Have you thought about going green? It could save more than just the environment.

Unless you have been under a rock for the past few years, you are aware of all the talk about our environment and what we can do to diminish our carbon footprint. Personally, I do believe that mankind has done damage to the planet. How much damage is to be determined, and there are various opinions our there. There are claims of global warming, there are commercials on TV asking us to save the polar bears. Most of the United States just went through a major freeze. Even southern Florida was covered in ice. Any many folks say this is directly tied to global warming. Is it? I don’t know. But I figure if all this is true, then as a company Sequoia Payroll Solutions should do something to reduce it’s waste. We offer payroll services, bookkeeping services and incorporation services. Anyone who is familiar with our field, knows that there is a whole lot of paper used in running financial reports, printing paychecks and direct deposit records, drafting statements, and other various day to day functions. Obviously, we enjoy nature and all that comes with the outdoors, which is part of the reason we named the company after the giant sequoia redwood. So in an effort to reduce waste, and benefit our clients, we have made a transition into a paperless working environment.

In this blog, we will discuss a few ways we have reduced our paper usage and benefited our customers when doing so. Maybe this information will help you “go green”, if you so desire. One of the big issues was the paperwork it takes to set up a new client. There are forms that need to be filled out regarding company information such as tax id numbers, YTD financial records, employee info, W-4’s, I-9’s, benefit info, and the list goes on and on. For the most part, we still have to print all this paper, because much of the information is not in paperless format yet. However, when the paperwork is returned to us, we scan it all into the computer and we save electronic files on our server and an offsite backup server just to be safe. These files are password protected to ensure complete security. Once everything is scanned, we place the paperwork in a locked box, and a shredding company comes once a month and takes the paper away to be shredded. The paper is then recycled. The shredding company charges us just 35.00 per month, this is well worth the price.

We started sending some accounting reports in electronic format to our clients. This has been a crowd pleaser because the employer can pull up the report at any time, from any computer and take a look at the information. We also have set up password accounts for our clients and they can log into our secure website anytime and run various payroll reports such as total cost reports, tax reports, etc. Another place we save on using paper is by using e-stubs. Our clients are very happy with this feature. An e-stub is just an electronic pay stub that is sent to the employees personal e-mail account. The paycheck is directly deposited into the account of choice, and the stub is in electronic form. This was a HUGE price saver. It allowed us to save on envelopes, paper, printer ink, and time. Tax forms and tax payments are now sent online as well. Since we have reduced our costs, we have passed this savings onto our customers. In this day and age who isn’t happy to save a little money. All and all, we have reduced our waste as a company, we have cut back on costs and we have helped our customers. If you can reduce waste in your day to day, not only will you help the planet, but you will probably find you save a little on spending as well.

If you have problems with your payroll, then contact us, we have payroll solutions.

A Referral program worth checking out!

Sequoia Payroll has a few special promotions that we would like to let you know about. Some of you may know that we offer the first month free for any business that enrolls in our payroll services for one year. But there are other promotions that we currently offer which you may not be aware of. In this segment, we would like to inform everyone of our referral program. Before we get into the meat and potatoes of the information there are a few things that need to be addressed. First off, this is not a "get-rich-quick" scheme. You won't be able to support your family on this extra income, and we do not imply such. However, if you are a business owner who currently uses our service, this is a great way to get discounted or even free payroll services from us. And if you don't use our services, this is a way to put a little money in your pocket...
Here is how it works...

Let's say you are a business owner who uses our service. If you know anyone who can benefit from our payroll/bookkeeping service have them contact us. If they enroll for one year, they get the free month, and you will receive up to 125.00 off your payroll service. Now, say for example that your monthly fee is 75.00. If a business you referred signs up, you get the month free. If your monthly fee is 150.00, then you will only have to pay 25.00 for the month. Here is the great part about this offer. There is no limit. So, if you refer 10 businesses and they all sign up, you will get a discounted rate, or even free payroll service for 10 months...in a row. No smoke and mirrors here, just a way for us to say "thanks".

Ok, so, say your just a guy or gal out there and you don't use our service. There is a way for you to make a little money with this referral program as well. If you refer a business and they sign up for one year, then you will receive a $100.00 finders fee. There is no limit to this reward either. So if your refer 10 businesses and they sign up, you get $1000.00. Again, 100 bucks isn't a whole lot of money, but you will be able to take your significant other to a really nice dinner and a movie. You could buy that new pair of shoes or that fishing pole that you have had your eye on. Whatever you want to spend it on is fine with us. These referral rewards are just our little way of saying "thank you" for thinking about us.

