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It Pay$
To Know
October, 2006
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Chicago Chapter
American Payroll Association
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P. O. Box 836 – Chicago, IL 60690 – (773) 631-8480
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Welcome &
Election Results
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Welcome! It is already October, with only 2 more
months to the end of the year, the busiest time of the year for all payroll
professionals. In
the last two months the Chapter has been quite busy with officer elections
and hosting Statewide. Chris O’Hara:
Congratulations to our New Officers
The positions of President, Vice-President, and Secretary(s) were up for election at our August meeting. Chris O’Hara, CPP and Mary Kazmierczak, CPP were re-elected to the positions of President and Vice-President. We are pleased to welcome to the
Chicago Chapter Board, Mary Weiner CPP, Correspondence Secretary and Gabriel
Vergara CPP, Recording Secretary. Thank You for volunteering and helping the
chapter. Mary Weiner, CPP:
Correspondence Secretary I am
honored to be elected and accept the role of Correspondence Secretary for our
Chapter. I have been a supporting
member of the APA national and the Chicago Chapter since the beginning of my
payroll career 13 years ago. My
employer of the last two years is the Rehabilitation Institute of
Chicago where I am the Manager of Payroll and Accounts Payable. I
look forward to meeting each of you at our upcoming chapter meetings. If you
have questions, comments or anything I can do for you, please contact me
directly. Thanks… Gabriel Vergara, CPP: Recording Secretary It is an honor to be
involved with an organization, such as The Chicago Chapter. I am also
honored to work on payroll issues for the organization, and this will give me
the opportunity to grow in what I enjoy doing. I have six years of
payroll experience; which of the last four, I have worked as Payroll
Coordinator at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. |
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13th Annual Illinois
Statewide Payroll Conference |
13th
Annual Illinois Statewide Payroll Conference - Sept 20th thru Sept
22nd, 2006 RECAP: STATEWIDE WAS A
“WINNING” SUCCESS Comments
from attendees, vendors and presenters indicated that our 13th
annual payroll statewide was a ‘win’ for those who attended. Our regret is that not all of the
Chapter’s membership was present to enjoy this event. To Recap
Events: We began
the conference on Wednesday evening with the registration reception sponsored
by ADP. Attendees came out to mix and
mingle, receive their conference material and APA bag (with all the goodies) and visit with friends and peers to
catch-up on past payroll happenings.
Thursday
morning began with the pledge, opening comments from the Chapter president
and payroll updates from Gwenella H.
Blackshire from the IRS. We had a surprise appearance by the “official” bugle / horn
blower from the Arlington Park racetrack who serenade attendees and launched
them off to their work-shops. Our
Thursday lunch program started with Paul Dieterle from SSA Chicago. His updates were short and to the
point. Our guest speaker, Mr. Phillip
Clark took the lectern, was welcomed by the audience who held to his every
word as he talked on life, challenges and success. Statewide
participating vendors set-up their vender space and many of the vender
displays were quite impressive. Most of the vendor’s excitement came when
conference attendees visited their display booths. Some venders offered booth
raffles, some had attendees playing games and one even gave back
massages! One lucky attendee won
a 2 ½ “ colored TV from a vendor. As we move to dinner, the turnout was
great. Laughter and applause rang across the ballroom as our guest comedian
entertained us. Dinner attendees participated in a mock horse-race where
their phony money and raffle tickets allowed them to compete for prizes. Friday
brought us a brief presentation from Cook County Commissioner Peter Silversti
who conveyed to the audience the importance of the payroll profession and how
our roles impact local government. He captured the audience with humor and
sincerity. We saved
the best for last, our lunch-time closing speaker, Mr. John Blumberg talked
on the purpose “in the payroll winners’ circle” and how we, the payroll
professionals can achieve goals through understanding purpose and focus. From the moment he took stage, John
captured the audience and held their interest and sincerity with stories of
hope and inspiration. He wove his inspirational message into the
Purpose. It was a perfect end to a
perfect conference. Things
didn’t always go as planned. But not
to worry, the board went into action and had the kinks worked out. A special thanks to two individuals that
stepped in at the last minute as replacement speakers. Our many thanks goes to the attendees,
presenters, venders, hotel and other who helped us with achieving our goal. Vendor Comment: I wanted to personally thank you for allowing Ceridian to attend and participate in your conference. My team was so impressed by the conference and all had a great time. Comments from attendees: I felt it
was an enjoyable experience. This was
my first Statewide and look forward to next years. Name
badges, with schedules, were wonderful. Great,
knowledgeable speakers. I learned a
lot (that’s a good thing.) As
always, Chicago Chapter operates a world class act! See
everyone next year! |
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November Meeting
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Year-end takes more than
Luck! Next Meeting - November 2, 2006 Where: Allstate Insurance Co.
