In this issue
2021 Year End Edition 
President's Report
As 2021 comes to a close, along with my presidency, I wanted to take the time to let you know how very much I have enjoyed leading this great chapter over the last 2 years. Together, with the Board of Directors, we strived to ensure not one RCH was missed during this pandemic. We strived to offer content, topics, and speakers that were relevant to you as a payroll professional in this challenging time. It has been an amazing experience and I truly had the opportunity to be of service.
Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support. When I looked out while speaking at the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference this year and saw so many HRAPA members in my session, it inspires and motivates me to keep moving toward my goals in payroll education and leadership within our industry.
I’d also like to give a HUGE thank you to our very own Kathy Roberts, who led our Holiday Paint & Sip Event on December 4th. We had so much fun! We are so grateful to her for lending her talent to our Chapter.
Your participation and commitment to our chapter, its mission, and the communities we serve during this continued challenging year always leaves me tearful and sincerely moved. Our Chapter is strong because of members like you!
Warmest wishes for a safe, healthy, peaceful, and enjoyable holiday season! I look forward to seeing all that can be accomplished in the New Year. May it be prosperous and filled with joy!
Incoming President's Message
Dear Members of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Payroll Association,
I am excited and grateful to serve as your incoming President. The HRAPA is a strong and vital organization focused on being your go-to resource as a payroll professional in the Hampton Roads area. We will continue to provide an enriching experience for all members. With this in mind, we welcome you to participate in any capacity and encourage you to provide feedback on our current services and educational offerings and suggestions on how we can better serve you and the community. We value your input.
As we move into a new year, I'd like to say thank you to the 2019-2021 Board of Directors for their dedication, service, and leadership over the past two years. Also, I’d like to give a special shout-out of appreciation to all our members for attending meetings, donating to our monthly charity and overall support of the organization.
In the year ahead, our organization will continue to be a tremendous resource for education, networking, and community service within the payroll profession in the Hampton Roads area. We will strive to provide more opportunities for meaningful engagement with our members and sponsors, deliver education in multiple formats accompanied by today’s hot payroll topics as well as provide professional development and outreach opportunities to all members.
Additionally, the Board will be focusing on developing a marketing strategy for the organization, increasing the number of members in the chapter, and partnering with educational institutions and small businesses to promote payroll as a profession and strategic partner.
The 2022-2023 members of the HRAPA Board and Committee Directors are:
- President Monique Rich, CPP
- Vice President Cynthia Johndrow
- Treasurer Melinee’ Cody, CPP
- Secretary Alicia Lance
- Director of Education Emily Ozmon, CPP
- Director of Membership Tiffani Gray, CPP
- Director of Community Services Alana Litz, CPP
We still have multiple board and committee positions available. Please feel free to reach out to me or any other member of leadership for more information.
Wishing you a good and successful 2022!
Monique Rich, CPP
Government News
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Wednesday, October 13 that the 2022 social security wage base will be $147,000, which is an increase of $4,200 from $142,800 in 2021. The Social Security Tax rate will remain the same 6.2%. The maximum Social Security tax employee and employers will each pay in 2022 is $9,114.
There is no limit to Medicare tax. The Medicare wages are subject to 1.45% tax rate. Excess taxable wages over 200,000 in 2022 will be subject to an extra .9% Medicare tax to be withheld only from employee’s wages.
Domestic and Election Workers
The threshold for coverage under social security and Medicare for domestic employees (i.e., the “Nanny tax”) will be $2,400 in 2022, up from $2,300 in 2021; the coverage threshold for election workers remains at $2,000 in 2022.
New Option for Uploading Form W-2 Files
In late 2021, SSA announced it has a new way to upload files for Forms W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and W-2c, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement, through BSO. Files must meet SSA’s EFW2 specifications to use the new process.
The new Wage File Upload will process an employer’s files and provide results in real-time. Users will receive a receipt right away indicating if it is a “success” or if there are “errors.” When the file is rejected, SSA will list the errors on the screen. The program will not send a Wage File Identifier (WFID) until all errors have been fixed and the file passes all edits.
