The American Payroll Association Educates Workers, Celebrates Paychecks During National Payroll Week.

SAN ANTONIO -- Annual Public Awareness Campaign Helps Workers Capitalize on Their Pre-Tax Earnings

The American Payroll Association, the nation's leader in payroll training and education, today launched its annual National Payroll Week campaign to help America's workers better understand and manage their paychecks. In its ninth consecutive year, the 2004 program includes an informative video news release developed with NPW partner and Diamond Sponsor, payroll provider ADP, that explains how workers can save by making the most out of their paychecks. The release was distributed nationwide for viewing during National Payroll Week, September 6-10.

A primary component of the campaign is a year-round web site, www.nationalpayrollweek.com, that contains information for workers on ways to more effectively manage pre-tax deductions in order to meet financial goals and save for the future. The site also provides links to other resources, including savings, retirement, and tax calculators. Payroll professionals also are encouraged to reference the site in order to learn ways to celebrate the week and participate in the campaign.

"It is increasingly important for America's workers to save for future expenses, and their paychecks are vehicles that can help them do it," said Dan Maddux, APA Executive Director. "The National Payroll Week web site is a great resource for America's workers to learn how to make their earnings support tomorrow's expenses."

Also part of this year's campaign is an online greeting card created especially for the occasion. APA teamed with greeting card vendor American Greetings to create the special NPW e-greeting card, which will be available on the American Greetings, Yahoo! Greetings, and Blue Mountain web sites. Users can access the greeting card from these web sites or through the NPW homepage.

For the second year in a row, APA is sponsoring the "Getting Paid In America" online survey asking America's workers to weigh in on payroll issues that affect them, such as the use of biometric technology for tracking time and attendance, payroll cards, automatic payroll deductions, and the security of personal financial information. The survey will be live through the end of National Payroll Week, 5 p.m. Easter Time on Friday, September 10. Respondents are automatically entered to win a free paycheck and a trip for two to Las Vegas. The survey results will serve as a benchmark for industry analysis.

For more information about the American Payroll Association, visit www.americanpayroll.org, or, for additional information about National Payroll Week, see www.nationalpayrollweek.com.

About National Payroll Week

Founded by the American Payroll Association in 1996, National Payroll Week celebrates the unique partnership among the millions of America's wage earners, their companies, and the Payroll Professionals who ensure that America's workers are paid accurately and on time. National Payroll Week also focuses attention on the payroll withholding system, and how wage earners can use it to help achieve their individual goals.

About APA

Established in 1982, the American Payroll Association (APA), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with additional offices in Washington, D.C., New York, and Las Vegas, is the nation's leader in payroll education, publications and training. The nonprofit association conducts more than 300 payroll training conferences and seminars across the country annually and publishes a complete library of resource texts and newsletters. Every year, nearly 18,000 professionals attend APA training sessions. Representing more than 22,000 members, APA is the industry's highly respected and collective voice in Washington, D.C. For more information about APA or National Payroll Week, contact Mark Coindreau, [e-mail], 210-226-4600, ext. 277.