StretchLearn Course

Run Payroll Right the First Time, Every Pay Run.

Master gross-to-net math, CRA and IRS withholding and remittances, year-end T4s and W-2s, ROEs, and choosing payroll software, with worked examples.

Preview Curriculum Back to Catalog

Beginner9 hr 15 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Payroll is the one process where a small mistake becomes a government penalty, an unhappy employee, or both. This course teaches payroll as a repeatable monthly and bi-weekly system: register the right accounts, classify workers correctly, calculate gross-to-net with CPP/EI/income tax in Canada and FICA/FIT in the US, remit on the exact schedule the CRA or IRS assigns you, issue Records of Employment and year-end T4s or W-2s, and reconcile it all without surprises. Worked examples use real numbers and 2024 rates, and the software lessons compare named tools (QuickBooks Payroll, Wagepoint, Ceridian Powerpay, Gusto, ADP RUN, Rippling) so you can choose and run one with confidence.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Calculate gross-to-net pay including CPP, EI, and income tax (Canada) or FICA and FIT (US)

Determine your remitter type and meet CRA or IRS remittance deadlines without penalties

Produce a Record of Employment and year-end T4s or W-2s that reconcile to your books

Reconcile payroll liabilities and run a clean year-end close

Select and configure payroll software that fits your headcount and jurisdiction

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: How Payroll Works and Setting It Up Right

Before you cut a single cheque you need the right accounts registered, workers classified correctly, and the pay-cycle decisions made. This module builds the foundation and the vocabulary you will use throughout.

3 lessons

What Payroll Actually Is and the People InvolvedContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Registering Payroll Accounts and Getting Set UpContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Employee vs Contractor and Pay Frequency ChoicesContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Gross-to-Net: Calculating Pay and Deductions

This is the mathematical core of payroll. You will learn to take a worker from gross earnings down to the exact net amount, computing every statutory deduction by hand so you can trust and check any software.

3 lessons

From Hours and Salary to Gross PayContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Canadian Deductions: CPP, EI, and Income TaxContent · 50 min

LMS Access

US Deductions: FICA, Federal, and State TaxContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Remitting to the Government On Time

Calculating deductions is only useful if you send the money to the right place on the right day. This module covers remitter types, deadlines, and the penalties that make timing non-negotiable.

3 lessons

Canadian Remittances: Knowing Your Remitter TypeContent · 45 min

LMS Access

US Remittances: Federal Deposits and Form 941Content · 45 min

LMS Access

Recording Payroll in Your Books and ReconcilingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Year-End, Records of Employment, and Software

The final module covers the events that bookend employment and the year: issuing a Record of Employment when someone leaves, producing year-end T4s and W-2s, and choosing software so you never do this by hand again.

3 lessons

Records of Employment and Employment SeparationsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Year-End: T4s, W-2s, and ReconciliationContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Choosing and Running Payroll SoftwareContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

payrollsource deductionsCPP and EIFICA and FITremittance scheduleT4 and W-2Record of Employmentpayroll software