According to the U.S. Small Business Association, small businesses employ 59.9 million people in the U.S. Businesses have many reporting and withholding responsibilities to the Internal Revenue Service, their state tax department and, in some instances, local government authorities.

Businesses also have duties to provide their employees with detailed information concerning payment for work performed, taxes withheld, and more. Employers also need to file a Wage and Tax Statement (W-2) for each of their employees. This form will assist the employer in calculating tax withholdings from their employee’s wages.

When an employer pays their employee, they need to provide their employee with a check stub aka pay stub. If you’re new to having employees or new to handling payroll, you may be wondering “What is a check stub and what does it need to show?”

Let’s answer those questions.

What is a Check Stub? 

A check stub should accompany each payment to an employee to show how the employer calculated the amount they are being paid. Check stubs provide the employee with an opportunity to check the employer’s calculations and bring any errors to their employer’s attention. 

What Do Check Stubs Need to Show?

Check stubs should to identify the individual employee being paid and include sufficient information to fully inform an employee regarding each payment of wages or salary. Not all check stubs will include the following information, but this is a list of items that commonly listed.

Employee Identifying Information

A check stub should include the employee’s full name. It can also include the employee’s address and social security number. 

Date Paid

Check stubs should show the date the employee was paid. This is the date the check is written or the date of the direct deposit.

Pay Period

The pay period should be listed on the check stub. Businesses pay their employees on different schedules. Such as, be daily, weekly, every other week, twice a month, or monthly.

Gross Pay

Gross pay is the total amount an employee earned during a pay period. 

For hourly employees, list their hourly rate and the number of hours worked. If they worked overtime, list the hours worked and the overtime pay.

For salaried employees, list the portion of their salary they have earned. This can be calculated by dividing their yearly salary by the number of payments they receive per year. For example, if they get paid monthly, divide their yearly salary by twelve.

If you’re paying your employee a bonus, specify it as a bonus and list it in the gross pay section of the pay stub along with the amount.

List of Deductions and Contributions

Employers must deduct federal, state and (sometimes) local taxes from their employee’s wages. Also, list the amounts your business pays for federal and state unemployment tax and FICA taxes. 

The folks at PayStubs.net also encourage you to list all the other deductions and contributions made. For example, for the health insurance premiums and retirement accounts, and whether they were made by the employer or the employer. 

Net Pay

Net pay is the amount the employee receives from their gross pay after calculating all the deductions. 

Providing Check Stubs Makes Good Business Sense

Understanding the answer to the question “What is a check stub?” and providing the necessary information to your employees will help you communicate better with them about their earnings. It also makes your job easier because employees can review their check stub rather than having to ask for details in person.

If you’re looking for other great business articles, you can find more of them on our website. 

Safety is something people possibly prioritise a lot more when they have a family. This is because you may see one of your sole responsibilities as keeping them safe. It isn’t always within your control what happens, especially when you’re on the road. You can only try your best to drive as safely as possible and make sure you minimise distractions while driving. In an unfortunate event that your family is in a car crash, you should know what the next steps to take are. Keep reading to find out what to do if they are ever in one.

Secure the Area

As soon as you get into a car crash, you need to secure the area. If you don’t know how to do this, read some tips below.

1. Turn the Engine Off: It is an offence to drive away from an accident. So, make sure to stop the car as soon as you get into an accident, turn the engine off, and switch your hazard lights on as soon as you get a chance.
2. Check That Everyone is Fine: Check that everyone in the car is okay and make a note of any injuries you notice. This is key as other people in the accident could try and claim for injuries.
3. Try and Stay Calm: An accident can be a traumatizing experience for everyone involved. In order not to make matters worse, staying as calm as possible is a must. Take deep breaths and avoid losing your temper the best you can.

Call Authorities

It’s important that you call the police and/or ambulance if anyone is hurt and the road is blocked. Before they arrive, you shouldn’t admit responsibility or apologise for anything that has happened. If you do, you could be held liable even if you aren’t at fault.

Collect Information

After an accident, you want to collect as much information on the spot as you can. This is going to be vital information that your insurance provider can use to determine who is at fault. Here are a few pieces of information that you should collect ideally.

