Wrong setup data: your FEIN, state rate or deposit schedule

Payroll software calculates from what you enter. One wrong number can cause notices for months.

What happens if my FEIN, state rate or deposit schedule is wrong in payroll?

Every payroll is calculated from the same wrong number, so the IRS or the state can write to the employer about each one. StartEase requires a 9-digit FEIN and will not approve a payroll while a required state rate is missing or out of date.

The problem

A wrong FEIN, a wrong state unemployment rate, or the wrong deposit schedule makes every payroll wrong in the same way. The IRS or the state then writes to the employer, because the account belongs to the employer.

Typical mistakes: a digit swapped in the FEIN, last year's rate, or a monthly deposit schedule when the IRS assigned a semiweekly one.

How StartEase manages it

• The FEIN is required and must have 9 digits. You can upload the IRS EIN letter next to it, so the number and the letter sit together.
• The deposit schedule is a setting on the company. The compliance calendar builds its due dates from it.
• The pay schedule dates are checked when you set them up.
• Payroll cannot be approved while the state unemployment rate is missing or out of date. See the post on the state rate.

If you find a mistake, correct it under Company details, then tell your payroll team so earlier payrolls can be checked.