EzPaycheck payroll software is very flexible. It can handle the paychecks for both employees and contractors easily. Since employer does not need to withhold taxes from contractors’ paychecks, we would like to suggest you add the second account to handle the paychecks for 1099 contractors. (EzPaycheck can support multiple accounts with no extra charge) 

Step 1: Set up the first company account for W-2 employees.

• Learn more details here
  http://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp#steps

 Step 2: Set up the second company account for 1099 contractors.

• Click the ezPaycheck top menu “Duplicate current account” to duplicate current account to handle paychecks for 1099 contractor. 
•  You can switch the current account easily by click the top menu “Company->Select Company”.         
• When you add a contractor, you need to uncheck all the tax options. Then ezPaycheck will not withhold taxes from the paychecks.

Note:

If you don't like to add the second company account to handle 1099 contractors, you can also use the MICS check function to write checks for 1099 contractors quickly. You can click the left menu "Checks->MICS Checks". Click the "Add new check" button, enter the "Payee Name" and "Amount", then save this check by clicking the "SAVE" button.

 You are welcome to download and try ezPaycheck free for 30 days with no cost and no obligation

Problem: I installed ezW2 and see the shortcut icon from my desktop. However I cannot start this application.

Solution: Usually this issue is caused by permission problem. Please make sure you have enough permission on your local machine to install a new program and run a program.

You can log in as administrator to install this program and run it. If you can run it as administrator but cannot run it as normal user. You need give normal user running and write/read permission to this application and the applicaiton folder.

If you are the administrator of your machine and still see this problem, you can try the following steps.

For Windows 7 machine

1.       Select the shortcut icon from your desktop.

For example, if you are running ezW2 2011 now, you can select ezW2 2011 shortcut

2.       Press the right button of the mouse, then you will see the pop up menu. Then click the sub menu Properties  to open the Properties screen

3.       Click the tab “Compatibility”, then check the option “Run this program as an administrator”.

4.       Click the Apply button.

5.       Click the OK button to close this screen

6.       Then double click the shortcut icon to start your application again.

A lof of users asked if they could start ezPaycheck in mid-year. The answer is YES. You can start to use ezPaycheck payroll software any time in a year.

If you handled your payroll jobs manually or with other software before

- you can enter the previous checks into ezPaycheck payroll system one by one manually

- or you can use the YTD manually input feature to enter the previous summary payroll data quickly. Learn more on YTD feature here..

Then ezPaycheck will have all your payroll data. So it can generate the correct reports for you.

More information about ezPaycheck payroll software can be found at product page. 

ezPaycheck payroll software is very flexible. With ezPaycheck, user can easily add a new deduction to handle SDI Tax, IRA plan, Garnishment, Donation, Dependent Care, Flexible Account or other local taxes.

Here are the steps on how to add a SDI Tax:

• Add a new deduction

1. Start ezPaycheck, click the left menu “Company Settings->Deductions” to  open Company Deduction Setup screen.

2. Check one Customized deduction item, then clicked the button behind it to open  Deduction Details sceen. 

3. Input the new name "SDI" for the Description field. 

4. If this is a deduction by percent,  you can check "Deduction in percentage of wage" option box and enter the value. Otherwise, leave it unchecked. Enter the uplimit for this deduction.

For example: The 2012 CA SDI tax rate is 1.0 percent (.010) of SDI taxable wages per employee, per year. This includes the rate for PFL. The maximum tax is $955.85 per employee, per year.

5. Check other tax options 

6. Click the "Save" button and closed Deduction details page. 

7. Click "save" button on Company Deduction Setup form to update the database.

• Update employee profile

1. Select one employee from employee list and edit his deduction option. 

2. Enter the amount or percent value.  

3. Click "next" until  the last page, then click the "Finish" button to save the change.

• Generate a new check 

More information about ezPaycheck payroll software can be found at product page. 

Paychecks changed for North Dakota workers from Jan. 1, 2012

The withholding allowances for employee claims is $3,800 in year 2012 which is increased from $3,750 in year 2011. The  The North Dakota income tax rates range from 1.7% to 4.9% and are levied on North Dakota residents’ income and non-residents’ income from North Dakota sources.

