15 Best Payroll Books to Read in 2022

You found our list of the best payroll books.

Payroll books are books that cover payroll functions like salary processing and payroll reporting. These books include Payroll Best Practices, Essentials of Payroll Management and Accounting, and Payroll Fraud Detection and Prevention Audit Expert System. The purpose of these guides is to educate the HR and payroll employees on the best practices in the payroll process and help those staff manage payroll better.

These books are similar to accounting books, bookkeeping books and tax books.

This article covers:

• HR payroll books
• payroll management books
• payroll books for beginners
• payroll books for small businesses

Let’s begin.

List of the best payroll books

1. Payroll Management by Steven M. Bragg

This read is one of the best payroll management books. The author covers departmental topics to help accountants understand payroll processing better. For instance, the book explores payroll procedures, internal controls, record keeping, and time tracking.

This book also outlines different strategies that can prevent errors and enhance efficiency when processing payroll.

The reader can also learn about US payroll regulations and how these laws affect individual salary computation. Readers should check the latest editions for current payroll requirements and regulations.

Payroll Management is suitable for payroll clerks, accountants, and payroll system providers. In addition, the book can help the readers to understand the payroll process and improve their current systems.

Learn more about Payroll Management.

2. The Payroll Book: A Guide for Small Businesses and Startups by Charles Read

This book addresses the challenges startups and small businesses encounter when setting up payroll. The author also explores solutions that payroll accountants can adopt to counter those challenges. For instance, the book identifies essential details that ensure correct payroll setup. Example topics include employee tax calculation, workweek and overtime rates, and allowances and deduction calculation.

The Payroll Book guides the reader on running the payroll effectively and processing payroll reports. The author also covers important measures like proper recordkeeping and internal controls. These measures help to safeguard vital employee details and facilitate access to payroll data.

This book can help entrepreneurs and new accountants, especially those in startups. The tips from this book enhance payroll accuracy, system setup process, and efficient payroll process management.

Learn about The Payroll Book: A Guide for Small Businesses and Startups.

3.   Payroll Fraud Detection and Prevention Audit Expert System by Titus Oniyilo

This book highlights fraud as one of the major problems companies face. The author identifies that this challenge arises from the lack of an effective system to detect and prevent payroll fraud. The book illuminates the need for an automated payroll audit to fill this gap.

This book’s design replicates a research paper and gives the reader a good perspective of the problem, factual findings, and recommendations for controlling and eliminating payroll fraud. For instance, the author suggests identifying payroll fraud using the Expert System. This automated system detects errors and prompts users to reverse the fraud and its potential risks.

Payroll Fraud Detection and Prevention Audit Expert System is recommended for payroll auditors, accountants, and risk consultants. Folks who seek to identify and prevent payroll fraud can also benefit from this book.

Learn more about Payroll Fraud Detection and Prevention Audit Expert System.

4. Payroll Best Practices by Steven M. Bragg

Payroll Best Practices is one of the most helpful HR payroll books. This book highlights some of the best practices to apply to the payroll department for efficient salary processing and accurate information reporting.

This book draws insights that guide the reader to understand the payroll function. The author examines the best practices for payroll activities like tracking work hours, calculating commissions, and remunerating employees. The book also highlights possible HR and payroll functions that the reader can improve, for example, ways to reduce payroll workload.

This read targets controllers, payroll managers, internal auditors, and employees in the HR and payroll departments. The book seeks to help these readers to identify, formulate, and apply the policies that align with the best practices at their workplaces.

Learn more about Payroll Best Practices.

5. Success In the Payroll Management Business by Vincent Gabriel

This book seeks to educate readers on utilizing payroll software to create a successful payroll process. In addition, the author of this book stresses that proper payroll management facilitates the smooth handling of HR operations.

The book also encourages outsourcing HR functions as one of the most successful ways to manage payroll. The author associates this idea with benefits like reduced costs, professional payroll advice, and an efficient payroll process. Also, a company that outsources payroll services can have minimal to zero errors because payroll experts run the outsourced functions. This idea works best for remote employees and virtual offices.

Success In the Payroll Management Business is a valuable resource for payroll clerks, managers, and payroll service providers.

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6. Payroll Accounting by Bernard J. Bieg, Judith A. Tolan

Payroll Accounting guides readers on the payroll process, including the journal, general ledger, and payroll register. The guide explains how these components facilitate payroll processing.

Major topics include salary computing and social security taxes. The authors also lay down the framework for dealing with common issues based on existing regulations and labor laws.

The book also touches on the systems that make payroll accounting easier, for example, HR and payroll accounting systems and record-keeping systems.

This book is recommended for employees involved with the payroll process.

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7. Payroll Worksheet: Comprehensive Guide to Payroll Accounts & Book Keeping Journal Daily, Weekly & Monthly Financial Tracker Employee Payroll Record & HR Financial Accounting by Jason Soft

Payroll Worksheet is among the most helpful payroll books for beginners. Example topics include how to track payment rates for the hours an employee works and general rules for salary deductions, including PAYE.

This comprehensive guide contains general information on payroll accounts and HR financial accounting to help new payroll staff understand the payroll function. In addition, the text provides detailed instructions on maintaining employees’ general expense sheets and other payroll-related bookkeeping.

This book is most resourceful for payroll accountants and clerks, and their supervisors.

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8. The Payroll Process: A Basic Guide to U.S. Payroll Procedures and Requirements by Gregory R. Mostyn

The Payroll Process contains a simplified but extensive guide to payroll management. The book’s author uses practical examples to explain concepts and advise readers on various payroll procedures.

This book covers a broad scope of payroll accounting, such as employee rights and benefits, US employment law, payroll calculation, and employee benefits. As a result, readers can gain valuable insight into payroll reporting, audits, and internal controls. In addition, the book advises on how to treat salaries for non-US employees.