1. Contact Details: Make sure you give your name and address as well as collect that of the other person involved in the accident.
2. Insurance: You and the other driver should exchange insurance details with one another. The person at fault will end up having to use their insurance provider to compensate the victim, so don’t miss this out.
3. Evidence: Collecting as much evidence as possible will help you build your case when it comes to insurance. Be sure to get the contact details of any passengers or witnesses. You should also take pictures and note any details that could be used.

If the accident wasn’t your fault, you should also be looking into getting compensation. If you visit the-compensation-experts.co.uk, you’ll find information regarding how to speak to a professional about your case and get the right advice.

Talk About the Experience

After you’ve had an accident, it’s important that you discuss it as a family. Everyone deals with such experiences differently, so you want to be sure nobody is battling with internal traumas. Perhaps consider going to see a therapist as a family if you notice dramatic changes in behaviour and a reluctance to discuss the event.

Now you are 30, hurray. To many, it is not such a big deal. However, it is. From here on, you understand that your youth is over, and if you spent it right, then you will not have any regrets.

Life is about lessons, anyway. At 30, you have more responsibilities than when you were in your 20sl. For instance, most people marry at this age; therefore, you have to do everything to ensure that you have a good career, that you have a good family, and that you take responsibilities a bit more seriously.

Since you are aging, your body could bring in some complications if you do not emphasize on living right. Your body becomes sensitive; thus, you have to ensure that you live healthily. How would you ensure that you develop no complications at this age?

Here are some tips that could help you live longer.

1. Develop healthy relationships

By now, most of you have a spouse. According to statistics, divorce is one of the most painful experiences you can face. Divorcees will never want you to go through it.

Therefore, to avoid problems that could lead to depression, take the relationship seriously. Prioritize it, embrace those that you love, respect them, and do everything to ensure that that relationship never gets to the point of divorce.

Additionally, prioritize family and people who are close to you.

2. Sign up for a gym

Most people feel that they no longer have the energy to do certain things. For instance, you may think that since you are no longer a youth, you do not require to go to a gym.

Nonetheless, going to the gym does not have age restrictions. By now, if you do not prioritize working out, then it is possible that you have a belly and love handles, which is a sure sign that you are unhealthy, rather than old.

As you exercise, you are building a foundation for your body. It will remain strong; therefore, you will be useful both at work and at home.

3. Stay away from drugs

Alcoholism is a problem that has adverse effects on your health. For instance, people who drink too much wine cannot be productive if they do not get a sip of a glass of wine.

In addition to that, beer tends to develop bellies, which can be challenging to eliminate especially at this age. My advice for you is to stay away from drugs as much as possible. They are harmful and could injure your relationships significantly.

For the addict, seek a professional counselor to help you with strategies on how to quit drinking. Recovering addicts, by the way, show improvement in skin texture as soon as they change their drinking habits.

4. Manage your diet

The one thing that you will have to fight with all your might is gaining weight. It is not easy to maintain your weight.

As a way to ensure that you live healthily, manage your diet correctly. Eat from home and avoid junk at all costs. Junk food is a significant contributor to weight gain. Cook your food, which is suitable because you can watch over how much fat and carbs you ingest.

Be strict on a diet and avoid skipping meals. Irregular intake of meals can also contribute to weight gain. Always take enough water on a daily basis.

5. Have enough sleep

Sleep is an integral part of growth not only for kids but adults as well. At this age, people want to give their career all they have.

The pressure may cause some of them to be sleepless. However, that could also contribute to illnesses. Six to eight hours of sleep in a day is enough to maintain productivity. It also helps in the building of muscles if you are working out frequently.

Individuals who get enough sleep also enjoy work hours, which increases productivity in the workplace.

Finally:

Remember that you are aging. What you do now could have a significant impact on your health during your later years; therefore, take care of yourself.

 

You’re constantly in a hurry, late with everything, have so many things to do and don’t really have time for yourself? There are so many things you have to do, that you don’t have time to do what you want to? Well, join the club. With this new (or not so new anymore) pace of life in the fifth gear, more and more people are facing the same problem.

Feeling like a hamster in the wheel or stuck on a treadmill, that was my personal impression, at least. But there has to be a way to at least alleviate the situation and “steal” an hour, maybe even two, from all your daily obligations and enjoy your personal time.

Go To Work on Foot or By Bike

Of course, depending on how far your work is, this may not always be possible, but maybe you could apply this at least on one part of your route. In any case, cycling will help you avoid the traffic jams and all the waiting, and will also enable you to stay fit. So if you’re not managing to find the time to hit the gym, this could be an excellent way to hit two birds with one stone.