EzPayCheck payroll software includes this changes in its 2012 version.

***********

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2012/taxrate-northdakota-2012.asp

• The old North Dakota Tax Tables can be found at:

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2011/taxrate-northdakota-2011.asp

Paychecks changed for New York workers from Jan. 1, 2012

Beginning with tax year 2012, the New York State personal income tax rates have changed for most taxpayers. Accordingly, effective for payrolls made on or after January 1, 2012, employers must use the revised withholding tax tables and methods included to compute the amount of New York State taxes to be withheld from employees.

The withholding allowances for employee is increased in year 2012. The  The New York income tax rates range from 1.7% to 4.9% and are levied on New York residents’ income and non-residents’ income from New York sources.

EzPayCheck payroll software includes this changes in its 2012 version.

***********

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2012/taxrate-newyork-2012.asp

• The old New York Tax Tables can be found at:

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2011/taxrate-newyork-2011.asp

Paychecks changed for New Mexico workers from Jan. 1, 2012

The withholding allowances for employee claims is $3,800 in year 2012 which is increased from $3,750 in year 2011. The  The New Mexico income tax rates range from 1.7% to 4.9% and are levied on New Mexico residents’ income and non-residents’ income from New Mexico sources.

EzPayCheck payroll software includes this changes in its 2012 version.

***********

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2012/taxrate-newmexico-2012.asp

• The old New Mexico Tax Tables can be found at:

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2011/taxrate-newmexico-2011.asp

Paychecks changed for Minnesota workers from Jan. 1, 2012

According to Minnesota Department of Revenue, The withholding allowances for employee claims are $3,800 in year 2012 which is increased from $3,700 in year 2011. The  The Minnesota income tax rates range from 5.35% to 7.85% and are levied on Minnesota residents’ income and non-residents’ income from Minnesota sources.

EzPayCheck payroll software includes these changes in its 2012 version.

***********

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2012/taxrate-Minnesota-2012.asp

• The old Minnesota Tax Tables can be found at:

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2011/taxrate-Minnesota-2011.asp

Paychecks changed for Maine workers from Jan. 1, 2012

The withholding allowances for employee claims is $2,850 which is unchanged during year 2012. The  The Maine income tax rates range from 2% to 8.5% and are levied on Maine residents’ income and non-residents’ income from Maine sources.

EzPayCheck payroll software includes this changes in its 2012 version.

***********

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2012/taxrate-Maine-2012.asp

• The old Maine Tax Tables can be found at:

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2011/taxrate-Maine-2011.asp

Paychecks slightly changed for Kentucky workers from Jan. 1, 2012

Kentucky withholding tax rate keeps unchanged for the Year 2012. However, the Standard Deduction rate increased from $2,210 in Year 2011 to $2,290 in Year 2012. Kentucky income tax rates range from 2% to 6% and are levied on Kentucky residents’ income and non-residents’ income from Kentucky sources.

EzPayCheck payroll software includes this changes in its 2012 version.

***********

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2012/taxrate-Kentucky-2012.asp

• The old Kentucky Tax Tables can be found at:

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2011/taxrate-Kentucky-2011.asp

Paychecks changed for partial Indiana workers from Dec. 1, 2011

State of Indiana published the changes of county tax for resident and non-resident on Dec 1, 2011.  The employee deduction is $1,000 and each qualified dependent deduction is $1,500 which are unchanged. Carroll County resident tax rate changes to 0.015039; Hendricks County non-resident tax rate changes to 0.005; Jasper County resident tax rate changes to 0.03114; Martin County resident tax rate changes to 0.015; Tipton County non-resident tax rate changes to 0.0158. All the other county tax rate keeps unchanged. 

EzPayCheck payroll software includes this changes in its 2012 version.

