Your dark and mysterious payroll past comes back into your life. Another notice. Something unreadable. You thought you'd left this all behind. But here it is again. Your pulse quickens. You're back under the tax agency's smoldering gaze. And this time, they won't take no for an answer.

Many companies with fewer than 200 people will literally sign away legal control of their employees and pay multiple times more for payroll services.  Just so they don’t have to think about state tax settings.

Many midwestern states have reciprocity agreements where each state agrees to let the other handle payroll taxes. Without keeping score. It’s the state tax equivalent of saying, “It’s cool, bro. I know you’ll get me next time.” 

But if you have a product or agency that was created to manage private and sensitive data, it is incumbent on YOU to create processes and tools to help users handle that information properly.

The worst states to have a baby in are the ones with no state-paid programs at all. You'd be better off if you were laid off. At least then you’d be eligible for unemployment. But it would be illegal to lay you off for having a baby, of course. So I guess the people in these states are screwed.

Here's a rule of thumb: The best states to work in are some of the worst states to work with.