Company onboarding via Console
Streamline company onboarding and payroll setup using Check Console for efficient management.
Check Console provides our partners the tooling to more easily configure their customer accounts to run payroll.
Use the Check API to create a company, its workplaces, and its employees, then use Check Console to configure company tax information and employee benefits, withholdings, and deductions.
After company and employee onboarding is complete, use the Check Implementation Spreadsheet provided within Check Console to upload year-to-date payroll information. Check will perform an audit to confirm the company’s configuration. Submit the company to Check for review, and Check will notify you of the approval status via webhook.
High-level onboarding checklist for Company-led setups with Console
- Search for the Company Name in the search bar, and click on the Company Name to enter their company profile.
- Select the option in the upper right hand side for I'll handle implementation myself to access the form to Setup payroll for this company
- Select Generate onboard link and click Onboard link. If needed select the specific step required from the employer.
- Enter the signatory First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Title, and Email. Select Generate Onboard Link and then select Copy Link.
- Once the link is copied, this link can be shared with the employer's signatory. Please note, this is a one time use link, and will only be available for use within 24 hours. A new link will need to be generated in the event the employer accesses the link and needs to add/change data. Each partner will vary in how the onboarding steps are surfaced.
- Employer to complete prompts from onboarding link: Company details, Payment method, Tax setup, and Filing authorizations.
- Once the employer completes the tasks from the onboarding link, the Setup payroll company for this company form will indicate steps 1a and 1b as complete. The partner team will need to select the option for Confirm and submit.
- This generates a ticket for Check to initiate Risk Review.
- Once Risk Review is complete, Console will display a banner for Company approved and the status will show as Live.
- The employer is now able to process payroll.
High-level onboarding checklist for Partner-led setups with Console
- First, use the Check API to create the Company, its Employees, and its Workplaces. Use the Check API to create these entities so that they exist before you move over to the Check Console.
- It is a best practice to address the enrollment profile, and particularly critical if the target company is switching to Check from a previous payroll provider. All companies switching from a previous payroll provider are eligible for a 2-day processing period
- In Console, click into the relevant company (after creating the company object via API).
- Click “Open Enrollment Profile”
- Fill out relevant information in the enrollment profile modal. When addressing the enrollment profile, please ensure you address the “... company’s previous payroll provider” field and this will ensure our team knows they are a switcher company and therefore should be granted a 2-day approval window. If the company is running payroll for the first time, leave this field blank.” Enrollment profile fields can also be provided via API.
- Next, use the Check Console to configure tax information for the company. This can be done in Console using the “Taxes” tab on the Company detail page, or on the “payroll-setup” screen for the company, under step 1.
- Configure Withholdings, Benefits, and Post-tax deductions for each employee.
- Upload YTD payroll information for every employee and contractor that’s been paid at the company this year.
- Audit the YTD payroll information to make sure that the totals computed by the company’s previous payroll provider match the totals that Check computes, to ensure that the company, its employees, and its contractors are implemented correctly in Check’s system
- Finally, submit the Company to Check for review.
- Check will either approve or reject the company, and will notify your system via a webhook.
This guide steps through the “Company Payroll Setup Workflow” in Console and how it should be done, as well as some general information and advice about the process.
Detailed walk-through of company setup
Beginning setup
After a company has been created through Check's API, the following banner will appear posted at the top of the Company and Payroll Setup pages.
The banner will show two main elements:
- Set Up information
- Collecting information from the Company (Employer)
- Adding historical payrolls.
- Submit for Review
To complete set up the dropdown in Section 1a. can be actioned to finalize any missing onboarding steps.
Choosing a signatory and signing terms of service
Below is a listed of approved signers as defined by the IRS. It is important that this information is accurate as this will be the information that appears on the company filing authorizations.
- Sole proprietorship: The individual who owns the business.
- Corporation (including a limited liability company (LLC) treated as a corporation): The president, vice president, or other principal officer duly authorized to sign.
- Partnership (including an LLC treated as a partnership) or unincorporated organization: A responsible and duly authorized partner, member, or officer having knowledge of its affairs.
- Single-member LLC treated as a disregarded entity for federal income tax purposes: The owner of the LLC or a principal officer duly authorized to sign.
ALL employers must acknowledge Check’s Terms of Service. The signatory can click on the link to view the terms of service (optional) and then check the box to acknowledge the terms of service.
Adding company details
Setting up a company requires these fields. The signatory will generally know this information without needing to collect documentation.
- Industry
- Company Type
- Company Legal Name
- Trade Name (DBA)
- Company Phone Number
- Company Legal Address
- Company Website
- Number of Payees
Setup payment
Employers have the option to link their company account with Plaid or provide raw bank account information. Plaid is the preferred method.
ALL employers must provide payment information. This is built into the flow for Embedded Setup and new businesses.
Company setup
To onboard a new company, click Go to company setup on the Companies page in Check Console.
Check will open the 5 step setup sequence. Use this window to:
- Set up Company Tax information
- Set up Employee Tax information
- Add Historical Payrolls
- Audit Historical Payrolls
- Confirm Payroll Setup
Set up company tax information
Using the Check Console to set up company tax information allows you to provide Check with the information required to calculate and remit taxes on a Company’s behalf. Tax setup is broken down by jurisdiction, including federal and one or more state jurisdictions.
Check Console will automatically list the required tax forms based on the company’s location and workforce. Click through the listed forms to configure tax information for each of the required jurisdictions.
Company federal tax information
Click the down arrow to open the Federal company tax setup pane.
Enter the company’s Federal Employer Identification Number, and select the company’s Federal Employee Withholding Frequency and Federal Employer Unemployment Frequency Codes from the pulldown menus. All fields are required.
Click Save to save your changes.
Company state tax information
Click the down arrow to review and complete any listed state tax setup information.