SSA created a tutorial, a video, and a training PowerPoint for the process.
2022 Pension COLA
- 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) Pre-tax Contribution Limit increases to $20,500 for 2022
- 408(p)(2)(e)regarding SIMPLE elective deferrals retirement increases to $14,000
- 415(c)(1)(A) increases to $61,000
- 415(b)(1)(A) Annual benefit plan increases to $245,000
- 401(a)(17), 404(l), 408(k)(3)(C ), and 408(k)(6)(D)(ii) Annual compensation limit increases to $305,000
- 416(i)(1)(A)(i) Key employee plan increases to $200,000
- 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans age 50 or more catch-up contributions remains the same $6,500
- SIMPLE Plan catch-up remains the same $3,000
- 414(q)(1)(B) Highly compensated employee increases to $135,000
- 401(a)(17) allowed cost-of-living adjustments to the compensation limit increases to $450,000
- The compensation amount under §408(k)(2)(C) regarding simplified employee pensions (SEPs) remains unchanged at $650.
- The compensation amount under Treas. Reg. §1.61-21(f)(5)(i), concerning the definition of “control employee” for fringe benefit valuation purposes, increases to $120,000 (from $115,000). The compensation amount under §1.61-21(f)(5)(iii) increases to $245,000 (from $235,000).
- The limit on annual contributions to an Individual Retirement Arrangement remains unchanged at $6,000. The additional catch-up contribution limit for individuals aged 50 and over is not subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment and remains $1,000.
Business Standard Mileage
The IRS announced the Business Standard Rate Increase to 58.5 cents. Because of the 2.5 cents increase in the business standard mileage rate, employers reimbursing employees at the 2021 rate need to be mindful of the rate change. Employers should make sure they change to the 2022 rate for all affected travel on or after January 1, 2022. And remember that business miles driven in December 2021 that show up on an employee's expense report in 2022 are governed by the rules applicable to the corresponding 2021 mileage rate.
For vehicles put into service in 2022, cost per mile valuation method can be used only if the vehicle does not have a fair market value of more than $56,100.
Student Loans Suspension Extended
The Department of Education published its press release announcing that the student loan suspension will be extended until May 1, 2022.
Impact on Employers: Student loan restarts will be delayed until May 1, 2022. Hopefully, with this additional time, our APA Committee can work with the Department of Education and the Guaranty Agencies to positively influence that new orders are issued rather than suspension removals.
Year End Check List
Swamped with work and facing inflexible deadlines? Isn’t that always the case! Yearend has its own set of deadlines, but when you’re prepared for the tasks, the workload sure feels lighter. Plan ahead with yearend checklist
- Get necessary forms and booklets from the IRS and state and local governments
- Begin verifying employee personnel data and Social Security numbers. Check your payroll system to help you design a report to provide this data. Have managers cross-check this information with their own personnel data
- Make sure your printer is in good operating condition. Confirm that your W-2 forms print correctly.
- Have ample printer toner or ribbons, paper, and postage for mailing W-2s.
- Have zip disks or offsite cloud storage for backups.
- Have plenty of W-2 forms and window envelopes
- Keep a year-end planning calendar for tracking deadlines
Verify SSN’s and avoid Federal Fines
Companies can be fined for submitting employee names and social security numbers that don’t match SSA records. To help you avoid penalties, the Social Security Administration offers several options for employers to verify the social security numbers of their employees.
To verify up to 10 names/SSNs per screen: use the Social Security Number Verification Service. This internet verification option can be used to verify 10 names and SSNs online and receive immediate results.
To verify up to 250,000 names/SSN’s: use the Social Security Number Verification Service online system. This internet verification option can be used to verify name and social security numbers for the entire payroll database of up to 250,000 employees. The employer usually receives results the next government business day.
