Membership

Title

Top Association Accomplishments in 2021

  • Customer Service
    1. APA and GPMI engaged with nearly 191,000 individuals as of December 2021. These interactions with APA members, GPMI subscribers, education participants, publication customers, and website visitors create opportunities and forge a community by providing the skills and resources necessary for payroll professionals to stay in compliance and become successful.
    2. APA awarded three Recertification Credit Hours (RCHs) to all members in good standing. APA continues this benefit for members upon completion of their membership year based on their anniversary date.
    3. A total of 790 members volunteered to serve on various APA committees, boards, advisory groups, and task forces since June 2021, contributing to the leadership of the Association while honing their professional knowledge.
    4. The Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation was earned by 593 individuals during 2021. As of October, the CPP designation is held by more than 10,800 newly certified and recertified individuals.
    5. APA's Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) exam was successfully completed by 855 payroll practitioners during 2021. As of October, the FPC designation is held by more than 6,000 newly certified and recertified individuals.
    6. The Certification Department expanded the Spring testing window to allow candidates to have more time to take the CPP and FPC exams. The annual Spring testing window almost tripled in length, from early January to mid-April.
    7. "PayTalk," APA's monthly podcast, celebrated its second full year at the end of April 2022. This benefit shares knowledge from high-level payroll professionals to the greater industry at large and generates revenue for APA through sponsorships. The podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, and Stitcher, as well as other preferred podcast platforms.
    8. The Chapter Leaders Blog celebrated five years in October. As of February, the blog has 226 posts and 427 subscribers.
    9. APA has 120 affiliated local chapters.
    10. The daily payroll ListServ has 9,735 subscribers. This is APA's oldest internet-based offering, and it maintains popularity among members.
    11. APA performed multiple upgrades to the back-end systems that support our web store to provide improved safety, speed, and reliability while accessing the site. APA also implemented new security management and scanning tools to increase security and better protect member and customer data.
    12. The APA and GPMI Virtual Customer Appreciation Party was held on October 12, 2021, with fun and games enjoyed by more than 660 registrants from six countries.
  • Education
    1. APA had 272 educational offerings in 2021, covering 657 training days, encompassing 36 different programs or delivery methods, and enrolling more than 84,150 participants.
    2. In addition to conducting APA's nationwide course offerings, APA's National Speakers Bureau members presented 78 additional educational programs, consisting of 18 statewide events (eight held in-person), 53 chapter meetings (one held in-person), four chapter one-day events (one held in-person), and six user group meetings (two held in-person).
    3. Over the past year, APA has presented 27 in-house programs of customized training to more than 545 payroll professionals.
    4. January through June 2021 marked the greatest performing first two quarters on record for PayTrain®, APA's online payroll training system. PayTrain ended 2021 with revenue up 18% over 2020 and November and December were the highest performing months since inception. PayTrain has been helping payroll professionals become certified and deepen their understanding of payroll practices and legislation for over 30 years.
    5. APA and GPMI have pivoted 20 different live, in-person educational programs to 67 interactive virtual classrooms (using Zoom) to simulate a live course environment.
    6. During 2021, APA and GPMI brought back nine educational programs to 43 live, in-person classrooms.
    7. GPMI had 25 educational offerings in 2021, covering 47 training days, encompassing 20 programs presented through various delivery methods, and enrolling more than 10,550 participants.
    8. In 2021, GPMI provided country-specific in-person and virtual global payroll training covering a growing number of locations, including France, Germany, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, and Uganda.
    9. In 2021, more than 165 participants attended the FPC Boot Camps, while more than 580 participants attended the CPP Boot Camps.
    10. APA's most popular training program, the Preparing for Year-End series, was offered in more than 20 one-day, live, in-person classrooms, 17 one-day interactive virtual classrooms, 26 webinars, and six in-house programs, and was attended by more than 3,825 participants.
