If you were an employee of your business, ranging from entry-level to management, would things like paying for health insurance or saving for retirement be achievable with your pay alone? If not, offering benefits is a great place to start improving your employees’ quality of life.

Whether you’re a new business looking to offer employee benefits off the bat or you’ve been around and have just gotten to a place where you’re comfortable exploring this option, you might still feel a little lost with all of the options out there.

CSI Accounting & Payroll has talked to thousands of small business owners over the past 50 years, and many of them wanted to know:

• What are employee benefits?
• Why should a small business offer benefits?
• How do I start offering my employees benefits?

What does workers’ compensation insurance have in common with car insurance? Since most states require small businesses to have workers’ compensation insurance (just like car insurance), there are also similarities in finding quotes - meaning you’re generally looking for the lowest price. 

If you’re looking for workers’ compensation insurance, it might be your first time, and you’re confused about how to get started or nervous about what it might cost - or you already have it, but you’re unhappy with the cost or processes of your current carrier.

CSI Accounting & Payroll has been working with small businesses for over 50 years, so we know how many owners feel when they’re looking for workers’ compensation insurance. Our insurance partner takes the weight off your shoulders by finding you the best quote from a range of carriers.

Other small business owners whom we talked to wanted to know:

• How do I get a quote?
• What details do I need to provide to get a quote?
• How do I get matched with the best quote for me?

Have you noticed that the more often you do something, the more naturally it comes to you? You remember to get it done in that small time frame, and you remember exactly how to do it. This isn’t quite true with things that you don’t have to do as often.

Plenty of people set aside an afternoon each week to get caught up on their cleaning. However, if you didn’t get reminders in the mail to renew your driver’s license every few years, would you remember to do that?

If your small business is going through a workers’ compensation audit, you might be feeling a bit stressed out. These audits only happen once a year, so it can be easy to forget some of the steps or to let the due date sneak up on you. There comes a time when you’ll wonder if a payroll service can help.

At CSI Accounting & Payroll, we’ve been meeting with small business owners for over 50 years. We know that having one less thing to worry about each year is a bigger deal than it seems. 

Other small business owners who have asked us about workers’ compensation audits wanted to know more about:

• What is a workers’ compensation audit?
• Why do these audits happen?
• What do you do when you’re going through one?
• How can a payroll service help you through one?

Have you heard about the state unemployment tax bill that was just passed in Minnesota? (That’s the Trust Fund Replenishment bill, to be clear.) 

If you don’t work with CSI and your payroll provider hasn’t reached out yet, you probably have a lot of questions. Heck, maybe you still have questions even if you already talked with your payroll provider. The process of requesting a refund - or choosing to keep the credit in your account - can cause issues if you’re not familiar with your payroll provider’s processes for early payments and impounding taxes. 

CSI Accounting & Payroll has become very familiar with unemployment taxes over the last 50+ years. We show our clients how to do things themselves as much as possible, whereas many national providers don’t even educate their clients on how to log into their unemployment accounts. 

Small business owners whom we’ve talked to about the Trust Fund Replenishment bill so far wanted to know:

• What is this law change?
• Why was this law changed?
• How does this affect me?
• What do I need to do now?

When you own a small business, it is imperative that you find ways to save money wherever you can. It’s not a matter of want; it’s a matter of need. You take pride in doing your own sales, your own customer service... heck, you might even shovel your own driveway. That’s why it makes perfect sense to do your own payroll, right?

Maybe not. Here’s why it’s a waste of time to sit in front of a blank spreadsheet with your head in your hands. 

Starting July 1, 2017, workers in Minneapolis will accrue 1 hour of sick and safe time for every 30 hours worked, as passed by the Minneapolis City Council. The Sick and Safe Time Ordinance was created to allow employees to care for themselves and family members, "making Minneapolis a healthier, more secure, and more productive community."

As a small business owner, how will you prepare to account for this time? The following information and tips for compliance are a start.