All employers and third-party submitters have the option to use either option, it can only be used to verify current or former employees and only for Form W-2 purposes. To learn more about the Social Security Number Verification service please refer to www.ssa.gov/employer/ssnv.htm
Backing up Payroll data
Backing up your payroll data is not only a good business practice but also the law. The Internal Revenue Service requires that you retain payroll records for four years. Eventhough the method and frequency of backups are at the discretion of the people responsible for Payroll and the IT department, it may also be worth keeping backups.
There are a few tips to consider. Eventhough the Payroll department tries to be very efficient mistakes do happen. However, in payroll, correcting that mistake may involve restoring to a previous backup. So keep in mind the more recent that backup, the less work will be needed to get back to where you were in the first place.
- Ensure that the name given to the backup is relevant. We all have done it. We back up a file and assign a name to it that when we look for the file we can’t find it because the filename was not relevant to the data. It is much easier to find a backup named pre-period end period 29 than it is to find one name mybackup11102021. It will be able to be found faster, and will easily be able to tell which file is needed
- Back up at the beginning of each payroll period, before entering any data or processing payments. That way, there is a clean back up to restore t, prior to the entry of any data or any alterations
- Back up once the payment for the employees has been set, and before actually processing the payroll.
- Back upright before processing the period end. If there is a problem with the period end, it is much simpler to restore and return the period end than it is to reprocess all of the data.
By routinely taking these simple backup stages, you will have a backup at each major stage of the Payroll process. Taking a few minutes to perform backups at critical stages during the Payroll process can mean the difference between 10 minutes of extra work and several hours.
Professional Development
How to Craft a Payroll Resume That Will Stand Out
When applying for your dream payroll job, how do you make sure you’re among the most promising candidates? Simple: Make the job easier for the person who is reviewing your payroll resume.
Payroll specialist jobs are among the hottest accounting and finance roles right now, according to the latest Salary Guide from Robert Half. But while managers want to hire skilled professionals for their payroll team, they don’t typically love the vetting process. That’s because sifting through applications can be tedious and time-consuming. How can you make your payroll resume stand out? Here are five strategies that can help:
1. You against the machine: Use the right keywords Managers are seldom the first ones in the hiring process to read job applications these days. When you submit your information, it often goes directly into an applicant tracking system (ATS), which scans your documents for predetermined keywords. For example, if SAP experience is a required qualification, the hiring manager or recruiter will search specifically for “SAP.” A resume without that keyword won’t see the light of day — not matter how long you’ve been a superuser of this enterprise resource planning software. To get past the ATS gatekeeper, make sure your payroll resume contains the right keywords. Scrutinize the job posting to figure out what terms a hiring manager (and therefore the ATS) is likely to search for. (Hint: Keywords are often the phrases listed under both “major responsibilities” and “required skills.”) After you determine which keywords you should probably include in your payroll resume, take time to incorporate them strategically. Modern ATS solutions, not to mention the human who will eventually see your application, can detect keyword stuffing.
2. Tailor your payroll resume to the job: Your payroll resume, in addition to helping you get past the ATS hurdle, should show hiring decision-makers that you have the entire package they are seeking — experience, skills and credentials. So, when crafting your resume, think critically about what the employer wants to see and make it easy for them to get all pertinent details at a glance.
A summary statement is a good place to speak directly to the manager. These few sentences should highlight your most relevant and impressive skills and accomplishments. Use active verbs and stay away from buzzwords and other jargon. Focus on the qualifications the job posting emphasizes. Also, it goes without saying that it is best practice to submit a slightly different payroll resume for each position you apply for.
3. Highlight your core payroll skills: When an employer picks up your resume, the first thing they look for is your direct payroll experience, such as:
• What payroll systems you have worked with
• What credentials you have, such as the Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation
• What industry-specific or other specialized skills you might possess
• If you are well-versed in multistate and/or Canadian payroll
• If you have completed recent coursework in taxation and regulatory compliance
Many payroll jobs are blended with other related roles, especially in smaller businesses. When applying for one of these hybrid positions, be sure to mention your skills in benefits administration, onboarding and training, administrative support, or accounting. Take advantage of the cover letter to draw attention to key aspects of your payroll resume, such as an in-demand payroll certification, and play up the breadth and depth of your industry knowledge.
