Webinar: Payroll Basics: A Beginner's Guide by Dodd Consulting

This course takes the guesswork out of reasonable compensation for payroll professionals and S-corp owners. Instead of relying on “what feels fair,” you’ll learn exactly how the IRS evaluates compensation, what benchmarks to use, and how to document your process so you stay audit-ready.

Webinar

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About This Webinar

Shannon is truly an accountant’s accountant - there’s nothing she loves more than digging in and solving a puzzle that no one else can figure out.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ What “reasonable compensation” really means (and why it matters)

✅ How the IRS evaluates officer pay — the factors they look at

✅ Step-by-step methods to set a defensible salary

✅ Industry benchmarks for common roles

✅ The difference between wages and distributions (and why the IRS cares)

✅ How to properly document your compensation decisions

✅ Practical tools like checklists, examples, and calculators

Who It’s For:

☐ Payroll professionals who want confidence in their calculations

☐ Accountants and bookkeepers supporting S-corp clients

☐ Small business owners who want to pay themselves properly (without IRS side-eye)

By the end of this course, you’ll know:

☐ Exactly how to calculate and justify reasonable compensation

☐ How to protect yourself and your clients from IRS penalties and audits

☐ How to align compensation with business strategy, taxes, and long-term financial goals

Agenda

WHAT IS REASONABLE COMPENSATION?
IRS Guidelines
Industry Benchmarks
Wages vs. Distributions
Methods to Calculate Pay
Q&A

Presenter

Shannon Ballman Theis

Payroll Queen

I’m truly an accountant’s accountant - there’s nothing I love more than digging in and solving a puzzle that no one else can figure out.

While accounting and bookkeeping principles haven’t changed through the years, the tools that we use have. I’ve become certified in different accounting software systems so I can be as flexible as possible as I work for different businesses.

Plus, I’m a bit of a nerd, and learning about a new way of looking at my job is always fascinating to me!

That nerdiness is part of why I’m so good at fixing broken payroll. It’s a giant puzzle that I can’t wait to delve into, and I won’t stop until I’ve solved it. For you, that means the confidence that your client’s payroll problems will be fixed.