StartEasePayroll help for employers and employees
Short, step-by-step guides with screenshots: approving a payroll, tax deposits and forms, pay stubs, Form W-4 and I-9, time off and leave policies. Each guide links to the government source.
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EmployerStart here if you run a companyWhat to set up once, what to do on every payroll, and what to watch each month.
EmployeeStart here if you were invitedSet up your account, fill in your forms, and find your pay stubs and W-2.
NoticesGot an IRS or state notice?What it means, why it happened, and how we help you answer it.
Getting started
Sign in, accept your invitation, and see what each person can do.
Sign in, reset your password, and stay signed inHow to get into StartEase Payroll, what to do if you forget your password, and why you may see "Your session ended".Read the guide →Your invitation email: what it looks like and what to doEvery person gets into StartEase Payroll through an email invitation. Here is what it looks like, how to accept it, and…Read the guide →What you can see and doAn employer and an employee see different things. Your StartEase payroll team does the setup and runs the payroll.Read the guide →
Employers: running payroll
Set up once, approve each payroll, and fix what stops one.
Employer guide: setup, every payroll, and every yearThe standard procedure for an employer after the invitation: what to set up once, what you do on every payroll, and…Read the guide →Send an offer letter to a new employeeWrite the offer on the employee record, preview or print it, send it, and see when the employee accepts.Read the guide →Approve a payroll and mark people paidWhat to check, how to approve or send a payroll back, and what to do after you approve.Read the guide →Why can't I approve my payroll? Every message explainedStartEase refuses to approve a payroll that would be wrong. Here is what each message means and what you need to do.Read the guide →Company PTO and paid sick leave: what each setting meansPTO is your company's own policy. Paid sick leave is a state law. This guide explains the PTO settings, when to turn…Read the guide →Employees for labor-law size tests: what to count and whySome state paid sick leave laws change with the size of the company. This guide explains what the box means, what to…Read the guide →Minimum wage: how StartEase checks itWhat the minimum wage is, which one applies to your people, and what happens when pay is below it.Read the guide →
Payroll taxes and forms
Tax deposits, Form 941 and Form 940, W-2 and W-3, 1099-NEC, Form 8655 and your state unemployment rate.
Send your state unemployment (SUTA) rate noticeWhy StartEase needs your rate, where to find it, and what to do at the start of each year.Read the guide →Reports & forms: tax deposits and filingsHow to find what you owe and when, and how to record that you paid or filed it.Read the guide →Reports & forms: every report in the dropdownWhat each report shows, which law requires it, and how to record that you paid or filed.Read the guide →Federal tax deposits and Form 941How often to deposit federal payroll tax, when it is due, and how Form 941 fits in.Read the guide →FUTA and Form 940: federal unemployment taxWhat FUTA is, why paying your state unemployment tax on time lowers it, and when Form 940 is due.Read the guide →Form W-2 and Form W-3: what the employer gives and files by January 31Each employee gets a Form W-2 and the Social Security Administration gets copies, both by January 31. Where to find…Read the guide →Form 1099-NEC: paying contractors and the January 31 deadlineWhat to collect from a contractor, when a Form 1099-NEC is needed, and where to find it in StartEase Payroll.Read the guide →Form 8655: letting StartEase deposit and file as your authorized agentWhat Form 8655 is, when you need it, and how to choose who makes your federal tax deposits in StartEase Payroll.Read the guide →
Employees
Your invitation, profile, Form W-4 and Form I-9, offer letter, pay stubs and W-2.
Employee guide: from your invitation to your first pay stubWhat to do after your employer invites you: set up your account, fill in your forms, and where to find your pay each…Read the guide →Read and accept your offer letterWhere to find the offer letter your employer sent, what it says, and how to accept it.Read the guide →Fill in your profile and Form W-4What to enter when you start, how to upload your signed W-4, and when your employer needs it.Read the guide →Your pay stubsWhere to find each paycheck, what the figures mean, and when your W-2 is ready.Read the guide →Fill in your Form I-9 in StartEase, box by boxForm I-9 shows who you are and that you may work in the United States. This guide walks through Form I-9, Section 1 in…Read the guide →Fill in your Form W-4 in StartEase, box by boxYour W-4 tells your employer how much federal income tax to take from each paycheck. This guide walks through the Form…Read the guide →Download your pay stubsHow to open a pay stub, save it as a PDF, or print it.Read the guide →Get your Form W-2What the W-2 is, when your employer must give it to you, and how to get it today.Read the guide →
Accounting and CPA firms
How firm access works, adding client companies, and inviting your staff and each Employer.
Accounting and CPA firms: how firm access worksAn accounting or CPA firm can manage its own client companies on StartEase. Your firm runs payroll, the Employer…Read the guide →Firm owner: add a client company and see every company at a glanceThe Companies page lists every client company in your firm, with setup progress, who works on it, the next pay date and…Read the guide →Firm owner: invite your staff and the Employer, and choose who works on each companyThe Team page shows your firm's people, the companies each one works on, and the Employer who approves payroll at each…Read the guide →
Time off and timesheets
Ask for time off, log hours, approve them, and set up company holidays.
