Need to do some digging into finding some 401k providers for my company and was wondering if anyone had any good leads. We are mid sized company with a handful of branches in 2 states. Roughly 200 employees. We want to keep our current payroll provider. Thanks!

I have around four years of experience across backend development, data science, and AI engineering, working with Java and Spring Boot on the backend and Python for ML and LLM work. I'm based in Bengaluru and have been going through interview processes over the past few weeks.

A pattern I keep running into is roles where the payroll company and the actual work are two different organisations. The payroll company is a staffing or consulting firm, and the deployment is at a client that is usually a well-known name. The payroll firms themselves vary a lot. Some are large service-based companies, others are small outfits with almost no public footprint. The compensation being discussed is reasonable, which is why I'm taking these conversations seriously rather than dismissing them.

What I have not been able to find a clear answer on is how the arrangement plays out over time. On paper the client name looks good, but the employment relationship sits with the vendor, and I'm unclear on what that means practically. Appraisals, promotions, and any kind of internal growth presumably run through the payroll company rather than the client, but I don't know how that works when the person evaluating your work and the person deciding your raise are in different organisations entirely. Similarly with what happens at the end of a project, whether there is a bench period, and how notice periods and benefits typically compare to direct employment.

The other thing I'm unsure about is how this reads later. If someone spends a couple of years on a vendor payroll while deployed at a large client, how is that interpreted when they interview elsewhere? Does the client engagement carry the weight, or does the vendor name on the offer letter become the limiting factor? I've also seen conversion to direct payroll mentioned during these conversations and I don't know how often that actually materialises.

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked in this setup, particularly on what you'd approach differently in hindsight.

I have an existing payroll account from my previous company, and I can convert it to my new payroll account. However, I still haven’t receive my final pay from the previous company so I would like to retain it as it is. Is it okay to create a new payroll account for my new company while keeping the old one active?

Please help. Thank you!

We’re a small remote company with team members in a few different countries. Instead of setting up local entities, we went the global payroll / Employer of Record route.

Honestly, it’s been pretty smooth so far. Payroll runs fine, compliance isn’t on our plate, and hiring across borders feels way easier.

That said, I’m wondering what we’re not seeing yet. For founders using an EOR long term, were there any surprises like costs stacking up or legal gray areas? Would really love real world feedback.

I am currently on the payroll of Randstad, and deputed to a client. So now I am in the client place since april and I am not liking the job, too much pressure. I plan to abscond from this job. Today is July 22nd, can Randstad withhold my salary for July if I abscond? I intend to return client’s assets, the laptop. But I really dont think I can continue to work here.

I am currently on the payroll of Randstad, and deputed to a client. So now I am in the client place since april and I am not liking the job, too much pressure. I plan to abscond from this job. Today is July 22nd, can Randstad withhold my salary for July if I abscond? I intend to return client’s assets, the laptop. But I really dont think I can continue to work here.

I'm curious if any other Gusto clients have had issues with the new requirements for HCEs and their pre-tax / Roth 401k maximums in Gusto? I have had an issue with one of mine who set up both pre-tax and Roth deductions to be withheld simultaneously in order to max out both by mid-year. Unfortunately, Gusto counted the YTD of both toward the non-catch up limit and now can't seem to fix it to allow him to finish deducting the full pre-tax amount for the year. I've been back and forth with them for 2 months and still no resolution. What are you doing about it?!

I have around four years of experience across backend development, data science, and AI engineering, working with Java and Spring Boot on the backend and Python for ML and LLM work. I'm based in Bengaluru and have been going through interview processes over the past few weeks.

A pattern I keep running into is roles where the payroll company and the actual work are two different organisations. The payroll company is a staffing or consulting firm, and the deployment is at a client that is usually a well-known name. The payroll firms themselves vary a lot. Some are large service-based companies, others are small outfits with almost no public footprint. The compensation being discussed is reasonable, which is why I'm taking these conversations seriously rather than dismissing them.

What I have not been able to find a clear answer on is how the arrangement plays out over time. On paper the client name looks good, but the employment relationship sits with the vendor, and I'm unclear on what that means practically. Appraisals, promotions, and any kind of internal growth presumably run through the payroll company rather than the client, but I don't know how that works when the person evaluating your work and the person deciding your raise are in different organisations entirely. Similarly with what happens at the end of a project, whether there is a bench period, and how notice periods and benefits typically compare to direct employment.

The other thing I'm unsure about is how this reads later. If someone spends a couple of years on a vendor payroll while deployed at a large client, how is that interpreted when they interview elsewhere? Does the client engagement carry the weight, or does the vendor name on the offer letter become the limiting factor? I've also seen conversion to direct payroll mentioned during these conversations and I don't know how often that actually materialises.

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked in this setup, particularly on what you'd approach differently in hindsight.

Our company is finally looking to move away from our current payroll system, but I'm not sure where to start with evaluating alternatives. There are so many payroll and HR software options out there that it’s becoming difficult to compare them properly.

I’ve looked through a few comparison sites, but the reviews seem inconsistent and pricing is often unclear until you actually speak with a sales team. It would be helpful to have a place where I can compare different providers, understand realistic pricing ranges, see honest pros and cons, and know what questions to ask during demos.

