Federal Tax Credits for COVID Have Ended The Federal program that enabled employers to take a tax credit for paying employees who were absent for COVID-related reasons ended on September 30. There is no more so-called "COVID pay" as we have processed for many of our clients for the last year and a half. COVID [...]
Your company may or may not have celebrated Juneteenth this year, but now that it's a federal holiday, it'll likely impact your payroll process going forward. President Biden signed legislation on June 17, 2021, making Juneteenth (June 19) a legal public holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. Here's what that means [...]
Servant's Quest in Oliver Springs TN, a home health care business, paid $358,675 in back wages to 50 workers. They were found in violation of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Servant's Quest misclassified caregivers as independent contractors and paid them straight-time rates for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
Lawsuit claimed worker was "pressured" to make donations Charitable deductions straight from paychecks can be a great way for employees to easily donate to valuable causes. But just as with other wage deductions, the rules must be followed when Payroll sets them up. One employer did everything right with its voluntary payroll deductions for an [...]
Worker claimed employer's violations were "willful" When an employee's job responsibilities shift, perhaps as part of a company reorganization, it's important to ask: Does that person's exemt or nonexempt status in the payroll system need to change? One New York company had to defend itself in a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) lawsuit because a [...]
Actual language in law matters more than its interpretation Opinion letters from agencies like the Dept. of Labor provide employers with helpful guidance. But beware, they aren't the be-all and end-all for wage and hour law. Relying too heavily on opinion letters can be a big mistake, as one employer learned after a recent lawsuit [...]
Contributions limits, taxable income & more The IRS has recently released some important updates you'll need to know for the fourth quarter of this year. Contribution limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) The IRS has released the maximum contribution limit for HSAs when employees are participating in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). For employees with [...]
Recent lawsuit shows employers right way to make the change It's sometimes necessary to change your pay cycle. In this situation, it's key to proceed with caution. Along with any compliance and legal issues that may arise due to state prompt-payment laws, you'll have to address workers' concerns about their checks. One company's pay change [...]
Q: With so much of our workforce being remote due to COVID, we're thinking of switching to text messaging to remind people about Payroll deadlines and let them know about other important info and changes. What considerations should we keep in mind when texting employees for work purposes? A: Text messaging can be a great [...]
In Massachusetts, there's now a new definition of what's considered a "wait staff employee" in the restaurant industry, thanks to HB 5250. A wait staff employee is a waiter/waitress, bus person or someone working in a quick-service restaurant who prepares or serves food or beverages as part of a team of counter staff. The definition [...]
