Product Description

ESSENTIALS OF PAYROLL

Full of valuable tips, techniques, illustrative real-world examples, exhibits, and best practices, this handy and concise paperback will help you stay up to date on the newest thinking, strategies, developments, and technologies in payroll.

"Steven has done it again. Payroll seems and is complicated to the average executive who is the decision-maker. In the past, there has not been a source for understanding the technical and practical applications of payroll. Essentials of Payroll covers each area of payroll from the initial forms in the employee file to details about payment options, deposits, and problems such as termination, manual checks, and integration with general ledger. I think this should be required reading for those executives who supervise personnel and payroll functions."
–Gail W. Sevier, CPA
Marrs, Sevier & Company LLC

"Creating effective procedures, maintaining policies, and streamlining operations are more important now than ever before. This is an excellent reference and useful guide for professionals who manage payroll, compensation, and related benefit issues."
–Clint Davies, Partner (Principal)
Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343654 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-03
• Released on: 2003-03-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780471264965
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover
ESSENTIALS OF PAYROLL

Full of valuable tips, techniques, illustrative real-world examples, exhibits, and best practices, this handy and concise paperback will help you stay up to date on the newest thinking, strategies, developments, and technologies in payroll.

"Steven has done it again. Payroll seems and is complicated to the average executive who is the decision-maker. In the past, there has not been a source for understanding the technical and practical applications of payroll. Essentials of Payroll covers each area of payroll from the initial forms in the employee file to details about payment options, deposits, and problems such as termination, manual checks, and integration with general ledger. I think this should be required reading for those executives who supervise personnel and payroll functions."
–Gail W. Sevier, CPA
Marrs, Sevier & Company LLC

"Creating effective procedures, maintaining policies, and streamlining operations are more important now than ever before. This is an excellent reference and useful guide for professionals who manage payroll, compensation, and related benefit issues."
–Clint Davies, Partner (Principal)
Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker

About the Author
Steven M. Bragg, CPA, CMA, CIA, CSP, CPM, CPIM, has been the chief financial officer or controller of four companies, as well as a consulting manager of Ernst & Young. He is the author of eleven Wiley titles.

Customer Reviews

Valuable Payroll Resource
I think this is a good beginner-to-intermediate level book about payroll. While I doubt this book can serve as your only source to setting up a payroll system (a claim never made by the author), it can serve as a valuable guide to implementing or reviewing your current payroll internal controls, best practices and payroll policy manual. It may also help you analyze whether you are paying too much money or spending too much time on your job costing system. If you like examples, the author uses many short case studies to clarify his main points.

He keeps the book up-to-date by discussing topics such as payroll information technology, current payment alternatives and Internet references. He discusses other issues in detail, such as fringe benefits, vacation pay, minimum wage laws, payroll calculations, retirement plans, and stock option plans.

Given the popularity of outsourcing the payroll function, I think the book could have went into more detail about how to select the right payroll outsource vendor and how to ensure that the outsource vendor maintains proper internal controls (e.g. obtaining an annual SAS 70 Type II). Also, I felt I could have skipped the payroll tax portion and read IRS publication 15, 15a and 15b and my state's corresponding payroll tax publication. Finally, to help improve the books longevity, the author could have either left out the current year tax rates and limitations altogether or listed Internet references where the current and future rates and limitations could be referenced.

Nevertheless, overall I think this is a good book that I will use from time to time to brush up on my payroll process knowledge. Therefore, I think the book is worth buying, reading and referencing.

A Good Basic Overview
The title says it all--this is a good basic overview of payroll. You will not become an expert by reading it, but what can you read that makes you an expert? This book will give you the vocabulary and the tools you need to take your first steps in payroll. After that experience is the best teacher.