Notes from the Payroll Prof
by Roger A. Smith, CPP & Payroll Consultant
APA Statewide Conferences
I recently had the opportunity to speak at a couple of Statewide Conferences hosted by local chapters of the American Payroll Association (APA). I have been to many of these conferences over the years, and they continue to get better and better.
They are well organized and very professional, yet most of them are entirely run by volunteer members of local chapters. This is one of the great things about the payroll profession – there are literally dozens of people in each of these states who care enough about helping their peers to volunteer their time, effort, and expertise to present these conferences.
This is truly a win-win. As a volunteer, I understand that working on these conferences is both rewarding and fun. For attendees, the meetings are outstanding learning and networking opportunities, at a very reasonable price. While professional educational events may cost $250-500 per day, a typical two-day Statewide conference is less than $300. Also, since the meeting is in your state, travel costs are usually minimal, plus there are opportunities to network with people who face the same state and local issues as you do.
Don’t get the impression that these are second-rate meetings, however. While many of the speakers are volunteers, their knowledge of the subjects is usually unsurpassed. Typical topics include a wide range of payroll and personal development topics, often emphasizing state and local issues. For example, here are a few of the more than twenty topics from this year’s Michigan Statewide Conference:
- Multi-State Taxation
- Michigan Social Security Protection Act
- Expatriate Payrolls
- Introduction to Payroll
- Michigan Disbursement Unit Update
- Paycard overview
- Preparing for the CPP and FPC exams
- And updates from the IRS, SSA, and DOL
Local and national vendors of payroll products and services typically participate in these meetings offering attendees a great opportunity to “shop around” several vendors at one time, as well as a chance to pick up some vendor trinkets and door prizes. Most of the conferences I have attended also include a couple of professional speakers at lunches or evening networking events.
The APA maintains a list of local chapters on their website www.americanpayroll.org . Contact your local chapter to find out more information about your Statewide Conference. If there is a Statewide Conference in your area, I strongly urge you to attend. It will be well worth your time! If there isn’t a conference in your state yet, I encourage you to get involved with your local chapter and start one. It will be a great experience!
If you have any questions or comments, my email address is Roger.Smith@PayrollProf.com.
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