HELP! Payroll / Payroll Tax Audit Iowa

[SeasonedGal]

Employee quit voluntarily - gave written two week notice. Then, the Monday after the last day worked - went and filed for unemployment.

This former employee did speak to owner, stated that just a "few weeks" of unemployment were necessary in order to "get back on their feet", and asked the owner not to contest the claim. Also the former employee told the owner that if the company fought the claim, the former employee would not receive the unemployment claimed.

Just received "notice" through the grapevine, the former employee will be asking for a payroll audit or payroll tax audit. This former employee was in charge of 99% of the payroll (everything but signing a few of the checks). What benefit can be derived from requesting the audit?

The fact finding hearing is tomorrow, 8am, so I'm in a bit of a dilemma. FYI, I'm the person who replaced the former employee, so I'm not in possession of all the facts of the past reports and everything yet. I can't find where she kept hard copy files of past payroll reports filed (federal or state)!

[Pattymd]

Someone other than you needs to represent the employer in this conference. The person that knows the details of the situation.

It doesn't matter necessarily that the employer "doesn't contest". If the ex-employee said on her UI claim that she was involuntarily terminated, she lied; if she said she DID quit, and the employer sent back the notice that she quit, the conference MAY be to determine if there was "good reason associated with the employer" that a "reasonable person would have no choice but to quit".

I wouldn't worry about the "grapevine". She has no standing to request an "audit" unless she has a dispute about her wages.

[SeasonedGal]

The employers will be representing themselves - I'm not touching that with several ten foot poles!

As to quitting... she gave written two weeks notice. A copy of that notice was faxed in to the person who will conduct the "fact finding hearing" tomorrow. In the notice, it was a matter of personal circumstances necessitating she move out of the area. I do know she was on salary, and felt that even though she, of her own choice, put in more than 40 hours per week, she was getting ripped off by not getting overtime.

I'm wondering if this isn't just a scare tactic to try and get the employer to not contest the unemployment claim.

The employer got that "grapevine notice" and called me to see if I had ever heard of such a thing and if I knew what sort of benefit she could derive from requesting such an audit.

I couldn't find much about it in some quick research so I decided to try this place.

[Pattymd]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if it was a scare tactic. I must admit, she's got a lot of nerve even filing for UI, let alone asking the employer not to contest it.