    11. APA presented in-depth payroll training to more than 520 participants in what were traditionally our Payroll Learning Center courses held in Las Vegas and San Antonio. For 2021, classes were held at the Las Vegas Payroll Learning Center and in an interactive virtual classroom. Classes included: Payroll 101: Foundations of Payroll Certificate Program; Payroll 201: Payroll Administration Certificate Program; Canadian Payroll Level I; Canadian Payroll Level II; UK Introduction to Income Tax (PAYE) and National Insurance Contributions (NICs); UK Essential Additions to Payroll Basics; UK Introduction to Statutory Payments; and Implementing Payroll Best Practices.
    12. With support from the Strategic Payroll Leadership Task Force Government/Public Sector Best Practices Subcommittee, the newly created Government/Public Sector Payroll Certificate Program debuted at the 2021 Payroll Leaders Conference.
    13. Congress Xstream was hosted live May 18-21, and remained on demand through July 21, 2021. The virtual event featured 30 workshops and four general sessions, including three industry expert sessions, meet and greet lounges, trivia games, 48 exhibitors, 14 sponsors, and had attendance of more than 1,575, representing the United States and six countries.
    14. The 12th Annual Virtual Congress & Expo was hosted live for two days, July 14-15, 2021, and remained on demand through September 13, 2021. Recorded attendance was more than 1,870, representing the United States and six other countries. This included 35 exhibitors and four sponsors.
    15. The Payroll Leaders Conference was held September 13-15, 2021, at MEET Las Vegas. This was our first live conference since the COVID-19 pandemic began and offered four transformational certificate programs, two general sessions, and the Prism Award recipient luncheon.
    16. APA's 18th Annual Capital Summit was held in-person March 21-22, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Educational presentations by government policymakers and industry experts focused on payroll legislative and regulatory issues.
    17. More than 48,000 participants registered for 18 vendor-sponsored APA webinars covering topics ranging from earned wage access to driving administrative excellence in payroll, managing payrolls, California payrolls, and telecommuting in the world of remote work.
    18. Eight sponsored GPMI webinars had more than 8,900 participants registered and covered topics on global payroll strategy, the future and innovation of global payroll, complexities of global payroll, and understanding the payroll payment process.
    19. In July 2021, APA and GPMI held their newest virtual event, Payroll Solutions Showcase. It was offered as a two-day virtual event March 3-4, 2022, and is on demand until October 31, 2022. Attendees can dive deeper into new services and technologies through interactive demo sessions, user-interface experiences, and case studies. This year's event offered 11 demo sessions, four panel discussions, and drew over 2,200 registrations for the live days.
  • Finance & Administration
    1. Total education and training revenue increased $940,000, or 15%, from 2020 as the economy began to recover and reopen from the COVID-19 pandemic.
    2. APA's net assets increased by 6.5% in 2021. This will enable the Association to make investments in future educational programs and expand membership benefits.
    3. During 2021, APA's Vendor Relations team established relationships with 15 new vendors. These new vendors represent over $200,000 in new sales.
    4. A total of 39 payroll industry vendors increased their investment in marketing to the APA audience in 2021, which is 48% more than those same vendors spent in 2020 with APA.
    5. Advertising and sponsorship revenues are up 28% from 2020.
    6. 31 employees of the APA have certifications or licenses in their respective fields of expertise: one Certified Association Executive (CAE), one Certified Apartment Manager (CAM), one Certified Digital Marketing Specialist (CDMS), one Certified Exposition Manager (CEM), one Certified Meeting Professionals (CMP), two Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), eight Certified Payroll Professionals (CPPs), one Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), one Certified Scrum Master (CSM), nine Attorneys (ESQs), one Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP), one Institute of Real Estate Management professional (IREM), one Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), one Professional in Human Resources (PHR), and one Project Management Professional (PMP).
    7. APA employs 87 full-time employees and two part-time staff members to support the members and customers of the Association.
    8. For the ninth year, APA was named one of the "Top Workplaces in San Antonio" by the San Antonio Express-News.
  • Government Relations
    1. In 2021, APA members Martin Armstrong, DBA, CPP; Martin Rule, CPA; Nancy Ruoff, CPA; and Kevin Valuet, CPP, represented APA on the IRS Advisory Council (IRSAC).
    2. APA member Sherice McCarthy-Hill, MBA; APA Corporate Member Advisor James Paille, CPP; and APA member Kimberly Pederzani, Esq., represented APA on the IRS's Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC).
