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Compensation & Benefits

In the Payroll Mailbag: October ’24

09/19/2024
Rarely asked questions don’t have less value than frequently asked questions. And in Payroll, the rarity usually causes all the trouble. Two questions illustrate.

Guidance clarifies student loan 401(k) matches

09/19/2024
Beginning with the 2024 plan year, SECURE 2.0, the 2022 401(k) reform law, allows you to make matching contributions into the 401(k) accounts of employees who self-certify that they’re repaying their student loans. Interim guidance issued by the IRS describes the self-certification process and sets other rules.

Who can sue you if employees work remotely?

09/19/2024
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets nationwide standards for wage-and-hour compliance and also allows employees to bring collective lawsuits against their employers for FLSA violations. Can employees who work remotely in far-flung states join together in one lawsuit and sue their employer?

Fix it fast: What to do with ITINs in the payroll system

09/19/2024
You’ve heard this a million times: Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers are provided to foreign nationals with nonwork U.S. tax obligations; employees always have Social Security numbers. Third-party payroll providers’ systems, however, may accept ITINs, which can put you in line for a hefty penalty for filing incorrect W-2s. It’s a tough bind you don’t want to find yourself in.

2024 FUTA credit-reduction states

09/19/2024
The Department of Labor has identified the potential 2024 FUTA credit-reduction states.

Fright night for your year-end processes

09/19/2024
There will be no skeletons jumping out of closets or floating jack-o’-lanterns of death glaring at you if you take care of these early year-end tasks now.

FTC can’t enforce its ban on noncompete agreements

09/19/2024
Janitors, security guards and fast-food employees probably shouldn’t be required to sign noncompete agreements, but many are. Last spring, the Federal Trade Commission tried to remedy this by issuing final regulations banning most noncompete agreements. A federal trial court has now issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the FTC from enforcing them.

Tax Court says no to a $28,000 condo deduction

09/19/2024
The first part of the accountable plan rules is often overlooked. It says employees’ expenses must have a business connection. An S corp owner who tried to write off monthly expenses on a condominium in New York City found this out the hard way when the IRS disallowed the expenses and the Tax Court showed him the doorman-staffed door.

Retirees more confident about retirement income than working-age Americans are

09/16/2024
Seventy-four percent of retired Americans say they have enough money to live comfortably. Those who haven’t yet retired aren’t nearly as confident. Only 45% of current workers believe they will have enough money socked away to retire comfortably.

Your employees are financially stressed—here’s how to help

09/13/2024
For the second year in a row, PNC Bank has published the results of its survey on financial wellness in the workplace. The report concludes that three in five workers report living paycheck to paycheck, a sign of financial distress, some of which is related to student loan debt, particularly for younger workers. Can employers help?