As we are sure you are aware, Tulsa is forecast to experience a severe winter storm with frigid temperatures and significant snow and ice over the weekend, beginning Friday night, January 23rd. We do not expect this to impact operations at our office on Friday; however, if conditions worsen earlier than expected tomorrow, we will send an update.

Please note that some UPS and FedEx shipments may be affected for outbound packages Friday night and for Monday deliveries.

Depending on the actual impact of the storm and conditions Monday morning, it is possible that we may open our office later than usual or not at all on Monday. Please check your email and our website Sunday night and Monday morning for updates.

We hope everyone stays safe and warm during this anticipated weather event.

As always, we appreciate you!

In 2025, Congress passed legislation that affects employees who receive tips or overtime as part of their compensation. Specifically, it allows employees who earn less than $150,000 per year to deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips and up to $12,500 in qualified overtime from their taxable income when filing their 2025 personal income tax return.

These deductions are claimed on the employee’s personal income tax return. To determine the correct amounts, employees will use different records for each type of deduction.

For tipped employees, Form W-2 for 2025 may be used. Box 7 shows Social Security tips, which can help determine the amount of qualified tips. In some cases, employees may also use their final pay stub or other employer records. Employees should follow the IRS form instructions for details.

For the overtime deduction, employees should refer to their final pay stub(s) from each employer they worked for in 2025 to determine the amount of qualified overtime pay. IRS instructions explain how to calculate the deductible amount.

Overtime will not be reported separately on 2025 W-2s because the IRS has not yet updated the form. As a result, employees will need to use their pay stubs or other records when preparing their tax return. Employees should contact their tax preparer with any questions about claiming these deductions.

Monday, January 19th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This is a banking holiday and the banks will be closed. Consequently, no direct deposits will settle or be initiated on this day.*

Southwestern Payroll will be open.

*No electronic banking (ACH, Direct Deposits, Wire Transfers, etc., can be initiated or settled on a banking holiday).

In general, all ACH, Wire, and Direct Deposit requests must have at least two (2) business days to be processed by Southwestern Payroll and your banking institution. Days on which banks are closed are NOT considered business days. Please contact your payroll specialist with any necessary changes as soon as possible.

As always, if you have any questions, please call our Support Department at 918-388-3320, or email Support@swpay.com.

Beginning in January 2026, Southwestern Payroll will introduce an annual fee of $150 for retaining payroll data from prior years beyond the most recent year.

This annual fee will include continued access to prior-year payroll data, as well as copies of standard and quarterly reports from those years, upon request.

Should you have any questions, your payroll or support specialist will be happy to assist you.

We would like to remind you of the December 2025 and January 2026 holiday banking schedule.

Friday, December 19th:
Company Holiday Party
Southwestern Payroll Service will close at 3pm and resume normal business hours the following week.

Wednesday, December 24th and Thursday, December 25th:
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Southwestern Payroll Service will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day.

Friday, December 26th:
Day After Christmas
Southwestern Payroll Service will be closed.

Thursday, January 1st:
New Year’s Day
Southwestern Payroll Service will be closed.

**ACH, Wire Services, Direct Deposits, Deliveries, Check Dates and Processes may need to be changed.**

If you would normally pick up your payroll or have it delivered by courier on any of these days, please make arrangements to come in on 12/19 and 12/24 before 2:00pm or contact us to have the delivery date changed. No special arrangements will be made for courier services.

Both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are banking holidays, and the banks will be closed. Consequently, no direct deposits will settle or be initiated on either day.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact our Support Department at 918-388-3320 or via email at support@swpay.com.

As the holiday season approaches, we would like to remind our clients of the Thanksgiving holiday banking and payroll schedule.

Thursday, November 27th
Thanksgiving:
– UPS and FedEx are closed
– Banks are closed
– There will be no banking activity
Southwestern Payroll is closed

*ACH, Wire Services, Direct Deposits, Deliveries, Check Dates and Processes may need to be changed.*

——————

Friday, November 28th
Day after Thanksgiving:
– UPS has normal service
– FedEx has limited service
– Banks are open
Southwestern Payroll is closed

*ACH, Wire Services, Direct Deposits, Deliveries, Check Dates and Processes may need to be changed.*

If your check date falls on Thursday, November 27th, or Friday November 28th, you may need to contact us in order to coordinate your payroll processing for timely direct deposits.

While most customers are set up to automatically have pay dates that fall on Thanksgiving to be moved earlier, no automatic adjustments of check dates will be made for pay dates on Friday, November 28th. Therefore, clients who wish to pay on Wednesday November 26th MUST contact us in advance.