4. Tout your technical abilities: The payroll function is relying more and more on cloud-based platforms. This is true not only for payroll processing but also for financial reporting and generating operational data. As such, evidence that you possess strong technology skills can help your payroll resume stand out. List all the payroll, accounting and HRIS (human resources information system) software you know how to use, especially those you have worked with most recently and extensively. What’s more, tell prospective employers how much you enjoy working with the latest payroll technology and emphasize that you are always eager to learn new systems.
5. Emphasize your soft skills: While it’s true that today’s payroll jobs can be highly technical, much of what a payroll specialist does still relates to people. There are new employees to process and possibly onboard, for example. When an employee’s paycheck has an error, it’s up to payroll to troubleshoot and resolve that issue. You also have to be able to work well with colleagues within and outside of payroll. And, of course, remote and hybrid work environments make it even more important to communicate effectively with others. Handling all of the above requires self-initiative, creative thinking, and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Many employers see bilingual abilities as a big plus, too. But don’t just list your interpersonal skills in your payroll resume; explain how you’ve used them. For example, you could describe a time when a non-finance colleague complimented you on how understandable a presentation you gave was because you tailored it to your audience and didn’t fill it with payroll-specific terms others wouldn’t know. Or, if you do speak a second language, you could offer anecdotes about how you have been able to help employees with their payroll issues when your coworkers couldn’t. Your payroll resume is essentially a marketing brochure with one core purpose: convincing a prospective employer to contact you for an interview. So, make it easy for them to choose you by “speaking” directly to them and their needs through this critical document. A final tip: Be sure to prepare thoroughly for the interview process. While skilled payroll specialists are in demand, employers are still taking time to ensure they select the best candidates. For insight into the kinds of payroll interview questions, a hiring manager might ask you, see this post.
Please contact Cynthia Johndrow, Accountemps Senior Vice President and HRAPA Membership Chair, for questions. She can be reached at 757-624-1100 or [email protected].
HRAPA Anniversary
In 2001, the Hampton Roads Chapter of APA was established to provide service for the payroll profession in the Hampton Roads area. In June 2021, the HRAPA chapter celebrated its Twentieth anniversary. The anniversary committee organized an evening event on June 10, 2021, for its Members, sponsors and invited guests to reflect on the progress of the HRAPA chapter's central role in its growth and opportunities facing the payroll professionals during the ever-changing pace of payroll laws and technology.
The HRAPA Chapter of APA was very excited to host their 20th Anniversary was held at the Paradise Club in Fort Monroe. The weather forecast for the day was 70 percent precipitation with strong winds. Members and organizers were worried that the event may be canceled. But the weather held out so HRAPA could celebrate their event. Prior to the program members came out with their swimming suit attire and enjoyed the beach. The members were greeted with welcome bags full of goodies to take home to remember the anniversary event. The 20th-anniversary program consisted of one speaker, Joscelyn Lissone, and her Mindfulness & Wellness in Today’s Payroll World” presentation. The event started with honoring the past original members with a Lei ceremony. Each one was presented a Lei and told the group why they joined the chapter. Then the current officers were introduced and presented with Leis as well.
The group then heard from their long-time supporting sponsor Michel Reilly from Rapid Pay. He explained his companies long-time support for HRAPA and all they do to support, educate the payroll professional and how the chapter continues to give back to the community.
Later on, that evening the group was entertained by John Kingy, a local magician. He memorized the audience with magic tricks and illusions. The evening program concluded with raffle drawings. If you were not there you missed a treat. There was truly magic in the air. HRAPA 20th Anniversary Committee looks forward to the payroll professionals and the community for the next 20 years.
We want to thank our sponsors for supporting our event.
