Preparing for Year-End 2025 and Kicking Off 2026 Compliance

Marketing and Empathy Psychology

By - Vicki M. Lambert, CPP

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Year-End Payroll Survival Guide: Updates and Best Practices for 2025–2026

Year-end is one of the most demanding times for payroll and HR teams—and proper preparation is key to ensuring compliance and avoiding costly mistakes. This 90-minute webinar with payroll expert Vicki Lambert will guide you through essential year-end tasks and the transition into 2026 with confidence.

You’ll learn how to reconcile, complete, and submit federal and state Forms W-2, as well as prepare for the latest updates from the IRS, SSA, DOL, and state agencies. The session will also cover best practices that take the stress out of year-end, including how to build effective checklists, streamline duplicate W-2 requests, and issue employee communication memos that cut down on repetitive questions.

Rather than starting preparations in the fall, Vicki will show you how to build a year-round strategy that keeps you ahead of IRS expectations and ensures smoother year-end processing every time.

Key Topics Covered

Latest update on the Form W-4 for 2026
Reconciling Form W-2 to Form 941—and why exact accuracy is critical
2026 updates on Social Security wage base, deferred compensation limits, mileage rates, and fringe benefits
Best practices for year-end checklists and action plans
How to set up procedures for handling duplicate W-2 requests (including charging fees)
Status review of Publication 1494 for 2026
Changes to Form W-2 for 2025
Year-round strategies for gathering and reconciling W-2 data as expected by the IRS
Fringe benefit taxation: awards, prizes, personal vehicle use, gift certificates
Updates on white-collar exemptions and their impact on payroll
Guidelines for electronic W-2 delivery and correction (W-2 vs. W-2c)
State-specific regulatory updates: SUI wage bases, minimum wage increases, and more
Late-breaking legislative/regulatory changes that affect payroll compliance

Why Attend

This webinar provides practical tools, updated compliance guidance, and sample forms to make year-end and year-beginning less overwhelming. You’ll walk away knowing how to:

Organize payroll processes for efficiency and compliance
Communicate effectively with employees to minimize year-end confusion
Implement IRS-expected best practices for reconciliation and reporting
Transition seamlessly from closing 2025 to starting 2026 requirements

Who Should Attend

Payroll professionals, HR executives, accounting personnel, business owners, attorneys, compliance officers, and anyone responsible for year-end payroll processing and compliance

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Webinar Type

Clear

Speaker Detail

Vicki M. Lambert, CPP, is President and Academic Director of The Payroll Advisor™, a firm specializing in payroll education and training. The company’s website www.thepayrolladvisor.com offers a payroll news service, Payroll 24/7, which keeps payroll professionals up-to-date on the latest rules and regulations. With over 40 years of hands-on experience in all facets of payroll functions as well as over 30 years as an educator, training program developer, and author, Ms. Lambert has become the most sought-after and respected voice in the practice and management of payroll issues. She has conducted open market training seminars on payroll issues across the United States that have been attended by executives and professionals from some of the most prestigious firms in business today. A pioneer in electronic and online education, Ms. Lambert produces and presents payroll related audio seminars, webinars and webcasts for clients, APA chapters and business groups throughout the country. Ms. Lambert is an adjunct faculty member at Brandman University in Southern California and is the instructor for the American Payroll Association’s “PayTrain” online program also offered by Brandman University.