Compensation & Benefits

OCSE’s FY 2017 budget includes payroll priorities

09/02/2016

You withhold 75% of all child support payments. That’s a considerable sum. So, when the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement highlights payroll initiatives in its fiscal year 2017 budget request, Payroll managers take notice.

DOL rule clears the way for state-run retirement savings plans

09/02/2016

A new Department of Labor rule will make it easier for states to establish retirement savings plans for employees of organizations that do not offer retirement benefits.

Snapshot: Do workers understand their employer’s compensation policy?

09/01/2016

More than 90% of employers have a written or unwritten compensation policy, but fewer than half of total rewards professionals believe their employees understand it.

Health benefits declining among small employers

09/01/2016

In the wake of the Affordable Care Act—and the financial hardship caused by the economic downturn—fewer small employers are offering health benefits to their workers, but big employers are holding steady, according to new findings by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Paycheck to paycheck normal for most workers

08/31/2016

More than three-quarters of workers—78%—are living paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet, and 26% don’t save any money at all.

September 2016: Employer’s business tax calendar

08/31/2016

Here’s your monthly guide to critical payroll due dates.

What a payroll mess!

08/28/2016

Sometimes you walk into a mess and other times you have a mess thrust upon you.

Beware suspicious garnishment orders

08/27/2016

Payday lenders are increasingly sending aggressive garnishment orders to employers that mimic legitimate administrative orders from federal agencies.

Is it legal to dock nonexempts’ pay if they clock in late after breaks?

08/26/2016

Q. We give employees the choice of using two 10-minute breaks each day or combining them into one 20-minute lunch break. The employees are required to punch out and in for these breaks. Now, we have a policy that docks employees 15 minutes’ pay if they’re four or more minutes late returning from a break. Is this legal?

Corporation loses on salary determinations

08/25/2016

S corps aren’t the only businesses to run up against the IRS when it comes to determining whether salaries are reasonable. Regular tax-paying C corporations run into the problem, too.