Payroll Accounting: Laws, Calculations, and Journal Entries
What you'll learn
- Identify the key federal payroll laws and regulations that govern payroll processing.
- Calculate regular pay and overtime pay accurately based on predetermined formulas and guidelines.
- Apply the appropriate formulas to determine both employer and employee social security and Medicare contributions.
- Calculate employee federal income tax withholdings based on relevant tax brackets and allowances.
- Determine employer federal unemployment tax (FUTA) liability and calculate the corresponding amounts accurately.
- Analyze various payroll deductions and their implications on employee net pay.
- Prepare comprehensive payroll journal entries, considering the impact on financial accounts and the accounting equation.
- Post payroll journal entries accurately to the general ledger for proper recording and reporting.
- Complete payroll tax forms, such as Form 941, Form 940, Form W-2, Form W-3, and Form W-4, following applicable guidelines and requirements.
- Solve comprehensive payroll problems, integrating knowledge of payroll legislation, calculations, and journal entries.
- Apply payroll concepts within the context of the accounting cycle to gain a comprehensive understanding of payroll's role in financial reporting.
- Define and explain key payroll-related terms and concepts for effective communication and comprehension in the field.
Requirements
- There are no specific prerequisites for this course. However, a basic understanding of accounting principles and concepts would be beneficial. Familiarity with financial statements, general ledger, and basic mathematical calculations will also be helpful in grasping the payroll concepts covered in the course.
Description
This comprehensive payroll accounting course covers many aspects of payroll, providing in-depth knowledge of payroll legislation, calculations, and journal entries. Led by an experienced CPA, this course offers practical examples and valuable insights into the intricacies of payroll processing.
In this course, we will thoroughly explore payroll legislation, including a wide range of laws that impact payroll operations. We will focus on the laws related to payroll calculations and withholdings, ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
Understanding the importance of accurate calculations, we will dive into the generation of payroll registers and earnings reports, which serve as vital tools in calculating payroll accurately. Through practical exercises, you will develop proficiency in calculating payroll tax withholdings, such as federal income tax (FIT), social security, and Medicare. We will guide you through the process of determining net pay from gross pay, equipping you with the necessary skills to handle payroll calculations effectively.
One key aspect often overlooked in payroll courses is the recording of payroll transactions. In this course, we will thoroughly cover payroll journal entries, providing a comprehensive understanding of their complexity. By examining the impact of these entries on financial accounts and the accounting equation, you will gain practical knowledge of payroll accounting and its correlation with debits and credits.
Moreover, we will address the crucial process of completing payroll tax forms, including Form 941, Form 940, Form W-2, Form W-3, and Form W-4. Through step-by-step guidance, you will learn how to accurately fill out these forms, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements.
To enhance your learning experience, this course offers valuable resources, including downloadable PDF files for offline reference, preformatted Excel practice files to reinforce your Excel skills, multiple-choice and short calculation practice questions to sharpen your problem-solving abilities, and stimulating discussion questions to facilitate interactive learning and knowledge sharing.
You will have the privilege of learning from a highly qualified instructor who holds CPA, CGMA, and Master of Science in Taxation credentials. With their extensive experience in accounting concepts, QuickBooks software, and curriculum development, you can trust in their expertise to provide comprehensive instruction and guidance.
Content Includes:
In-depth coverage of payroll laws and their impact on payroll processing
Detailed explanations and calculations of regular pay and overtime pay
Comprehensive understanding of employer and employee social security and Medicare calculations
Thorough examination of employee federal income tax calculations
Detailed insights into employer federal unemployment tax (FUTA) calculations
Exploration of other payroll deductions and their significance in payroll accounting
Extensive guidance on payroll journal entries and their proper posting to the general ledger
Step-by-step instructions for accurately completing payroll tax forms (Form 941, Form 940, Form W-2, Form W-3, Form W-4)
Practical application through comprehensive payroll and accounting cycle problems
Comprehensive coverage of key payroll definitions and terminology for a thorough understanding
Enroll now in this comprehensive payroll accounting course and gain the skills and knowledge to excel in managing payroll operations effectively and with confidence.
Who this course is for:
- Accounting professionals who want to expand their knowledge and skills in payroll accounting.
- Small business owners who handle payroll responsibilities.
- HR professionals who need to understand payroll processes and regulations.
- Payroll administrators and managers seeking to enhance their expertise.
- Students pursuing a career in accounting or HR.
- Individuals interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of payroll accounting for personal or professional purposes.
- Bookkeepers and financial professionals involved in payroll-related tasks.
- Professionals looking to advance their career prospects by acquiring payroll accounting proficiency.
- Anyone responsible for payroll processing or seeking to improve their payroll management abilities.
Instructor
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 51,367 Reviews
- 900,143 Students
- 149 Courses
Through working with students from many different schools, Mr. Steele has learned best practices for helping people understand accounting fast. Learning new skills and finding the best way to share knowledge with people who can benefit from it is a passion of his.
Mr. Steele has experience working as a practicing Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an accounting and business instructor, and curriculum developer. He has enjoyed putting together quality tools to improve learning and has been teaching, making instructional resources, and building curriculum since 2009. He has been a practicing CPA since 2005. Mr. Steele is a practicing CPA, has a Certified Post-Secondary Instructor (CPI) credential, a Master of Science in taxation from Golden Gate University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics with an emphasis in accounting from The University of California Santa Barbara, and a Global Management Accounting Designation (CGMA) from The American Institute of CPA (AICPA).
Mr. Steele has also authored five books that can be found on Amazon or in audiobook format on Audible. He has developed bestselling courses in accounting topics including financial accounting and QuickBooks accounting software.
In addition to working as an accountant, teaching, and developing courses Mr. Steele has helped create an accounting website at accountinginstruction, a YouTube channel called Accounting Instruction, Help, and How Too, and has developed supplemental resources including a Facebook Page, Twitter Page, and Podcasts that can be found on I-tunes, Stitcher, or Soundcloud. Mr. Steele's teaching philosophy is to make content applicable, understandable, and accessible.
Adult learners are looking for application when they learn new skills. In other words, learners want to be able to apply skills in the real world to help their lives. Mr. Steele’s formal accounting education, practical work experience, and substantial teaching experience allow him to create a curriculum that combines traditional accounting education with practical knowledge and application. He accomplishes the goals of making accounting useful and applicable by combining theory with real-world software like Excel and QuickBooks.
Many courses teach QuickBooks data entry or Excel functions but are not providing the real value learners want. Real value is a result of learning technical skills like applications, in conjunction with specific goals, like accounting goals, including being able to interpret the performance of a business.
Mr. Steele makes knowledge understandable by breaking down complex concepts into smaller units with specific objectives and using step by step learning processes to understand each unit. Many accounting textbooks cram way too much information into a course, making it impossible to understand any unit fully. By breaking the content down into digestible chunks, we can move forward much faster.
Mr. Steele also makes use of color association in both presentations and Excel worksheets, a learning tool often overlooked in the accounting field, but one that can vastly improve the speed and comprehension of learning accounting concepts.
The material is also made understandable through the application of concepts learned. Courses will typically demonstrate the accounting concepts and then provide an Excel worksheet or practice problems to work through the concepts covered. The practice problems will be accompanied by an instructional video to work through the problem in step by step format. Excel worksheets will be preformatted, usually including an answer tab that shows the completed problem, and a practice tab where learners can complete the problem along with a step by step presentation video.
Mr. Steele makes learning accounting accessible by making use of technology and partnering with teaching platforms that have a vision of spreading knowledge like Udemy.