Payroll Setup & Training
Get your payroll system configured correctly and learn how to run it yourself. One-time setup with hands-on training so you can handle each pay period with confidence.
What This Is
This is a one-time setup service plus training. We configure your payroll system, register you with the necessary state and federal agencies, and then teach you how to run it yourself. The goal is to hand you a working system you actually understand.
Most small businesses in San Diego don’t need to outsource ongoing payroll forever. They just need someone to set it up right the first time and show them how the process works. That’s what this service delivers.
The Configuration
The Configuration
We set up your payroll platform, whether that’s Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, or another system. We register you with California EDD and the IRS. We add your employees with correct tax withholdings and deduction settings. We connect your bank account for direct deposits and verify everything is ready to run.
The Training
The Training
We walk you through each step of running a pay period from start to finish. You’ll learn how to add new employees when you hire, process payroll each cycle, handle departures, and manage quarterly filings. By the end, you have documentation and the hands-on knowledge to manage it all yourself.
Why This Matters
California has some of the most complex payroll requirements in the country. State income tax, SDI, PFL, unemployment insurance, new hire reporting. Miss a registration or calculate something wrong and the EDD or IRS will let you know with a penalty notice. These agencies don’t distinguish between honest mistakes and intentional errors.
Payroll mistakes also affect your employees directly. When someone’s paycheck is wrong, they notice immediately. It erodes trust and creates awkward conversations. Fixing errors takes time and makes you look disorganized. Getting it right the first time matters more than most business owners realize.
California Complexity
California Complexity
The state requires specific registrations, quarterly filings, and withholding calculations that differ from other states. Workers’ comp requirements, sick leave tracking, and local ordinances add more layers. Trying to figure this out while running a business leads to missed deadlines and expensive corrections.
The Learning Curve
The Learning Curve
Figuring out payroll through trial and error gets expensive fast. A missed filing deadline means penalties. Wrong tax calculations mean amended returns and frustrated employees. The hours spent researching and fixing mistakes often cost more than getting it set up properly from the start.
What Changes
You stop guessing. Each pay period, you log in, review the numbers, approve the payroll, and move on with your day. No research sessions wondering if you missed something. No anxiety about whether the calculations are right. The system handles the math and the filings.
And because you understand how everything works, you can handle the normal situations yourself. A new hire, a raise, someone going on leave. You know where to make the changes and what happens next. You’re not waiting on someone else just to run a routine pay period.
Independence
Independence
You’re not dependent on an outside service every two weeks. You have the knowledge and access to run payroll yourself. When questions come up, you have documentation to reference. If something unusual happens, you know enough to handle it or ask the right questions.
Compliance From Day One
Compliance From Day One
Starting with a properly configured system means you’re not playing catch-up later. Tax withholdings are accurate from the first paycheck. Filings happen on schedule. If you grow and eventually want to hand payroll off to someone else, the foundation is clean and organized.
San Diego's Small Business Bookkeeper
The Next Step:
A Short Conversation
A quick call to tell us about your business. We'll listen, answer your questions, and give you a clear price quote.