Speaker: Martin Rule, CFP, CPA, CPP, Deloitte & Touche
Additional
Topic: Year - End Reconciliations Speaker: Kelly Gaskin, CPP, Hewitt Associates This timely and Informational session will cover such
topics as:
Reserve
your space! Call the Chapter Helpline at: (773) 631-8480 or If you have a special charity that you
would like us to know about please send an e-mail to the chapter mailbox. Your charity may win “Split the Pot” at our
November 2nd meeting. Please
mail the completed attached registration form and your check, made payable to
the Chicago Chapter, PO Box 836, Chicago, Il. 60690-0836. Thank-you
Allstate Insurance for providing the meeting space and the continental
breakfast. |
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Holiday Party |
Winter Wonder Land! Be sure to mark your calendars for
the Chicago Chapter Holiday and Recognition Party: Friday, November 17, 2006 The Wellington of Arlington The Wellington provides
exceptional food from the appetizers to
the desserts. We will
present FPC and CPP pins to those who have pass their respective exams. We
will also have entertainment and raffles.
It is a great way for you and a guest or maybe your department to
start the holidays before all the year-end processing. It will be a wonderful
evening. Hopefully you can plan on attending this fun evening. |
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News about our
Members |
Member News Congratulations
to Katie
Staffeldt, CPP! She has
accepted a position as the Payroll Supervisor for Heartland Foods Corp. in
Downers Grove. They own 250 Burger Kings Franchises in the Midwest and
North Carolina. She loves having her
own office with a window and is less than 10 miles away from home. Congratulations again. Welcome
to Tracie
Sawade, CPP! She is an HR
Senior Consultant on the HRSC Technology Team at Allstate. Her job is
to support the Human Resource Service Center in both a functional and
technical capacity. She relocated
from Denver at the end of July. She
served 3 terms as President in the DCPA (a total of 3.5 years and resigned
due to relocation), served 2 terms as VP and 1 term as Education Coordinator.
She is on the APA National Speaker's Bureau and on the Contributing
Board of Writers. She will have 3 articles published in Paytech in 2007. |
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NPW Celebration |
NPW Contest Winner Carolyn
Kerkman, CPP, is our NPW contest Winner. Carolyn left a company-wide
voicemail announcing NPW and the chance to win a free paycheck/trip to Vegas
from the APA, backed up by the Beatles’ song, “Money (That’s What I
Want). She also sent a company-wide
email with a link to the NPW online survey.
Then to wrap up the week, on Pay Day Friday, Carolyn left a memo on
everyone’s desk accompanied by a PayDay and a 100 Grand candy bar. The memo read: This PayDay I thought you
could use a 100 GRAND. Carolyn won her entry to the Holiday
Party and her 2007 Chapter Dues paid. Congratulations, Carolyn. |
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Tips On Excel |
AutoSum Tip Power Tip: AutoSum does more than sums…use the
drop-down arrow beside the button for additional functions. Formatting Tip Power Tip: Format painter is used to “copy and paste”
formatting from one cell to another. Double-clicking on the Format Painter
instead of clicking allows you to apply the formatting multiple times in a
row. Click on the button again to turn the feature off. Time Tip To insert the current
date and time (automatically updating) use this shortcut: =now() (F9 will change
the time) Print Multiple Worksheets at the same time Hold down CTRL and click
the tab of each worksheet that you want to print. On the File menu, click Print.
In the Print dialog box, under Print what, click Active Sheet (s). |
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Government
News |
What To Do If You Receive an IRS Notice IRS TAX TIP 2006-72 It’s a moment many
taxpayers dread. A letter arrives from the IRS — and it’s not a refund check.
Don’t panic; many of these letters can be dealt with simply and painlessly. Each year, the IRS sends
millions of letters and notices to taxpayers to request payment of taxes,
notify them of a change to their account or request additional information.
The notice you receive normally covers a very specific issue about your
account or tax return. Each letter and notice offers specific instructions on
what you are asked to do to satisfy the inquiry. You should review the
correspondence and compare it with the information on your return. • Agree? If you agree with the correction
to your account, no reply is necessary unless a payment is due. • Disagree? If you do not agree with
the correction the IRS made, it is important that you respond as requested.
Write to explain why you disagree. Include any documents and information you
wish the IRS to consider, along with the bottom tear-off portion of the
notice. Mail the information to the IRS address shown in the upper left-hand
corner of the notice. Allow at least 30 days for a response. • Questions? Most correspondence can be
handled without calling or visiting an IRS office, if you follow the
instructions in the letter or notice. However, if you have questions, call
the telephone number in the upper right-hand corner of the notice or call the
IRS at 1-800-829-1040. Have a copy of your tax return and the correspondence
available when you call so your account can be readily accessed. Sometimes, the IRS sends
a second letter or notice requesting additional information or providing
additional information to you. Be sure to keep copies of any correspondence
with your records. For
more information about IRS notices and bills, see Publication 594,
Understanding the Collection Process. Information about penalties and
interest charges is available in Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax.
