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Built to make you job-ready in payroll. Compliance, system skills, and proof you can do it.

Whether you're starting a new career, payroll just landed on your desk, or you're making a deliberate move into the field, this program builds you up from payroll foundations through live system proficiency. You'll be trained by payroll professionals with over 40 years of combined experience, working inside a live HCM platform where you learn by doing, not watching.

Three credentials. One program.

You don't just finish with a certificate. You finish with a stack of proof.

01
Earned in Week 1

Payroll Certification

✓ Compliance foundation

Validates your understanding of payroll law, tax compliance, wage calculations, deductions, and audit-ready recordkeeping. The foundation everything else builds on.

02
Earned through Weeks 2–6

Payroll Software Certificate

✓ Hands-on system proficiency

Demonstrates practical proficiency in the isolved HCM platform — from employee setup and time management through payroll processing and reporting.

03
Earned upon final exam

Certified Payroll Technician

✓ End-to-end competency

Your top-level professional designation — proving you can manage the full payroll cycle with accuracy, compliance knowledge, and system-level skill.

Six weeks. Compliance first, then live system, then proof.

The roadmap

1
Week 1

Foundations & Compliance

Wage law, tax withholding, audit-ready recordkeeping

🏆 Earn: Payroll Certification
2
Week 2

Employee Setup

New hire setup, demographics, pay groups, deductions

3
Week 3

Time & Attendance

Timecards, approvals, exception handling, controls

4
Week 4

Payroll Processing

Pre-processing, gross-to-net, off-cycle, retro pay

5
Week 5

Review, Audit & Reporting

Variance checks, reporting, documentation

🏆 Earn: Payroll Software Certificate
6
Week 6

Real-World Application

Scenario practice, decision-making, final exam

🏆 Earn: Certified Payroll Technician
What sets this apart

This isn't a webinar. It isn't a self-paced course. It's a profession-builder.

01

Live system access

You'll train inside isolved HCM — not on screenshots or simulations. Instructors teach directly inside a live payroll environment.

02

Three credentials, one investment

This program stacks three professional credentials that validate your compliance knowledge, software proficiency, and end-to-end payroll competency.

03

Compliance first

Week 1 grounds you in wage law, tax rules, and audit standards so every system action in Weeks 2–6 is backed by real understanding.

04

Built for accountability

Weekly checkpoints, quizzes, and a structured cohort keep you on track from start to finish.

05

No experience required

This program meets you where you are and builds you into a job-ready payroll professional in six weeks.

What you'll learn

By the end of the program, you will be able to:

  • Apply federal and state wage and hour laws to payroll decisions
  • Calculate gross-to-net pay including taxes, deductions, and withholdings
  • Set up and maintain employee records in isolved HCM
  • Process payroll from data entry through closeout in a live system
  • Manage time and attendance workflows, exceptions, and approvals
  • Identify and correct payroll errors before they become compliance risks
  • Run audits, generate reports, and maintain defensible documentation
  • Handle multi-state payroll, garnishments, fringe benefits, and special pay
Who should enroll

Built for people stepping into payroll for the first time.

  • Professionals moving into payroll from HR, accounting, admin, or operations
  • Employees who've had payroll added to their current responsibilities
  • Career starters looking for a structured path into a high-demand field
  • New payroll staff who need compliance-focused training quickly

No prior payroll experience required.

Detailed course outline

Every week, week by week.

Week 1

Payroll Foundations, Compliance, and Certification

Builds your compliance foundation and earns your Payroll Certification. Covers the legal framework, calculations, and documentation standards every payroll professional needs before touching a system.

  • Core payroll terminology and process overview
  • Employer classification and worker status rules
  • Federal and state wage law overview (FLSA, DOL)
  • Payroll cycle setup and recordkeeping requirements
  • Gross-to-net payroll calculations and formulas
  • Tax withholding and remittance procedures
  • Voluntary vs. involuntary deductions
  • Overtime, bonuses, and commissions compliance
  • Multi-state payroll and remote employee considerations
  • Reciprocity agreements and state tax challenges
  • Fringe benefits and taxable wage calculations
  • Leave, FMLA, and wage continuation policies
  • Year-end reconciliation and W-2/1099 management
  • Internal and external audit preparation
  • Error correction and documentation protocols
  • Payroll ethics, confidentiality, and communication
🏆 Payroll Certification earned at end of Week 1
Week 2

Employee Setup in isolved HCM

  • New hire setup in isolved HCM
  • Employee demographic and tax data entry
  • Pay groups, pay frequencies, and work locations
  • Direct deposit setup
  • Earnings and deductions setup basics
  • Common employee setup errors and how to avoid them
Week 3

Time and Attendance in a Live System

  • Timekeeping fundamentals
  • Regular hours, overtime, and special pay scenarios
  • Timecard workflows and approvals
  • Missed punches, edits, and exception handling
  • How time data flows into payroll
  • Common time-related payroll risks and controls
Week 4

Payroll Processing in isolved HCM

  • Pre-processing review steps
  • Importing and validating payroll data
  • Reviewing payroll registers and pay statements
  • Gross-to-net pay in the system
  • Earnings, deductions, and taxes in the payroll process
  • Off-cycle checks, retro pay, and adjustments
Week 5

Payroll Review, Auditing, and Reporting

  • Payroll audit fundamentals
  • Exception review and variance checks
  • Identifying unusual or missing pay items
  • Reviewing new hires, terminations, and employee changes
  • Reporting in payroll operations
  • Payroll communication and documentation best practices
Week 6

Real-World Application and Final Certification

  • Scenario-based payroll review
  • Identifying and correcting payroll issues in a live environment
  • Applying payroll logic to real-world situations
  • Common payroll mistakes and how to prevent them
  • Payroll workflow decision-making
  • Translating course knowledge into job readiness
  • Final exam
🏆 Payroll Software Certificate + Certified Payroll Technician upon passing the final exam
Taught by working practitioners

Brian and Walt have 40+ years of payroll between them.

They've run payroll for thousands of employees, implemented major systems, and now teach inside the platform — the way they wish they'd been taught.

Brian Escobar
20+ years

Brian Escobar

"Payroll is one of the few jobs where being right matters every two weeks. I teach the way I wish someone had taught me — inside the system, with the law explained."

Two decades across education, retail, technology, and real estate. Brian has led payroll for thousands of employees, managed system implementations, and built teams from scratch — most recently at Charter Schools USA and Teachers College, Columbia University.

  • Multi-state ops
  • Systems implementation
  • Team leadership
Walter William Duncan III
20+ years

Walter William Duncan III

"I started in the Navy disbursing office. Every payroll professional I've worked with since has been figuring it out under pressure. This course is the foundation I never had."

Began his career in the US Navy as a Disbursing/Personnel Clerk and has since led payroll at startups and major employers. Co-host of a renowned payroll podcast. Proficient across ADP, Sage, UltiPro/UKG, and isolved.

  • Garnishments
  • GL reconciliation
  • Podcast co-host
FAQ

Common questions before you enroll.

Do I need payroll experience?
No. This is built for beginners and career changers. We start at the very beginning.
Is this self-paced?
No — it's a live, cohort-based program with weekly instruction and checkpoints. The structure is part of why it works.
Our Partners

Built in partnership with industry leaders

CareerLearning is proud to partner with the outstanding team at Payroll Universe, Inc. and isolved to bring you expert-led instruction and real-world system experience.

Hands-on, expert-led payroll instruction from a team that lives the work every day.

Real sandbox access to the only payroll system letting our experts teach novices directly in a live environment.