Chicago Chapter – APA

June, 2007 Volume 1, Issue 2

Newsletter of the Chicago Chapter of the American Payroll Association

2007 Calendar January No Meeting February 3 – CPP Review Class 17 – CPP Review Class March 3 – CPP & FPC Review Class 17 – CPP & FPC Review Class 30 – Chapter Meeting Compliance Priorities What’s New for 2007? 31 -- CPP & FPC Review Class April 7 – CPP Review Class May 22 -26 – 25^th Annual Silver Safari Congress, Las Vegas June 21 – Chapter Meeting Tax Day –All Day Meeting July No Meeting August 3 – Chapter Meeting Officer Elections September 3-7 National Payroll Week Celebration 19-20 14^th Annual Illinois Statewide Bloomington, IL October No Meeting November 1 – Chapter Meeting Preparing for Year End 9 – Holiday Party Official newsletter of the Chicago Chapter		Welcome The Safari preparations are in full swing… Congress is just days away. The anticipation is building, payroll is done, and my brain is struggling to stay focused on the tasks left to do. There are emails going back & forth between Mary Weiner, Mary K and myself. Our imaginations have gone into overdrive. Las Vegas here we come. The adventure has begun. The first step is to register. So many Payroll Professionals all together. All the happy, smiling faces! Some are new to me and others are remembered from my first congress, last year. There are no strangers in my life, but friends I have yet to meet. APA is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary this year. Our leader, Dan Maddux, began by challenging everyone to think back to May 14, 1982, when APA began. “Do you remember where you were or what you were doing that day?” For me the answer came quickly. My daughter was born on May 5, 1982. In the hectic days that followed, we focused our attention on the necessary legal paperwork to complete the initial phase of a private adoption. Late in the afternoon on May 13^th, Jamie was placed in my arms for the first time. Yes, I remember that day, May 14, 1982. I started my first full time day as a mom. So the tears began. Thanks, Dan. The Congress was truly an international experience. There were speakers from different backgrounds and different worlds. They represented cultures from Australia, to West Africa, from the United Kingdom to Canada and even Tennessee! They used powerful words in sharing stories of their lives and their families. There was a presentation by a photographer from National Geographic that did not need any words. His message? “Open your mind to the open roads ahead of you. So many varying life journeys and all have the same universal message. Open your minds; follow your dreams; live your passion. There is nothing you cannot overcome.” These words not only challenge you to look at who you are as a payroll professional, but they also encourage you to look deep into your soul and get to the core of who you are in your personal life as well. Change in our field is a constant. It offers us the opportunity to enhance both our professional lives and our personal lives. The following question came up in more than one general session or class: How did you enter into the payroll world? Did it choose you or did you choose it? Many years ago, I was asked to help out in payroll and the rest is history. Do I have any regrets answering yes? Only one, why did I wait so long to get involved with APA? Congress is an empowering experience for me. It reinforces the knowledge I have already and stimulates me to learn even more. I know it will make me a better person for having the opportunity to attend. Katie Staffeldt, CPP Government Liaison
2007 Chapter Officers President Chris O’Hara, CPP Vice President Mary Kazmierczak, CPP Recording Secretary Gabriel Vergara, CPP Treasurer Hank Mazik, CPP Gov. Liaison Katie Staffeldt, CPP Correspondence Secretary Mary Weiner, CPP Education Director Patricia Bradberry CPP	Congratulations to the Members of the Chicago Chapter APA The Chicago Chapter has been informed by the American Payroll Association that we have been awarded an Honorable Mention in the Chapter of the Year Contest (COTY) in 2007.  Thank-you members for your faithful participation in chapter activities and helping us receive this recognition from the APA. It is an honor to be recognized for our achievements. Mary Weiner, Katie Staffeldt and Mary Kazmierczak were there to accept the plaque. 2007 Memberships Our chapter has a strong support for 2007 thanks to those annual members who have renewed prior to January 31. Currently, our chapter has members who have yet to renew for 2007. To stay current and continue to receive the newsletter, please renew your membership as soon as possible. Renewal applications are available 24/7 on our chapter website. Annual membership dues are $40. All current members are allowed to attend our seminars at a discounted price. www.chicagopayroll.com Committees: Please Volunteer We need volunteers for the following areas: Meeting Planning – (Pat Bradberry) We are looking for volunteers that can help with planning the meetings including choosing topics and finding speakers, as well as finding locations for next year’s meetings. National Payroll Week – (Mary Kazmierczak) We are looking for volunteers that can help with obtaining proclamations from the various cities and the State. We also have the privilege of talking with radio stations, newspapers and educational institutions to promote National Payroll Week. Membership – (Chris O’Hara) This group will help promote membership in the Chicago Chapter.			