SmartCompliance - more than it appears.
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
For payroll tax filings and payments, including amendments, we rely on ADP to handle most of our payroll-related tax filings accurately and on time. Tax credit screening is a complete process; our ATS transmits the required data for it. We rely on ADP to handle this process fully, in a timely and accurate manner. Our internal finance tax team relies on the credit reports for our annual corporate tax process. Payment management, live checks plus direct deposit, should allow us to use payment data to determine when checks have cleared and when electronic payments are returned. The information in this area is not always available, or it's incomplete. Garnishments - we expected a full-service garnishment process with minimal involvement; however, that is not what we are experiencing. Net payroll payment and tax liability invoicing - these invoices are not always accurate, and they do not consistently match the amounts debited from our bank account. This was the only platform offered to use when we transitioned to ADP for the services we needed.
Pros
- WOTC, etc. screening and timely reporting.
- Administrator role - it's easy to add a new user.
- The quarterly statement of deposit is great when it's finally available.
Cons
- Invoicing is so cumbersome. There are several interim invoices listed without an easily identifiable status. The invoice amounts don't always match the amounts debited from our bank account. It's extremely hard to get answers related to the discrepancies. Our service rep has never fully explained an out-of-balance. When this happens, the variance is usually corrected on one or two subsequent debits. Our finance team is frustrated because we can't explain the variances.
- Employment tax amendments are never timely. It has taken up to six months to correct errors the ADP tax team made. Tax agencies always charge us misfiling or late fees. Our bank account was garnished once due to an ADP error. When we finally filed the amendment three months later, the agency refunded part of the garnishment. However, this incident cost us $4,000+.
- Why aren't all of the net payments available in Payment Solutions? We've had many times when we tried to check the status of a check or direct deposit and got a "can't find" error message.
- If the garnishment is straightforward, then the service is great. However, if the garnishment or order requires even a minor review, the process is delayed or handled incorrectly.
- It is ridiculously difficult to find a specific employment tax amendment. There should be easier ways to search than using the amendment number or scrolling through and hoping you've found the exact filing date.
Return on Investment
- Filing and paying employment tax.
- WOTC etc. employment tax credit screening.
- Garnishment interrogatories.
Alternatives Considered
CCH Central and BNA
Other Software Used
Paradox Conversational ATS, Ramp, Awardco