Both publications are available at IRS.gov or by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM
(1-800-829-3676). Third-Party
Reporting Promotes Accurate Business Income Reporting In many cases, the tax
law requires third-party payers, such as small businesses or individuals, to
report to the IRS payments they have made to subcontractors, attorneys,
architects and other service providers. In
fact, experience shows that taxpayers are much more likely to report their
income when they receive third-party notification of payments they received.
For example, non-farm sole proprietorships, which seldom receive third-party
payer notifications, underreport about 57 percent of their business income on
Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business. By contrast, wage earners who
receive Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, underreport only about 1 percent of
their wages. Form
1099-MISC Form 1099-MISC,
Miscellaneous Income, is most commonly used by third-party payers to report
payments made in the course of a trade or business to others for services.
Third-party payers should report the following on Form 1099-MISC:
There are some
exceptions. Form 1099-MISC is generally not required for payments: to a
corporation; for merchandise, telephone, freight, storage and similar items;
of rent to a real estate agent or a tax-exempt organization; to the United
States, any individual state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. possession or
a foreign government Third-party payers must
provide a copy of the form to the payee on or before Jan. 31 following the
end of the tax year. For example, for services rendered during 2006, a payer
must provide the form to its payee by Jan. 31, 2007. The payer must also file
Forms 1099-MISC with the IRS by Feb. 28 (March 31, if filing electronically). Box 7: Non-Employee Compensation One of the most common
entries found on Form 1099-MISC is Box 7 for non-employee compensation.
Examples of payments to be reported in Box 7 include:
Generally, payments
reported in Box 7 are subject to self-employment tax by the recipient. If the
payments are not subject to self-employment tax, the third-party payer should
report them as other income in Box 3. The IRS encourages
businesses to establish reliable record-keeping systems, accurately report
all income, properly compute cost of goods sold and other expenses, and
report all required third-party payments. According to IRS research,
understated business income, including underreported receipts and overstated
expenses, is an area where compliance is a concern. In addition to increasing
outreach and education in these areas, the IRS will also be focusing
enforcement efforts, including examinations, on these issues. |
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American Payroll Association
Events |
APA’s 20th Annual
Educational Institutions Payroll Conference will be held on October 15-18, 2006 Chicago, Illinois. Higher education
payroll departments face unique compliance challenges. Meet those challenges
by attending APA's Educational Institutions
Payroll Conference (EIPC), designed
exclusively for the postsecondary academic community. APA’s Audio Seminar Series: Documenting Your
Payroll Procedures When: Thursday, October 19,
2006
Where: Dial toll-free from
your home or office APA’s Audio Seminar Series: Taxation and
Reporting of Selected Fringe Benefits When: Thursday, November 9,
2006
Where: Dial toll-free from
your home or office Registration and more details for
these events can be found on the APA’s web site: www.americanpayroll.org.
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2007 Dues |
Annual Membership Dues Membership fees for the
2007 calendar year are due by January 31, 2007. It isn’t too early to get them in. Dues for 2007 will be $40.00.
Remember, your dues cover
such items as postage, invitations, the website, telephone hotline for those
tough questions, post office box, CPP and FPC pins, career development and
networking with great people. Please mail the completed
attached form and your check, made payable to the Chicago Chapter APA, to the
Chicago Chapter, PO Box 836, Chicago, IL 60690-0836. A membership form is also
available at our website: www.chicagopayroll.com We are excited this year
to announce a special referral program!
A “referred by” section has been added to the membership form. Each time a new membership (anyone who was
not a member in 2006) indicates that they were referred by you; your name
will be added to a drawing. The
drawing will be held at our Holiday Party for a $ 50 Gift Certificate. |
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Our Website For the
most current information on the Chapter please visit the chapter’s web site
at www.chicagopayroll.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. |
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Join Us
Membership Application
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1. Complete all required information on this form |
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2. Print it out |
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3. $40.00 check payable to "Chicago Chapter, American Payroll Association" |
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4. Mail to: |
Chicago Chapter,
American Payroll Association
P.O. Box 836
Chicago, IL 60690-0836
(Please allow 5 days for mail delivery)
Questions? (773)
631-8480
chicago_chapter_apa@hotmail.com
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Registration Form for
November Meeting
TO REGISTER, PLEASE TYPE IN THE REQUIRED INFORMATION, PRINT OUT & MAIL WITH YOUR PAYMENT.
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Membership
Information Change Form - Email or Address Change |
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Mail
to: |
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