I used to do it for a while since I had the opportunity, and it really did help me to stay in shape, to stay focused, to come to work fresh, awake and calm, without having to sacrifice additional time on going to the gym or exercising at home. It’s not an ideal exercise, but it’s definitely more than the prescribed minimum, and it when you break it down, it can turn out to be a real time and life saver.

Get a House Maid

How much time do you normally spend cleaning up your place? You just finish tiding up, and within half an hour, there’s the mess again. You might think it doesn’t pay off, that it will be just an additional cost, but it’s worth all the time and energy it will save you. You can opt for a maid agency like https://www.deluxemaid.com/, which guarantees for their employees and their trustworthiness. Or you can hire an individual with a proven track record, and ideally recommended to you by a friend.

If, however, this is really not an option for you, try to organize better, to clean on the go, using the opportunity while you’re doing something else, or waiting for something, to clean what you can, and in that way prevent chores from piling up. For instance, you can clean a part of your bathroom while you’re waiting for the hair conditioner to soak in. In any case, the idea is not the let the chaos become too big, as it will then take a serious chunk of your time to fix it.

Plan Your Meals In Advance and Cook In Bulks

Instead of spending hours trying to decide what you’re going to cook, and then spending more hours in the kitchen, try and plan ahead. It happens to me that sometimes I can’t decide what to order for half an hour, not to mention cooking. So make it a 10-minute task every Sunday evening to prepare a list for the week.

Or even better, try to bulk-prepare your food for the whole week. It might take a bit of your weekend time, but it will pay off in the overall breakdown. Try with pot meals which are really convenient in this case. They don’t require too much of your effort, or time, once you put them on the stove, there’s not much you need to do except occasional steering. Of course, there are other options and meals, but in case, this approach can really help you save time.

To contact Deluxe Maid
1308 Central Ave #105, Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 721-1105

 

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It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the fishing gear available, and you could end up bringing stuff you won’t need. If you’re new to fishing there’s no need to splurge as you’re better off with the basic stuff. Here are the four pieces of equipment you cannot do without.

Reels and Rods

You need to have the best fishing reels and rods, period.  You don’t need the most expensive, but rather those that match your experience, capability, the location and the type of fish you want to catch.

If you’re a beginner, go with a spincasting reel that is capable of handling fish up to 20 lbs. Rod length matters too, as the longer the rod the longer you’ll be able to cast. For small individuals, a 5’6” rod is ideal, while others may be more comfortable with 6’ 6” rods.  

Fishing Hooks

You will need small hooks for live bait as they’re easier to work with. For crappie and panfish, you’ll want to go with hooks size 6. For large fish like catfish and bass, you’ll want size 1 hooks.

These hooks are available in different shapes, but circle is the best as they don’t get stuck in the mouth of the fish. Instead, these stick in the fish’s mouth. This makes it easy for you to remove the hook. Another advantage is the hook doesn’t need to be set as the hooking starts when you reel the fish in.

Fishing Line

Monofilament fishing lines are known for their durability. They are versatile and easier to handle compared to other types of lines. For trout, crappie, panfish and similar fish, a 6 to 8 lb. However, you will need a 10 to 12 lb. test for bigger fish like walleye, catfish, and bass. The word ‘test” by the way, refers to the durability of the line.

Baits

Baits are divided into two types, live and artificial.

There are many types of live baits you can use like shrimp, crab, small fish and other types of crustaceans. But these can be expensive for beginners. Worms are cheaper and they work great for most fish. Hotdog bits, grubs, bread, or corn are also good baits.

You can get worms in your garden or pick up some bugs and use those instead.  Put the worms in a cool container so they won’t die on the way to the fishing area. As for shrimps, crabs and the like, they don’t have to be live bait to be effective. Just make sure they’re still fresh or have been cooled, otherwise, the fish won’t come.

As for artificial lures, there are hundreds to choose from including spinners, jigs, poppers, plugs spoons, crankbaits and so on. Just pick a few and see which ones work best.

Conclusion

There you have it, the four must have items for your fishing gear. These are very easy to obtain and they’re inexpensive too. Just remember that even if you have the best gear, they’re only a means to an end as you must still be patient and choose the right fishing spot.  

