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Heard Payroll Onboarding Guide

Christina Francis

Overview

This article is intended for S Corporations that have enrolled in Heard Payroll and are setting up their accounts to run payroll. 

How to set up a Heard Payroll account

To get started, navigate to the Payroll tab on the left-hand side of your Heard Dashboard and click "Enroll in Payroll." Please set aside 30 minutes to complete your onboarding.

As you begin, we encourage you to watch our video, which walks you through the process end-to-end. In 7 steps, here's how to set up your payroll:

1. Confirm company details

including first and last name, email address, phone number, and company name. The company name should match your official name as recorded with the IRS. You can find your legal entity name on form CP-575. 

2. Add tax information 

3. Add your company's addresses

  • Filing address - The location you have on file with the IRS from when you registered your business
  • Mailing address - The location where you can receive mail from the government.
  • Personal address - The location where you physically reside.

  • Note: if you're registering a new business, you can find your mailing address on Form SS-4 on line 4 and your filing address on line 5. If you have previously run payroll, your filing address can be found on Form 941.

4. Add yourself as an employee

  • Set up your personal details, including your first and last name, date of birth, personal email address, and Social Security number (SSN).
  • Add job details, including:
    • Start date - We recommend setting your start date to the day you enroll in payroll (today). Otherwise, you may be required to file prior payroll taxes.
    • Employee Type - We recommend 'Salary/No Overtime' as your employee classification. For more information, see our article “What is my employee type? Am I exempt or non-exempt?”.
    • Compensation - We recommend setting a reasonable salary of around 40% of your expected annual income. If you would like Heard to assess and advise on your reasonable salary, please reach out via Messages. For more information, see our article “How do I set a reasonable salary, and why is it important?”
    • Home address and primary working address - If you work from home, this would be your personal home address.
  • Add federal tax info.
    • Employee federal taxes - We recommend using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to determine how to complete Form W-4 so you don't have too much or too little federal income tax withheld. The IRS recommends that you check your withholding early in the calendar year, whenever tax law changes, and whenever you have a significant life change (like an income adjustment or a home purchase).
    • As an employee — Calculate and update your Tax Withholdings (W4): Here’s How to Fill Out the 2024 W-4 Form
      1. Box 1(c)–Enter your federal filing status; this is the only required field.
        • More information about the “Head of household” option can be found by clicking the question mark icon on this IRS page (next to the question itself).
        • If you select “Exempt from withholding,” we won't withhold federal income taxes, but we'll still report taxable wages on a W-2.
        • Keep in mind: Anyone who claims exemption from withholding needs to sign a new W-4 (or update their withholding in Gusto) by Feb 15 of each year—more information below.
      2. Complete the optional next sections only if they apply to you—otherwise, skip these.
        • Box 2(c)–Multiple jobs: Answering this results in higher withholding, but to preserve privacy, this can be left unchecked.
        • Box 3–Dependent total: If your total income will be $200,000 or less ($400,000 or less if married filing jointly), add the amounts below and enter the total in Gusto.
        • Multiply the number of qualifying children under age 17 by $2,000;
        • Multiply the number of other dependents by $500.
        • Box 4(a)–Other income, not from jobs: If you want tax withheld for other income you expect this year that won’t have withholding, enter the amount of other income here. This may include interest, dividends, and retirement income.
        • Box 4(b)–Deductions: If you expect to claim deductions other than the standard deduction and want to reduce your withholding, use the "Deductions Worksheet" on page 3 of the W-4 instructions and enter the result in Gusto.
        • Box 4(c)–Extra withholding: Enter any additional tax you want to withhold each pay period.
      3. Save your W-4 form
        • Going forward, you will want to review and update this form annually to ensure it remains accurate.
    • Add state tax info - File a New Hire Report? State law requires you to file a new hire report within 20 days of hiring or rehiring an employee.

    • Add Payment Information - Enter your employee payment information. We will process your payment through Direct Deposit. Please provide the details of the personal bank account where you wish to receive the payment. Your routing and account numbers can be found on a check or within your online banking portal.

5. Create a pay schedule 

  • You may opt to pay weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly—but be sure to verify the pay period laws in your state to ensure you establish a compliant schedule.

  • If you have hourly employees, ensure there is a minimum of four business days between the end of their pay cycle and the pay date. This allows ample time to log their hours and manage payroll.

6. Confirm and sign forms - Finish up in Gusto

For State Registration, you can choose to have CorpNet handle it or do it yourself.

Let CorpNet register for you: Registering with a state agency can be a lot of work, but Gusto’s partner CorpNet can help. They work directly with the agency, so you can skip the hassle of registering yourself. Learn more about CorpNet. To access your account on Gusto.com and use CorpNet for your state registration: 

  1. Go to https://app.gusto.com/account_access/form
  2. Click Forgot password
  3. Enter the same email address you provided earlier in the payroll onboarding process, then click Send link to create a password and sign in to your existing Gusto account.

Register yourself using the instructions in Gusto's Help Center: Visit Gusto's Help Center and select your state. If signing the forms, enter your name, address, and SSN. If someone else will sign them, enter their name and email. 

7. Await company approval 

No action is required at this point - just hang tight! Approval may take 1-2 business days.

How to change your payroll frequency

To update your pay schedule after initial setup, log in to Gusto, then navigate to Pay > Payroll Settings and update it. If you're unable to make this change yourself, reach out to the Payroll team via Messages for assistance.

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This article is to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, business, or tax advice. Each person should consult his or her own attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in this article.
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