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Compensation & Benefits

What employers must do now to meet Affordable Care Act deadlines

08/03/2012
When the U.S. Supreme Court decided in June to uphold most of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act health care reform law, the clock started ticking on a number of benefits-related deadlines employers must meet. From summaries of bene­­fits and coverage to health care flex funds to health benefits reporting on 2012 W-2s, now is the time to review your health insurance obligations.

Clear the decks now for year-end Payroll processes

08/03/2012

As the hot, sticky air of summer clears out, now is the time for you and your employees to do some clearing out of your own. The payoff: A smoother year-end Payroll ­process.

Deloitte ‘grosses up’ pay to cover tax on domestic benefits

08/03/2012
Deloitte has adjusted the salaries of employees who include domestic partners on their medical or dental plans to help offset the taxes they have to pay on the benefit. The perk is available to employees living with same- or opposite-sex registered domestic partners.

Should we withhold child support from payments to contractor?

08/02/2012

Question: Our company contracts with an employee who quit and started his own business. We know he had a child support withholding order in place and that the order remains in effect. Must we continue to withhold child support?

The summer doldrums don’t have to get you down

08/02/2012
August is a slog. Forget the heat and humidity by organizing your Payroll tasks for the next four months.

What’s the timing on E-Verify case files?

08/01/2012

Question: If employees don’t have List A, B or C documents and must use replacement receipts to verify their identify and work eligibility, when can the employer create a case file in E-Verify?

What are the options for verifying employees’ names/SSNs?

08/01/2012

Question: We verify employees’ names and Social Security numbers through the telephone number employer verification service (TNEV) and the paper option. Are these methods still available?

IRS provides sample Sec. 83(b) election form

08/01/2012

Payroll usually doesn’t withhold income and FICA taxes from employees who receive restricted stock until the restriction lapses and the stock vests. Under Section 83(b), however, employees can opt to have taxes withheld currently, long before the restriction lapses. The IRS has now provided sample language for an 83(b) election.

Texas agencies face federal sex discrimination lawsuits

07/31/2012
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas General Land Office for alleged pay discrimination at the now-defunct Texas Department of Rural Affairs.

How can we stop the clock on off-the-clock work?

07/30/2012

How can an employer reduce its exposure to claims for off-the-clock work if employees use their own electronic devices for business purposes?