#2. Are your payroll service employees accredited by the American Payroll Association?

This is not necessarily a requirement for a payroll service to be a good company, but it tells you they have taken the extra steps and done the extra work to earn accreditation.

Why is this important to you? A Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) must continue his/her education to maintain certified status to stay current on issues that may affect you. The certification Board of the APA requires that payroll professionals fulfill at least one of the criteria listed below before they take the CPP examination.

Criteria 1:
The payroll professional has been practicing a total of three (3) years out of the five (5) years preceding the date of the examination. The practice of payroll is defined as direct or related involvement in at least one of the following:

• Payroll Production, Payroll Reporting, Payroll Accounting, Payroll Systems and Payroll Taxation
• Payroll Administration
• Payroll Education/Consulting

Criteria 2:
Before he/she takes the examination, the payroll professional has been employed in the practice of payroll as defined in Criteria 1 for at least the last 24 months, and has completed within the last 24 months, ALL of the following courses offered by the APA:

• Payroll Practice Essentials (3-day course)
• Comprehensive Payroll and Tax Compliance Course (3-day
  course)
• Strategic Payroll Practices (2-day course)
• OR Payroll 101: The Standard Foundation of Payroll Administration
• Payroll 201: The Payroll Administration Course

Criteria 3:
Before he/she takes the examination, the payroll professional has been employed in the practice of payroll as defined in Criteria 1, for at least the last 18 months, has obtained the FPC and has completed, within the last 18 months, the following courses offered by the APA:

• Comprehensive Payroll and Tax Compliance Course (3-day
  course) and
• Strategic Payroll Practices (2-day course)
• OR Payroll 201: The Payroll Administration Course

How does Payroll Masters™ compare to others on this question?

Our employees are accredited by the American Payroll Association, and have been members of the association for more than 15 years. We have 2 CPP’s on staff (there are only 3 CPPs in the Napa Valley), and a cumulative 75 years of payroll experience with our executive and managerial staff alone.

Because of our extensive expertise we are able to help you understand labor distribution reporting and how it affects your return on investment (ROI). It is our goal to provide a quality product (systems & reports) that help you get the most out of your payroll data. When managed well your payroll should actually an asset to your company rather than a liability. We can help you understand how to use payroll information to separate your business from your competitors and get more productivity from your employees.

We’re not just a payroll processing service. Our basic philosophical goal at Payroll Masters™ is “To help employers realize a true ROI on the investment in their employees, and then be able to maximize it.” Our tools can actually help you reach that goal!