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Compensation & Benefits

As pharmaceutical prices soar, manage employee expectations about health-care costs

11/21/2023
It’s December, and by now your employees have already selected their preferred health plan for 2024. Chances are, you saw a significant increase in the cost of health insurance premiums. The cost of covering so-called blockbuster specialty drugs likely pushed costs higher.

Lawsuits question use of 401(k) plan forfeitures

11/21/2023
Earlier this year, the IRS issued proposed regulations giving 401(k) plan administrators discretion to determine how the plan uses forfeited contributions. The regs didn’t go out on a limb; plan administrators have been using this discretion for years. But maybe not for much longer, if plaintiffs in two lawsuits have their way.

In the Payroll Mailbag: December ’23

11/21/2023
How do we account for payments to salespersons? … Should we 1099 an employee if we buy materials from him?

Tick tock, watch work off the clock

11/21/2023
Would you know compensable working time if you saw it? If you pay for noncompensable working time anyway, you can put conditions on your payment. Two cases illustrate.

Two-minute payroll reads: December ’23

11/21/2023
Payroll is complicated and your time is limited. Spend two minutes reading these digests and you’ll be up-to-date on key payroll developments.

Please explain: What does it mean to gross up?

11/21/2023
If you pay an employee’s taxes on, say, a $500 bonus or the value of a gift card, those taxes become income to the employee. That means more withholding. And if the employer keeps picking up the taxes, what results is a never-ending upward spiral of taxation. The only way to escape is to gross up the payment. But what does this really mean?

Online hearing on Labor Department’s fiduciary rule scheduled for mid-December

11/20/2023
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration will hold an online hearing Dec. 12 and 13 on a proposed rule that would require financial advisors working on retirement-plan accounts to act in the best interests of investors, not the companies that create investment products.

Health-benefits costs jumped 5.2% in 2023 due to inflation, higher pharma costs

11/20/2023
The average per-employee cost of employer-sponsored health insurance rose by 5.2% in 2023 to reach $15,797. That’s a big jump compared to 2022, according to the Mercer consulting firm’s annual National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans.

How to battle poor retention by improving interactions and saying “thank you”

11/20/2023
At the HR Specialist Summit 2023, Karl Ahlrichs, renowned HR expert and speaker, shared insightful strategies for providing rewards and recognition to employees. In his presentation, he emphasized the potential to bolster your team’s retention without significant additional costs, focusing instead on the value and thoughtfulness of the rewards and recognition you offer.

Smaller raises predicted in 2024

11/13/2023
Based on 2024 salary-budget surveys conducted by seven consulting firms, payroll vendors and business organizations, raises for the coming year should average 3.9%.