https://payrollhelp.us Payroll rules, common mistakes, and real-world insight from Dennis Pearson, developer of Medlin Payroll Software. en-us dennis@payrollhelp.us (Dennis Pearson) https://payrollhelp.us/qa/where-payroll-records-should-live.html Payroll and accounting data should remain in the US. Paper records, your first line of data retention, should live in the same state where you do business — the state shown on your paystubs and tax returns. Why state and country both matter, what to do about backups, and how a 40-year payroll software developer handles his own data when traveling. Fri, 08 May 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/where-payroll-records-should-live.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/why-is-my-withholding-zero.html When zero federal withholding is correct, why the 2020 W-4 changed the math, and how to verify against IRS Publication 15-T. From a 40-year payroll software developer. Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/why-is-my-withholding-zero.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/how-many-of-me-are-left.html A 40-year payroll software developer asks how many integrated single-operator experts are still out there. The closure of a peer’s company, the elephant principle, and an open invitation to anyone in the same chair. Tue, 05 May 2026 15:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/how-many-of-me-are-left.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/who-writes-in.html Forty years of customer support at a small payroll software company. Three eras — the two-experts DOS years, the Windows-as-appliance stretch, and today’s three kinds of caller. The names that stayed, the work that has not changed, and how a small family business sets up for what comes next. Mon, 04 May 2026 14:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/who-writes-in.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/false-positives.html Forty years of small-developer software, and the security industry still cannot reliably tell legitimate apps from malware. Notes from the receiving end of every false-positive flag — what is actually happening, why small developers get hit, what to do when it happens to you, and what protection actually looks like at the consumer and prosumer levels. Mon, 04 May 2026 13:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/false-positives.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/no-employee-is-remote.html “Remote” is from the employer’s side of the desk. The employee is somewhere specific — in a state, sometimes a county, sometimes a city — with rules that apply whether you wanted them to or not. What that means for payroll, insurance, local rules, and the quiet ways small businesses cross the line without realizing it. Mon, 04 May 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/no-employee-is-remote.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/being-replaceable-is-the-job.html Most people think being irreplaceable is job security. It’s the opposite — it’s stuck and fragile. A companion to the backup-your-data post, about the other kind of backup: a person who can step in when you can’t. Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/being-replaceable-is-the-job.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/ca-ui-wage-base.html California’s SB 1434 proposed modernizing the state’s unemployment insurance wage base and benefit cap. It died with the numbers left blank. A specific proposal for completing it, from a California small business owner and payroll developer. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/ca-ui-wage-base.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/wa-tipped-workers-paid-leave.html Washington is the only state with paid family and medical leave which excludes tips from the wage base. For a tipped worker, that can mean losing about $654 a week of wage replacement when taking leave — a shortfall traceable to a 2017 closed-door negotiation. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/wa-tipped-workers-paid-leave.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/phone-support-to-email.html Phone support fit an era when computer owners were experts and software users were experts. When both of those things stopped being true, phone stopped being the right tool. Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/phone-support-to-email.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/get-your-family-to-40-quarters.html Most Social Security planning is about paying less in. This post argues the other direction. Why hitting 40 credits for your spouse, kids, and self matters more than the FICA savings — and what family business structure has to do with it. Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/get-your-family-to-40-quarters.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/help-me-help-you.html A good help email gets you a better answer, faster. A vague one delays the fix. What to include, what to leave out, and why writing it down often solves the problem before you hit send. Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/help-me-help-you.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/ai-power-tool-expert.html AI makes payroll experts faster and more valuable, but the expertise still has to come from the human. How Medlin Software has been making this same trip since the 1980s, and why the experience gap is the real thing to worry about. Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/ai-power-tool-expert.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/keep-software-current.html Software that still opens is not the same as software you should still be using. The cost of skipping updates rarely shows up until something goes wrong. Thu, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/keep-software-current.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/941-efile-pin.html The PIN used to e-file Form 941 is not like any other IRS PIN. It is a legal signature — and using the wrong one, or someone else's, is not permitted. Sun, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/941-efile-pin.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/learning-or-declining.html A mentor's simple statement has guided decades of work: we are either learning or declining. There is no static experience, no plateau where knowledge simply holds. Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/learning-or-declining.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/jury-duty-pay.html Jury duty is an inconvenience for scheduling. It is also a cornerstone of the justice system. Be proud of supporting your employees through it — and handle the pay correctly. Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/jury-duty-pay.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/to-print-or-not-to-print.html Do you really need to print and retain payroll records on paper? Absolutely. Here's why paper is still king — and what the electronic recordkeeping rules actually say. Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/to-print-or-not-to-print.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/do-you-really-have-a-backup.html Most business owners think they have a backup. Many discover too late they don't. An untested backup may be worse than no backup at all — because of false hope. Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/do-you-really-have-a-backup.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/diy-payroll-vs-payroll-service.html Should you do payroll yourself or hire a service? The honest answer depends on your business — and not everybody will tell you that. Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/diy-payroll-vs-payroll-service.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/pay-period-and-pay-frequency.html Choosing the right pay period and pay frequency for your business. Why different employee types may need different schedules, and how a week delay saves you headaches. Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/pay-period-and-pay-frequency.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/employee-w4-employer-duties.html What are your obligations as an employer when an employee submits a W-4? What happens when they claim withholding was wrong? Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/employee-w4-employer-duties.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/bonus-pay-separate-check-or-not.html Should you pay bonuses on a separate check? The common sense answer on bonus pay, supplemental withholding, and keeping payroll simple. Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/bonus-pay-separate-check-or-not.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/minister-clergy-housing-allowance.html How the minister and clergy housing allowance works in payroll. What to report, what not to report, and common mistakes. Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/minister-clergy-housing-allowance.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/s-corp-shareholder-health-insurance.html How health insurance premiums work for S-Corp shareholders owning more than 2%. W-2 reporting, tax treatment, and common mistakes. Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/s-corp-shareholder-health-insurance.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/to-ai-or-not-to-ai.html There is no question about whether to use AI. The question is how to use it well. Mon, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/to-ai-or-not-to-ai.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/no-such-thing-as-a-payroll-crisis.html One bit of advice learned early on: there is no such thing as a payroll crisis. There is nothing which cannot be handled tomorrow, with one exception. Mon, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/no-such-thing-as-a-payroll-crisis.html https://payrollhelp.us/qa/flsa-ot-qoc-agricultural-employees.html Most ag workers are NOT eligible for OT under FLSA rules, which means most cannot use the QOC deduction. Another loophole in a law the public is learning has plenty of holes. Mon, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0700 https://payrollhelp.us/qa/flsa-ot-qoc-agricultural-employees.html