Payroll is one of the fastest-changing career fields in the business world today. Constant fluctuation in government rules and regulations make it difficult to keep up.

The Payroll Practice and Management Online Training Program will teach you all facets of payroll, from the basics to the complexity of fringe benefits, taxation, and garnishments. If you're new to the field, you'll acquire solid skills and knowledge of payroll rules and regulations. If you have payroll experience, this program will refresh your skills, keep you up-to-date with regulations, and provide a thorough review for the Certified Payroll Professional test given by the American Payroll Association.

Upon registering, you're given an initial six months to complete the program. Should you need more time, you may request a six-month extension at no additional charge.

Upon successful completion of this program, you'll:

• Understand the requirements of classifying employees under the IRC and classifying employees as exempt under the FLSA
• Gain knowledge of federal taxation regulations pertaining to payroll
• Gain experience in reading and understanding IRS tax requirements, their interpretation, and application
• Learn federal and state tax deposit requirements and understand multistate taxation
• Know how to complete and process Form W-4
• Gain knowledge in pay periods and their affect on taxation
• Understand the basics of fringe benefits, including qualified and nonqualified deferred compensation, third-party sick pay, relocation, and personal use of a company vehicle
• Become familiar with what taxes expatriates and nonresident aliens are subject to
• Understand the basics of organizing a year-end season in a payroll department
• Gain knowledge in writing payroll procedures and manuals and managing payroll staff

1. Wage and Hour Law
   1. Introduction to the Fair Labor Standards Act
      1. History of Act
      2. Rules of Coverage
      3. Jurisdiction
   2. Classification of Workers
      1. Employees
      2. Independent Contractor
      3. Form SS-8
      4. Statutory Employees
      5. Statutory Non-employees
      6. Leased Employees
   3. White Collar Exemptions
      1. Definition of Exempt and Nonexempt
      2. Four Categories of Exempt
      3. Salary Basis Requirements
      4. Other Categories of Exempt-Federal
   4. Calculating Gross Pay
      1. Constructive Receipt
      2. Minimum Wage
      3. Regular Rate of Pay
      4. Overtime and Hours Worked Definitions and Calculations
      5. Defining the Legal Workweek
      6. Defining the Legal Workday
      7. State Requirements
   5. Other FLSA Requirements
      1. Posting Requirements
      2. Meals and Rest Periods
      3. Deductions From Pay
      4. Compensatory Time Off
   6. Specialized Payrolls, Employees, or Regulations
      1. Overview of Other Federal Wage and Hour Acts
      2. Public Sector Employees
      3. Hospital Employees
      4. Agricultural Employees
      5. New Hire Reporting
      6. Child Labor
         1. Maximum Hours
         2. Legal Days
         3. Minimum Wage
         4. Legal Ages
         5. Other Requirements (States)
2. Taxation and Compensation
   1. Federal Payroll Taxes
   2. State Payroll Taxes
   3. Multistate Taxation
   4. Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate
      1. Form W-4
      2. State Form W-4 Equivalents
   5. Wages and Compensation
      1. What Are Wages?
      2. Other Compensation
   6. Supplemental Wages and Pay Periods
   7. Special Compensation and Wages
      1. Business Expenses
      2. Tips
      3. Deceased Employee Wages
   8. Reporting
      1. Wage and Tax Reports
      2. Federal Form 941
      3. Schedule B
      4. State Equivalent
      5. Multiple Worksite Reports
3. Fringe Benefits, Compensation, and Taxation
   1. Deferred Compensation
   2. Section 125 Plans
   3. Section 129 Plans
   4. Flexible Spending Accounts
   5. Third-party Sick Pay
   6. Group Term Life Insurance
   7. Personal Use of a Company Vehicle
   8. Relocation
   9. Incentive Stock Options
   10. Nonqualified Stock Options
   11. Employee Stock Option Plans
   12. Nonqualified Deferred Comp Plans
   13. Expatriate Employees
   14. Resident and Nonresident Aliens
4. Payroll Management and Year-end Reporting
   1. Payroll Procedures
   2. Manual Check Policy
   3. Staff Training
   4. Internet Resources
   5. Dealing With the IRS
   6. Garnishments and Levies
   7. Record Retention
   8. Direct Deposit
   9. Earned Income Credit
   10. Year-end Form Review
   11. Submission of Forms W-2
   12. Preparing For Year End

To enroll in this program, you should be proficient in keyboarding, have a basic understanding of a word-processing computer program (Microsoft Word is recommended), and have a command of English grammar and punctuation. No payroll or office work experience is required.

If you're interested in learning the skills to become a payroll professional, or if you'd like to update your knowledge in the field, this program is for you.

This program is compatible with the Windows XP and later operating systems and IE 7 and later browsers.

You'll need to have access to a word-processing program like Microsoft Word or Works, Adobe Flash Player and Acrobat Reader, and unlimited Internet access.

Click here to download the free Acrobat Reader.

Click here to download the free Flash Player.

The materials for this program are all available online.

Mindy Harada is an employment tax specialist and has over 19 years of employment tax experience as an independent consultant, an employee with one of the "Big Four" firms, and as a payroll tax auditor with the state of California.

Mindy provides consulting services encompassing the complete array of human resource and payroll tax issues. These include payroll tax minimization studies, downsize consulting, payroll tax compliance reviews, and independent contractor studies. Mindy represents clients in many different industries at both the state and federal level during independent contractor and payroll compliance audits.

Now a sole proprietor, Mindy previously was the West Coast practice leader for the employment tax practice at Deloitte Tax LLP. Ms. Harada's prior employment as a tax auditor IV with the Employment Development Department, State of California, has allowed her to assist clients undergoing a payroll tax audit. She spent two years as a hearing specialist before the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, representing the EDD during the administrative appeals process.

Mindy's a frequent presenter on various employment tax topics at APA events on the West Coast and for several payroll service providers on a national basis. She has presented before the California Society of CPAs and has also spoken at several California Payroll Conferences, as well as at conferences in the Pacific Northwest and many other locations throughout the country.

Mindy holds a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in accounting from San Jose State University. She is a Certified Payroll Professional.

Laurie M. Fagundes, CPP, is a payroll industry veteran with over 21 years of payroll management experience. She holds a B.S. in business administration with an emphasis in accounting and earned her Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation in 1992.

Laurie has managed the disbursement function of large corporations, having been the senior disbursements manager with responsibility for payroll and accounts payable at Excite@Home Corporation, senior payroll manager at DHL Airways, Inc., and payroll manager at Oracle Corporation. Her areas of responsibility have included payroll tax filing in all 50 states plus the U.S. possessions.

Since 2001 she's been working as an independent payroll consultant, assisting corporations with payroll implementations, process reengineering, procedures documentation, and outsourcing.