Direct deposit is a more efficient, safer, greener, and less expensive way to pay employees than paper checks. This guide will walk you through implementing direct deposit for your business.
Start by collecting the necessary information from your employees. Typically, this involves their bank account information and written authorization. Then, upload this data into your payroll software or HR system.
Identify Your Needs
Direct deposit is more than just convenient for employees and saves the company money by removing expenses related to cutting checks and paying for postage. Additionally, direct deposit eliminates the risk of lost or stolen checks. The first step to setting up direct deposit is identifying your needs and choosing a service provider. You’ll then need to provide the provider with the information from each of your employees’ direct deposit authorization forms. Depending on your service provider, this may be done automatically through your payroll system, or you might need to enter the data manually. If you’re working with a service provider that requires manual entry, create a payroll processing schedule to ensure the information is entered in time for the payments. It’s also important to communicate with your employees when they can expect their paychecks. It will help alleviate any concerns regarding unexpected circumstances, like bank closures or bad weather, that could delay delivery of the check.
Select Your Payroll Provider
When implementing direct deposit, businesses can work with a financial institution directly or utilize payroll software that has the functionality. Both options come with costs. However, some payroll services have the cost of running direct deposits included in their initial pricing structure. Choosing the right provider depends on how much hands-on involvement you want in payroll and your budget for a solution that manages all aspects of running payroll and paying employees accurately. Look for a provider that offers compliance management, which will ensure that tax deductions are calculated correctly, and penalties do not occur.
Once you’ve selected a provider, they will walk you or your HR team through the direct deposit registration process. This process typically includes collecting an employee’s bank account information, submitting a voided check and running test transactions. It will help you avoid delays or issues with your direct deposit and ensure your employees’ payments are processed accurately. It will also reduce your business’s environmental impact, as you eliminate the need to print and deliver physical checks.
Collect Information from Your Employees
Whether you’re running payroll in-house or working with an outsourced provider, direct deposit can significantly reduce the time spent preparing paychecks and getting them into employees’ hands. It can save you a lot of hassle, money (like stopping payment charges levied by banks or lost checks), and headaches, especially if you’re paying hourly workers. The first step to setting up direct deposit is obtaining your employees’ bank account information and written authorization. It is usually done through your business bank or payroll software that offers direct deposit functionality.
Once all the necessary information is in place, your bank or payroll service can send ACH files to the receiving banks, which then credit the employee accounts with the deposited funds. This process ensures your employees receive their paychecks accurately, on time, and without potential loss or theft. It can lower the possibility of payroll errors while enhancing employee satisfaction and morale. It can also eliminate the need to reissue checks and make duplicate payments due to mistakes or processing delays.
Upload NACHA Files
The benefits of direct deposit are significant for both small and large businesses. It improves cash flow management, reduces stress in the workplace and offers more security than paying with paper checks. However, there are some costs associated with using this payment method. These fees should be weighed against the cost of printing and mailing checks, which can add to a lot of money over time. To send an ACH payment, you need to create a NACHA file. These files contain the required information for an ACH transaction and follow specific standards to ensure your remittances are executed quickly and accurately.
A NACHA file contains several types of records, including the ACH batch header, entry detail, and entry summary records. There may also be an optional Entry Detail Addenda Record, which contains additional data relating to the previous entry detail record and is primarily used for CCD+ and CTX transactions, which are corporate-to-corporate payments. Most Accounts Payable teams use payment automation software to create a NACHA file for batch ACH payments. These tools convert Excel data into a work file and then a NACHA file to be uploaded to the bank for execution.
Schedule Payments
Once all the data is entered, processed and uploaded by payroll services or bank systems, it’s time to schedule payments. It is generally done a few banking days before the pay date so that there is time for the system to approve the transfers and complete a risk analysis. Using direct deposit can help businesses save money in several ways. It reduces the cost associated with paying employees through paper checks (printing, writing, signing, and stuffing the paychecks into envelopes) as well as other costs related to processing payroll, such as reissuing lost or stolen checks, stopping payment charges levied by banks, and investigating missing or inaccurate checks. It also helps reduce the time spent on payroll-related tasks, such as preparing employee paychecks and collecting required tax forms. It frees up business owners’ valuable time to focus on running and growing the company.