Payroll Foundations

Certificate
Finance Cluster Icon

Why choose Payroll Foundations?

  • Your role includes paying workers and doing what’s right according to the law and your organization’s people.
  • Complete your coursework online around your work schedule during the day or evening.
  • Explore payroll accounting methods, including manual and automated.
  • Complete payroll projects directly related to real-life business situations.
This certificate is a focused, short-term "sprint" to develop targeted, real-world competency for career advancement. Enroll today to accelerate your career and get to the next level in your current job or field of choice!

Program Locations

Online

What You'll Learn

Outcomes

  • Analyze the various aspects of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the other laws that affect payroll operation and employment practices. 
  • Apply legal requirements to the regulation of worker benefits, employment discrimination, workplace privacy, workplace conditions, and a union or potential union environment. 
  • Calculate earnings using procedures and methods used in basic payroll accounting systems. 
  • Explain the various phases of the Social Security Act, the federal and state income tax withholding law and unemployment laws, and other laws relating to the payment of wages and salaries. 
  • Prepare payroll registers, forms, tax returns, and journal entries. 
  • Complete a comprehensive payroll project which will demonstrate mastery of the basic payroll system. 
  • Analyze current issues of employment law in the workplace. 

Employability Skills

  • Behave Responsibly: Ethical Behavior, Self-Responsibility, Conflict Resolution, Collaboration
  • Communicate Effectively: Writing, Technical Documentation, Listening, Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Reading
  • Critical & Creative Thinking: Inquiry, Evidence Collection, Analysis, Reasoning, Reflection (Metacognition)
  • Cultural, Social, & Global Awareness: Global Awareness, Social & Cultural Awareness, Social Responsibility
  • Use Appropriate Technology: Use of Technology, Confidentiality, Security, Digital Civility

Learn more about employability skills at Mid-State.

Estimated Entire Certificate Cost

Cost based on the 2024/25 academic year.

  • Tuition & Fees: $969.82
  • Books: $199.99
  • Supplies, Uniforms, and/or Exams: $0
  • Total Estimated Cost: $1,169.81

Financial Aid Eligibility

This program is NOT eligible for Financial Aid. Explore other ways to help pay for college.

Cost of Attendance

Learn more about Cost of Attendance, an estimated budget that includes categories of expenses a student can expect to incur while attending. 

Instructors

Careers

Fast-Track

High school students are eligible to enroll in this program and all courses required. Learn more about Mid-State Fast-Track.

"The Accounting program at Mid-State equipped me to handle the many real-world tasks I see on a daily basis in my work as a controller."

JAVIER VERA
GRADUATE

Choose Your Path

Career pathways help you take your education one step at a time to maximize your investment and make college fit your life. Earn a credential and start using it in the workforce. Continue with another stack of related courses to gain a more advanced diploma or degree. Explore this program’s pathway in the graphic below. For an even quicker first step to a degree or diploma, check out our short-term certificates.

TransferDual CreditCredit for Prior Learning