Payroll System Setup
Get your payroll system configured correctly from the start. We handle Massachusetts-specific requirements and train you to run it yourself.
What This Is
Running your own payroll makes sense for a lot of small businesses. The software handles most of the calculations once everything is configured properly. The challenge is getting everything configured properly in the first place, especially in Massachusetts where payroll requirements go beyond the basics.
This service handles the technical setup work so you can run payroll confidently on your own. Tax account registration, withholding configuration, employee profiles, bank connections for direct deposit and tax payments. Once the system is working correctly, we train you on how to use it and make sure you understand what you’re looking at.
The Setup Work
The Setup Work
Register for federal and Massachusetts payroll tax accounts if needed. Configure income tax withholding and Paid Family and Medical Leave contributions. Set up employee profiles with correct classifications, pay rates, and deduction elections. Connect your bank account for direct deposits and automated tax payments.
The Training
The Training
How to process a pay run from entering hours to approving direct deposits. Adding new employees and updating existing profiles. Handling changes like raises, bonuses, or deduction adjustments. Where to find the reports you need and how to read them. Enough hands-on training that you feel comfortable running payroll without supervision.
Why This Matters
Massachusetts has more payroll requirements than many business owners realize. Beyond federal and state income tax withholding, there’s Paid Family and Medical Leave with contributions from both employer and employee. There’s state unemployment insurance. There are specific new hire reporting deadlines to the Department of Revenue. Skip any of this during setup and you’ll find out through notices demanding back payments and penalties.
Payroll software doesn’t explain these things during setup. It asks you to make selections and enter numbers without telling you what the consequences are. You click through the screens, hope you picked the right options, and wait to see if problems surface later. Every pay run becomes a quiet question mark instead of a routine task.
Configuration Errors
Configuration Errors
Wrong tax jurisdiction. Missing the PFML employer contribution. Incorrect worker classification for unemployment purposes. These mistakes aren’t obvious when you’re clicking through setup screens. They show up months later as notices from the Department of Revenue demanding back payments plus interest.
The Uncertainty
The Uncertainty
Should this employee be exempt or non-exempt? Did I set up the state withholding correctly? Is PFML being calculated right? Payroll software doesn’t answer these questions. It just asks you to make choices without context. You process payroll and hope the numbers are right because you have no way to verify them yourself.
What Changes
Your payroll system works correctly from the first pay run. Federal withholding, Massachusetts income tax, PFML contributions, unemployment. All configured properly for your specific situation. You process payroll knowing the calculations are right instead of hoping they are and waiting to see if a problem appears.
When questions come up later, you have someone to call who already knows your setup. Not a generic support line reading from a script. Someone who configured your system and understands your business. Whether you’re adding a new employee, handling a termination, or trying to figure out why something looks different this month, you get a direct answer quickly.
Payroll Without Guesswork
Payroll Without Guesswork
Processing payroll becomes routine instead of stressful. You enter hours, review the totals, approve the run. Done. No second-guessing whether Massachusetts withholding is correct or whether PFML is being calculated properly. The foundation is solid so you can focus on the simple task of paying your employees.
Support When You Need It
Support When You Need It
Setup includes follow-up support as you learn the system. Questions about adjusting withholding, processing a final check for a departing employee, handling a mid-year pay rate change. You have someone available who knows your setup and can answer your specific question instead of explaining your situation from scratch every time.
The Merrimack Valley's Trusted Accounting Partner
The Next Step:
A 15-Minute Call
Tell us about your business and what you're dealing with. We'll listen, ask a few questions, and give you a straightforward quote.