feel free to give us a call  512-643-4173

512.643.4173

feel free to give us a call at 512-643-4173

Ellen Decareau
Ellen Decareau

Meet Paperwork Pest, the 'Tedious' Small Business Monster

Updated:
October 14, 2022

And 2 Types of Paperwork Small Business Owners Should Always Save

When the internet age arrived, Paperwork Pest was worried that his skillful talent to annoy and frustrate small business owners would fade. Ah, but he has only gotten stronger. 

Many paper documents have been replaced with online versions, and that convenience has somehow made the paperwork multiply. Small business owners build a paperwork mountain quickly – from payroll management and processing forms to business filings to benefits and HR management documents. It’s a lot.

If you’re a small business owner, you know exactly what excites this monster:

  • The sound of a small business owner’s printer and scanner
  • Complaints regarding that printer and scanner (which never seems to work consistently)
  • Forms for forms (the longer, the better)
  • Anything from the IRS or a state agency

What can small business owners do?

How to Fend Off Paperwork Pest

If you’re tired of paperwork, and the processing that comes with it, there is hope. You can offload a lot of it to a professional employer organization (PEO) like Decent, which specializes in the back-office work that goes into running a business. Decent revels in paperwork-related tasks like benefits, payroll, and HR.

So, What Paperwork Should Small Business Owners Keep

Most documents, files, and forms that small businesses need can be downloaded and stored. The big issue for most small business owners is figuring out what you need and what you can trash.

Here are two types of paperwork you should always keep:

1) All the tax stuff   The IRS will communicate primarily via postal mail. Make sure to keep these letters. Scan and store them as soon as you receive them. Also, store all communication you send to the IRS and state agencies including your tax returns and tax filings.

2) Checks and bank deposits Bank statements don’t always include a copy of the check or deposit slip. (They also don’t always keep this information for long.) If that’s true for your bank, best to download this information at the end of the year and store it, just in case.

Fending off the Paperwork Pest and other Small Business Monsters is Decent’s specialty. We know Paperwork Pest’s tricks and can fight him off swiftly and efficiently. Did we mention that by partnering with Decent, we also help our small business clients save big on payroll, benefits, and HR?

See how much you can save. Try our rapid quote or contact us at support@decent.com.