---
title: What to settle before your first payroll | MEB Tax & Accounting
description: The decisions and details a small business owner can settle before running payroll for the first time, so the first pay day goes smoothly.
---

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# What to settle before your first payroll

October 1, 2026

Taking on your first employee is a big step for a business. It also starts a routine that repeats every pay period: working out pay, withholding taxes, paying them over and reporting it all. The first payroll goes more smoothly when a few things are settled before it.

## How often you will pay

Weekly, every two weeks, twice a month or monthly. Some kinds of work come with rules about how often people must be paid, so ask us before you settle on a schedule.

## How you will pay

Direct deposit or paper checks. Direct deposit needs each employee's bank details, which should be collected and stored securely, and never sent by email.

## What each new employee fills in

Ask us which forms each new employee needs to complete. Keep the completed forms in a secure place, separate from your general files.

## Your accounts with the tax agencies

Running payroll involves accounts with the federal and state tax agencies. If you are not sure whether your business has them set up, ask us before you pay anyone.

## Who does what

Decide who tracks hours, who approves them, and who sends the payroll details each pay period. If we run your payroll, we agree on these details together before the first one.

## Keep payroll records together

Pay stubs, payroll reports and each employee's forms belong in one place. The quarterly reports and the W-2s at the end of the year are prepared from them.

Our [payroll service](https://staging.mebtax.com/services/payroll) covers payroll processing, withholding tax submissions, quarterly reports, and year-end W-2s and 1099s.

This article is general information, not tax advice for your situation. For help with your own return or business, [send us a request](https://staging.mebtax.com/contact#request) or call [914-556-6860](tel:+19145566860).

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