On the Fourth Week of Year-End, Payroll Gave to Me…

A turkey, some garnishments, and a plea for PTO!

It’s the week before Thanksgiving.

Everyone’s halfway out the door,

HR is talking about the holiday potluck,

Finance is whispering about budgets,

and Payroll?

Payroll is staring down deadlines like,

“Sure, go ahead and take

Friday off.

I’ll just be here balancing wage attachments in between gravy refills.”

Welcome to

Turkey, Gratitude, and Garnishments

where we learn that payroll doesn’t take holidays… we just calculate around them.

Holiday Week = Timing Traps

Ah yes, the short workweek. It sounds harmless until you realize that “Thursday off” means Wednesday just became a double pay date, and half your employees have updated their direct deposit info since last Friday.

A few friendly reminders before the stuffing hits the fan:

• Double-check your pay schedules.

  Don’t assume banks are open the day before or after a holiday.

  Confirm and communicate early.

  
  

• Communicate clearly.

  If checks are going out early, tell everyone twice —

  • once via email, and

  • once through whatever chat app they’ll actually read.

    
    

• Review your holiday pay policies.

  Not everyone gets paid for Thanksgiving, but everyone thinks they do.

  Set expectations now, not mid–pie coma later.

Now Let’s Talk Garnishments

Nothing says “holiday spirit” like sorting out wage attachments while people shop for Black Friday deals.

This is the week to make sure your garnishment files are current, your agencies have been paid, and your deductions line up with current balances.

Because if you think late filings are bad, try explaining to a state agency why someone’s child support payment went toward cranberry sauce instead.

Quick wins for this week:

1. Verify all active garnishments are set up correctly.

2. Confirm suspended or satisfied orders are closed.

3. Check your year-to-date totals — yes, all of them.

4. Document any discrepancies now, before you forget which Friday it happened.

Garnishments don’t take holidays either — but they will take your time (or your money) if you ignore them.

Payroll Moment of Gratitude

Let’s pause for one wholesome second.

Payroll doesn’t usually get thank-you cards.

But this week, give yourself a little gratitude.

You’ve made it through four weeks of year-end prep, countless spreadsheets, and at least one tech outage that definitely wasn’t your fault.

You’re doing the work that keeps everyone else’s holidays happy — and paid.

So even if no one else says it this week…

Thank you. 💚

This Week’s Payroll Prep Checklist

1. Confirm pay dates and bank holidays.

   
   

2. Communicate schedule changes to employees and managers.

   
   

3. Audit garnishments — active, inactive, and satisfied.

   
   

4. Review holiday pay eligibility and accruals.

   
   

5. Take five minutes to breathe. (It’s on the list now. Mandatory.)

This week is not about perfection — it’s about pacing.

Handle your holiday payrolls with care, double-check your deductions, and keep your sense of humor handy, because payroll doesn’t just feed families — it is what fills their plates.

Week 5 Sneak Peek:

“Quarter Four Is Not a Suggestion”

Next week, we head into the land of reconciliations, filings, and reports.

If this week was mashed potatoes, next week’s the gravy boat of truth.

We’ll clean up Q3 carryovers, balance your tax filings, and make sure everything ties out...

before December hits.

So from one payroll professional to another:

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your ACH files clear before the turkey does. 🦃💸