Chapter 10
Paying Employees
In This Chapter
Working through your payroll checklist
Signing up new employees
Paying employees their dues, one by one by one
Chucking a sickie, heading for Bali, rostering days off, and more
Keeping a set of immaculate records (why not?)
Working with payroll, especially if you’re managing the payroll for any more than a handful of employees, is one of the more demanding roles for a bookkeeper. Not only is the bookkeeping itself very technical, but figuring out minimum pay and conditions for each employee makes organising high school reunions look easy.
But hey, there’s an upside. A bookkeeper who’s skilled in payroll can earn big bucks. And deciding who gets paid and who doesn’t each week is a deliciously powerful feeling (just kidding).
So in this chapter, I provide a straightforward introduction to payroll, talking up the business of taking on new employees, processing pay, calculating leave entitlements and keeping good records. If you feel yourself flagging, just take a moment to reflect on how I must feel having to write this stuff. And remember, your value as a bookkeeper is building dollar by dollar with every page you read.
Staying Squeaky Clean
A payroll officer is responsible for all aspects of payroll management: Calculating pay, deducting tax, paying superannuation and keeping abreast of office affairs. (No, not that kind of affair. After all, the heading of this section is about staying squeaky clean.)
In Figure 10-1, I show a simple ...
