Year-End Payroll Survival Guide: Updates and Best Practices for 2025–2026

Year-end is one of the most demanding times for payroll and HR teams—and proper preparation is key to ensuring compliance and avoiding costly mistakes. This 90-minute webinar with payroll expert Vicki Lambert will guide you through essential year-end tasks and the transition into 2026 with confidence.

You’ll learn how to reconcile, complete, and submit federal and state Forms W-2, as well as prepare for the latest updates from the IRS, SSA, DOL, and state agencies. The session will also cover best practices that take the stress out of year-end, including how to build effective checklists, streamline duplicate W-2 requests, and issue employee communication memos that cut down on repetitive questions.

Rather than starting preparations in the fall, Vicki will show you how to build a year-round strategy that keeps you ahead of IRS expectations and ensures smoother year-end processing every time.

Key Topics Covered

• Latest update on the Form W-4 for 2026
• Reconciling Form W-2 to Form 941—and why exact accuracy is critical
• 2026 updates on Social Security wage base, deferred compensation limits, mileage rates, and fringe benefits
• Best practices for year-end checklists and action plans
• How to set up procedures for handling duplicate W-2 requests (including charging fees)
• Status review of Publication 1494 for 2026
• Changes to Form W-2 for 2025
• Year-round strategies for gathering and reconciling W-2 data as expected by the IRS
• Fringe benefit taxation: awards, prizes, personal vehicle use, gift certificates
• Updates on white-collar exemptions and their impact on payroll
• Guidelines for electronic W-2 delivery and correction (W-2 vs. W-2c)
• State-specific regulatory updates: SUI wage bases, minimum wage increases, and more
• Late-breaking legislative/regulatory changes that affect payroll compliance

Why Attend

This webinar provides practical tools, updated compliance guidance, and sample forms to make year-end and year-beginning less overwhelming. You’ll walk away knowing how to:

• Organize payroll processes for efficiency and compliance
• Communicate effectively with employees to minimize year-end confusion
• Implement IRS-expected best practices for reconciliation and reporting
• Transition seamlessly from closing 2025 to starting 2026 requirements

Who Should Attend

Payroll professionals, HR executives, accounting personnel, business owners, attorneys, compliance officers, and anyone responsible for year-end payroll processing and compliance