Trindor Tax & Payroll Solutions LLC

02/16/2026

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-provisions-individuals-and-workers

One, Big, Beautiful Bill provisions impacting individuals and workers.

01/07/2026

https://www.irs.gov/trumpaccounts

Trump Accounts are a historic new savings tool created under the One Big Beautiful Bill to give children in America a real financial head start.

11/03/2025

Secret #2 Automated Time and Labor Integrated with a Biometric Clock Prevents Buddy Punching to Save Your Labor Budget

There are several ways employees inflate their paychecks and buddy punching is one of the most expensive. With a buddy punching scheme, an employee clocks in for a “buddy” that is not at work. The employee may or may not arrive during the shift but will get paid for the full shift regardless of actual time worked.

A similar situation is when the “buddy” leaves early without punching out and the co-worker punches out for them at the end of the shift. The dishonest employee not only avoids a reduced paycheck, they escape any repercussions for time and attendance violations.

U.S. employers lose over $370 million a year to buddy clocking fraud. Flagrant abusers can cost their employers thousands of dollars every year.

Automated timekeeping systems prevent both buddy clocking and timecard fraud, another form of time theft. With timecard fraud, a dishonest employee falsifies punch times on paper timesheets to inflate hours worked. Because automated timekeeping platforms create digital timecards and update them in real time, employees can’t alter them without manager approval.

Let’s Do the Math for Two Types of Hours Theft

How much does employee time theft cost you? Let’s do the math for two common scenarios – buddy punching and hours padding.

The first example involves buddy punching. Two $18/hour employees each miss one 8-hour shift per month but are paid for it because their buddy clocks in for them. You would overpay $288 per month and $3456 annually. Remember, this is a conservative two shifts per month. At many small businesses, buddy punching happens more frequently.

In our second example, suppose you use paper timesheets. In your workforce, 20 employees add what they consider to be a negligible 10 minutes each day. They may record the regular shift start time though they arrive 10 minutes late, or leave early but record the actual shift end time on the timecard.

If they average $15/hour, you will end up overpaying the following:

• $250 each week
• $1000 each month
• $12,000 each year!

Any small business owner could think of a hundred better things to do with 12K each year. Increase marketing. Upgrade equipment. Hire another employee. Improve employee incentives!

Case Study: Restaurant Solves Employee Time Theft

A Los Angeles-based 30-employee restaurant added an automated timekeeping system and biometric time clock. They didn’t know that before automation, a few employees engaged in buddy punching and early clocking. The facial recognition clock made buddy punching impossible. Early punch lockout prevented employees from padding their hours by clocking in early.

The result? Total payroll costs fell by 4% with no impact on the guest experience.

If you have a small business, you are losing money to time theft. Automated timekeeping is the solution.

Interested in automated time and labor to help you save money? Call Trindor Tax & Payroll Solutions today at 608-520-7067 or email us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.ttaps.biz.

10/08/2025

Secrets of Automated Timekeeping That Save Your Company Money

Small organizations with thin margins are looking for ways to reduce variable costs to offset rising expenses and mitigate the impact of a faltering economy.

Labor and benefits are the largest line items for most businesses. Therefore, savings in this area has a big impact. And the good news is that you can do it without sacrificing the quality of your products or services.

Secret #1: Reduce Unplanned Overtime By Enforcing Punch Times With Clock Lockout and Daily Email Notifications to Keep Your Payroll Costs From Exploding

A Deloitte study of over 800 employers revealed an average of 31 unplanned overtime hours each week per company.

In some situations, it might make sense to let employees work overtime for a few pay periods. For example, if you don’t need an additional employee long-term, it may be cheaper to build overtime into your labor budget. What we’re talking about here is unplanned overtime. This is unnecessary overtime that isn’t justified by increased revenue to offset the expense.

Even a few hours of time-and-a-half can sink a labor budget for a small workforce if it happens frequently. But here’s the rub – managers are busy with competing priorities. Keeping customers satisfied and projects on track can leave little time for policing overtime.