Since both our HR and IT teams will be involved in the decision, having some kind of evaluation checklist, comparison framework, or shared scorecard would be really useful.

Has anyone found a good way to research and compare payroll or HRIS platforms without relying only on vendor websites or sales pitches?

Every time we bring on seasonal staff I keep telling myself its only for a few months. Then payroll starts and its a whole other thing

Someone likes to start halfway through a pay period, another person quits without much notice then 2 employees swap shifts and nobody updates the schedule. I'm spending a lot of time figuring out what happened instead of running payroll

It's kinda funny because none of this is extra work when its happening. It's only on payroll day that you find out how many small changes you've been trying to keep track of

I'm taking over payroll from my accountant using HMRC Basic PAYE Tools and have run into a validation error that doesn't seem to make sense.

Background:

• Existing employee (not a new starter).
• Company director.
• Actual Companies House appointment date: 19/11/2024.
• Employment start date: 01/12/2024.
• Director NI method: Directors' cumulative method.
• Last payment date this tax year: 31/05/2026.
• YTD pay: £834 (2 monthly payments of £417).
• Tax code: 1257L.
• NI category: A.

When I click Next, the only remaining validation error is:

This doesn't make sense to me because the director was appointed in November 2024, well before the May 2026 payment.

I found an old payroll forum post from 2016 where someone suggested that Basic PAYE Tools requires a workaround by entering a director appointment date after the last payment date, but that would make the payroll record inconsistent with the actual Companies House appointment date.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone else encountered this validation error in recent versions of Basic PAYE Tools?
2. Is this a known software limitation/bug?
3. Should I keep the actual appointment date (19/11/2024), or is there an accepted workaround for payroll takeovers?
4. If a workaround is required, does it have any impact on HMRC records or director NIC calculations?

I'd appreciate advice from anyone who's dealt with this when migrating payroll from another software package.

I'm been in a deep slump while looking for a new job. I've found that in most interviews they ask about excel experience. I currently use excel rarely and only know basics. Where/How can I advance my excel knowledge? Plus if it's low cost or even free.

I'm registering for state payroll taxes. My business is headquartered and primarily operates in West Virginia. The only connection I have to Maryland is one remote employee who works from their home there, which creates a physical presence in the state.

When I register for Maryland unemployment insurance, the application requires a physical Maryland address. Since I don't have a business office or location in Maryland, should I use my remote employee's home address as the physical worksite and list my West Virginia business address as the mailing address?

Hey everyone! 👋

Does anyone know if Accenture is conducting a walk-in interview tomorrow in Bengaluru for Payroll Specialist / Payroll roles?

If you have any info about the venue, timing, or registration details, please let me know. Would really appreciate it!

Hi!

I’m curious if this has come up in your cases. This came up as a request with new leadership. Do you allow your populations to select to have the high withholding of 37% if they estimate they will make more than $1 mil in a year? So instead of the first $1mil being taxed at 22% then after 37% but taxing it all at 37% based on employee request?

Edit: I failed to mention this in the case of executive bonus payments where we would typically apply a flat tax

Using a payroll service called GreenSlate. It’s asking me to authorize a Tokenized Account Number to send my direct deposit to.

Everything about this seems sketchy, and a lot of red flags go up for me, but I wanted to push past those instincts and ask some professionals.

Are TAN’s legit and is there any danger to my information or money getting stolen?

Anyone know of a company that has short term contractors that specialize in payroll tax? Short term being ideally ~3 months. Will be more than payroll tax responsibilities but must have experience in that specifically.

I'm registering for state payroll taxes. My business is headquartered and primarily operates in West Virginia. The only connection I have to Maryland is one remote employee who works from their home there, which creates a physical presence in the state.

When I register for Maryland unemployment insurance, the application requires a physical Maryland address. Since I don't have a business office or location in Maryland, should I use my remote employee's home address as the physical worksite and list my West Virginia business address as the mailing address?

What is your take on this situation where IT is essentially asked to perform clear Payroll/finance business processes?

First post ever, I don't really know if this is the right subreddit to post this, im just getting desperate and need help finding answers. So in April I requested a new debit card (I use rapid pay which is adding lots of confusion for me) because I had lost my previous one which triggered a mandatory identity verification process. During this my account was frozen and I was unable to receive one of my checks from direct deposit. Just after this I quit my job and was able to get a physical copy of my final check mailed to me, but that previous direct deposit still never hit my account even after finishing the id verification months later. Since then I have continuously tried calling the store that I worked at since my bank is telling me I need them to resend it but Everytime I call, I go through the robot automated system then when I try and talk to an in the floor leader ( my past manager) it always says they are unavailable. I've left 3 voicemails by now and I don't know what to do. I have a PDF of the paystub that was emailed to me proving I am owed the money, as well as proof that it was never added to my account.

I was over payed £1000 last month i have not spent the funds just cannot access it as my bank account has been frozen kt manager was aware of this already. Of course the funds need to be returned I am worried that they will take the whole thing from this months pay if I cannot access it before hand. I have offered to pay instalments till the situation is sorted as if it’s took out as a whole I will not be able to pay any bills or get to work. Just look for advice has this happened to anyone else.