The Payroll Process is ideal for all payroll staff, HR managers, and business owners. This book is also recommended for payroll students and instructors.

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9. How to Select Your Next Payroll: The Ultimate Guide By Anita Lettink

How to Select Your Next Payroll is one of the top payroll books for small businesses. This book contains important information that every business needs for its payroll solution. The author shares practical tips and guides readers on the factors to consider when choosing a suitable payroll vendor. For example, how to conduct referral checks and what to expect from the vendor.

This book covers the need for compliance, risk assessment, and security controls in the payroll process. The author highlights the importance of the information security management system, ISMS, and its usefulness in protecting payroll data. In addition, the author stresses the need to review the effectiveness of internal controls.

This book is ideal for payroll staff and suits all types and sizes of businesses.

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10. QuickBooks Payroll Manual by Sharon McCauley, Brandon Morris, Melody Wright

QuickBooks Payroll Manual is a complete payroll guide for QuickBooks users. This book simplifies the steps for payroll setup, processing, and reporting. The book’s authors also describe the steps for setting up payroll systems on a new business or when transitioning from other systems to QuickBooks.

This guide explains the payroll functions in a simple and easy-to-understand language. Readers find the book interesting and will quickly learn about the requirements of handling the payroll using QuickBooks. Since the QuickBooks system handles an unlimited number of employees, the book suits small to large businesses.

QuickBooks Payroll Manual also covers payroll tax accounting and employee compensation and provides simplified setup instructions.

This resource is helpful to companies that use QuickBooks to process payroll. Readers can also use this book to compare Quickbooks payroll to other payroll systems.

Learn more about QuickBooks Payroll Manual.

11. Payroll Answer Book by Deborah Ellis Timberlake, Patrick McKenna

Payroll Answer Book is among the most interesting books for payroll professionals. The book guides the readers to understand and comply with state laws and regulations that govern payroll processes.

The book generally addresses a broad scope of payroll issues, from legal matters to salary calculation and tax remittance. The authors also answer common payroll questions with simple but detailed information. For example, how to compute net pay, calculate taxes, and handle changes in benefits and deductions.

Payroll Answer Book also discusses the importance of direct salary deposits and payroll record keeping. In addition, Readers will know how best to treat employee leaves, independent contractors, and mergers when processing payroll.

This book is a great choice for all payroll staff and students. The content contains enough examples to answer most of the frequently asked payroll questions.

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12. Mastering Payroll: Paying Wages, Withholding, Depositing and Reporting Taxes, Correct Use of Government Forms by Debera J. Salam

Mastering Payroll describes the basic payroll management functions and coaches the reader to master those operations. For instance, this book provides a comprehensive guide to hiring and paying employees.

This read covers employee taxes like PAYE and withholding taxes. In addition, the reader will learn about tax preparation, calculation, and remittance. This book also explains the regulations that govern taxes and the different tax forms and how they apply to the payroll process.

If you want refresher material for payroll knowledge, then grab a copy of Mastering Payroll. Each chapter ends with a self-assessment quiz for the reader to test their understanding of the topics.

Payroll department staff can use this book to manage the payroll process more efficiently and comply with payroll regulations.

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13. The Payroll Source by Michael O’Toole

The Payroll Source is a rich pool of knowledge for payroll staff. The book provides essential information that helps companies to comply with federal laws and regulations. Reading this book helps folks to understand the issues that might affect payroll operations.

The author of this book explains the payroll policies, procedures, and best practices that enable smooth payroll preparation. This book answers common payroll questions and explains the concepts clearly.

The Payroll Source is ideal for payroll staff, entrepreneurs, and management. The book covers basic payroll bookkeeping, including, record-keeping, tax handling, and salary computation.

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14. Essentials of Payroll Management and Accounting By Cheryl Cox

One of the best payroll management books is Essentials of Payroll Management and Accounting. This book highlights common best practices to help readers manage the payroll function effectively and optimize payroll record keeping. The author describes these concepts with simple examples and flowcharts to make the ideas easy to grasp.

This book lays down the framework for creating a winning payroll management system. The information on this resource can help readers to identify and apply different setups for outsourced or in-house payroll systems.

Readers will also learn the importance of obtaining payroll information and classifying them into personal folders and subclasses. The book guides the readers on how to organize and use this information for easier payroll accounting. In addition, the book explores different internal controls useful for payroll processing.

This book is a perfect guide for startups and new employees in their payroll departments.

Learn more about Essentials of Payroll Management and Accounting.

15. Certified Payroll Professional Exam Secrets Study Guide By CPP Exam Secrets Test Prep Team

This book is an elaborate guide to the Certified Payroll Professional Exam. The book uses a question-answer approach to help students understand the payroll concepts and how to answer exam questions.

Certified Payroll Professional Exam Secrets Study Guide includes core payroll concepts, paycheck calculator, payroll process, and an overview of the Certified Payroll Professional, CPP, Exam. The readers will also learn about choosing the perfect payroll software for different business needs and the importance of backing up information.

This guide also provides insights for payroll administration and management, data security, and fraud detection.

This book is among the best choices to prepare students for the Certified Payroll Professional, CPP, test.

Learn more about Certified Payroll Professional Exam Secrets Study Guide.

Conclusion

Payroll accounting is a crucial but sensitive part of the HR function. The payroll process can be daunting and full of errors without good guidance. These resourceful payroll books give professionals the skills to make payroll processing more accurate and seamless. In addition, readers can get valuable guidance to avoid costly errors and messy books, and learn useful techniques for easing the workload and enhancing accuracy in payroll reporting.

Next, check out this list of the best payroll software, these top tax software tools, and these software for bookkeeping.

We also have a list of accounting tools for business and one with the best PEO companies.

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