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It Pay$ To KnowMarch, 2006 |
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Chicago ChapterAmerican Payroll Association |
P. O. Box 836 – Chicago, IL 60690 – (773) 631-8480 |
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Notes fromour Board |
A Note from the Education Director
The 2006 Spring CPP Review class has begun. The Certified Payroll Professional Exam and the Chapter’s Review course are designed to educate payroll professionals and create a standard to measure overall payroll competency.
This year’s CPP hopefuls and class participants for re-certification are: Lisa Aldrich, Erica Ashley CPP, Tamara Barr, Charlene Baptiste, Stephen Blagaich FPC, Sally Chutro CPP, Joy Grace CPP, Elisa Hodge, Stephanie Holm, Maria Juarez, Orjuana Johnson, Cori McGrew, Carol Moaton, Janet Nikodem CPP, Michael O’Hart, Karyn Rhoades, Juan Serrano, Tina Sonsalla, Mark Syverson CPP, Gabriel Vergara CPP, Joy Weidling, Lisa Boyd, Mary Weiner CPP and Allison Wienberg CPP.
Good luck to all of you.
Our 2006 Spring FPC Review class will begin on March 4th. The 3-day course is an excellent review of payroll fundamentals. The course covers Payroll Fundamentals, Fundamentals of Payroll Operations, Paycheck Fundamentals, Tax Reporting and Payroll Accounting Concepts.
Some of this year’s topics for our Education Meetings are Payroll Accounting, IRS Payroll Audits, IRS Updates, Amending Forms W-2 and 941 and Preparing for Year-end.
And if you didn’t already know, the Chicago Chapter will host the 13th Annual Illinois Statewide Conference.
For more information on our Review Classes, Education Meetings and 2006 Illinois Statewide go to our website www.chicagopayroll.com.
Thanks to all of you who help to make our classes and meetings a success.
Pat Bradberry, CPP Education Director
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March Chapter Meeting |
Be a Winner, at the next Chapter Meeting to be held March 9, 2006 You won the 1st race to process the W2’s. The 2nd race is at the gate. Waiting for your corrections! The 3rd race is all about your accounting needs. The Chicago Chapter has A1 trainers to get you into the winner’s circle.
Join us! Thursday, March 9, 2006 ADP 100 Northwest Point Blvd Elk Grove Village, Il 60007 9:00 a.m. -12:00 noon Continental Breakfast 8:30
Plan on attending if you want to know when to use Form W2c, how to complete it and its impact on Form 941c.
The cost
to attend the meeting is $10.00 for members of the Chicago Chapter and $15.00
for non-members. |
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March Charity Drive |
March 9th Split the Pot and Help a Charitable Organization!!!
Are you involved with other charitable organizations? Could they use a cash donation? The Chicago Chapter would love to hear about your involvement? Drop a quick e-mail to chicago_chapter_apa@hotmail.com and tell us about the organization and your involvement. As part of our March 9th meeting we will draw a name from the entries and donate 1/2 the funds collected from the Split the Pot raffle held at the meeting. The winners will be announced in our next Chapter Newsletter. All it takes is a quick e-mail.
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National Payroll Week (NPW) Contest Update |
Chicago Chapter is a Winner for 2005 NPW!
The American Payroll Association has awarded certificates, Paytech acknowledgement and various prizes to the Chicago Chapter for the following National Payroll Week Activities:
Thank you to all our members who participated in these events.
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Membership Dues
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It's not too late to submit your dues for 2006!
Don't miss out on another educational event or a net working opportunity. Sign up today and become a member of the Chicago Chapter APA. The Chapter's purpose is to share and promote knowledge, professionalism, higher standards of performance, and networking among the payroll professionals in the Chicago land area. Member Benefits Include: Presentations by payroll professionals on timely and relevant topics at a reduced cost for members; Networking with professionals in your same industry or company size; Knowledge sharing on systems; Chapter Newsletter with government updates and meeting information.
All this and more for a yearly dues amount of $40. Please see our website at www.chicagopayroll.com for the form and mailing instructions.
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2006 Statewide |
2006 Statewide Conference Hosted by the Chicago Chapter Save the date! ....Hope To See You There!!
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Vendors for Statewide |
Statewide Update:
We are in
the process of sending out letters to vendors to become a part of the
Illinois Statewide vendor fair on September 21st. If you know of
a vendor that might be interested in this type of event please have them
contact Dennis Washington, CPP, Government Liaison for the Chicago
Chapter. Email: dwashington@lanehospitality.com
If you would be interested in working with the vendors please contact Dennis Washington. |
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A Request from National |
Pennsylvania EIT Reform
A letter from:
William Dunn, CPP Manager of Government Relations American Payroll Association 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20036-5417 Tel: 202-857-1476 Fax: 202-857-1474
The APA
needs your help. The Pennsylvania state legislature is considering a bill
that would alter the way you withhold and remit local taxes. The APA is
supporting a proposal to move to a county-level collection system, and we
must voice this support to the state lawmakers. We need
You likely know that, so far as local taxes are concerned, Pennsylvania causes more headaches for payroll professionals than any other state in the nation. Employers must determine resident and nonresident rates for their employees and submit payments to nearly 600 tax collectors across the state.
