Service
Payroll-Connected HR Support
The employee approvals, records, and handoffs around payroll, organized so approved changes reach the right system at the right time.
Payroll errors often begin before payroll. A manager approves a raise but does not provide an effective date. A new hire starts before the setup packet is complete. PTO is tracked in two places. A terminated employee remains active in one system. Payroll processes the information it receives, but the employee process around it is uncontrolled.
- QuickBooks Gold ProAdvisor
- Intuit Certified Bookkeeper
- Intuit Enterprise Suite Certified
- IRS PTIN Holder
Service overview
Payroll-connected HR support fixes that handoff. Steady maintains the approved workflow for employee information, changes, timekeeping inputs, PTO, bonuses, terminations, and year-end cleanup. It is distinct from payroll administration , which covers payroll setup and processing. This service controls the HR information moving into and out of payroll.
What payroll-connected HR support can include
- new-hire payroll setup coordination;
- employee and contractor information collection;
- approved employee-change forms and workflows;
- pay-rate, salary, title, manager, location, and status-change documentation;
- payroll-change approvals and effective-date tracking;
- timekeeping-process and submission coordination;
- PTO balance and approved leave-data coordination;
- bonus and commission input administration;
- deduction and garnishment-document handoffs;
- terminated-employee payroll coordination;
- employee-record and payroll-data reconciliation;
- workers' compensation payroll-data coordination with the responsible provider;
- year-end employee and contractor information cleanup;
- W-2 and 1099 information-verification workflows;
- payroll-provider implementation and support tasks.
Define the line between HR and payroll
The HR record explains who the worker is, their approved status, role, rate, location, manager, and effective changes. Payroll applies approved inputs through the payroll system and produces payroll records. Accounting records the financial result.
When ownership is unclear, the same field may be changed in one system but not another. Steady maps the handoff: who initiates the change, who approves it, what supporting record is required, which systems receive it, and who confirms completion.
If Steady handles both HR coordination and payroll, the two workflows can share a documented approval path. If the client keeps another payroll provider, Steady can prepare and track submissions through that provider's process.
New hires and employee changes
Approved new-hire information can move from employee onboarding into payroll setup. The checklist tracks the start date, pay details, withholding forms, direct deposit, location, department, manager, timekeeping setup, and other fields in scope.
After onboarding, changes should use the same control. A text message saying “increase the rate next pay period” is not a complete payroll instruction. The workflow records the approved amount, effective date, reason or supporting authorization, and the payroll in which the change should appear.
Steady also updates the associated employee record so payroll is not the only place the change exists.
Timekeeping, PTO, bonuses, and commissions
Variable payroll inputs require deadlines and approvals. Steady can maintain the collection schedule, check whether required fields and approvals are present, follow up on exceptions, and document the final handoff. Managers remain responsible for verifying time and performance information they control.
For bonuses or commissions, Steady administers the employer-approved plan and calculation inputs included in scope. Questions about wage law, plan enforceability, worker classification, deductions, or disputed amounts are escalated to the appropriate advisor.
Terminations and year-end cleanup
An approved separation flows through employee offboarding to payroll, benefits, records, and access tasks. Steady coordinates the data and approvals but does not determine the legal final-pay deadline or make the separation decision.
Before year-end, Steady can run an employee-information review: names, addresses, taxpayer information, active and terminated status, delivery preferences, and other fields the payroll provider requests. Contractor information can be coordinated with 1099 preparation and the guide on how to collect Form W-9 from contractors .
Reconcile the systems
A periodic reconciliation compares the employee roster, HR record, payroll system, and approved changes. Exceptions might include an employee active in one system but terminated in another, mismatched rates or departments, missing approvals, or incomplete tax information.
The purpose is not to promise that every error will be found. It is to create a repeatable comparison, document exceptions, and assign correction steps before the information is used again.
Establish a payroll cut-off process
Each payroll has a point when routine changes must be complete for review and processing. Steady can document the internal cut-off, reminder schedule, manager approval path, late-change procedure, and confirmation step. The payroll provider's deadline and capabilities still control what can be processed.
Late or incomplete items are not quietly guessed into payroll. They are placed on an exception list with the missing information, decision owner, requested effective date, and provider response. The employer decides the next action with payroll or other advisors.
Document corrections through completion
When the output does not match the approved input, Steady can compare the change record, provider submission, payroll register, and employee record. We document the discrepancy, coordinate the correction request, track provider responses, and update affected records after approval.
Corrections can have tax, wage, deduction, or reporting consequences. Steady handles the coordination and audit trail, while the payroll provider, tax professional, counsel, or other qualified specialist determines the required technical treatment.
Review payroll output at the handoff point
The employee-change process should not end when information is submitted. Steady can compare the payroll preview or register fields included in scope with the approved change log before the client authorizes payroll. That may include employee status, rate, hours or approved variable inputs, department or job coding, PTO entries, and one-time items.
The authorized client reviewer still approves payroll, and the provider remains responsible for its processing role. Steady records exceptions and coordinates follow-up rather than making an unapproved change. After payroll is finalized, confirmation closes the change item or preserves it for correction. This creates a complete trail from manager request to processed result.
The review can also confirm that approved department, class, location, or job coding reached the accounting record when those fields support management reporting. If Steady provides financial reporting , recurring coding exceptions can be reported to leadership rather than repaired silently each month.
Questions, answered
Common questions
Is this the same as payroll processing?
No. Payroll-connected HR support manages the employee information, approvals, records, and handoffs around payroll. Payroll processing is covered through Steady's separate payroll administration service or the client's existing provider.
Can Steady work with our current payroll company?
Yes. Steady can follow the provider's authorized-user and submission procedures, prepare approved changes, track status, and maintain supporting records.
Who approves pay changes and bonuses?
The client's authorized leaders approve all compensation decisions. Steady administers the form, supporting documentation, effective date, and submission workflow.
Can you help correct payroll discrepancies?
Steady can gather records, compare approved inputs with payroll output, coordinate with the payroll provider, and track the correction. Tax, legal, or provider-specific issues may require specialist involvement.
Does this include W-2 and 1099 preparation?
The service can include information verification and provider coordination. Actual filing or preparation is included only when separately scoped through payroll or 1099 services.
Can this service start with a cleanup?
Yes. A payroll and employee-record reconciliation can identify current exceptions and establish the change workflow before ongoing administration begins.
Give every payroll change an approval trail
Payroll should not have to interpret incomplete messages or repair an employee process after the deadline.
Book a Free Discovery Call to discuss the handoff between your managers, employee records, and payroll provider.
Service scope
Founder-led service
Ivan Dyakov
Ivan leads client strategy, major relationships, and service standards, supported by a specialized delivery process built for consistency.
Meet the founder- QuickBooks Gold ProAdvisor
- Intuit Certified Bookkeeper
- Intuit Enterprise Suite Certified
- IRS PTIN Holder
A clear next step