    3. APA members Stephanie McAtee, CPP; Stephanie Salavejus, CPP; Karen Settembrino, CPP; Kevin Valuet, CPP; and APA Corporate Member Advisor James Paille, CPP, represented APA on the IRS Security Summit, including a new payroll industry committee.
    4. APA members Corrinne Flores; Debbie Lindenmuth; Stephanie McAtee, CPP; Sherry McIntyre; Pat McQuiller, CPP; Christie Oakley-Beetz; James Owen; Brooklynn Sanders; and Beverly Wooten represented APA on the National Council of Child Support Directors (NCCSD) Employer Collaborative Workgroup.
    5. APA members and staff participated in the SSA's modernization project, including use of online services. APA Vice President Rebecca Harshberger, CPP; APA Vice President Jon Schausten, CPP; and APA member Mindy Mayo, CPP, reviewed the SSA's training information to implement the agency's new system for filing Forms W-2.
    6. APA merged the Electronic Payments Committee and the Government Relations Task Force (GRTF) Payroll Cards Subcommittee to form the GRTF Electronic Payments Subcommittee.
    7. The GRTF Child Support Subcommittee worked with the NCCSD to finalize a standard Verification of Employment response form, which will be accepted by all states and territories.
    8. The GRTF Child Support Subcommittee worked with the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to release the agency's new Communication Center, including an APA webinar showing how to use the new portal.
    9. The GRTF Federal Issues Subcommittee offered recommendations to the IRS on a simplified version of Form W-4 and a problem with identifying employee overpayments when common pay agents are used.
    10. The GRTF Federal Issues Subcommittee offered recommendations to the USCIS on Form I-9 document review for remote workers.
    11. The GRTF Federal Issues Subcommittee commented on proposed legislation before the U.S. Congress on a 32-hour workweek, earned wage access, and the federal minimum wage.
    12. The GRTF Garnishments Subcommittee contacted the U.S. Department of Education and guaranty agencies regarding the need for new orders when student loan repayments through payroll withholding resume following COVID-19 deferrals.
    13. The GRTF State and Local Topics Subcommittee commented on proposed legislation in Nevada, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Utah regarding earned wage access programs, including testifying before the Utah Senate.
    14. The GRTF State and Local Topics Subcommittee partnered with the Illinois Department of Labor on implementing pay data collection requirements.
    15. The GRTF State and Local Topics Subcommittee contacted the Baltimore City Council in Maryland for clarity on employer exceptions to facial recognition restrictions.
    16. The GRTF Early Wage Access/On-Demand Pay Workgroup finalized its report on earned wage access and the GRTF Temporary Presence Workgroup finalized its report on presence, nexus, and employment taxes. Both reports are posted on APA's website.
    17. The GRTF Unemployment Insurance Workgroup opposed data collection in Connecticut, supported Virginia's budget proposal to use federal funds to shore up its unemployment trust fund, and commented on proposed federal legislation regarding improvements to the unemployment insurance program.
  • Publications
    1. The October 2020 PAYTECH cover illustration "Payroll in Color" was a 2021 EXCEL Award recipient, earning a bronze in the Manipulated Media category. The EXCEL Awards are the largest and most prestigious program recognizing excellence in association media, publishing, marketing, and communications.
    2. There are now more than 11,500 subscribers to the Pay News Now email digest, which is part of the News & Resources section of APA's website. Readers can view more than 870 news articles on federal, state and local, chapter, inside APA, and industry news.
    3. The Congress Today online magazine celebrates six years in May 2022. This year-round blog provides news and information about Payroll Congress. To date, the blog has more than 420 posts and more than 60,800 views. A "Subscribe" button was added in 2021 to allow readers to choose notification frequency (instant or daily) and receive a custom email with the articles.
    4. The 2021 Congress Today combo print and online magazine was named "Best Show Daily" with a first-place win in the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) Art of the Show competition.
    5. APA's 2021 Survey of Salaries and the Payroll Profession was made available as a free eBook to APA members. This year, the primary title of the report was updated to 2021 Payroll Industry Report: Results of APA's Survey of Salaries and the Payroll Profession.
