Maybe you’ve heard the saying that nobody pays attention to payroll until there’s a problem with their paycheck. Yet payroll is one of the few roles within a company that directly impacts each and every employee, day-in and day-out.
People expect to be paid on time and with accuracy. Organizations rely on their payroll professionals for precise and compliant processes to avoid costly penalties. A skillful and knowledgeable payroll department is crucial for organizations of every type and size.
Adding CPP behind your name demonstrates that you have achieved a professional level of proficiency in payroll knowledge and skills, which can make you more valuable to your employer. Preparing for and earning the Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) credential can help you deliver on the high expectations of employees and organizations.
The American Payroll Association offers several training options to help professionals prepare for the CPP exam. For Stacy Stair, CPP, Payroll & Accounting Specialist at McWane Ductile, APA’s PayTrain was a vital part of her CPP exam preparation. “PayTrain was the key to my passing the CPP exam and gaining the knowledge necessary to be successful in my career as a payroll manager.”
PayTrain is an online payroll training and certification preparation program. It includes comprehensive learning modules with interactive quizzes, calculations, exercises, flashcards, and games. These components help users apply concepts learned in the reading materials through job-based scenarios. And the APA recently released an enhanced PayTrain program that is completely online with a fresh, easy-to-navigate design and an embedded e-reader.
Stair found that, in addition to helping her prepare for the CPP exam, PayTrain enhanced her job performance. “The timely and accurate content enabled me to answer some of the tough questions that occur in my job, such as how to handle the final pay for a team member who has passed away and how to handle a foreign exchange student’s pay. I learned what was necessary to bring my organization into compliance in the area of fringe benefits, and it also enabled me to provide management with the necessary information for making a decision on what benefits to offer our team members and how it will affect them from a tax standpoint.”
To accommodate different learning styles and schedules, APA offers PayTrain in a variety of learning options, including self-study, guided-study, and instructor-led. You can also turn to your local APA chapter for support. Stair opted to combine PayTrain with a chapter study group to make the most of her preparation. “I chose PayTrain in addition to my local chapter study group because it enhanced and provided additional information, and it allowed me to study at my own pace and review complicated areas repeatedly until I mastered the material. The self-study program fit best into my schedule for work and school. It even provided excellent feedback so I knew what areas I excelled in and what areas I needed to improve on.”
If you’re looking for a way to take your payroll career to the next level, maybe CPP certification is a good next step. The recognition that comes with being CPP certified is a great benefit, but you might also find that exam preparation makes you more competent and confident in your role. It definitely had that effect on Stair: “In the complex, fast-paced and constantly changing world of payroll, training is critical for success. PayTrain provides the training needed to succeed on the CPP and as a payroll professional and I highly recommend it to anyone serious about their payroll career.”