Entertainment Sponsor
HRAPA Support Sponsors
Education Spotlight
As we wrap up 2021, we can reflect on how much Payroll Education we were able to provide this year. We offered several classes for FPC and CPP Certification and had two of our members pass the CPP exam. Congratulations to Abigail Pekoe and Irene Cartagena. We had wonderful speakers on a wide variety of topics from Excel to COVID to Taxation to Stress Relief at Work. A huge Thank You to all of our meeting sponsors, especially Robert Half, Rapid and That Payroll Guy- Gerard Hall. I am looking forward to all of the new topics we will learn about in 2022. We are offering CPP and FPC certification classes both in-person and virtual for 2022 and will host anyone who wants to attend the in-person class for recertification credits. Visit our website at www.hrapa.com for more information. I can’t wait to see everyone at our first in-person meeting in almost two years.
Emily Ozmon
Treasure Message
It has been a pleasure serving the Hampton Roads chapter of the APA over the past four years. During this time, I have seen the fiscal strength of the chapter become strong and solid – we should all be proud of this. I am now stepping out of the payroll world and will move forward in a new direction – commercial real estate investing and eventually retirement. Because of this, I will be stepping away from the HRAPA in 2022. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and the very best in the upcoming new year.
Virginia Merritt, CPP
Membership Information
Our Chapter was proud of all of its members through 2021 for staying focused on paying all their employees correctly as we continued to move through the COVID pandemic. We had a total of 54 members for the year. We had nine corporate memberships: Canon, HRSD, New York Times, Old Point National Bank, Portfolio Recovery, Two Titan, TowneBank, and VDOT as well as 26 individual memberships. We had new members join us this year who are working totally remoted and wanted the resources and fellowship the chapter provides. We also had new members join for the education and hope to get their FPC or CPP in the future. As your outgoing Membership Chair thank you for all your support, we hope you found value in all the meetings and events you attended. We look forward to seeing you in 2022!
Cynthia Johndrow
Birthday Celebrations
October
Alicia Johns Oct- 1
Lauren Smead Oct- 13
November
Marissa Ly Nov-4
Debbie Stoddard Nov- 18
December
Sharon Byrum Dec-6
Tiffani gray Dec-7
Stephanie Parker Dec-12
David West Dec-14
Alisa Pearson Dec-15
Charlene Watford Dec-24
Jennifer Bailey Dec- 31
Cynthia Johndrow Dec-31
Monique Rich Dec-31
Theresa Taylor Dec-31
January
Abigail Mils Jan -6
Katy Roberts Jan-10
Annette Edwards Jan-13
Joanne Carr Jan-15
Andrea Awa Jan-24
Kathryn Stephanitsis Jan-26
Teresa Austin Jan-29
February
Alana Litz Feb-17
Angela Harris Feb-19
Member Spotlight
Tiffani L. Gray, CPP currently works for Hampton Newport News Community Service Board located in Hampton, VA as the Payroll Manager. She has been doing payroll since December 2001.
Tiffani loves and enjoys payroll because she enjoys innovatively and effectively providing timely and accurate pay to the employee so that they can focus on providing excellent service to their surrounding community. She understands the payroll department must stay abreast with company policy, procedures, federal, state, and local regulations. She encourages her team to be empathic with the employees that they support. This becomes a balancing act for the payroll department to achieve high goals in providing excellent customer service.
Tiffani stays current with payroll taxes and laws by following the IRS and other regulatory agencies on Twitter, she subscribes to their newsletters and updates and follows the American Payroll Association newsfeeds closely on Social media as well.
Please visit our Member Spotlight on our website at www.hrapa.com to read more information about Tiffani Gray, CPP
2021 Virginia Payroll Professional of the Year
A very excited surprised Melinee' Cody, CPP was the recipient of the prestigious Virginia Payroll Professional of the Year. The award was announced at the first General Session at the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference in Harrisonburg, VA.
Michael Baer, of Daily Pay, whose firm was the independent judge for the award, read a synopsis of Melinee's many accomplishments and accolades from her work as a payroll profession on a local, state, and national level.
