Preparing for Year End 2017 and Year Beginning 2018

This webinar concentrates on preparing the department for the end of the calendar tax year and the new year processing.  Topics include reconciling, completing and submitting Form W-2 federal and state; update to annual changes from the IRS, SSA, DOL and on the state level; and best practices that will help make the year-end and year beginning go smoother.

Preparing for year-end should not begin in October or November as it may have in the past. Preparation should begin in January and be conducted throughout the calendar year. This is especially important now as the IRS is looking at year-end compliance issues. In this webinar we will give the latest best practices to help your payroll department transition from a year end crunch to a smooth and compliant year end process. We will discuss how check lists can help keep you on track to ensure all tasks are completed. How a simple two page memo can prevent dozens of employee questions. We will cover how your duplicate form W-2 request form and procedures should be set up and in place in advance of issuing the forms and how it will assist you when processing those requests in the upcoming year.

We will provide example of check lists that should be prepared for each year end to assist in a smooth transition. We will provide updates too for the calendar year 2018 on such items as social security wage base, deferred compensation limits, mileage rates and Forms W-2 and 941. This webinar will provide a sample of a form to request a duplicate Form W-2 that can be used by the attendee in their own department as well as information on setting up the procedures for requesting the form.  We will discuss how to work throughout the year to collect information from accounts payable for year-end instead of trying to obtain all of the information in December. We will demonstrate how this helps smooth out the year end processing and relieve year end stress for both departments.  We will provide the basis for a year end memo to help payroll departments inform the company’s employees of what lies ahead for the upcoming year to help curtail questions during this hectic time for payroll.

We will also cover any late-breaking legislation/regulation changes which may result from the new administration or congressional action either by inclusion in the event or through information updates which will be made available to attendees after the fact.

Information covered in the presentation:

• Reconciliation of Form W-2 to Form 941 and why it must be done
• Update on year-beginning annual changes for social security wage base, fringe benefit limitations, federal per diem allowance, standard mileage rate, qualified transportation fringe benefits, and more.
• How to use the required year-end notice to update your employees for the coming year
• Best practices on organizing the payroll department for year-end including action item check lists for Form W-2, Year end and Year beginning to ensure a smooth process
• How to handle duplicate requests for Form W-2 including charging fees
• Changes to Form W-2 for 2017
• Possible changes to Form 941 for 2018
• Best practices for gathering, calculating and reconciling W-2 data all year long as is now expected by the IRS
• Taxation of fringe benefits for year-end including awards and prizes, moving expenses, personal use of company cars and gift certificates
• Latest update on white-collar exemptions
• Electronic delivery of W-2s to employees
• When to use the Form W-2c and when to correct the W-2 itself
• State regulatory changes affecting payroll including SUI wage bases, minimum wage increases and more
• Review of EFW-2 record changes for tax year 2017
• Verifying employee names and SSN’s
• Review of filing deadlines
• Third Party Sick Pay reporting

Who will Benefit:

• Payroll Professionals
• Human Resources
• Accounting Personnel
• Business Owners
• Lawmakers

Vicki M. Lambert, CPP

Vicki M. Lambert, CPP, is President and Academic Director of The Payroll Advisor™, a firm specializing in payroll education and training. The company’s website www.thepayrolladvisor.com offers a payroll news service which keeps payroll professionals up-to-date on the latest rules and regulations.

With over 35 years of hands-on experience in all facets of payroll functions as well as over 20 years as a trainer and author, Ms. Lambert has become the most sought-after and respected voice in the practice and management of payroll issues.  She has conducted open market training seminars on payroll issues across the United States that have been attended by executives and professionals from some of the most prestigious firms in business today.

A pioneer in electronic and online education, Ms. Lambert produces and presents payroll related audio seminars, webinars and webcasts for clients, APA chapters and business groups throughout the country. Ms. Lambert is an adjunct faculty member at Brandman University in Southern California and is the creator of and instructor for their Practical Payroll Online program, which is approved for recertification hours by the APA. She is also the Program Developer, Subject Matter Expert (SME), and Facilitator for the Certificate in Payroll Practice and Management Program offered by Cengage Learning / Ed2Go through hundreds of colleges and universities across the country.