Guides
Practical, plain-English explanations of payroll and business paperwork — how the numbers are calculated, which document you actually need, and what to keep on file.
September 11, 2026 · 5 min read
Final Paycheck Laws: When You Must Pay a Departing Employee
Final paycheck deadlines depend on your state and whether the worker quit or was fired. What CA, MA, CO, NY and TX require, plus the penalties.
Read the guide →September 9, 2026 · 5 min read
Owner Draw vs. Salary: How to Pay Yourself Legally
Draw or salary? Your entity type decides it. What sole props, partners, S corps and C corps must do to pay themselves legally, plus the 2026 tax math.
Read the guide →September 7, 2026 · 5 min read
Switching Payroll Providers Mid-Year Without Breaking Your YTD Totals
Changing payroll companies mid-year? Your YTD totals don't reset. Here's how to move wage bases, 941s, and W-2s without over-withholding.
Read the guide →September 4, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Fill Out a W-4 in 2026 (Without Guessing)
How to fill out a W-4 in 2026: most people need only Step 1 and Step 5. Plus the Step 2 fix for surprise tax bills and the new tips and overtime lines.
Read the guide →September 2, 2026 · 5 min read
Which Payroll Taxes Does the Employer Pay vs. the Employee?
Employers and employees split Social Security and Medicare. Employers alone pay unemployment tax. Who pays what, with dated 2026 IRS figures.
Read the guide →August 31, 2026 · 5 min read
You Ran Payroll Wrong. Here Is How to Correct It.
Underpaid, overpaid, or withheld wrong? A step-by-step guide to correcting a payroll mistake: fixing pay, catching up deposits, Form 941-X, and W-2c.
Read the guide →August 28, 2026 · 5 min read
What Is FICA Tax? Social Security and Medicare, Explained
FICA funds Social Security and Medicare: 7.65% from the employee, matched by the employer. The 2026 wage cap, the 0.9% surtax, and employer deposit rules.
Read the guide →August 26, 2026 · 5 min read
Pre-Tax vs. Post-Tax Deductions: Why the Order Changes Your Net Pay
Pre-tax deductions shrink your taxable wages; post-tax ones come out after. Which tax base each reduces — plus 2026 limits — decides your real net pay.
Read the guide →August 24, 2026 · 5 min read
How Long to Keep Payroll Records: Federal Retention Rules
Payroll records retention requirements run on several clocks: 4 years for the IRS, 3 under the FLSA, 6 in New York. Here is which one starts when.
Read the guide →August 21, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Read a W-2: What Every Box Actually Means
Every box on Form W-2 in plain English: why Box 1 and Box 3 rarely match, what the Box 12 codes mean, and the new tips and overtime reporting.
Read the guide →August 19, 2026 · 5 min read
Semi-Monthly vs. Biweekly Payroll: The Difference That Trips Up New Employers
Semi-monthly pays 24 times a year on fixed dates; biweekly pays 26 on a fixed weekday. How that changes overtime math, deductions, and state rules.
Read the guide →August 17, 2026 · 7 min read
Expense Report Best Practices: Records That Survive Scrutiny
Expense report best practices from IRS guidance: substantiation, mileage vs. actual cost, and how long to keep your records.
Read the guide →August 14, 2026 · 6 min read
W-2 vs 1099-NEC Deadlines: The Year-End Tax Document Timeline
W-2 vs 1099-NEC deadlines, explained: who gets which form, the January filing and furnishing dates, IRS penalty tiers, and how to prepare accurate ones.
Read the guide →August 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Small Business Invoice Requirements: What Every Invoice Needs to Get Paid
Small business invoice requirements, explained: the fields every invoice needs, how to number them, payment terms, and invoice vs. PO vs. receipt.
Read the guide →August 10, 2026 · 6 min read
Overtime Pay Calculation Under the FLSA: The Weighted-Average Regular Rate
FLSA overtime pay calculation runs on the weighted-average regular rate, not your base hourly rate. How bonuses and second rates change it, with an example.
Read the guide →August 7, 2026 · 6 min read
Year to Date Payroll Totals: Why They Must Be Summed, Not Estimated
Year to date payroll totals have to be summed from real pay periods, not estimated. Here is how YTD interacts with the Social Security wage base.
Read the guide →August 5, 2026 · 7 min read
1099 vs W-2 Worker: The Documents Each Classification Requires
1099 vs W-2 worker: the IRS common-law control factors, the exact documents each classification requires, and what misclassification really costs.
Read the guide →August 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Payroll in States With No Income Tax: What Employers Still Withhold
Payroll in states with no income tax: the nine states, what employers still withhold everywhere, and the state deductions Alaska and Washington keep.
Read the guide →July 31, 2026 · 6 min read
How Payroll Tax Withholding Works: Pub 15-T, FICA, and Why Two Identical Salaries Differ
How payroll tax withholding works: the IRS Pub 15-T annualized percentage method, flat FICA rates, and why identical salaries withhold differently.
Read the guide →July 29, 2026 · 6 min read
What Is on a Pay Stub? Every Line Item Explained
What is on a pay stub? A line-by-line guide to gross pay, each tax withheld, deductions, net pay, and why the year-to-date column matters.
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