Member Blog: The Drawbacks of Doing Your Own Payroll

The cannabis industry is unique in that there are many issues to consider when it comes to payroll. Doing payroll in-house can prove to be a complex endeavor and can have many drawbacks along the way. For instance, it can be difficult to keep up with ever-changing laws and regulations relating to payroll taxes, safety net contributions, and labor law compliance. Additionally, in-house payroll requires comprehensive knowledge to compute withholdings and deductions from employee wages, which can prove to be challenging.

Using a third-party payroll provider can help to improve accuracy and ease the burden of managing employee payroll. Third-party payroll providers can handle all the complexities involved in payroll, such as withholdings, benefit deductions, and payroll tax filings, freeing up valuable time and resources. Furthermore, a third-party payroll provider will be securely monitoring and tracking payroll changes, ensuring compliance with the latest payroll regulations.

In general, doing payroll in-house can be a complex endeavor that requires specialized knowledge and can be a resource-consuming task, but in a heavily regulated industry like cannabis this is especially true. For these reasons, cannabis businesses who switch to a third-party payroll provider often find the benefits far outweigh any obstacles.

Business owners have their minds set on ensuring the growth and stability of their businesses, figuring out modes to cut down costs along the line. Particularly, budding businesses in a bid to satisfy this widespread phenomenon, decide on DIY payroll – choosing to oversee the bookkeeping and accounting arm of their businesses. The common misconception is that payroll outsourcing options constitute a financial burden, contrariwise, the costs incurred from consistent errors (as is always the case) sum up to impact much more extensive financial repercussions on the company.

It is noteworthy that the convincing nature of DIY payroll also bears characteristic flaws which could pose serious threats to your business enterprise. Details on the drawbacks of doing your payroll are highlighted in this article.

Extreme Dependency

Seeing that you and/or another member of your workforce is solely charged with the responsibility in addition to other work-related assignments, chances are that your company finances will take a nosedive if you or the designated other is unavailable for any reason. This isn’t the same if you outsource, as payroll software and service providers are unfazed by such challenges.

Reduced Productivity

Settling financial statements and record keeping are time-consuming processes. Therefore, taking this up yourself would suggest that precious time and labor that could be spent on other vital aspects of the business will be diverted, influencing the work rate and eventual results.

In addition, payroll requires rapt attention to detail, precision, and patience. There is increased stress and the resultant frustration that could result could negatively impact productivity. 

Heightened Susceptibility to Errors

Payroll is a complex system of procedures, requiring well-trained and skillful personnel. Experienced service providers are prone to errors and sometimes make mistakes, the chances, therefore, are that if you handle it yourself, you will make grave errors. 

• Miscalculating Profits

Inaccurate bookkeeping can lead to miscalculation of profit. Unpaid invoices would remain unnoticed, and the establishment suffers losses.

• Missing Important Deadlines

The workload makes missing deadlines a high possibility. Poor handling of documents and vital information can result in missing payment dates, ignoring tax information and forgetting payment bonuses and overtime, to mention a few. This could result in noncompliance with government rules and your business might spend a large chunk satisfying fees and fines.

• Cash Flow Problems 

With inaccurate bookkeeping, there is no adequate knowledge of cash inflow and outflow. This common DIY payroll challenge could lead to payroll issues in the long run and set your business up for a downturn. 

Apprehension by Regulatory Agencies

With DIY payroll, you may have inaccurate books, payment issues, consistent complaints, and noncompliance with state and federal laws. This would ignite the swift actions of government agencies like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and your business may suffer grave repercussions.

Indeed, the complications accompanying DIY payroll may outweigh the advantages proposed, hence the need to consider helpful payroll services to ease the burden and help your business focus.

Having an effective payroll system is crucial for Human Capital Management, an important ingredient for business growth and advancement.