Committees: (Continued) Nomination Committee – (To Be Assigned) This group of volunteers will verify the membership and credentials of those members wishing to run for election in August 2007. Vendor Sponsorship – (To Be Assigned) This group will help solicit donations from organizations to help provide quality programming to you, our members. Holiday Party – (Chris O’Hara) Volunteers will help plan this special event including entertainment, soliciting door prizes and location for next year. Charities We have several events happening this year for various Charities. 1. At the March 30^th meeting we collected Christmas Cards. We will be sending them to St. Jude’s Research Hospital. The kids will make new Christmas Cards from the ones that are sent to them. Thank you for bringing your old cards for this worthy cause. 2. At the June 21^st meeting we will be collecting for the Servicemen. Please read separate article for more information. 3. July 27 we will be a Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. This event happens overnight. We are looking to build our team for walking and for donations. See article elsewhere in the newsletter. 4. At the August 3^rd meeting we will be collecting old cell phones. During your spring cleaning if you find an old phone or two think about bringing them to our meeting. 5. On Going: We are collecting soda can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. We started the collection during the CPP/FPC classes. We will be collecting these at our meetings all during the year. Page 2
Upcoming Chapter Meetings March 30 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Ceridian Riverway Complex 6133 N River Rd Rosemont, IL Continental Breakfast 8:30 am Christmas Cards June 21 9:00 am-4:00 pm White Eagle Banquets 6839 N, Milwaukee Niles, IL 60714 Continental Breakfast 8:30 am Mid Day Lunch Servicemen Collection August 3 9:00 am-12:00 pm Officer Elections Continental Breakfast 8:30 am Location: TBD Cell Phones November 1 9:00-12:00 pm ADP 100 Northwest Point Blvd Elk Grove, IL Continental Breakfast 8:30 am November 9 Holiday Party	Next Chapter Meeting All Day Tax Conference- Hat’s off to Taxes!!! Thursday, June 21, 2007 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Continental Breakfast 8:30 am & Mid Day Lunch White Eagle Banquets Karolann Room 6839 No. Milwaukee Ave. Niles, IL 60714 847-647-0660 Plan On attending: Four current topics with four speakers all experts in their fields! Payroll Local Tax Issues for Multi-State Employers State Compliance Information Chicago Head Tax Taxable/Nontaxable – Business Expenses, Mileage, Personal use of Cars, Per Diems Using Outsourced Tax Services – Reconciliation / Verification / Ensuring Compliance Our expert presenters are: Scott A. Walter, CPP - Payroll Local Tax Issues & Chicago Head Tax Scott is a Manager in the Employment Tax Practice at Deloitte Tax LLP.  He has 8 years of experience in providing federal, state, and local employment tax planning and consulting service.  Scott’s background includes an extensive knowledge of federal and state corporate reorganization strategies based on the utilization of federal and state successor provisions.  Scott has also performed multi-jurisdictional employment tax studies to provide efficiencies in federal, state and local tax reporting.  He has led several internal and external employment tax training session at Deloitte Tax LLP and his previous employer.  Emily Rook, CPP - Business Expenses Emily is a Consultant that specializes in Payroll and Unemployment Taxes.  She has over 20 years of experience dealing with payroll, payroll taxes, and payroll accounting.  She is active in the American Payroll Association, currently serving as a President-Elect of the Association.  .		She is a former President of the Chicago Chapter as well as a member of the National Speakers Bureau and the Government Affairs Task Force has been an instructor at DePaul University and for the Chicago chapter’s Certified Payroll Professional review classes.  Dave Scorza, CPP - Outsourced Tax Services Dave has been with ADP since 1983.  In his current position, Dave wears many hats including Payroll Support Center webmaster, Region Project Manager, and Support Services team leader.  He has held a variety of positions throughout the organization in several different departments encompassing Operations, Implementation, and Client Services. As a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) since 1991 and Professional in Human Resources (PHR) since 1997, Dave is able to stay in touch with the industry from a practitioner point of view. This is a benefit to himself, his clients and his staff when doing research and troubleshooting.  Dave is also an ADP Certified Payroll Specialist in both the PC/Payroll and Pay eXpert products. Phillip Clark- The Clock is Ticking Phillip through MediNumerics has designed a creative process, that assists individuals and businesses in identifying and removing those traits and habits that stop them from achieving their maximum potential. By incorporating his "Four "A" Approach", Philip shows how to tap into the powerful resources within. The potential is within all of us to experience life to the fullest. Philip teaches you how to tap into that potential! Networking opportunities and educational credits! Reserve your space! Call the Chapter Helpline at: (773) 631-8480 or Send your email correspondence to: Chicago_chapter_apa@hotmail.com The cost to attend the meeting is $45.00 for members of the Chicago Chapter and $55.00 for non-members. Page 3