PTO, time off and timesheets: the basics in plain wordsWhat PTO means, what time off and a timesheet are, and the kinds of leave policy you can set up in StartEase Payroll…Read the guide →Time off vs timesheets: what is the difference, and who does whatTime off is for hours away from work. Timesheets are for hours worked. Here is how the two fit together and reach…Read the guide →Step by step: log hours, ask for time off, and approveWith pictures: how an employee asks for time off and fills in a timesheet, and how the Employer approves both.Read the guide →Company holidays: how to set up paid holidays, and how they roll into next yearHow to set up paid company holidays in StartEase: which federal holidays to observe, the weekend rule, paid holiday…Read the guide →How to record time off for an employee: the Record leave card, box by boxHow an Employer or payroll team records leave for an employee in StartEase: when to use Record leave, what each box and…Read the guide →Timesheets in StartEase: set up the pay schedule, read the page, and approve hoursWhat the Timesheets page shows, why it is empty until the pay schedule is set, every pay schedule box under Company…Read the guide →
Time-off policies
What each leave policy is, what the law says, and how to set it up.
Time-off policy settings explained: every block, box and dropdownA plain-words guide to the StartEase time-off policy editor: what each block, box and dropdown choice means, with a…Read the guide →PTO and vacation policy: what it is, why offer it, and how to set it upWhat a PTO or vacation policy is, why companies offer paid vacation, what federal law says, and how to set one up in…Read the guide →Paid sick leave policy: what it is, state rules, and how to set it upWhat a paid sick leave policy is, why the state and city where people work matter, and how to set one up in StartEase…Read the guide →Floating holiday policy: what it is, why offer it, and how to set it upWhat a floating holiday is, why companies offer one, what federal law says about holiday pay, and how to set up a…Read the guide →Personal day policy: what it is, why offer it, and how to set it upWhat a personal day is, why companies give them, what federal law says, and how to set up a personal day policy in…Read the guide →Bereavement leave policy: what it is, why offer it, and how to set it upWhat bereavement (funeral) leave is, why companies offer it, what federal law says, and how to set up a bereavement…Read the guide →Jury duty leave policy: pay, the law, and how to set it upWhat jury duty leave is, what federal law says about paying for it (including for exempt salaried staff), and how to…Read the guide →Learning and development leave policy: what it is and how to set it upWhat learning and development leave is, when training time counts as work time under federal rules, and how to set up a…Read the guide →Parental leave policy: FMLA basics and how to set it upWhat a parental leave policy is, how it relates to federal FMLA leave, and how to set up paid parental leave in…Read the guide →Volunteer time off (VTO) policy: what it is and how to set it upWhat volunteer time off (VTO) is, why companies offer it, what federal law says, and how to set up a volunteer leave…Read the guide →Weather and emergency closure pay policy: what it is and how to set it upHow to handle pay when the workplace closes for a storm or emergency, what federal rules say for hourly and exempt…Read the guide →Custom leave policy: when to use one and how to set it upWhen to create a custom leave policy, what it can and cannot replace, and how to set one up in StartEase block by…Read the guide →State and city paid sick leave laws: official government pagesWhich states and cities have paid sick leave laws, and the official government page for each one, so employers can read…Read the guide →
Common payroll questions
How do I get into StartEase Payroll?
Every person gets in through an email invitation; there is no sign-up button. Open the invitation, choose a password of at least 12 characters, and you are signed in. Next time, sign in at payroll.starteaseai.com/app with your email and password. Sign in and reset your password →
Why can’t I approve my payroll?
StartEase refuses to approve a payroll that would be wrong, such as pay below the minimum wage or a missing tax rate. The message names the problem and what to do to fix it. Every approval message explained →
When are Form W-2 and Form 1099-NEC due?
By January 31. Each employee gets a Form W-2 and the Social Security Administration gets copies by January 31. A Form 1099-NEC for a contractor is also due by January 31. Form W-2 and Form W-3 →
Where do employees find their pay stubs and W-2?
In My pay stubs. Every paycheck appears there after the employer approves the payroll, and you can open it, save it as a PDF or print it. The page shows when your W-2 will be ready; your employer gives you the W-2 by January 31. Your pay stubs →
What is the difference between time off and timesheets?
Time off is for hours away from work. Timesheets are for hours worked. Both are approved by the employer and reach payroll. Time off vs timesheets →
Can our accountant or CPA firm run our payroll on StartEase?
Yes. A firm account lets an accounting or CPA firm run payroll for its own client companies. The Employer still approves each payroll, and StartEase still does the compliance work. Firm people see a Social Security number or tax ID only as its last 4 digits. How firm access works →
What should I do when an IRS or state notice arrives?
Do not ignore it, and check the reply date. Send the notice to StartEase and we tell you in plain words what it means and what to do. What happens when a notice arrives →
Cannot find what you need?Email us and a payroll specialist will answer.
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