Monthly Archives: January 2021

Tips to stay safe online

These days most people are spending more time at home and a lot more time online. Whether people are online for work, school, a virtual gathering or shopping, online security is more important than ever. Everyone should be mindful of risks they may encounter when they share devices, shop online and interact on social media. Taxpayers might find [...]

January 29th, 2021|Hacking, Identity Theft, Scammers|

How employers can support the mental health of their employees during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health. People have experienced financial hardship, additional challenges with childcare and school cancellations, job loss, reduced hours, sickness, and grief. The future is uncertain, and the present is extra stressful. And to make matters worse, many of the networks and practices that people use to [...]

January 20th, 2021|Covid-19|

New DOL guidance on tracking and paying for remote employees’ hours

"Reasonable diligence" expected from employers You know it's important to accurately track and report the hours people work, even if they're teleworking. The Dept. of Labor (DOL) confirms this in Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-5. The bulletin discusses employers' responsibility to pay employees for time worked when they're remote and what's considered "reasonable diligence" under [...]

January 15th, 2021|Recordkeeping, Remote work, Timekeeping|

“Dirty Dozen” Scams

The IRS provides its annual “Dirty Dozen” list to help raise awareness about common scams that fraudsters use to target people. This year’s list has a special emphasis on aggressive and evolving schemes related to COVID-19 tax relief, including Economic Impact Payments. The IRS urges taxpayers to watch out for these scams and is doing [...]

January 8th, 2021|Scammers|

What you need to know about new PPP loans

New federal stimulus legislation was approved on December 27. The legislation includes another round of funding for PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans for small business affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Banks are awaiting detailed guidelines from the Small Business Administration, which administers these loans. Here is a summary of what we know. Please bear in mind that this [...]

January 6th, 2021|Uncategorized|

FAQs about returning to work after COVID-10

Can we screen employees returning to work for COVID-19?Yes. Generally, inquiries about an employee’s health or a medical exam (like a temperature check) would not be allowed, but the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has stated that screening employees for symptoms of COVID-19 is allowed since it is a direct threat to others in the [...]

January 5th, 2021|Uncategorized|