Mailing Address: Chicago Chapter APA PO Box 836 Chicago, IL 60690-0836 Phone: (773) 631-8480 {24-hr. Recording) NPW Corner : Tell us what you are planning for NPW.	Chicago Membership News New CPP & FPC: Congrats to: Mike Smith, CPP Meridith Davis, CPP Maggie Kowalczyke, CPP News on Members: Congratulations to our Past-Chapter President, Emily Rook, CPP. At the APA Congress Emily was elected APA President for 2008. Congrats Emily. You will be a great president and will bring lots of great ideas to APA. We are behind you 110%. Sue Darring is on the road again. She is the Director of Implementation for ACS payroll.  She works with friends and colleagues like former APA president, Kathy Menda and chapter member Lisa Dunn. She and Lisa had a road trip to Ohio to work with a client. She loves the end to end processes of payroll and has the privilege of being responsible for all of it before payroll parts and pieces became separated, such as tax filing and payroll accounting.  Sue says ….Is it possible that payroll can be so much fun???? Have you changed your job, title or e-mail address? If you recently changed jobs, title or your email address, please email the chapter email box. Chicago_chapter_apa@hotmail.com Positions Available The following Officer positions will be up for election in 2007: Education Director Government Liaison Treasurer If you have an interest in one of these positions please email Mary at: Chicago_chapter_apa@hotmail.com Elections will be at our August 3^rd meeting. Relay For Life^® One day. One night. One community:  By participating in an American Cancer Society Relay For Life^® event near you, you honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to the lives lost to the disease, and raise money to help fight it – all right in your community. Much more than a walk around a track, Relay is a time to celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember those lost and get inspired to fight back. Those who have shared the same experience find common ground, hope and healing at Relay. By participating, you have the power to continue the American Cancer Society's progress toward a future where cancer doesn't take the lives of our friends and family. Relay For Life opens as cancer survivors take the first lap. This emotional time sets the stage for the importance of each participant's contribution.  A festive atmosphere always develops as participants make new friends and spend time with old ones. Highlighting the evening is a luminaria Ceremony of Hope held after dark to honor cancer survivors and to remember loved ones lost to cancer.  The luminaria candles line the track and are left burning throughout the night to remind participants of the incredible importance of their contributions. Sign up today to become a part of the Relay phenomenon. The location is Jorie Blvd and Kensington in the Mc Donald's Corp Soccer field. Oak Brook, July 27, 2007, 6:00 pm So what happens at Relay? Dedicated volunteers are committed to fighting cancer in their communities year-round, but once a year, they gather at Relay For Life to celebrate survivors and caregivers, remember loved ones lost and to gain inspiration for the fight. Each of the more than 4,800 Relays nationwide is a fun-filled, overnight event that mobilizes communities to celebrate survivors (anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer), remember loved ones and raise money for the fight against cancer. Teams of eight to 15 members gather with tents and sleeping bags with the goal of keeping one person on the track at all times. Relay For Life^® brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, churches ... people from all walks of life. Teams seek sponsorship prior to the relay, all with the goal of eliminating cancer. Government Update IR-2007-109, May 31, 2007 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today alerted taxpayers to the latest versions of an e-mail scam intended to fool people into believing they are under investigation by the agency’s Criminal Investigation division. The e-mail purporting to be from IRS Criminal Investigation falsely states that the person is under a criminal probe for submitting a false tax return to the California Franchise Tax Board. The e-mail seeks to entice people to click on a link or open an attachment to learn more information about the complaint against them. The IRS warned people that the e-mail link and attachment is a Trojan Horse that can take over the person’s computer hard drive and allow someone to have remote access to the computer. The IRS urged people not to click the link in the e-mail or open the attachment. Similar e-mail variations suggest a customer has filed a complaint against a company and the IRS can act as an arbitrator. The latest versions appear aimed at business taxpayers as well as individual taxpayers. The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails or ask for detailed personal and financial information. Additionally, the IRS never asks people for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts. “Everyone should beware of these scam artists,” said Kevin M. Brown, Acting IRS Commissioner. “Always exercise caution when you receive unsolicited e-mails or e-mails from senders you don’t know.” Recipients of questionable e-mails claiming to come from the IRS should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the e-mails. Instead, they should forward the e-mails to phishing@irs.gov (follow the instructions). The IRS also sees other e-mail scams that involve tricking victims into revealing private personal and financial information over the Internet, a practice that is known