The comment period recently closed on proposed changes to Form I-9. The revised version is expected to be a "smart" form, meaning employers could complete the I-9 electronically, taking advantage of drop-down lists and onscreen instructions. Even though the form could be completed on a computer, it would still be printed, and the hard copy [...]
The pressure's on for final rule from the DOL Be on the lookout: The revised overtime regs may be finalized by May 16, 2016. Otherwise, they risk being overturned in 2017 when there's a new President and new Congress, the Congressional Research Service said in a recent reports. Agency rules issued toward the end of [...]
WASHINGTON — Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers, but now the IRS is receiving new reports of scammers calling under the guise of verifying tax return information over the phone. The latest variation being seen in the last few weeks tries to play off the [...]
A common practice can cause payroll headaches Any day now, the Dept. of Labor is expected to publish a Request for Information on using electronic devices outside of scheduled work hours. In the meantime, a federal court has weighed in on the issue. The court said an employer didn't have to pay overtime to employees [...]
Employer deducted wrong amounts from wages Calculating disposable earnings can be a real headache. But mistakes can lead you to deduct too much or too little from employees' wages. Take, for instance, the Southwest Center for the Developmentally Disabled Inc. of Louisville KY. The Dept. of Labor (DOL) discovered the nonprofit failed to properly calculate [...]
Plus, changes to AccuWage being considered for future. Given that the Forms W-2 deadline will hit earlier for Tax Year 2016, the SSA plans to release some of its year-end material sooner than in the past. The SSA gave that heads up during a Payroll Industry Call in March. Previously, employers had until the end [...]
Report to be submitted by more employers More reporting responsibilities are heading your way, requiring a tag team approach between Payroll and HR. This comes as you may still be in the midst of sorting out who’s doing what to meet Affordable Care Act reporting requirements. Form 1095-C, due to the IRS by May 31, [...]
Be Cautious about requests for information If you received an email from your CEO requesting W-2 data, you'd probably want to reply as quickly as possible. One problem: You could inadvertently be sending payroll information to a hacker. Phishing schemes involving W-2s have spiked recently – so much so that the IRS has just issued [...]
Payroll giant ADP has suffered a security breach in which hackers have stolen tax and salary information, according to a report from Krebs on Security. The hackers reportedly registered accounts using employees’ names at its customer firms, which ADP claims occurred after those companies inadvertently released sensitive data on ADP accounts. This made it easier [...]
Employment eligibility verification form revisions You'll soon need to start using an updated Form I-9. Changes to the form are about to be rolled out. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says it's making changes so employers can: Reduce technical errors, and Complete the form on a computer. After the initial comment period ended Jan [...]
