Mark Schwartz is an employment tax specialist and has over 15 years of employment tax experience as an independent consultant and as a payroll tax auditor with the State of California. He has managed an audit caseload of 20 ongoing audits, from small home-based businesses to large multi-national corporations. He is expert at defining regulatory and statutory requirements from local, State and Federal government agencies; and helping the average businessperson understand what that means to their business. He has processed weekly and bi-weekly payroll checks plus tax forms for businesses with hourly as well as exempt workers, multistate operations and a wide variety of benefits.
Mr.Schwartz provides consulting services encompassing payroll processing and payroll tax issues. These include payroll tax minimization, payroll tax compliance reviews, independent contractor studies, use of electronic transfers, deductions, benefits, etc. Mark has represented both clients and the State in front of the State Appeals Board. He understands the complexities of local wage laws, unemployment and disability claims, and other wage and benefit issues affecting your employees.
Mark prides himself on his outstanding customer service skills. He listens attentively to his clientele, helping them bridge the gap between the small business world and Government bureaucracy. He eagerly assists with clients needs and feels that educating clients toward faster, accurate and more complete payroll processes provide the most value.
Mark is a participating member of the American Payroll Association. He earned his BA and MBA in Finance at Santa Clara University. He has held Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Investment and Derivatives Auditor Credentials. Mark is currently pursuing a Certified Payroll Fundamentals Credential with the American Payroll Association.
Wednesday
07From an employer's perspective, the rules can get complicated. Not withholding what we should has major consequences - as does deducting what we can’t. If you have an organization of any size, you need to understand more than just federal and state tax withholding.
Friday
09Preparing for a payroll tax audit - OK. For all your best efforts, you have still been “selected.” Now is the time to BE REALLY CAREFUL. Learn how to negotiate both the time and expense involved in an audit. Learn how to prepare employees, and yourself, for interviews. What you say and how you say it matters. The records you provide can lead to so many other audits if you are not careful.
Tuesday
13Day-to-day payroll operations take up the majority of time for most payroll/hr staff. There is not always enough time to reconcile and review the financial data arising from day-to-day activities. Therefore fraud can go undetected for months, even years.
Thursday
15This new design has caused much confusion for employers and employees alike. Although it is not the employer’s responsibility to complete the form for employees (there are default entries for incomplete or missing W4s), a lot of payroll and HR departments are inundated with questions from workers.
Federal law requires that every employer who recruits, refers for a fee, or hires an individual for employment in the U.S. must complete Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
The IRS requires employers to report wage and salary information for employees on Form W-2. Your W-2 also reports the amount of federal, state and other taxes withheld from your paycheck.
1099s report payments made to non-employee service providers, as well as payments to suppliers and other entities you do business with.
Federal law requires that every employer who recruits, refers for a fee, or hires an individual for employment in the U.S. must complete Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.