Runbook

Provider switch review

Switch payroll without carrying forward a mystery.

A mid-year payroll switch is only as clean as the prior-provider record. Runbook reviews the wage, tax, deduction, liability, and filing evidence before cutover so the next system starts with defensible facts.

SWITCH PACKETCutover readiness
YTD wagesimport-ready / gap
Tax accountsactive / pending
Depositsmatched / missing
Deductionsmapped / unresolved
Year-end risklow / review

What gets reviewed before the switch.

The goal is not a generic migration checklist. It is a record that says which payroll facts can safely carry forward and which still need proof.

01

Prior-provider totals

YTD wages, withholding, employer taxes, deductions, reimbursements, benefits, and liabilities by worker and jurisdiction.

02

Tax account posture

Federal, state, and local account ids, filing frequencies, deposit schedules, agency access, and registration gaps.

03

Open corrections

Late facts, voids, manual checks, amendments, reversals, unresolved support tickets, and off-cycle payrolls.

04

Year-end continuity

W-2 readiness, wage-base continuity, benefit caps, fringe records, and what the new provider must inherit.

The cutover packet.

Each section gets a status label so the buyer and advisor can separate usable evidence from assumptions.

1Source inventoryRegisters, paystubs, tax filings, deposit records, agency notices, and provider exports received.
2Carryforward factsWorker and company values ready to enter the next system.
3ConflictsAmounts that disagree across exports, filings, notices, or provider reports.
4Missing evidenceDocuments needed before the new provider should trust the import.
5Advisor questionsIssues that belong with a CPA, bookkeeper, provider, or agency representative.
6Cutover decisionProceed, narrow scope, hold migration, or run a correction review first.

Where Runbook is different.

A switch review should not be blind trust in a provider export.

Switch concernNormal handoffRunbook review
YTD importUpload totals and hope they reconcile.Trace totals to source reports and label assumptions.
Tax noticesForward PDFs to support.Bind notice periods to deposits, filings, and payroll facts.
CorrectionsPatch current data.Preserve the original run and document the delta path.

Switching payroll mid-year?

Review intake is paused. Use the public checklist to inspect the required record before sensitive documents move.

See review status