Having employees complete Forms W-4 electronically can be a convenience to you, but be careful: IRS has issued strict guidance, and it’s recently been expanded. Employers don’t have a “license” to simplify or modify electronic substitutes to paper W-4s, IRS warned. After rolling out guidelines on implementing an electronic system for Forms W-4, IRS received [...]
All Massachusetts employers must distribute information to their employees and display a workplace poster that explains Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). PFML workforce notifications and posters have been updated to reflect the 2023 maximum benefit amount and contribution rates. Download the poster. For more information about PFML click here.
What business owners need to do when closing their doors for good There are a few things business owners need to do before they close their business. Of course, they need to fulfill their federal tax responsibilities. It’s also important to notify the IRS of their plans. Business owners must take these steps when closing [...]
The following wage and hour changes will take effect on January 1, 2023. Massachusetts increases minimum wage and ends premium pay Minimum wage The Massachusetts minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour. The minimum base wage for tipped employees will increase to $6.75 per hour. Premium pay fully phased out The mandatory premium pay rate for hours [...]
We’ve partnered with Human Interest, a 401(k) provider for small and medium-sized businesses, to add an affordable retirement plan to your benefit offering. Human Interest helps to reduce the burden of managing a 401(k) plan with easy setup and administration, recordkeeping, and streamlined onboarding for employees. With Human Interest you’ll receive: Access to affordable investment [...]
Massachusetts has joined the growing list of states to prohibit discrimination based on traits associated with race, including hairstyle. Beginning October 24, 2022, the state’s employment discrimination law, which applies to employers with six or more employees, will define race to include traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair [...]
Aspiring entrepreneurs: learn the basics of setting up a business IRS Tax Tip 2022-128, August 22, 2022 New entrepreneurs can start out on the right foot by making sure they understand the tax responsibilities of running a business. The process can seem daunting, but IRS.gov has resources to help new business owners. Here are a [...]
Federal, state, or local laws might require you to send notices to employees regarding their pay. Or, you might voluntarily decide to beef up communications. Before you spend time searching for just the right words, find out whether the government entity has already done the work for you. For example, in Notice 2021-53, the IRS [...]
When scheduling workers for shifts, there are plenty of tricky legal areas, such as accommodating religious beliefs. Many state and local laws now require predictive scheduling for employees in certain industries and positions. Under these laws, employers can't change workers' shifts at the last minute without paying them for their time, sometimes at a premium. [...]
We carefully curate articles of interest to small businesses and share them every weekday on Facebook. Here are some examples of recent topics: Can you require employees to be vaccinated? Can you fire employees who are not vaccinated?How to retain employees with the "great resignation"Is your business taking over your life?Effective and creative ways to [...]