***********

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2012/taxrate-Indiana-2012.asp

• The old Indiana Tax Tables can be found at:

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/2011/taxrate-Indiana-2011.asp

If you are a small business owners and like to calculate the taxes manually. Please follow this step by step guide on how to use federal tax table and do it manually.

For example:

Karen is the employee of company ABC. She lives in Arizona. Her withholding rate is married/withhold at a single rate.  She has two exemptions and no extra withholds.  She gets paid $10 per hour biweekly.  She works 64 hours for each pay period.

Followings are the steps to calculate the federal tax:
 

1. Gross pay for each paycheck:
 
For each pay period, the gross pay is $640
 
2. Deduction for each paycheck:
The standard deduction is $3,800 per year (For Year 2012).
She can get total $3800*2=$7600
For each pay period the deduction is: $7600/26=$292.31

 
3. Taxable income for each paycheck
So for each paycheck, the taxable income is: 640-292.31=$347.69
 
4. Federal tax
(347.69-83.00) * 10%=264.69*10%=$26.47

Current Federal Income Withholding Tax table
http://www.halfpricesoft.com/federal_income_tax_2012.asp

Table 2 -- Biweekly Payroll Period

EzPaycheck payroll software is designed to automate paycheck processes to reduce the time spent on running payroll. The software’s graphic interface leads users step-by-step through setting up employee information, importing data, calculating payroll—including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks.

Priced at just $89 per installation, ezPaycheck’s graphical interface and functions are so intuitive that even users without much computer or accounting experience can start automating payroll processes within minutes of installation. Additionally, customers can try ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation for 30 days.

YTD means Year-to-date. It is a period from the beginning of the current year, and continues up to the present day. The YTD information on the check stubs will update automatically each time you add a new paycheck.

This YTD entry feature is for users who start ezPaycheck in mid-year. (If you start ezPaycheck from Jan 1, you do not need to enter YTD manually.)

For example, company ABC handles paychecks for employee Ryan Smith manually from 1/1/2011 to 6/30/2011. They plan to use ezPaycheck from 7/1/2011-7/15/2011 pay period. So instead of entering the old checks one by one, they can enter the YTD summary data here.

Here are the steps.

If you have not installed ezPaycheck payroll software, you can download it from

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/payroll_software_download.asp

Step 1: Set up company information

Step 2: Add a new employee Ryan Smith

Step 3: Select Ryan from Employee list and open YTD manually input screen.  Then enter the summary information for 1/1/2011 to 6/30/2011.

Step 4: When you generate a new check, you will see the YTD data is updated.

To learn more about ezPaycheck, visit http://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp

Question: I am using Windows 7 Home Premium. The windows of ezPaycheck will not fill the monitor's screen and on some of them the words are partially cut off.

Answer: The possible reason is the screen resolution is too low. Usually increasing the screen resolution can fix such problem. Following is the guide to change the resolution settings.

You can check your screen resolution by right clicking an empty space on your screen, then select "properties" from pop up menu. I attached the image of screen resolution with this message. You can change it by move the slide bar. 

 Screen resolution settings. (image: display_resolution_settings.jpg)

For some companies, employees are paid by hourly rate and piece-rate at the same time. EzPaycheck payroll software is very flexible and allows user to add the customized wages as “Pay_by_piece” easily.

Step 1: Setup employee profile and enter the default pay rate. (If your employee is paid by piece only, you can enter the dummy hourly rate here.)

Step 2: Add the customized wages on wage setup screen. You can access this screen by clicking the left menu "Company Settings->Wage Setup".

Step 3: Generate a new check. You can enter more information in MEMO field. If employee is paid by piece-rate only, you can leave the hours as “0”. 

EzPaycheck payroll software is designed to automate paycheck processes to reduce the time spent on running payroll. The software’s graphic interface leads users step-by-step through setting up employee information, calculating payroll—including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks.

Priced at just $89 per installation, ezPaycheck’s graphical interface and functions are so intuitive that even users without much computer or accounting experience can start automating payroll processes within minutes of installation. Additionally, customers can try ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation for 30 days. 

For some companies, the pay rate for the same employee is not fixed. The employee may be paid at different pay rates for different pay periods.

