Switching
Nobody changes payroll providers casually
It is the one system where a mistake means someone does not get paid. So here is what it would actually involve, including the parts that are genuinely annoying.
Week 1 · Step 1
Gather what you already have
Company tax registrations, your pay schedule, worker records with rates and deductions, and year-to-date totals from your current provider. Most of this is one export.
Your part: Pull the reports. We tell you exactly which ones.
Week 1 · Step 2
Import and reconcile
Year-to-date figures matter more than anything else: they drive wage-base caps, so a bad import shows up as wrong withholding months later.
Your part: Confirm the totals match your last payroll register. Nothing else.
Week 2 · Step 3
Run one payroll in parallel
The same period, calculated in both systems, compared worker by worker. Any difference is investigated before anything goes live.
Your part: Look at the comparison. If it does not match, we do not switch.
Week 3 · Step 4
Cut over at a quarter boundary where possible
Switching mid-quarter is possible but makes quarterly filings messier. If your timing allows it, waiting a few weeks is worth it.
Your part: Pick the date. We work back from it.
The honest part
What actually goes wrong when people switch
These are the four failures that cause almost every bad payroll migration. Any provider that does not talk about them is hoping you find out later.
Year-to-date totals imported wrong
Social Security and unemployment both have annual wage bases. If the year-to-date figures are off, withholding is quietly wrong for the rest of the year.
Tax agency accounts not transferred
Your state and federal accounts need the new provider registered as an agent. This takes weeks in some states and is the single most common cause of a late filing.
Deductions dropped in the import
Garnishments and court-ordered withholding are legal obligations. If one does not come across, the employer is liable, not the software.
Everyone forgets the contractors
1099 workers usually live in a different corner of the old system and get missed in the export.
Migration is not built in this demo