    6. The Resource Library on APA's website contains more than 140 forms and publications from government agencies, including the IRS, SSA, and OCSE.
    7. The APA Bookshelf continues to be enhanced with improved features, including a new content experience platform that makes features from the vendor available to all clients, including APA. Subscribers are also benefitting from new help videos on various topics.
    8. Payroll Currently, the monthly online newsletter covering federal payroll compliance issues exclusively for members, is in its 30th year of publication. It also includes a separate two-page feature called Inside Washington about APA's lobbying efforts. A link to Compliance TV is now in the Payroll Currently email to members and on the APA Bookshelf.
    9. The Payroll Source® and other publications continued to be updated digitally to reflect federal and state COVID-19-related developments impacting payroll, including legislative changes made by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and government agency guidance.
    10. APA's Guide to Local Payroll Taxes features information about new taxes in San Francisco and Oregon.
    11. The Guide to Successful Electronic Payments was made available as a free eBook to APA members in 2021 through a sponsorship with rapid!
    12. APA's Top Payroll Questions & Answers for 2021 was made available as a free eBook to APA members through a sponsorship with Money Network. It includes a section titled, "Special Supplement: COVID-19 Questions and Answers."
    13. Understanding Your Pay was offered in 2021 as a free digital publication to both APA members and to the general public through a sponsorship with Wisely by ADP.
    14. Guide to Global Payroll Management was made available as a free eBook to APA members, GPMI subscribers, and the general public on the second of a two-year sponsorship with Workday, Inc.
  • Public Relations
    1. During 2021, APA's public relations campaigns across all media reached a potential audience of more than 1.2 billion. APA experts were quoted widely in the media on payroll-related issues such as the economic cost of COVID-19, APA awards, and payroll career paths. Coverage appeared in outlets such as the Associated Press, CNN, MSN Money, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! Finance, Markets Insider, and other media outlets.
    2. APA continued to expand its presence on leading social media sites. APA's Facebook pages have more than 22,045 fans, APA's LinkedIn company page has 37,000 followers and its group page has more than 34,150 members, and more than 9,550 people follow APA (@paynews) on Twitter. APA's newest social media channel, Instagram, has grown to more than 1,200 followers.
    3. Over 170 media outlets publicized APA's inaugural Payroll Solutions Showcase in 2021, reaching a potential audience of 86 million. Promotion of the event and its associated Showcase Standout Awards included three press releases and one article.
    4. Since Congress Xstream in 2021, the APA and its Social Networking Committee have hosted eight payroll chats garnering more than 1,000 tweets using the chat hashtag #paynews, earning nearly 1,440 favorited tweets. APA's monthly payroll chats address relevant payroll and career development issues.
    5. GPMI actively engages payroll professionals around the world through social media. GPMI has subscribers from 113 countries in its LinkedIn group and a growing number of followers on Twitter.
    6. APA's Compliance TV introduced a new format in January 2021. Compliance TV is a monthly video digest of the news reported in Payroll Currently. The 12 videos created in 2021 have received nearly 10,000 views.
    7. APA contributed articles to each edition of the SSA/IRS Reporter in 2021, the quarterly publication for U.S. employers and tax professionals that is posted on the IRS website. Each issue reaches an estimated six million readers.
    8. APA contributed articles to the OCSE Child Support Report, which is distributed electronically to more than 5,000 subscribers.
    9. During National Payroll Week® 2021, some 352 APA member volunteers taught paycheck basics to nearly 10,000 teens across the nation on the 16th annual Money Matters National Education Day. This day was sponsored by Money Network, which supported three NPW scholarships.
    10. More than 4,600 individuals currently follow the APA Facebook page dedicated to NPW. In total, NPW social media messaging received 1.2 million impressions in 2021.
    11. A total of 159 top businesses signed up as NPW 2021 supporters to promote National Payroll Week to their employees. Supporters included AutoNation, GameStop, J. Jill, The Kansas City Royals, Quest Diagnostics, and Spirit Airlines.