Your
employees in the state of Pennsylvania are as ill-served by this system as
your business is. Employees who are withheld
The Pennsylvania legislature will change their method of collecting local taxes, but, without your input, the change may not be one that is in the best interests of employers and payroll professionals. Your letter, along with the letters of other chapter members across the nation, is imperative. We must let these lawmakers know that this issue reaches across their borders, and urge them to endorse the county-level system.
We ask that each chapter member send a letter to the representative in the Pennsylvania House and the Pennsylvania Senate for the legislative district where his or her business is located. Members who reside in Pennsylvania should also send the letter to the representatives of the districts where they live. The names and addresses of the legislators can be searched by zip code at the following Internet address: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm. (Note that legislators may have two or more offices. Please send the original letters to their district offices, not their Harrisburg offices.)
Copies of the letters should also be sent to the legislators listed below, who hold leadership positions in the Senate and House, as well as to the Governor and the Secretary of Community and Economic Development. (It is not necessary for these “copy” letters to be separately addressed. For example, for copies mailed to the governor, only the envelopes need be addressed to him, not the letters themselves.)
Example:
Hon. John Michael Perzel Speaker of the House Room 139,
Main Capitol Building
Hon. David J. Brightbill Senate Box 203048 Harrisburg, PA 17120-3048
Hon. Robert J. Mellow Senate Box 203022 Harrisburg, PA 17120-3022
Hon. Samuel H. Smith Room 110,
Main Capitol Building
Hon. H. William DeWeese Room 423 Main Capitol Bldg. Harrisburg, PA 17120-2020
Hon. Jane Earll Chair, Senate Finance Committee Senate Box 203049 Harrisburg, PA 17120-3049
Hon. John Wozniak Minority Chair, Senate Finance Committee Senate Box 203035 Harrisburg, PA 17120-3035
Hon. Dennis Leh Chair, House Finance Committee 209 Ryan
Office Building
Hon. David K. Levdansky Minority Chair, House Finance Committee 301 Irvis
Office Building
Governor Edward G. Rendell 225 Main
Capitol Building
Secretary Dennis Yablonsky Department
of Community and Economic Development |
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Government Updates
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IRS to
Host 6 Tax Forums for tax professionals Enrolled agents and
certified public accountants can earn up to 18 continuing education credits
at each forum. CPAs licensed by boards not recognized by the National
Association of State Boards of Accountancy and other tax professionals should
consult their licensing organization regarding the applicability of these
credits. For additional information and registration updates, visit www.taxforuminfo.com
The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an IRS program that provides an independent system to assure that tax problems, which have not been resolved through normal channels, are promptly and fairly handled. The National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina Olson, heads the program. Each state and campus has at least one local Taxpayer Advocate, who is independent of the local IRS office and reports directly to the National Taxpayer Advocate. The goals of the Taxpayer Advocate Service are to protect individual and business taxpayer rights and to reduce taxpayer burden. The Taxpayer Advocate independently represents your interests and concerns within the IRS. This is accomplished in two ways:
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Career Tips from Accountemps |
Setting Your 2006 Career Resolutions
As each new year dawns, many people develop resolutions for all of the things they want to accomplish in the coming months, such as spending more time with family, finishing a triathlon or making better investments. However, as 2006 begins, this also is an ideal time to assess your career progress and list improvements you’d like to make professionally.
Similar to the objectives you set for your personal life, your work-related goals should be realistic. For example, it’s unlikely you would plan to jump from payroll manager to CEO by the Fourth of July.
Regardless of where you are or where you hope to go, the ideas below can help you formulate your career resolutions for 2006:
· Enhance your skill set – Determine the functional and interpersonal abilities you need to further develop in order to better position yourself for advancement opportunities. Research classes and other training programs that will help you improve in these areas.
· Stay current on industry issues – Look for trends on which you and your company can capitalize. For instance, if you learn about a new payroll software application that is more cost- and time-efficient than one you’re currently using, propose its usage to management.
· Earn and maintain a certification – Accreditations such as the certified payroll professional (CPP) demonstrate to employers that you are committed to becoming a leader in your field.
· Broaden your network – Consider becoming more involved with industry organizations, including taking on a leadership role with your local American Payroll Association (APA) chapter.
· Improve your work/life balance – As workloads continue to grow, payroll practitioners are increasingly busy. Still, it’s critical to maintain a healthy mix of professional and personal pursuits. This will not only help you enjoy your personal life more but also make you more productive in the office as well.
The key to accomplishing your goals is to create a follow-through plan. Start by writing down specific action items in support of each resolution. Next, set deadlines for when you’d like to have each of these areas completed and establish measurable goals for the activities. By creating and executing an effective strategy, you can position yourself for a more rewarding 2006. |
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The website always has the most up-to-date information about meeting times, dates, places, speakers, etc.
Check it often for the latest news and information. |
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