Are you on the right side of payroll?
Most Tampa Bay small-business owners who run their own payroll are one missed deadline away from an IRS penalty — and don't know it. Take the 2-minute check.
RUN Powered by ADP — rated #1 for small-business payroll in G2's Winter 2026 Grid · Trusted by 900,000+ small businesses · 24/7 support
What DIY payroll actually costs
The IRS doesn't send warning shots. Here's how the numbers stack up.
Miss one $10,000 payroll tax deposit. Here's the bill.
That's one deposit. Most businesses that fall behind miss several before they notice — and the IRS penalty clock starts on the original due date, not the day they contact you.
The 3 mistakes that trigger it
- 1Paying a controlled worker as a 1099 contractor — the IRS reclassifies these as W-2 employees and bills you for back taxes plus penalties.
- 2Missing a quarterly Form 941 deadline — both the IRS and Florida start separate penalty clocks that compound every month.
- 3Depositing on the wrong schedule — the IRS assigns every employer monthly or semi-weekly; guess wrong and the Failure-to-Deposit ladder kicks in.
What this means for your business
Pick your industry — the payroll landmines are different for each.
Restaurants & Hospitality
Common payroll pain points we see with owners in this category:
- Tipped-wage credits and reported-tip reconciliation trip up almost every DIY setup.
- High turnover means constant new-hire reporting — miss a few and Florida starts fining per employee.
- Fluctuating hours and split shifts make overtime calculations a weekly landmine.
Handles state unemployment (your rate matters with high turnover) and ZipRecruiter hiring integration to keep positions filled fast.
With constant turnover, a handbook and HR help desk keep terminations and disputes clean. Your call — Sandra can walk you through whether it pays for itself.
Take the payroll risk quiz
Eight quick questions. No email required to see your score.
How many employees do you have?
DIY vs RUN Powered by ADP
RUN Powered by ADP — pick what fits
Essential
Payroll done right
- Full payroll processing
- Federal, state & local tax calculation and filing
- Direct deposit
- Year-end W-2s and 1099s
Enhanced
Everything in Essential, plus…
- Check signing & stuffing
- State unemployment insurance management
- Background checks
- ZipRecruiter hiring integration
Complete
Payroll + HR toolkit
- Live HR help desk
- Employee handbook wizard
- HR forms & tracking
- Everything in Enhanced
HR Pro
Full HR partner
- Dedicated HR support
- Employee training library
- Legal assistance hotline
- Everything in Complete
Pricing is quoted to your business — this is exactly why you want a local rep. Sandra will build your quote directly, often better than the website's generic pricing.
Add-ons available: time & attendance · retirement plans · workers' comp · health insurance
Sandra Alcala
Your local ADP payroll expert for the Tampa Bay Area.
- Local & responsive — Tampa Bay is my territory
- Free payroll risk review — no obligation
- No pressure — she'll tell you if you're actually fine