Automated timekeeping is the first line of defense. Schedule enforcement tools increase control and time and labor reports seal the deal.

Enforce Schedules to Prevent Payroll Surprises

Careful shift planning only works if employees follow the schedule. If employees exceed authorized hours, it throws everything off balance. Schedule enforcement is the answer.

This is how it works. Employees clock in with a hardware clock, web portal or mobile app. The system tracks punches in real time and creates digital timecards. When a manager builds a schedule, they set max hours alerts for each employee and clock lockout for out-of-schedule punches. That means an employee can’t clock in 20 minutes early before a shift or punch in before the full duration of an unpaid break. (This helps with meals/breaks compliance as well.)

With clock lockout, if an employee attempts to punch in early, the clock won’t start tracking hours. The clocking portal will display a message telling the employee to wait until their shift starts.

Once you’ve defined max hours, if an employee is nearing the end of authorized hours, the system sends the manager an alert BEFORE the employee moves into time-and-a-half. This gives the manager a chance to adjust staffing to prevent expensive overtime. The manager can have the employee punch out and then pull up the scheduling module to see which team members have fewer hours for the pay period.

Use Metrics and Reporting to Make Decisions

Automated timekeeping systems generate reports which give you detailed 360° time and labor insights.

With automated daily reports, leadership and managers can make informed decisions and spot trends in the early stages. For example, you can see:

• Hours worked for all teams, shifts and locations
• Which teams, managers, or individual employees accrue the most overtime
• Employees that exceed authorized hours
• Requested and approved PTO to use for shift planning and FMLA compliance

Reporting can help you know whether job bidding is based on solid numbers and if there is adequate staffing to provide excellent customer service.

Case Study: Steel Processor Saves Money With Custom Time and Labor Reports

A 200-employee steel processing company based in Texas and Indiana needed daily and real-time reports to track multiple metrics which included:

• Employees who worked over 8 hours in a day
• Employees who worked 40+ hours each week for time-and-a-half overtime calculations
• Employees who clocked in/out at times which differed from authorized schedule

When the company found a time and labor solution with custom reports, they could see where the problems were and adjust staffing, policies and job bidding to prevent unplanned overtime, schedule creep and employee hours theft.

As a result, they reduced costs without layoffs or production slowdowns.
Interested in automated time and labor to help you save money? Call Trindor Tax & Payroll Solutions today at 608-520-7067 or email us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.ttaps.biz.

12/06/2024

Finding a reliable tax professional is a crucial step in managing your finances and ensuring compliance with tax laws. Here are some tips to help you find a trustworthy tax expert:

1. **Check Credentials**: Ensure the tax professional has the necessary credentials.

2. **Experience Matters**: Look for a tax professional with experience in handling tax situations similar to yours. This is especially important if you have complex tax needs, such as owning a business or having multiple income streams.

3. **Ask for Referrals**: Word of mouth can be a powerful tool. Ask friends, family, or colleagues for recommendations. Often, the best professionals are found through personal referrals.

4. **Interview Potential Candidates**: Before making a decision, interview the tax professional. Ask about their experience, approach to tax planning, and how they stay updated with the ever-changing tax laws.

5. **Review Their History**: Check if the tax professional has a history of disciplinary actions or malpractice. This information can usually be found through state boards of accountancy or the IRS's directory of federal tax return preparers.

6. **Understand Their Fee Structure**: Make sure you understand how the tax professional charges for their services. Avoid those who claim they can obtain larger refunds than others or those who base their fees on a percentage of your refund.

7. **Ensure Availability**: Your tax professional should be available to answer your questions or provide assistance outside of just tax season. Tax planning is a year-round activity, and having access to your tax professional when you need them is essential.

8. **Trust Your Instincts**: After meeting with a tax professional, trust your gut feeling. You should feel comfortable and confident in their ability to handle your taxes.

By following these steps, you can increase your chances of finding a tax professional who is competent, ethical, and a good fit for your financial needs. Remember, the right tax professional can not only help you comply with tax laws but also assist in maximizing your financial strategies. Choose wisely to ensure a smooth and beneficial partnership.