Required state tax information may include Employee Withholding EIN and Frequency Codes, Employer Unemployment EIN, Frequency Code, and Tax Rates.
Filing authorizations
ALL employers must sign off on their filing authorizations prior to running the first payroll. This is built into the flow for ESe and new businesses. These authorizations allow Check to make tax payments and file returns on behalf of the employer.
For Embedded Setup companies: Direct the signatory to complete the filing authorizations once setup is complete. Payroll can not be approved until this step is finished.
Set up employee tax information
After the company’s employee objects have been created using the Check API, Check Console will provide a list of all active employees within the selected company. Click through each employee’s page to enter their tax information (often provided by the employee when they were hired through forms including but not limited to the federal W4), and configure their historical benefits and post-tax deductions.
Check Console will list every employee associated with the selected company, their Name, Employee ID, and their Tax Setup Status. Click through the list of active employees to define their Withholdings, Benefits, and Post-Tax Deductions.
Note: Tax and benefits information entered here will generate the columns included in the “Check Implementation Spreadsheet” for the company, which will allow you to upload the year-to-date benefit and post-tax deductions for each employee.
To configure an employee’s tax setup, click the employee’s name.
A pane will open listing the required federal and state withholding forms and providing options to add Benefits or Post-Tax Deductions for the employee.
Use the provided fields to complete the listed options.
Employee federal withholdings
Use the pulldown menu to select whether the employee’s withholdings information came from the 2020 version of the W4 form or not, and then fill out the proper withholdings. These can include: filing status, other income, dependents amount, additional withholdings, and total allowances.
Select the Federal Income Tax checkbox to specify if the employee is exempt from that tax. Click Save to save your changes.
Employee state withholdings
Use the options provided for each listed state to select state withholdings.
Options may include the state’s filing status, personal allowances, dependent allowances, and additional withholdings.
Select the State Tax checkbox to withhold for state taxes as well. Click Save to save your changes.
Add historical payrolls
After entering employee information, use Check Console to upload historical payroll data for the company into Check. Adding this year-to-date payroll data allows Check to accurately calculate taxes and create correct quarterly/annual returns for the company.
Read more about how to add these payrolls in Console in Loading historical wages.
Run an audit
After uploading historical payroll data, use the Check Console to run an audit payroll to confirm that Check’s numbers line up with those you imported. Read more about this process in Historical Payroll Audit Report.
Confirm payroll setup
Once an audit has been completed, use the Confirm payroll setup section to ensure that the Onboard Status of the company and its employees is non-blocking. Generate a Check Onboard link for the payroll administrator at the company and for each employee listed for which the link is available.
When all ‘blocking’ onboard statuses have been resolved, click Confirm and Submit to hand the company to Check for review.
Companies with no historical payrolls will now be immediately ready to run their first payroll. For companies with historical payrolls, we’ll get back to you shortly and let you know once the company is ready to run payroll.
Once submitted, the company will go into review. There will now be two confirmations displayed on the Company tab. Check will display a timing expectation about when you will hear back from Check.
Additionally Check will display a new banner showing that This company is under review.
Reviewing statuses
Console displays the following statuses on each company page:
Company Status—This indicates a company’s lifecycle stage. Company status can be in one of 4 states: “Pending setup”, “In review”, “Live”, or “Terminated”.- Note that “Live” indicates that a company has passed review and is eligible and ready to run payroll; it does not necessarily indicate that a company is actively running payroll.
Payroll Status—This represents the completion state of tasks the partner operator or Check operator is responsible for in order to set up a company to run payroll with Check. These tasks involve uploading and auditing historical payrolls, if the company has year-to-date pay history, and setting up the company for tax payments & filings.
Onboard Status—This represents the completion state of tasks the employer is responsible for in order to set up a company to run payroll with Check. These tasks generally involve providing bank account and signing forms via the partner platform software, or alternatively, via onboard link.- Note that under some circumstances, Onboard Status can revert to a “Needs attention” state even after a company has successfully gained eligibility to run payroll. One example is if, after passing review, a company adds a new workplace in a jurisdiction that requires its own set of tax filing forms.
Company start date
A company's Start Date cannot be adjusted once they are live in Check. The process of going live means that we have activating them in our system so that we can begin depositing taxes on their behalf. If you attempt to adjust the Start Date after the company has been activated, you will receive the error message "cannot be adjusted now that the company is tax live".
If you need the change a company's Start Date, you'll need to submit a ticket to Check Support.
Roadblocks to enrollment
You may see a red banner appear at the top of the company's Console page when some action needs to be taken in order for the company to be successfully enrolled.
"Action Required: Customer must terminate with prior provider"
This banner appears when the customer has already run payrolls with another Check partner, as indicated by the customer's FEIN already existing in our system. We require that the customer terminates with their prior provider at some point before running their first payroll on your platform. If you have questions about this, please reach out to Check Support.
"Action Required: Account already exists"
This banner appears when the customer already has an account on your platform, as indicated by their FEINs matching. Customers cannot run payrolls on more than one account. This banner indicates that you should determine whether to terminate the customer’s other company on your platform, or have the customer go back and use the original company object. If you have questions about this, please reach out to Check Support.
What is “Future payrolls blocked” status?
Occasionally you may run across a status for a new company that states Future Payrolls Blocked Future payroll approval is blocked. Payrolls already approved are not impacted. There is nothing to be concerned about with this status. Check uses this status if there is a Risk or Compliance issue that needs to be reviewed. The status lets the appropriate Check team know a review is needed.
The Future Payrolls Blocked status can be thrown for a number of different reasons. Due to the sensitivity of these reasons Check cannot share out the exact cause while reviewing. Rest assured, our review time is 1 business day so this status is typically resolved quickly.
Last updated on March 31, 2024