In general, all ACH, Wire, and Direct Deposit requests must have at least two (2) business days to be processed by Southwestern and your banking institution. Days on which banks are closed are NOT considered business days. Making adjustments now will ensure smoother processing during this busy time of year. Please contact your Payroll Specialist or our Support Department with any necessary changes as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact our support team at 918-388-3320 or support@swpay.com to ensure your requests are addressed as soon as possible.

Veterans Day will be observed on Tuesday, November 11th. This is a banking holiday and the banks will be closed.

Southwestern Payroll Service will be open.

If your check date is Tuesday, November 11th, you may need to contact us in order to coordinate your payroll processing for a timely direct deposit.

Questions can be directed to Support@swpay.com or by phone at 918-388-3320.

A Friendly Reminder

This Saturday night, set your clocks backward one hour before you go to bed. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. on November 2, 2025.

Why This Is Important for Your Business

Synchronizing clocks is no joke in business. It’s vital that everyone is on the same time whether you are a Web Input client or you use a physical time clock.

Be certain to inform your employees of the time change, and that your IT department sets your computer’s default time to change automatically on the scheduled date and time.

Note for Physical Time Clock Users

With the Daylight Saving change fast approaching, needed adjustments to your computer may be required. Some Time Clocks are equipped with a built-in feature to synchronize Date/Time via the Web, while others synchronize directly with your computers’ default Date/Time. To ensure your clock will adjust to DLS accurately, it is important that your computer is set up to automatically adjust to DLS Time (Spring Forward – Fall Back) on this date at 2:00 a.m. These changes will ensure that any employee punching in or out after 2:00 a.m. on November 2nd is accurately tracked with the correct time. Failure to verify these settings could cause inaccurate payroll calculations.

If you have any questions or concerns, or if you discover that your clock did not adjust for Daylight Saving Time, please reach out to our Support Teams at TLM@swpay.com or Support@swpay.com.

Southwestern Payroll Service, Inc. (SPSI) uses an electronic banking system, ACH, to collect funds from our clients and make payments to their employees. As such, we are governed by NACHA (National Automated Clearing House Association) guidelines which state that any Third-Party Service Provider (TPSP) processing ACH (Direct Deposit) services must send a reminder of responsibility to each business every six months.

This notice is to remind you of your responsibility to fund your bank account at least two business days prior to any check date for which Southwestern is to debit for employee direct deposit amounts.

For more information, please refer to the Southwestern Payroll Service, Inc. Services Agreement, section 3.3, and/or the Direct Deposit Service Agreement provided during the onboarding process.

3.3 Direct Deposit Service and Authorizations. Client hereby contracts and authorizes SPSI, two banking days prior to the Client’s check date, to process EFT transactions for such amounts as are necessary to pay Client’s employees. Such amounts are to be held in an account established by SPSI until Client’s check date, when funds shall be deposited to employee accounts as specified. Additionally, client agrees that in order to guarantee employee deposits are received in employee accounts by payroll check date, payroll data must be received in time to process and transmit ACH transactions two banking days prior to payroll check date.
NOTE: Election of this service requires Direct Deposit Service Agreement (Addendum (A))

4. CLIENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES. Client will: (a) complete and execute all required documentation so that SPSI may withdraw funds from Client’s Account to process direct deposit payrolls; (b) input or report all relevant payroll data to SPSI no later than 2:00 p.m. two banking days prior to each Paydate; (c) have available in Client’s Account good, collected funds in an amount sufficient for SPSI to cover the debits initiated by SPSI hereunder no later than the opening of business (i) two banking days prior to each Paydate for debits by electronic entry, and (ii) two banking days prior to each Paydate for funding by wire transfer; and (d) compare all reports on credits or debits initiated by SPSI to Client’s records and promptly notify SPSI of any discrepancies. Client and SPSI may agree to alter certain of these responsibilities depending on Client’s needs and circumstances.

Monday, October 13th is Columbus Day. This is a banking holiday and banks will be closed. Consequently, no direct deposits will settle or be initiated on this day.

If your check date is Monday, October 13th, Tuesday, October 14th, or Wednesday, October 15th, you may need to contact your payroll specialist in order to coordinate your payroll processing for a timely direct deposit.

Southwestern Payroll will be open.

Questions about this communication can be directed to your Payroll Specialist, via email to Support@swpay.com or by phone at 918-587-3321.