The W-4 Workshop:
Compliance Training for Payroll & HR
- "New W-4 Has Many Scratching Their Heads"
- "Form W-4 Creating Lot of Confusion"
- "IRS Advises Employers to Educate Workforce on New W-4"
The IRS has radically changed the W-4 form from a simple half-page to what looks like a tax return and – as these real-life headlines show – the first 10 months sparked lots of questions from both employees and Payroll/HR professionals. But the answers weren't always clear. In fact, some third-party vendors (and even the IRS!) gave contradictory advice, which the IRS is still trying to reconcile.
This new W-4 is a big change … no pay period withholding and no withholding allowances for employees to claim. And the IRS just keeps piling it on. It released new regulations this year that promise to complicate your wage withholding process even further.
The pandemic rears its ugly head here, too. Employees you rehire (as opposed to those you furlough and call back) must file the new form.
Is your W-4 process in compliance? Discover the new rules for employee withholding with The W-4 Workshop: Compliance Training for Payroll & HR.
If you made mistakes on any pay periods, this is your last best chance to correct those mistakes. If you don't fix things now, YOU'LL be the IRS' target – and your employees may be underwithheld for the year. (They won't be happy about writing big checks to the U.S. Treasury in 2021.)
Worst of all: Some third-party payroll providers didn't implement the new W-4 and withholding rules properly. And it's still not clear whether they've gotten with the program. And who's going to get the blame next winter if they didn't? You. Upshot: You need to understand these new processes from beginning to end.
Use this webinar recording as a checklist to make sure your withholding is in compliance. You will learn:
- What's new about the W-4 and withholding rules … and how to quickly get your company into compliance.
- What those W-4 worksheets are about and how they affect withholding. For years the IRS included worksheets along with the form. Most employees ignored them. Now they can't.
- How to help employees use the IRS' withholding estimator. Employees who've used the estimator are getting their withholding wrong. You can help.
- How to explain these changes to employees. Certain employees may need (or choose) to update their W-4s during the year. Don't just hand employees the new form, which presents a bewildering array of choices. Instead, create a communication plan to help employees understand how to fill out the form.
- What do we do if employees don't file a 2020 W-4? Since most employees don't refile their W-4s, and the IRS says it can't make them refile, your payroll system must now account for two radically different W-4 forms and withholding methods. But don't worry – the IRS has a solution for this! And it works … sort of.
- Are all those old W-4s still valid? To prevent IRS scrutiny and penalties, learn the three circumstances that require employees to absolutely file new W-4s. Plus, discover the five situations in which you should immediately reject a W-4, and what to do when the IRS sends you a letter voiding an employee's W-4.
- Are your withholding processes correct? Computer programs and outside vendors are only as good as the data you've supplied. Best practice: Figure your own withholding at least once a year. (Doing so this year is a necessity!) We'll decipher the IRS' step-by-step instructions that let you do just that.
- How do we handle supplemental pay? You'll also be able to spot the 12 different types of supplemental pay (including noncash payments) and to apply the seven key rules for withholding on supplemental pay – even signing bonuses paid to employees who have yet to work one day.
If your withholding process was on "autopilot" before, you must take back control now. And even if you farm out payroll to a third party, the IRS will always hold YOU responsible for any mistakes – so it's your job to guarantee compliance.
We've provided extra time in this workshop (a full 90 minutes) to allow a thorough check-up of your withholding compliance. You could save yourself thousands of dollars in taxes and penalties – and a career black eye. Get your copy of The W-4 Workshop now!
Sincerely,
Pat DiDomenico, Editorial Director
Payroll Legal Alert
P.S. Your satisfaction is unconditionally guaranteed. If The W-4 Workshop fails to meet your needs, we will refund every penny you paid – no hassles, no questions asked.
The W-4 Workshop:
About Your Speaker:
Alice Gilman, Esq., is an expert in payroll and tax compliance who has covered payroll issues for more than 26 years. She's written and edited several leading payroll publications, including Payroll Legal Alert, the Research Institute of America's Payroll Guide, the American Payroll Association's Basic Guide to Payroll and the Payroll Manager's Letter.
Credit Hours:
The use of this official seal confirms that this Activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.
This program is valid for 1.25 PDCs for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.