for Human Resources Management
	http://www.payroll.ca Canada Payroll Association – Barb noted that this site has information on TD1 forms, pensionable earnings limits, etc.
	http://www.nacha.org NACHA Electronic Payments Association – Barb mentioned that this site has information on ACH rules, direct deposit guidelines, and electronic child support payments.
	http://www.ifebp.org International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans

FEDERAL AGENCIES

	www.irs.gov Internal Revenue Service
	http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/index.html IRS – International Taxpayer information
	www.ssa.gov Social Security Administration homepage – Robin noted that this site has lots of specialized information directed towards special groups of people who are potential future beneficiaries (women, children, widows and widowers, etc.). Like the IRS site, it has an internal word ‘Search’ function.
	www.ssa.gov/employer/ssnv.htm Social Security number verification
	www.dol.gov US Department of Labor – Robin pointed out the wealth of information under the “Wages” link on the upper left side. Subtopics of note include overtime, minimum wage, back pay, garnishments, and record-keeping requirements.
	www.fedwiredirectory.frb.org Federal Reserve E-Payments Routing Directory – Robin indicated that this site has a holiday schedule link that extends three years out, as well as a listing of non-standard and Canadian holidays
	http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm US Citizenship & Immigration homepage -- Karen noted that this site, representing the agency formerly known as the INS, is good for getting information on the various immigration statuses and visa categories for determining the right to work in the U.S.
	http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/faqeev.htm Form I-9 Employment Eligibility

MINNESOTA STATE AGENCIES

	www.taxes.state.mn.us Minnesota Department of Revenue (Withholding taxes)
	www.mnworkforcecenter.org/ui.htm Minnesota Workforce Center—Unemployment Insurance – Karen stated that this site has lots of information on unemployment topics, including employer tax rates, benefits, and claimant overpayments. All MN statutes governing unemployment insurance are available here.
	www.doli.state.mn.us/laborlaw.html Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Labor laws) – Karen indicated that this site covers state law regarding overtime, minimum wage, labor standards, and child labor. Prevailing wage rates are also covered.
	www.doli.state.mn.us/guide.html Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Workers’ Compensation)
	www.dhs.state.mn.us/cfs/ Minnesota Department of Human Services—Children and Family Services (Child Support) -- Karen noted that this site contains information on both child support orders and medical support orders.
	https://newhirereporting.com/mn-newhire/default.asp Minnesota New Hire Reporting Center – Karen mentioned that this site covers common employer questions, as well as information on multi-state and electronic reporting options.
	http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/statutes.asp Minnesota Statutes, Session Laws, and Rules – Karen reviewed this site, which has a section covering all statutes related to payroll deductions. It also has an internal “Search” function.
	http://www.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/portal/mn/jsp/content.do?id=-536881373&agency=Commerce Minnesota Department of Commerce - Unclaimed Property – Karen noted that this site has a list of every person in the state who is owed money. It also has information for employers on how to file reports and remit unclaimed funds.

PAYCHECK CALCULATORS

	http://www.paycheckcity.com PaycheckCity.com Paycheck calculator and W-4 calculator – Sharlene noted that this is “an incredible site, very intuitive”. It is a great place to refer your employees to do their own “what if…” pay change scenarios.
	http://www.yourmoneypage.com/withhold/fedwh1.cgi Your Money Page – Paycheck and retirement savings scenario calculators

CALENDAR SITES

	http://www.incompetech.com/beta/cal-yearly/ Incompetech – Yearly calendar at a glance (PDF)
	http://timeanddate.com time and date.com— Another calendar tool for payroll scheduling, viewing holidays, etc. – Karen discovered that this site also has a world clock for determining the time of day anywhere around the globe – “ a nice option for global employers who make long distance calls”

PRIVATE FEE-BASED PAYROLL RESEARCH SERVICES

	http://www.ria.com -- Robin noted that this site, sponsored by Thompson Regulatory, this was a great single source portal site with comprehensive payroll research options
	http://www.bna.com -- Barb covered this site, which has similar advantages to the RIA.com one. It has very good “drill-down” capabilities.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY SITES

	http://www.sisterstates.com Sister States Tax Directory – Multi-state tax information portal – Barb noted that this is a great starting point resource for obtaining payroll information in any state.
	http://www.taxadmin.org Federation of Tax Administrators – Multi-state tax information portal – Barb also covered this “all-state” single source reference, within which she revealed a nice national map for navigating the site.
	http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) – Information on Canadian federal and provincial taxes
	http://www.benefitnews.com Benefits News.com – Benefit plan updates and compliance – Barb mentioned that this is a nice site for those of us who wear multiple hats (i.e. responsible for benefits administration in addition to payroll), with information on health and welfare plans, 401(k) plans, etc.
	http://www.usps.com/zip4/welcome.htm?from=global&page=2132findzip US Postal Service Zip Code finder—useful for locating counties/local tax jurisdictions based on street address
	http://krupinobrien.com/index2.html Krupin O’Brien LLC—free e-newsletters covering federal labor laws – Robin noted that these newsletters have good content on the FMLA and FLSA laws.
	http://www.merriam-webster.com/ Webster’s Dictionary – Dictionary and Thesaurus
	http://www.toddbermont.com/samples.html?Id=2 Todd Bermont.com – Sample Resumes, Cover Letters, Interview Ideas
	http://www.salary.com/salary/layoutscripts/sall_display.asp Salary.com – What are you worth? – Sharlene stated that this is a great site for determining if you or your employees are being paid a competitive wage.