Melinee' is CEO/Consultant of Mel Payroll Service, LLC., a privately owned payroll consultant company headquartered in Newport News, VA. While employed by PenSoft, Melinee' first earned her CPP in 2000, then set the goal for her staff to earn either FPC or CPP. Her company at the time paid for the prep courses and exams. Melinee' even taught the prep courses in an interactive format. Since retiring from PenSoft in 2019, Melinee' formed her business to continue teaching the FPC/CPP prep courses online. Currently, she has had a 100% first-time passing rate. She has been a speaker for several local chapters and at the statewide conference within the past 10 years. She served in many leadership roles in the HRAPA chapter as well as maintaining the HRAPA website. And there's more, much more, to her story.
National Payroll Week Highlights
It’s amazing the amount of “magical” feats payroll professionals complete on a daily basis. Fittingly so, this year’s National Payroll Week (NPW) theme was Payroll is Magic.
As a part of the Hampton Roads Chapter’s (HRAPA) National Payroll Week celebration, HRAPA Secretary Stephanie Parker, CPP was able to obtain several cities in the Hampton Roads area.
The HRAPA celebrated by having trivia on Tuesday, Virtual Bingo on Wednesday, and Payroll Networking Meetup on Friday. During the payroll meetup, which was held at Plaza Azteca on Granby Street in Norfolk, attendees enjoyed fellowship, food, and lots of laughs.
A group volunteer event at the Habitat Restore was also organized and promotional emails were sent to members to promote the Getting Paid in America survey as a part of the NPW celebration.
National Payroll Week Proclamations from three of our cities mayors. Thank you, City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.
Payroll Crossword Puzzle
ACROSS
2. This term refers to being paid once every two weeks
8. Total amount of money earned before payroll withholdings
11. Tax credit for people with children under 17
12. Largest tax taken from an employee's paycheck
17. Amount of check often referred to as the "Take home Pay"
19. The amount of tax you must pay is called your tax _______.
20. This agency collects taxes
DOWN
1. Amount subtracted from gross pay
3. Is federal income tax mandatory?
4. Who completes the W-4 Form?
5. Electronic card that carries the earned wages on it
6. Amount required by law for employers to withhold from earned wages to pay taxes
7. Wages going directly to employee's bank account from employers
9. Most common way income taxes are filed
10. Provides retirement income for the elderly and pays for disability benefits
13. net income and the amount an employee receives after payroll
14. You should receive your W-2 by the end of this month
15. Required charges of citizens by local, state and federal governments
16. Federal Insurance Contribution Act: including social security and medicare
18. Government agency responsible for tax laws
Heath and Wellness Corner
The year is coming to a close and we have to push the last paychecks out to the employees and get ready for the new year. In the payroll department, this normally is a very stressful time of the year. Take the time to follow the tips below to relieve tension around your head, eyes, hands and shoulders hands:
Head massage. Place thumbs behind your ears and spread fingers on top of your head. Move your scalp back and forth slightly by making circles with your fingertips for 15-20 seconds
Eyes pleaser. Close your eyes. But make sure you don’t go to sleep. Put your ring fingers directly under your eyebrows, near the bridge of your nose. Slowly increase pressure for five seconds, then gently release. Repeat 2-3 times.
The palm relaxer. Lace your fingers together, leaving thumbs free. Slowly knead your left thumb into the palm of your right hand for 20-30 seconds. Then repeat on your left hand.
The shoulder soother. Put your left hand on the right side of your neck by your shoulder. Press fingers firmly into the muscle while tucking your chin in toward your chest. Exhale and hold for 10 seconds, release, then repeat on the left side.
HRAPA Board
2021 Hampton Roads APA Chapter Board
Tiffany Gray, CPP President
Jackie Kronstain, CPP Vice-President
Stephaine Parker, CPP Secretary
Virginia Merritt, CPP Treasurer
Alana Litz, CPP Community Service
Jackie Kronstain Director of Education
Monique Rich NPW Coordinator
Michele Salak, CPP Newsletter
Cynthia Johndrow Membership
