New option for offering workers tax-free benefits A new final rule from the Trump administration will give employers more options for providing nontaxable health benefits to their employees. The rule allows employees to use funds from a new individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) to purchase third-party healthcare coverage. HRA advantages Allowing employers to use [...]
Record retention for Payroll: What’s required under federal, state regs Company disposed of workers’ old timecards too quickly Recordkeeping guidelines are just as important to the Dept. of Labor (DOL) as other wage and hour rules, especially when looking at timecards and other payroll records. If employers don’t keep accurate records of hours worked for [...]
This week, the Massachusetts Legislature and the Baker-Polito Administration enacted legislation to delay the start of employer and employee contributions to the Paid Family and Medical Leave program (PFML) by three months to October 1, 2019. This delay will allow employers across the Commonwealth more time to prepare their organizations and workforces for PFML. Please [...]
Company required employees to volunteer, owes $59K in back wages Why charitable work turned into compensable time Some companies may encourage workers to volunteer their time to charitable causes. But when volunteering becomes mandatory, it can cause issues if workers aren’t paid. One employer wasn’t compliant with the law’s guidelines on volunteering, and it paid [...]
IRS: Latest info on when free meals provided to employees are taxable New Memo answers common questions about on-site food The IRS just released some helpful guidance on a confusing scenario: whether to count free meals given to employees as taxable income. According to a new Technical Advice Memorandum (TAM), meals provided by employers are [...]
New DOL guidelines for regular rate: What Payroll must know Update to procedures for what to exclude Right on the heels of the new overtime threshold comes news that the Dept. of Labor (DOL) is updating the regs in the Fair Labor Standards Act that control the regular rage of pay --- for the first [...]
IRS: Latest info on when free meals provided to employees are taxable New Memo answers common questions about on-site food The IRS just released some helpful guidance on a confusing scenario: whether to count free meals given to employees as taxable income. According to a new Technical Advice Memorandum (TAM), meals provided by employers are [...]
1 mistake when calculating workers’ OT meant employer owed $1.7M Company didn’t include piecework in calculation Even companies that try to do everything right can make big, expensive errors when calculating workers’ regular rate of pay. After a Dept. Of Labor (DOL) investigation, a North Dakota company serving the oil and gas industry must pay [...]
Electronic child support payments: Rules for states that require them Keys for compliance with withholding orders More and more states are requiring employers to electronically send child support payments. Right now, according to the Office of Child Support Enforcement 16 states have this rule in place. Requirements to meet: Here’s a rundown of which type [...]
Profit-sharing plans: Company owes back wages for ignoring the rules Keys to Making sure programs hold up to federal scrutiny Profit-sharing plans are an excellent way to keep employees invested in a company’s success. But compliance issues can be costly for employers. One Indiana lawn care company learned this firsthand. Precision Cut Lawn Service gave [...]
