We see just about every payroll blowup and error possible. Here’s a list of the most common mistakes to avoid.Founders/CEOs Paying Themselves Outside of Payroll. All directors, officers and founders at a company cannot receive payments as contractors – rather, all payments to them must be run through payroll. So once you set up payroll, if you’ve paid yourself prior to doing so, make sure that the amount you received in the past is run through the new payroll system, and the proper taxes are paid.Mistakes Involving Remote Workers. On a platform, like the ones we recommend, you have to be sure that the home state of each remote worker is listed correctly in the system. If you have a remote employee listed as working in California but they live in Texas, you’re in trouble. Payroll taxes must be paid in each worker’s home state, and so this info must be accurately entered with the payroll provider in order to avoid problems with local tax authorities.Blocked Payrolls. This one is a great way to tick off employees, since it means that payroll can’t be run, so no one gets paid. The most common cause is when startups forget that when they hire someone in a new state, they need to register for business and payroll taxes in that state. When the CEO forgets this step and then onboards a new employee, the whole company’s payroll gets blocked a couple weeks later. Often we have to jump in and fast track registrations to keep payroll from getting blocked.