There are just a few restrictions that need to be mentioned. The businesses that are referred must sign a legal contract for one year of service. They must be able to prove that they are an established business and provide good references. We have to take these steps to ensure that we are not setting up bogus businesses just so someone can make a quick buck. We hate to place these restrictions, but unfortunately, there are a lot of unsavory characters our there and we have a businesses (both ours and yours) to protect.

If you have any questions regarding this referral program, please let us know. You can contact us by e-mail at services@sequoiapayroll.com or by phone- 479-409-8284.

Our referral program is just another way Sequoia Payroll Solutions is taking your business to new heights!

Why our payroll services are different- Part 6 of 6- 3 more reasons! - Vox

Tonight we will talk about the sixth reason Sequoia Payroll Solutions is worthy of your business. But before we get into that, we will break down the other reasons as to why we offer a payroll service that is second to none.

In the first segment, we talked about our guarantee in regards to payroll taxes. The IRS is always updating tax laws. For a busy business owner it can be very difficult to keep up on these laws, and the IRS will penalize the business for not complying with the new laws. We keep up with these tax laws so you don’t have to. We are very confident that you will never be late or pay a tax penalty again with our services. We guarantee it or we will pay the penalties.

In section two we talked about going green with e-stubs and direct deposit. This is a wonderful benefit to you and your employees. These services eliminate paper, streamline the payroll process and are offered at no additional charge.

Section three talked about our awesome customer support. We don’t have an automated phone system here at SPS. We know that if you call you want to talk to a human, not a machine. We are here and ready to answer any questions you have, ease any concerns, or solve any problems that arise. Excellent customer service is something that is fleeting in this day and age, but at Sequoia Payroll we strive to offer the best customer support available.

Reports and export were the topics of the fourth section. We will not only provide a large array of reports, but we can also give you the ability to access these reports any day of the week from anywhere with a web connection. We never charge you extra to run reports. Also, all payroll data can be exported to many popular accounting programs including QuickBooks, Peachtree and Microsoft money.

Section five- Workers Compensation. We mentioned that we have teamed up with The Hartford Group to bring you whats called Xact Pay. This feature allows you to pay your workers comp premiums one payroll at a time, which eliminates the burden of forking over large up front payments. Other benefits that were mentioned; no more checks to write, deductions are automatic, and all of this greatly reduces the risk of an audit.

FINALLY! Section Six. I’m glad, I feel like I have been typing forever. In this section we will talk about three more reasons we feel our payroll services are different from other payroll providers. First off, we offer incorporation services. Usually if you want to incorporate a business you would have to visit a CPA, Attorney or do all the leg work yourself. We offer this service as well. Not only that, we offer it no matter what state you live in. So, if your thinking about converting your business to an LLC, SCorp, or INC. then give us a call. We will round up the paperwork for you, and do so at a fraction of the cost of the other guys. Number Two: Bookkeeping services. If you need someone to handle your bookkeeping let us know. We have years of bookkeeping experience and currently use Quickbooks for all our clients. We are quick, accurate and affordable. Finally, lets talk price. We feel that our prices are very competitive. We have tried very hard to keep our overhead low so we can pass that savings onto you. We have compared our services and rates to the competition and believe we offer our customers the biggest bang for the buck. Many of our competitors offer a low rate for a very basic service, and tack on a fee for every benefit you add. In the end, when you compare apples to apples, we believe you will find that we offer the best price out there. If you find someone who quotes a better price than us, let us know. We will do our very best to meet our beat their offer. So Why are we a better choice for your company?

1. Guaranteed accurate payroll tax

2. Direct deposit and E-stubs at no additional fee

3. The BEST customer service

4. Reports when you want

5. Exported data to your accounting software

6. Workers compensation paid one payroll at a time

7. Incorporation assistance

8. Bookkeeping services

9. The best price around

It’s what makes us different… it’s what makes us better!

Sequoia Payroll Solutions- Taking your business to new heights!