 

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Health and safety regulations have been through quite a rapid transformation in the last few centuries. As beautiful as old houses can be, it’s important to remember that they weren’t built with the same risk assessments in mind as they are now. Consequently, certain materials used then have since been found to be extremely hazardous to human health. Here are some of the dangerous materials that could lurking in your home, and how you can get rid of them.

Lead paint

Before people started realising lead was poisonous it was used in everything, even paint. When ingested, lead can get into the bloodstream and travel to the brain causing intellectual disabilities and behavioural problems as well as headaches and nausea. It is especially dangerous for children, who may decide to curiously put a bit of flaked lead paint in their mouth. When discovered the best cause of actions is to strip all the walls. Thankfully, most properties have already been stripped of lead paint, but there are still some homes out there that remain untouched.

Lead piping

The Victorians used lead pipes to pump water around. Most utility companies have made it their mission to get rid of lead pipes. If a piece of lead flakes off, it can get into the water supply and potentially poison a whole family. If you live in an old house, make sure that it has had its piping replaced.

Old wiring

Most old wiring is still safe to this day, however house with the very first form of wiring – ‘knob and tube’ – should be fixed. Whilst the wires themselves are generally nothing to worry about, the insulation used in knob and tube wiring was primarily rubber, which crumbles over time. Most are now starting to crumble leaving exposed wires that can cause electrocution and fires if not attended to. Other old forms of insulation have also been known to crumble, so its best get an electrician around to check your old home if you haven’t already.

Asbestos

This durable, fire-proof material was hailed as a miracle product when it first came on the market. Unfortunately, it has since been discovered to be incredibly toxic, crumbling asbestos causing small shards that when inhaled can cause deadly lung cancer. There are many companies such as PROAS that specialise in the careful removal of asbestos. If you have a suspicion that you may have some in your property make it an emergency to get it removed.

Pressed wood

Pressed wood was a big fashion statement in the 70s, but has since been found to be highly toxic. Urea formaldehyde – the glue used to press the wood together – has been known to give off poisonous fumes when in hot or humid conditions. These fumes can cause difficulty breathing and asthma attacks, and have been reported to cause cancer in animals. So ditch that pressed wood table!

If you’ve spent a long time living in a rented property, you are probably counting down the days until you can move into a place of your very own. When the day finally comes, you’ll realise that there is no better feeling than getting the keys to a home that is truly yours. It can provide a more stable place for your children to grow up in, and on the whole, it usually works out a lot cheaper too. Owning property is an investment, and this is why people buy at some point during their twenties or early thirties. But before you can start decorating your new pad, you need to do one thing first: and that is move out of your rental property. It sounds relatively simple, but unfortunately, landlords can often be very picky about the condition you leave the house in. Some are even rogue, and will try and take money off your deposit by claiming that internal damages were caused by you (even if they were already there when you moved in). If you’re about to move out of rented property once and for all, here’s how you can ensure that you get your full deposit back.

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Hire the professionals

If you’ve been super careful with your rented house or apartment all year round, it can be really annoying to end up damaging it on the day you move out. A lot of people accidentally damage their properties when they are moving items out of it, especially heavy, bulky items like tables and sofas. This could be knocking over something that came with the house and breaking it, or scraping paint off the walls. In any case, it is always best that you hire Professional Movers who will be able to provide a seamless operation.

Clean like crazy

Even if your rented property was dirty when you arrived (common amongst rogue landlords), you will be expected to clean it when you move out. This may take at least a day to complete, so it’s best that you set aside a couple of days for the move in its entirety. That way, you have one day for packing up your stuff and another for carrying out a deep clean. Don’t leave any stone unturned – clean under beds, clean skirting boards and make a real go of the bathroom and kitchen. It can also be worth replacing anything that’s faulty and relatively inexpensive, such as light bulbs. It might seem trivial, but it’s something your landlord could pull you up on.

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Dispute any unfair claims

In most cases, the landlords will take a certain amount of money off your deposit before giving it back to you. Some of these may be due to general wear and tear. But, if you think you have been swindled out of cash, it’s important to dispute it. Taking an inventory when you originally move in and presenting it at this point can help you fight your corner. If your landlord won’t budge and you are missing a large amount of money, you may want to consider taking the case to a tribunal or to a small claims court.