Monthly Archives: September 2020

Massachusetts work from home tax guidance

Massachusetts TIR 20-5 offers key tax guidance on employees who are working from home during the COVID-19 emergency. Any nonresidents who usually work in Massachusetts but are teleworking from a different location are still subject to Massachusetts income taxes. Employers must also continue to make contributions to the state’s paid family and medical leave program [...]

September 17th, 2020|Uncategorized|

Exempt employee missed work: Is he now eligible for OT?

Exempt employee missed work: Is he now eligible for OT? Q. This year, we hired an exempt employee and offered him a salary of $36,000. However, he took a week off from work without pay, which will lower his annual salary to below the new threshold required for exemption by the Department of Labor. Does [...]

September 16th, 2020|Uncategorized|

Payroll made wage deductions, but then what happened to the money?

Payroll made wage deductions, but then what happened to the money? Unremitted health plan contributions, $12K owed After you deduct health insurance premiums from wages, if you don’t remit the money to the health benefit plan in a timely manner, that can mean bad news for your company and employees. That’s what SmartCore LLC learned [...]

September 11th, 2020|deductions|

DOL enforcing FFCRA and other laws via in-person audits: how to prepare

Surprise visits to double-check compliance for all employers The Department of Labor (DOL) is ramping up enforcement of various laws, including the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Several employers have already been tripped up by FFCRA and what it requires, and the DOL’s been fining them for noncompliance. The agency’s also going after [...]

September 10th, 2020|FFCRA, Recordkeeping|

Telework & business costs: Covid-19 guidelines for reimbursing workers

Covid-19 Guidelines for Reimbursing Workers As the Covid-19 emergency continues, many employees are still working remotely, and that may mean employers have the responsibility to reimburse business expenses workers incur at home. Depending on how these expenses impact workers' income, both state and federal laws come into play. In some cases, employees may not have [...]

September 9th, 2020|Covid-19, reimbursement|

DOL Tool helps employees determine FFCRA eligibility

The Department of Labor (DOL) has created a new online tool to help your workers see if they’re eligible for leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Employer-specific features are coming soon, according to the DOL. For more info: dol.gov/agencies/whd/ffcra/benefits-eligibility-webtool

September 9th, 2020|FFCRA, Uncategorized|

Violation of federal law: 2 weeks of self-quarantine without paid sick leave

ZoomX Inc., a delivery service contractor in Katy TX, failed to provide paid sick leave to an employee whose healthcare provider advised the employee to self-quarantine for two weeks due to the coronavirus. For this violation of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provision of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, ZoomX was penalized $1700 [...]

September 9th, 2020|Covid-19, Uncategorized|