Why our payroll services are different- part 5 of 6- Workers Comp. - Vox

In this Blog we will talk a little about workers compensation. First off, you might ask “what is workers compensation?” Or you might wonder if it is something that you need. Well, to start, Workers compensation insurance is a form of insurance that provides compensation medical care for employees who are injured in the course of employment, in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence.

Next you might ask “do I need it?” If you have employees, then the safe answer is yes. However there are states that do not require employers to have workers compensation. One state for sure is Texas. I am not exactly sure if there are others. If you know if any please chime in.

Ok, so enough about that. What does all this have to do with Sequoia Payroll Solutions? SPS has recently teamed up with The Hartford insurance group to bring our customers Xact-Pay. The Hartford was one of the first national carriers to offer a payroll premium billing solution for workers compensation 10 years ago. Today the Hartford is the largest provider of these services with over 65,000 insured small business clients.

The Hartford was one of

the first national carriers

to offer a payroll premium

billing solution for

workers’ compensation

10 years ago.

Today, The Hartford is

the largest provider of

these services with over

65,000 insured small

business clients.

Traditionally, insurance companies make employers pay an up-front premium at the beginning of each new policy year. The up-front cost could be up to 25% of the yearly premium. I have seen these premiums, and depending on the industry your in, yearly costs can easily be over 20k per year. In a case such as this, you would have to fork up 5K just to make the policy effective. Ouch. With X-act Pay, employers won’t have to come up with that kind of money. X-act Pay is deducted on a pay period basis. There are many advantages to this method of payment. Obviously it’s a whole lot easier to manage workers comp premiums one pay period at a time instead of large lump sums. Another benefit is no more check writing. The amount is withdrawn from your account automatically, so this saves you time, money and eliminates late fees. Amounts paid are based on the payroll so payments will always be accurate. In turn, the chances of a workers comp audit decreases dramatically. This service is offered by our payroll service to employers for the small fee of 10.00 per month (on top of premium amounts). 10 bucks is a small price to pay to alleviate the time, guesswork, and hassle of workers compensation premiums. This excellent service is just another reason why Sequoia Payroll Solutions is taking your business to new heights!

And now for a disclaimer:

XactPAY® is a registered trademark of The Hartford and used herein with permission. Our payroll services are paid a royalty fee by The Hartford in connection with the XactPAY® program described herein. Our payroll service is not a licensed insurance producer or agent of The Hartford and, as such is not authorized to solicit, sell or negotiate any insurance products offered by The Hartford. The Hartford insurance products are sold through licensed producers or independent agents of The Hartford.

Why our Payroll Services are Different- Part 4 of 6- Reports and Export

Well, actually this week we will talk about two more reasons why our payroll services are different. Reports, and Export. Now, it’s true that your current payroll provider offers reports to you on a daily basis. You can call them, tell them you need a report and there you go. However, SOME companies or CPA’s will charge you a fee for being a “inconvenience” and interrupting their coffee break. Not us, Ever. We will provide you with whatever report you need, and we will do it in a timely manner.

At Sequoia Payroll Solutions, we offer a wide array of reports including: Tax and Liability reports, Wage summary, vacation and sick leave, total cost and payroll summary, just to name a few. But here is where we are truly different from our competitors…we give you access to these reports 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. So let’s say it’s a Sunday night and you want to see the total cost of your last payroll. You can jump online, enter a password, and build reports until your blue in the face or your fingers fall off. It’s not just reports you have access to though. For instance; we can set you up to where you can even run a payroll or pay taxes if needed. Convenient isn’t it? It’s what makes us different.

Now let’s talk export… but while i’m thinking about it… All the information that we keep is stored very securely online. In fact it’s just as secure as your online banking account, if not more so…anyway, back on track… There will come a time that your accountant asks for your books to audit them. Your accountant will want to see all payroll information. We are able to export your payroll data right into your bookkeeping software. Some payroll providers will print out the information and mail it to you, or send it to you in a excel file. At that point will will be up to you to add the date to your accounting software. We strive to make this process very easy on your because we know you have other things on your mind. So you might ask “what software can you export to?” We can export to many different software programs including Quickbooks, Peachtree, Microsoft Money, ATX Client write up, Quickbooks for Mac, CCH Pro-system write up and more.

