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Compensation & Benefits

Guide to 2015 state direct deposit and paycard laws

04/17/2015
States usually require that employees voluntarily participate in electronic pay programs. This chart summarizes the states’ direct deposit/paycard rules. “Mandatory” means that a state allows you to make e-payment a condition of employment, if you choose. States that don’t have laws aren’t included.

Talk up total rewards to improve engagement

04/17/2015
There’s a strong correlation between employees’ perceptions of their total compensation package and their degree of engagement at work, and employers can strengthen that connection by communicating exactly how much employees’ pay and benefits are really worth.

As military-leave season nears, plan now for reservists’ absence

04/17/2015
Summer is usually when employees who belong to the National Guard and military Reserves give their two weeks of duty to Uncle Sam. Some military-connected employees may be deployed for longer periods of time. Now is the time to prepare for their absence.

FICA refunds available for same-sex married couples

04/14/2015
The IRS will allow couples whose same-sex domestic arrangements were retroactively classified as marriages, and their employers, to apply for FICA refunds.

Court spots the problem: Troubleshooting complex machinery isn’t exempt work

04/13/2015
With technological advances, just about every job involves using computers or computerized machinery. That doesn’t mean an employee whose job it is to repair such equipment is an exempt computer professional. Fixing things like printers and copiers—even the most technologically advanced ones—is hourly work, making the employee eligible for overtime.

Wrong classified employees as exempt? Don’t take shortcuts when fixing your error

04/13/2015
Employers must follow strict rules if they want to rectify misclassification of employees and make up their unpaid overtime. Don’t expect to just cut them a check and put a note on the paystub.

Keep on top of litigation or face instant liability

04/13/2015
One of the worst things you can do when facing a lawsuit is to ignore legal paperwork that comes your way. As one employer recently learned, missing a single deadline can mean you have no defense and simply have to cough up damages.

Status report: Forms 941 migration to MeF platform

04/13/2015
Your first-quarter 2015 Form 941 is due by the end of this month. If you e-file, the IRS has some important news for you: It is permanently retiring its two current e-filing options—the 94x E-file Program Method or the PIN-based 94x Online E-file Program Method—now called legacy systems, by the end of this year. In their place, the IRS is shifting all payroll returns to its Modernized e-File platform, or MeF.

What’s the best way to receive 401(k) information?

04/13/2015
When it comes to learning how to manage their defined-contribution retirement benefits, employees are old-school.

IRS drives the final nail into Quality Stores

04/10/2015
The IRS has announced that it is disallowing all protective FICA refund claims related to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in U.S. v. Quality Stores.