Daniel R. Lauer received PayrollOrg’s 2025 Government Partner Award during the 2025 Virtual Congress & Expo. As the former Director, Small Business/Self-Employed Specialty Examination, at the IRS until his recent retirement, he served as a primary contact for payroll professionals for more than a decade where he would share important compliance information on federal employment taxes.

Lauer was also a frequent presenter at PayrollOrg’s Capital Summit and Payroll Congress conferences where he routinely explained updates to numerous IRS forms, including the Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement; Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return; and Form 944, Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return.

As a liaison between PayrollOrg and IRS leadership, he helped to identify critical issues of concern. Lauer had always made himself available to answer questions following his presentations and attended networking events to get to know PayrollOrg’s members, expressing the importance of payroll professionals before the IRS.

Lauer was also a valuable resource sharing information on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Secure Act and Secure Act 2.0, backup withholding, COVID-19 tax relief, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), third-party payors, enforcement processes, electronic tax return filing opportunities, SSA/IRS reconciliation, and more.

One of PayrollOrg’s critical goals is creating and building relationships with government decision-makers. Through PayrollOrg’s Government Relations Task Force (GRTF), payroll professionals’ partner with the government to create efficiencies, open doors to innovative technologies, and network with each other.

The Government Partner Award recognizes government leaders like Lauer who have measurably engaged with payroll professionals by recognizing them as key stakeholders.

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside Dan on so many important issues affecting payroll,” said Alice P. Jacobsohn, Esq., PayrollOrg’s Director of Government Relations. “We wish Dan all the best in his retirement.”