So to recap, the first part of this six-part blog talked about payroll taxes. We discussed how you will never pay a penalty to the IRS again. Part two talked about the beauty of direct deposit, and how e-stubbing is a great way to help the environment and reduce your cost of business. Step three- Customer Service. We talked about our desire to serve you in the way you would expect. And in this segment we talked about reports that we can generate, and that you have access to 24/7. We also talked about exporting your payroll data into your existing accounting software to make life just a little easier for you. In each of these segments, we have shown how Sequoia Payroll Solutions is different than our competition, and why we excel in all aspects of our business. In part five we will discuss how we can make your workers compensation insurance easier to manage, how we can get rid of large upfront payments and how we can help reduce the risk of a workers comp audit.

Sequoia Payroll Solutions is taking your business to new heights!

Why our payroll services are different- Part 3 of 6- Customer Service

Ok, so in the last blog we mentioned how awesome e-stubs and direct deposit really are. They are awesome because they save paper, they save time, and they make employers look like hero’s to their staff. We also discussed how e-stubs and direct deposit are included (unlike other payroll management firms) in the low prices from Sequoia Payroll Solutions.

This week we will talk about customer service. If you are like me, then you expect excellent customer service. It drives me nuts when I call the phone company, the cable company, the gas company, or whoever and I get an automated voice on the other end. Then I get put on hold. Then I FINALLY get a human, and there is a language barrier because I was routed to India. Now, I absolutely have nothing against India or the lovable people found there. The point is, when I have a question, concern, problem, I want to talk to a person who can help me. I am sure that many of you out there feel the same way. At our payroll service, you will always talk to a human. No automated voice options here. However, as with any other business you might get a voice mail. Things get busy, and sometimes we miss the phone. But I GUARANTEE, that we will call you back. If you are looking into our payroll services, we want your business, and if you are already a customer, we want to continue serving you.

The problem with bigger companies, regardless of the industry, is that customer service suffers. Somewhere along the way, bigger companies stop caring about YOU and only care about the almighty dollar. The mentality is “go somewhere else, we don’t need your business”. That is why it’s so hard to find a large company with great customer service. I know it sounds cliche’ but at our payroll service the customer is always right. We work very hard to be sure there are no mistakes with your payroll. But in the event there is a discrepancy, we will make it right. Mistakes are opportunities for us to prove to you that we want to be your payroll provider.

Well, there is my spill. I truly believe that excellent customer service is essential to the success of any business. Let Sequoia Payroll Solutions prove to you that we offer the best customer service in the payroll industry.

For more information about our services, please visit www.sequoiapayroll.com

Why Were our payroll services are different- Part 2 of 6. E-stubs, Direct Deposit.

In segment one of this six part blog, we discussed how 33% of businesses out there will pay a penalty to the IRS this year. Sequoia Payroll Solutionsguarantees accurate tax calculations and assures that you will never pay a penalty again.
Part Two of this blog will discuss the beautiful invention of direct deposit and the e-stub. Most of us have at least heard of direct deposit. Some, including myself LOVE it. The benefits are many, and from my standpoint, the cons are nil. For those who dont know what direct deposit is, or why they should look further into it, this stubs for you.

Direct deposit is when your paycheck is directly deposited into the bank account of your choice. The beautiful thing about this is you don’t have to stand in line at the bank, and typically the money is in your account before your paper check counterparts have even received their paycheck. Employers love this idea because it means less check signing (less hand cramps), money is saved on check stock, and the employees are estatic about this benefit. Direct deposit is a great, time saving benefit.

But to make direct deposit EVEN BETTER, some GENIUS out there developed E-stubs. You see, while direct deposit is awesome, there is still paper used to create the stub for the employee. Paper supplies including envelopes can add up fast. E-Stubs mean that you can stop wasting paper. So what is E-stubbing? An E-stub is a record of payment that is automatically sent to an employees e-mail account. Getting your employees paid can now be completely paperless. This saves the employer money, is convenient to the employee because they can look at their pay stub from their e-mail, and using E-Stub also helps the environment. All good things!

E-stub is something that most payroll services offer. While some payroll companies charge up to $10.00 or more per month for this service, Sequoia Payroll Solutions offers this benefit at no extra cost. In fact, as you can tell, we are serious advocates of direct deposit and e-stubs. Direct deposit and e-stubs are just another benefit of using our payroll service. Next week, in part three of our blog, we will discuss how customer service is king, and how Sequoia Payroll strives to offer the best customer service available.