Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Andover, MN

Minnesota Clerical, Inc. is a payroll outsourcing firm based in Andover, Minnesota, in the northern Twin Cities metro near Blaine. It works mainly with small offices and small employers that would rather hand off payroll administration completely than run it in-house. The service covers more than paychecks. The firm also takes on tax filings, unemployment tax obligations and workers' compensation coverage for a client's staff, which takes most payroll paperwork and IRS exposure off the business owner.

How the service works

Clients run on a bi-weekly schedule, and each pay period closes on alternating Saturdays. The client, or individual employees, send hours to the firm by email or fax. The client then makes a single payment covering both employee wages and the service fee, either by check or by automated funds transfer (AFT).

Employees on direct deposit receive funds on the Friday of payday week and view their pay stubs online through Sage HR. Paper checks can be mailed for anyone who prefers them. The firm says AFT, direct deposit and W-2 processing cost nothing extra.

Payroll, tax and compliance services

Because taxes and workers' compensation are built into the fee, clients get a fairly complete compliance package, including:

• Issuing payroll checks and direct deposits
• Keeping W-4 and I-9 forms and a personnel file up to date for every active worker
• Depositing employee payroll taxes
• Federal Form 941 and 940 returns, plus state and SUI filings
• Quarterly state and federal unemployment tax filings and reports
• Year-end W-2 and W-3 preparation
• State new hire reporting
• Workers' compensation insurance through the firm's own program

A key point for buyers is that Minnesota Clerical takes responsibility for unemployment tax and workers' comp coverage itself. The company says this means clients don't face rate increases when an unemployment or work comp claim is filed, and they carry no liability with the IRS for the payroll it handles. For a small practice without an HR department, this removes monthly, quarterly and annual filing deadlines from the owner's workload, so staff can focus on running the business.

Employee benefits

Alongside payroll, the firm sponsors a voluntary benefits program that client employees can join on a pre-tax basis. Its site lists AFLAC coverage, short-term disability, term life, accident indemnity, cancer indemnity and hospital confinement indemnity insurance. It also lists a Delta Dental package and BEAM dental and vision plans. This lets small employers offer staff insurance options that can be hard to arrange at their size.

The company also keeps a library of downloadable forms and a testimonials page for prospective clients. Minnesota Clerical may suit small offices in Blaine, Andover and nearby communities that want a hands-off payroll arrangement with tax handling, workers' compensation and voluntary benefits from one provider.