EzPaycheck payroll software is very flexible. User can enter the default pay rate when he sets up the employee information. However, user can modify the rate when he generates a new check each time.

Step 1: Setup employee profile and enter the default pay rate.

Step 2: Modify the pay rate when generating a new check 

EzPaycheck payroll software is designed to automate paycheck processes to reduce the time spent on running payroll. The software’s graphic interface leads users step-by-step through setting up employee information, calculating payroll—including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks.

Priced at just $89 per installation, ezPaycheck’s graphical interface and functions are so intuitive that even users without much computer or accounting experience can start automating payroll processes within minutes of installation. Additionally, customers can try ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation for 30 days.

ezPaycheck payroll software can print check on blank check paper or pre-printed checks. It also supports check-on-top, check-in-middle or check-at-bottom formats. User can select this option from check setup form.

• Clicking the left menu "check->check setup" to open check setup form
• Change the check position to check-on-top, check-in-middle or check-at-bottom.
• Save changes. 

EzPaycheck payroll software is designed to automate paycheck processes to reduce the time spent on running payroll. The software’s graphic interface leads users step-by-step through setting up employee information, calculating payroll—including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks.

Priced at just $89 per installation, ezPaycheck’s graphical interface and functions are so intuitive that even users without much computer or accounting experience can start automating payroll processes within minutes of installation. Additionally, customers can try ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation for 30 days.

Some small business owners are still calculating the taxes manually. Following is the step by step guide on how to use federal tax table and do it manually.

For example:

Karen is the employee of company ABC. She lives in Arizona. Her withholding rate is married/withhold at a single rate.  She has two exemptions and no extra withholds.  She gets paid $10 per hour biweekly.  She works 64 hours for each pay period.

Followings are the steps to calculate the federal tax:
 

1. Gross pay for each paycheck:
 
For each pay period, the gross pay is $640
 
2. Deduction for each paycheck:
The standard deduction is $3700 per year (For Year 2011).
She can get total $3700*2=$7400
For each pay period the deduction is: $7400/26=$284.62
 
3. Taxable income for each paycheck
So for each paycheck, the taxable income is: 640-284.62=$355.38
 
4. Federal tax
(355.38-81.00) * 10%=274.38*10%=$27.44

Current Federal Income Withholding Tax table
http://www.halfpricesoft.com/federal_income_tax_2011.asp

Table 2 -- Biweekly Payroll Period

EzPaycheck payroll software is designed to automate paycheck processes to reduce the time spent on running payroll. The software’s graphic interface leads users step-by-step through setting up employee information, importing data, calculating payroll—including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks.

Priced at just $89 per installation, ezPaycheck’s graphical interface and functions are so intuitive that even users without much computer or accounting experience can start automating payroll processes within minutes of installation. Additionally, customers can try ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation for 30 days.

ezPaycheck payroll software is very flexible. User can set up pre-tax deduction or after-tax deduction easily.

ezPaycheck payroll software is very flexible. User can set up pre-tax deduction or after-tax deduction easily.

·         If you need to add a customize deduction, you can refer to the following article. You can select the tax option from the Deduction Details screen.

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/business-blog/post/2011/05/05/How-to-add-a-new-payroll-deduction.aspx

·         For built-in deductions (Health Insurance or 401K), you can change the tax options by following the steps below.

1. Click the left menu "Company Settings->Deductions" to open "Company Deduction Setup" screen.

2. Click the button behind 401K or Health Insurance to open "Deduction Details" screen.

3. Check/Uncheck tax options

4. Click the Save button to update changes for the deduction details.

5. Click the Save button to update changes for company deduction setup.

More information about ezPaycheck payroll software can be found at product page.

Our software ezPaycheck payroll, ezCheckPrinting, ezCheckPersonal, ezW2 and ezTimeSheet are designed for Windows system.

The system requirement is:

• Windows 98/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista/7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• .net framework

However, you can also run them on MAC machine installed with Virtual Machine or Parallels.