Payroll Processing: Challenges & Solutions
6 Critical Challenges of Payroll Processing
·        Coordination with multiple teams
The time office team spend endless hours providing information to the payroll and subsequently to finance departments. Even employees give tax-saving records, also expense details for reimbursement. Compiling everything on time, every time takes a lot of work. If the task appears daunting, especially while multitasking, that is to be expected.
·        Staying compliant with payroll laws
Businesses are required to handle all required paperwork and remittances on schedule. Central and State government laws including the Provident Fund, Professional Tax, Labour Welfare Fund, and Shops and Establishment Act, factories act must be considered while calculating taxes for Indian firms. These businesses could suffer a significant disadvantage if there is a problem with tax remittance or if the components are calculated incorrectly.
·        Caring for employee morale
Employees expect to get paid on time for their time and work. Indian payroll teams must collect investment declarations and proof accurately to avert tax-related issues. Sometimes, even a small paycheck error can demoralize people and diminish their trust in the company. As per a survey, almost 44% of the employees considered leaving their employers because of incorrect payments due to manual errors of the payroll team. Paychecks made using spreadsheet can leads to manual errors if not watched carefully while preparing.
·        Dependence on legacy methods
Calculating labour hours manually either using paper and a pen or even spreadsheets leaves room for error and wastes a lot of time. Physical documents could get lost. Every type of organization has issues that are not entirely solved by the spreadsheet-based payroll system. This is due to the fact that not all businesses employ personnel who are spreadsheet experts.
·        Maintaining data confidentiality
Payroll information includes incredibly private information about businesses and their employees. Since data is now a valuable resource, its confidentiality is under greater threat than ever. How is complete confidentiality feasible to guarantee? What happens if the incorrect endpoints receive this data? In addition to costing businesses a lot, it puts tremendous stress on management and personnel.
·        On-time payroll processing
Processing payroll on time and paying employees on the due date every month can be stressful for the time office as well as the payroll team if the process is manual or even semi-automatic.
 Top 2 Solutions to Minimize Payroll Challenges.
1. Payroll outsourcing
Payroll's rise from eighth to third place on a list of HR areas best suited for outsourcing was one of the survey's most striking findings. Most businesses rely on third parties in some capacity or are willing to do so. Improves team spirit by outsourcing payroll, you spare your employees the stress that comes with dealing with unforeseen circumstances. The opportunity that outsourcing affords them to add additional value while performing routine HR functions is equally essential.
Enables a fresh method of operation Cloud-based solutions can let decentralized HR teams manage payroll data from any location. Integration capabilities with other modules can promote greater efficiency throughout the HR department.
Ensures strict compliance Companies may find themselves in a bind if they lack sufficient legal knowledge or a subject matter expert is unavailable. Accessing professionals that can advise the business on the procedures and best practices to be followed through payroll outsourcing.
Reduces expenses although having a team of payroll officers on staff is convenient, there is a monthly wage cost commitment. A hard decision to make. Paying a monthly fee to a payroll company and outsourcing your duties is a wise choice!
Outsourcing payroll frees up team members to work on more strategic initiatives like hiring, training, development, and HR data analytics. This not only makes it possible for them to produce long-term value but also gives them chances to excel.
2. Payroll automation
Spreadsheets may be used by smaller businesses to handle payroll. However, because of the advantages listed below, businesses of all sizes should think about a payroll automation solution. Increased effectiveness Payroll is a continuous operation, thus processing speed and accuracy are crucial. Automation eliminates human effort, which saves time. It also lowers costly errors while protecting sensitive data.
Staff self-service when payroll is automated, employees can do a lot more things on their own, including mark attendance remotely, apply and approve leaves, download their pay slips, and submit investment declarations…. etc. and many more.  As a result, the HR/payroll team has more time to devote to duties that have more added value. Easier adherence Payroll solutions are frequently coded with the current laws that must be adhered to. Otherwise, businesses that use them would develop non-compliance problems and the potential for fines.
In Conclusion
The payroll administrator must plan the payroll process step by step in order to guarantee an effective payroll administration procedure. However, given the complexity of the overall process, difficulties are unavoidable.
Either hiring a payroll specialist or outsourcing the procedure is the answer. If the latter is the desired option, the person needs access to the appropriate payroll solution. When selecting a payroll system, it's important to take compatibility, usability, and accessibility into account.