Purpose
Before you can run your first payroll in UZIO, your company completes a one-time payroll setup. This article is the master checklist. It explains what each step is, why it matters, and the order to do it in. Every step links to its own detailed guide.
UZIO tracks each step's completion. Your payroll setup is complete only when all required steps are done. Until then, you cannot process payroll.
Who can do this: Any user whose role includes the Payroll permission. This is usually the Employer Admin, but other admin roles can be granted the same access.
Prerequisites
- Your company's federal EIN and state tax account details (withholding account IDs, unemployment insurance rate)
- Bank account details for the account(s) payroll will be funded from
- Compensation, tax withholding (W-4), and payment details for every active employee
- If you are switching providers mid-year: year-to-date payroll history from your previous provider
Warning: Tax-related steps must be completed with 100% accuracy. Errors in deposit schedules, tax IDs, or rates lead to late or incorrect tax payments, IRS and state notices, and penalties. UZIO is a payroll technology vendor and cannot provide tax advice. Verify your entries with your accountant or tax specialist.
The setup checklist
The steps below match the Payroll > Payroll Setup checklist, in the order it lists them. Each row shows a Start button until the step is complete, then a View button.
Note: Before starting, confirm or edit your company's legal information for payroll. See Confirming Company Information.
| # | Step | What you do | What it affects downstream | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Company Filing Address | Add your primary work location, your company filing address (the address registered with the IRS), and any additional work locations. | Employee work location drives which state taxes are withheld. The filing address appears on tax filings. | Adding Company Address Information |
| 2 | Federal Taxation | Enter your federal tax details, including your filing form and deposit schedule (Monthly or Semiweekly). | Controls when UZIO deposits federal taxes and which return it files. | Adding Federal Tax Information |
| 3 | State Taxation | Enter state tax account details for every state where employees work. | Controls state withholding, unemployment insurance, and state program taxes on every paycheck. | Adding State Tax Information |
| 4 | Workers' Compensation | Add workers' comp codes at the company level, then assign them to employees whose wages are subject to workers' comp. | Drives the Workers' Compensation Wages Report you send to your insurer. | Setting Up Workers' Compensation Codes |
| 5 | Company Earnings | Define the earning types your company pays (regular, overtime, bonus, and so on). | Determines what can appear on a paycheck and how each item is taxed and reported on the W-2. | Setting Up Company Level Earnings |
| 6 | Company Deductions | Set up deductions taken from employee pay (benefits, retirement, garnishments). | Determines what can be withheld from pay and which W-2 box it reports to. | Setting Up Company Level Deductions |
| 7 | Company Contributions | Set up employer-paid contributions (401(k) match, employer premium share). | Adds employer cost to each pay run and W-2 reporting where required. | Setting Up Company Level Contributions |
| 8 | Employees Payroll Set up | Complete Federal Withholding, State Withholding, and Payment Method for every active employee. | An employee cannot be paid until this is complete. | Setting Up Employee Payroll |
| 9 | Pay Groups | Define pay groups and generate pay periods for each pay frequency you use. | Sets your pay dates, cut-off dates, and the deduction schedule per pay group. | Understanding and Setting Up Pay Groups |
| 10 | Company Bank Accounts | Enter the bank account(s) payroll is funded from. UZIO verifies the account before it can be used. | Direct deposits, taxes, and garnishments are debited from these accounts. | Adding Company Bank Account Information |
| 11 | Employees Prior Payroll | If you ran payroll elsewhere this calendar year, enter year-to-date history so W-2s and taxes are correct. | Year-to-date wage caps and year-end W-2 totals. | Entering Prior Payroll History |
Note: Step 8 gates later steps. The Prior Compensation and employee State Taxation areas stay locked until every active employee has Federal Withholding, State Withholding, and Payment Method saved. Sort the employee list by Status to work through active employees first.
Tip: After your company goes live, new hires enter their own withholding and payment details through employee self-service during onboarding. You will not repeat step 8 manually for each new hire.
Note: General Ledger (mapping pay types to your chart of accounts) and Check Signatory (saving a check e-signature) are separate configuration pages in the Payroll module. They are not numbered steps in this checklist and do not block setup completion. Set them up when you need them: Setting Up the General Ledger and Exporting Payroll Journal Entries and Adding an E-Signature to Check Stubs.
Expected outcome
When every required step is complete:
- The setup checklist shows every step as completed (each row shows View).
- Your pay groups appear on the Payroll Dashboard as tabs, ready for the first pay run.
- Employees show as Complete on the Employees Payroll Setup list.
What happens next
Your first pay run follows the same process as every later one. Read Processing a Regular Payroll before your first cut-off date, and note the direct deposit lead time: payroll must be approved at least 2 business days before the pay date. If you missed a pay date during setup, pay that period with a Special Payroll.
Common mistakes
Common mistake: Choosing a Monthly federal deposit schedule when your company is actually a Semiweekly depositor. This causes late federal deposits with failure-to-deposit penalties of up to 15%. Confirm your schedule using IRS Publication 15 (941/944/945 filers) or Publication 51 (943 filers).
Common mistake: Entering only your mailing address instead of the company filing address registered with the IRS. Mismatched addresses can cause the IRS to reject documents or issue fines.
Common mistake: Waiting until the first payroll to enter the company bank account. UZIO must verify the account before it can fund payroll, and verification takes time. Enter the account well before your first pay run approval.
Still stuck?
If a checklist step will not complete and its guide does not explain why, please reach out to us at support@uzio.com or call +1-571-601-1752. Include your company name, the step name, what the screen shows, and a screenshot. Do not send bank account numbers or identity documents by email.
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