A system is chosen in a demo and judged in its first payroll. We help you choose for the second.
Every HR and payroll system looks capable in a sales demo. The difference shows up when a deduction does not match the benefits election, a new state is added, or a report has to reconcile. We advise on selection and implementation of HR information and payroll systems so the one you pick fits how your data actually moves.
The right system is the one that keeps your data consistent, not the one with the longest feature list.
We start with how information moves through your organization today: who enters it, where it is copied and where it breaks. The selection criteria come from that map, not from a vendor’s checklist.
Where Data Is Entered Twice
Every time an employee record is keyed into two systems, the two drift apart. We look for the double entry first, because that is where benefit deductions and coverage fall out of step. Eliminating double entry is the first goal of HR system consulting.
Benefits-To-Payroll Flow
A benefits election has to become a correct payroll deduction every time. We test how each candidate system receives election changes, because that link fails more often than any core feature. A reliable benefits-to-payroll link prevents deduction errors. Test it every cycle.
Multi-State Readiness
Adding employees in a new state changes tax setup, leave tracking and required notices. We check how each system handles that before you need it. Multi-state readiness is a key test when choosing an HR and payroll system for a growing employer.
Reporting You Will Actually Need
ACA hours tracking, headcount by location and cost by department all depend on the data being captured correctly at the start. We define the reports first, so the setup supports them. Defining reports first makes HR system setup more useful.
Most system failures are implementation failures, and most of those are data failures.
A new system inherits whatever errors were in the old one. We help you clean data, sequence the rollout and test before go-live, so the first live payroll is not the first real test.
Clean Before You Convert
Wrong hire dates, missing dependents and outdated job codes carry straight into the new system, which is why we reconcile the census before conversion. Data cleanup is the foundation of a successful HR system conversion, and it is cheaper before go-live than after.
Parallel Testing
Running old and new side by side for a cycle catches deduction and tax differences while they are still a spreadsheet problem, not a paycheck problem. Parallel testing protects employees’ paychecks during a payroll system change, before any real deduction is at stake.
Timing Around Open Enrollment
Switching systems in the middle of enrollment doubles the risk of errors, so we plan go-live around your benefits calendar. Timing go-live around enrollment reduces HR system risk and keeps benefits elections from getting caught in the conversion. Plan around your calendar.
A system is only as good as the process around it a year later.
We check back after launch to confirm that the integrations are holding, the reports reconcile and the people using the system are using it the same way.
Reconciliation Checks
We compare carrier bills, payroll deductions and enrollment records, because a mismatch between them is the earliest sign an integration has slipped. Regular reconciliation keeps benefits and payroll data in sync and catches a broken integration before it costs money.
Process Ownership
Every data element needs one owner. We help you decide who maintains what, so updates do not fall between HR and finance. Clear data ownership keeps HR and payroll systems accurate and keeps updates from falling between departments. One owner per field.
Room to Grow
We revisit the setup when you add states, entities or benefit types, so the system scales with the organization rather than being worked around. Scalable setup keeps HR systems useful as an organization grows into new states, entities and benefit types.
What employers ask before changing HR or payroll systems.
Do you process payroll?
No. We advise on selecting and implementing the system; the payroll itself runs through the provider you choose. Our role in HR and payroll systems consulting is advisory, from selection through implementation. Payroll itself runs through the provider you choose, and we help you choose it well.
Should HR, payroll and benefits be one system?
Sometimes. A single system removes integration points but may be weaker in one area. We weigh that trade-off against how your data flows, rather than assuming one answer. Weighing integration against capability guides the choice of an all-in-one system versus connected ones.
When is the right time to switch?
Usually well before open enrollment or year-end, with enough time for data cleanup and parallel testing. We build the timeline backward from the dates you cannot move. Backward planning keeps an HR and payroll system change on schedule, with room for cleanup and testing.
Keep reading.
Open Enrollment Deductions
Getting the right amount into the first paycheck.
New Hires And Life Events
Keeping benefits and payroll in step.
Setting Up An Integration
Steps and timeline.
Benefits-Payroll Health Check
What to compare each week and month.
Where the Rules Come From.
The laws and rules named on this page link to the statute or regulation they come from. This is general information, not legal or tax advice, and rules change, so check the current text.
COBRA Continuation Coverage (29 U.S.C. 1161)
Requires many group health plans to offer temporary continuation coverage after a qualifying event.
Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148)
The 2010 health reform law, with later amendments, behind employer coverage, reporting and market rules.
Send us your renewal.
We’ll tell you whether it looks competitive, where we see opportunity, and the five questions we’d put to your carrier. No cost, and no obligation to move anything.
The renewal letter
Your current plan summary
Contribution split by tier
Enrolled counts by tier
Four documents — two more if your group is 50 or more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
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