What to send your payroll provider before each pay run
Five things that decide whether payday goes smoothly (sample guide).
Payroll and HR for teams of 5 to 250
We run your pay runs, file the payroll taxes, send the benefit contributions and keep the HR paperwork in order, so every line on your staff’s payslips is right on payday.
Monthly, two-weekly and weekly payrolls for shops, restaurants, warehouses, clinics and offices in Springfield (sample).
Tallyhouse Payroll and HR (sample)
Payslip
Employee
J. Moreno
Job
Store supervisor
Pay period
1 to 30 Sep 2026
Pay date
26 Sep 2026
Records and contracts
Job, pay rate and start date on file, with the signed contract.
Earnings
Basic pay, 160 h at 18.50
2,960.00
Overtime, 6 h at 27.75
166.50
Holiday pay, 2 days
296.00
Gross pay
3,422.50
Pay runs
Hours, overtime and holiday pay worked out from your timesheet.
Taxes
Federal income tax
318.00
State income tax
121.40
Social Security, 6.2%
212.20
Medicare, 1.45%
49.63
Taxes this period
701.23
Tax filings
Withheld every pay run, then paid and filed by the due date.
Benefits
401(k), 4% of gross
136.90
Health plan
84.00
Benefits this period
220.90
Pensions and benefits
Contributions sent to each provider after payday.
Leave
Vacation left
11.5 days
Sick leave left
4 days
Leave and absence
Balances updated as each request is approved.
Net pay
Gross 3,422.50 less deductions 922.13. Paid by direct deposit on 26 September.
2,500.37
Paid on payday
Payment file sent two days ahead; payslips emailed the same morning.
Sample payslip. Every figure is invented and the lines add up.
What we look after
Each service below produces lines on your employees’ payslips. The strip on the right shows which ones.
Pay runs
Weekly, two-weekly or monthly. We work out hours, overtime, shift premiums and holiday pay from your timesheet or rota export, and send payslips to every employee.
Basic pay
Overtime
Holiday pay
Gross pay
Tax filings
Federal and state withholding every pay run, payroll tax payments and the quarterly and annual returns, filed by their due dates.
Federal income tax
State income tax
Social Security
Medicare
Pensions and benefits
Enrolment, 401(k) and health plan deductions, and the contribution files sent to each provider after payday.
401(k)
Health plan
Leave and absence
Vacation and sick balances kept up to date, leave requests approved by managers, and leave pay worked into the pay run.
Vacation left
Sick leave left
Holiday pay
Records and HR support
Offer letters, contracts, the employee handbook and personnel files, plus an HR advice line for the day-to-day questions.
Employee
Job
Pay rate
The monthly pay run, day by day
A monthly payroll follows the same five dates every month. Weekly and two-weekly payrolls follow the same steps over four working days.
18
Send hours and changes
Timesheets, new starters, leavers, pay rises and approved leave.
21
We run the draft
You get a summary: totals, every change since last month, anything that looks unusual.
23
You approve
Reply to the email or approve in the portal. Late changes still go in today.
24
Payment file sent
Net pay goes to your bank as one file; payslips are emailed to staff on payday morning.
26
Payday
Money in accounts. Taxes and benefit contributions follow, each by its due date.
Days of the month for a sample client paid on the 26th. Your dates follow your payday.
HR paperwork, ready when you need it
Most HR questions in a small company are the same ten questions. We answer them, prepare the documents and keep the files, and you make the decisions.
- Offer letters, contracts and contract changes
- An employee handbook written for your company
- Absence and return-to-work notes
- Letters and notes prepared for difficult meetings
- New-starter and leaver checklists
We prepare documents and explain the usual practice. For a legal opinion we refer you to an employment lawyer.
Who we pay
Hourly staff, shift work and tips are where payroll goes wrong. These are the teams we pay most often.
Shops
Part-time hours, Sunday premiums, staff discounts and seasonal starters in November.
Restaurants and cafes
Tips and service charge shared fairly, split shifts and late-night premiums.
Warehouses and logistics
Overtime bands, night shifts, agency workers moving to the payroll.
We also pay clinics, salons, offices and charities.
One invoice a month, itemised
A sample company with 12 employees, paid monthly, with a 401(k) plan and the HR advice line.
Monthly invoice (example)
Pay run base fee
49.00
12 employees at 7.00
84.00
Benefits filing, 12 at 1.50
18.00
Year-end forms, spread monthly
10.00
HR advice line
95.00
Total per month
$256.00
Example prices. No setup fee, no minimum term; one month’s notice.
Included in every plan
- Payslips by email and in the employee portal
- Every payroll tax payment and return
- New starters and leavers
- A named payroll specialist
Quoted separately
- Off-cycle pay runs and bonuses
- Back pay for earlier years
- Handbooks and policy reviews
Switching from a spreadsheet or another provider
Most companies switch at the start of a month. Nobody’s pay is late, and the taxes already paid this year carry over.
1
Send last month's reports
Your last payroll summary, year-to-date totals and the employee list.
2
We set you up
Employees, pay rates, benefits and tax accounts entered and checked.
3
Parallel run
We run your next payroll alongside the old one and compare every payslip.
4
First live payday
We take over from the next pay run. Your old provider closes the month before.
Questions from employers
How soon can you take over our payroll?
Usually from the next pay run if you contact us at least two weeks before payday. Otherwise from the one after.
Do our employees see a new payslip?
Yes. The layout is ours, and the lines are the same: earnings, taxes, benefits, leave and net pay. We send each employee a short note before the first one.
What do you need from us each month?
Hours or a rota export, new starters, leavers, pay changes and approved leave, by the 18th for a monthly payroll (sample).
Who is responsible if a filing is late?
We file by the due date once you have approved the payroll and the funds are in your account. The client agreement sets out who pays a penalty if a filing is late; ask for a copy before you sign.
Can you run payroll for one or two employees?
Yes. The base fee covers the pay run; the price per employee applies to each person paid.
Employer guides
Overtime and holiday pay: reading the earnings lines
How hours turn into the earnings lines on a payslip (sample guide).
Your first employee: a payroll checklist
The paperwork to have ready before the first payday (sample guide).