as “phishing” for information. The IRS and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration work with the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) and various Internet service providers and international CERT teams to have the phishing sites taken offline as soon as they are reported. Since the establishment of the mail box last year, the IRS has received more than 17,700 e-mails from taxpayers reporting more than 240 separate phishing incidents. To date, investigations by TIGTA have identified host sites in at least 27 different countries, as well as in the United States. Other fraudulent e-mail scams try to entice taxpayers to click their way to a fake IRS Web site and ask for bank account numbers. Another widespread e-mail tells taxpayers the IRS is holding a refund (often $63.80) for them and seeks financial account information. Still another email claims the IRS’s ‘anti-fraud commission’ is investigating their tax returns. June’s Meeting-Servicemen Servicewomen Donations Here are some suggestions on items to bring to our June meeting: Snack Food (All food items must be appropriately sealed and prepackaged) Beef Jerky / Beef Sticks, Canned Chicken or packs (Pop top), Canned Fruit, Canned Tuna and or packs – pop top (tuna in pouches are best), Cereal Bars, High Protein Bars, Crystal Light, Dried Fruit, Dry Cereal, Gum, Hard Candy wrapped (No Chocolate) Instant Soup, Coffee, Oatmeal, Kool Aid (sweetened). Toiletries: General Advil, Tylenol, Cold/cough drops, Chapstick, Dental Floss, Deodorant, Dusting Cloths for removing the sand from everything and every surface, Packaged Wet One / baby wipes, Q-Tips, Toenail/Fingernail Clippers, Tooth Paste, Toothbrushes, Cotton Balls. Men Razors, Saving Cream in a tube, after-shave lotion. Women Panty Liners, feminine hygiene products, brush/comb, hair clips/bands, non-aerosol hair spray. Fun Time Batteries (AA-C-D-9 volt), Beanie Babies or stuffed animals (new please), playing cards, disposable cameras, mailing envelopes (no stamps), pens with stationary, Frisbee, greeting cards they can send back home (variety), Nerf Balls, puzzle books, word find books, sewing kits, water guns, Yo-Yo’s, Zip-Lock Bags.	New Educational Grant The Chapter will be offering a chance to earn an Educational Grant for our CPP/FPC Class for 2008. At the June meeting, please fill out an entry form to enter the drawing. Indicate whether you would be attending the CPP or the FPC class. We will have a winner for both groups. If you have taken the CPP test and passed the grant will be used for your RCH (Recertification Credit Hours). The winners will be announced during National Payroll Week. An email will be sent to the winner. *All attendees at the March 30^th meeting will be put into the drawing. Photo Gallery Members getting together at Congress Dan Maddux dressed in silver for the 25^th Anniversary Page 4 This machine was made for us – PAYDAY Relay For Life^®(con’t) How You Can Help? Here are a few things we would like you to do: 1. Sign-Up to participate by visiting their website: http://www.acsevents.org/relay/il/oakbrook 2. Look for Katie Staffeldt’s name. 3. Collect sponsorships. All donations are tax deductible. 4. Ask a friend or family member to join us UPDATE: We have 5 members signed up for the relay and we have collected $650.00 in donations. $540.00 on-line donations and $135.00 in donations by checks. Page 5 APA Local Events:: How will new legislative and regulatory changes impact your payroll operations? Plan on attending APA Payroll Tax Forum Class is being held on 6/20/07 at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest. For more details and to register, visit: http://www.americanpayroll.org/taxforum.html APA Other Events Audio Seminars Taxation and Reporting of Selected Fringe Benefits –A Continuing Series. In this session, APA will examine the taxation, reporting, and withholding requirements for an employee’s: Personal use of a company vehicle, Educational assistance benefits Back pay awards and Stock awards and stock option plans. When: Thursday, June 14, 2007 Where: Dial toll-free from your home or office Registration: For more information visit www.americanpayroll.org/audio.html or register online at www.payroll.org. New Minimum Wage Increases – How They Will Impact Your Payroll Processing On May 25, President Bush signed a bill that will increase the federal minimum wage by $2.10 in several steps. These will be the first changes in the federal minimum wage since September 1, 1997. In this session we will discuss: When the federal minimum wage will increase and by how much Implementing the federal minimum wage increase in your organization How the federal minimum wage change will impact state minimum wage rates How the federal minimum wage increase will impact the tip credit and payments to tipped employees When: Thursday, June 28, 2007 Where: Dial toll-free from your home or office Registration: For more information visit www.americanpayroll.org/audio.html or register online at www.payroll.org Page 6 Katie, Mary K and Mary Share in the honor of Honorary Mention for Chapter of the Year Cake to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary Cakes donated by ADP. Visit the Chicago Chapter Website: For the most current information on the Chapter please visit the chapter’s website: www.chicago_chapter_apa.com When reviewing the website be sure to check out the “In the News” section for detail information regarding IRS topics and news. The IRS offers phone forums on various topics. Also, check out the Job Postings. Page 7