    12. A total of 22,598 individuals participated in the NPW 2021 "Getting Paid In America" online survey. The survey results, which are an important research tool, were reported by leading media including Yahoo! Finance, MarketWatch, and Business Insider.
    13. A "What Level of Payroll Magician Are You?" online quiz was created for NPW 2021. The quiz challenged individuals to answer a series of questions to determine their level of knowledge on payroll. The contest proved to be truly engaging with nearly 5,000 entries received. Social media posts related to the quiz generated over 1,600 reactions.
    14. APA created a new video advertising campaign for NPW 2021. The video, which celebrated the magic of the paycheck and the payroll magicians who calculate them, aired on national TV to an audience of more than 9.8 million. The video received over 205,390 views on social media and YouTube.
    15. The APA merchandise store has continued to be popular. Since its launch, we have fulfilled more than 200 orders generating more than $15,400 in sales of fun merchandise that celebrates the payroll profession.
    16. GPMI awarded its second annual Global Payroll Titan award in conjunction with Global Payroll Week (GPW) 2021. The recipient, Davida Lara, CPP, was selected through a combination of "People's Choice" online voting and a panel of global payroll leaders. The award was announced on April 30, 2021.
    17. GPMI held its fifth annual GPW from April 25-29. This weeklong event provided global payroll professionals with several free online educational and networking opportunities to aid in their professional development. During GPW, GPMI hosted two complimentary webinars for global payroll professionals.
    18. MEET Las Vegas was named one of the top 150 event organizers and agencies in the U.S. for 2021 by Eventex. Of the 150, MEET tied for 33rd place. The award represents consistent excellence in the meetings and events industry.
  • Partnerships
    1. APA Executive Director Dan Maddux and various APA staff attended The Canadian Payroll Association's (CPA's) virtual event, "The Payroll of Things," which was held from June 9-11, 2021. Note: As of March 2022, CPA is known as the National Payroll Institute (NPI).
    2. APA President Bruce Phipps, CPP, and APA Executive Director Dan Maddux attended the U.K.'s Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP's) 2021 virtual Annual Conference from October 6-7, 2021.
    3. GPMI President Dan Maddux presented at Neeyamo's 2022 virtual Payroll Beyond Borders held January 21-22. The "Unifying Spirit of Payroll" was a 20-minute opening general session presentation.
    4. APA and GPMI sponsored and provided four virtual sessions for Australia's The Association for Payroll Specialists (TAPS) Payroll Conference held virtually November 22-December 3, 2021.
    5. APA partnered with Wisely by ADP to continue to provide payroll education grants in addition to the grants provided by APA to recognize and honor payroll professionals for their commitment to educational and professional growth.
    6. APA continued to partner with Visa to support the APA Visa® Paycard Portal®, a premier employer and employee resource on payroll cards. In 2021, this included five additional payroll card service providers as sponsors.
    7. Since 2008, APA has continued its partnership with Jobing.com. Jobing.com powers APA's active online job board. In 2021, there were more than 195 new jobs exclusively posted to APA's job board.
    8. Since 1994, APA has continued its alliance with Robert Half, which ensures that APA's online Career Center resources for our members stay relevant and up to date throughout the year.
    9. APA and GPMI continued their partnership with Deloitte on the Global Payroll Benchmarking Survey. Covering topics such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and social collaboration, the survey gives organizations a unique opportunity to transform their operations by leveraging next-generation technologies. There have been over 3,000 downloads of the results report.
    10. APA entered into a partnership with Aggregage, a publisher of online content across a range of industries. A newsletter and website with curated content related to payroll, benefits, and finance is available free for subscribers. There are approximately 30,000 subscribers and there have been over 62,000 page views from January 1, 2022 - March 31, 2022. The partnership supplements APA's content library while also expanding our audience.
    11. GPMI partnered with MultiView to provide a weekly newsletter to subscribers as a member benefit. Global Pay-Check launched November 3, 2021, and contains articles from GPMI and APA as well as curated payroll content from verified sources on the internet. Currently, the readership is 9,000 active readers.
    12. GPMI is partnering with YM Careers to deliver the GPMI Career Center. The career center launched on December 10, 2021, and is a fully resourced career center that provides content and support for employers and job seekers.