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Compensation & Benefits

Most indexed 401(k)s beat managed funds

04/02/2014
Only about 20% of managed 401(k) funds deliver better returns that those that are simply indexed to broader market performance, according to research conducted by the Vanguard mutual fund investment company.

33% of firms eye private health exchanges

04/02/2014
Most employers plan to continue sponsoring health benefits for their employees, but will change the way those benefits are managed and delivered in the coming years. New research finds that traditional models for providing employer-sponsored health benefits will continue, while private insurance exchanges are emerging as corporate America’s new favored way to provide coverage.

Supreme Court: Severance is FICA-taxable

04/01/2014
The U.S. Supreme Court on March 25 unanimously ruled that severance pay is subject to withholding of FICA taxes, which employers and employees pay to fund Social Security and Medicare.

Final business: 5 steps to take when an employee dies

04/01/2014

Beyond its obvious emotional impact, an employee’s death almost always leaves unfinished business for HR and payroll. Follow these steps to help smooth the process when you’re notified of an employee’s death …

Set one standard for tardiness, stick with it

03/31/2014
Make sure you set one standard for determining how late “tardy“ is and how it’s measured. The best bet: Use a time clock.

Obama seeks to make more employees eligible for OT

03/31/2014
President Obama on March 13 ordered the U.S. Department of Labor to propose rules to “update and modernize America’s overtime pay system, so that millions of our nation’s salaried workers will have the protections of overtime pay.”

Real-world cost of health insurance: $270 per month

03/31/2014

The news is full of reports on the premiums being paid for health coverage acquired through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges. Depending on the political spin, they’re either onerously expensive or ridiculously cheap. Could the truth be somewhere in the middle?

OCSE sets parameters for standard Income Withholding Orders

03/31/2014
Just how standard must a standard child support Income Withholding Order be? Very standard, according to the Office of Child Support Enforcement, which created it and mandates its use.

New voluntary retirement savings program proposed

03/28/2014
Sen. Tom Harkin, D–Iowa, has introduced legislation to create a new government-backed private pension system allowing employees to put away up to 6% of pay each year.

April 2014: Employer’s business tax calendar

03/28/2014
NOTE: Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays as observed in the District of Columbia are taken into account to determine due dates. Under the federal deposit rules, you’re allowed a deposit shortfall of the greater of $100 or 2% of your tax liability.