Payroll

What’s the right way to complete Form I-9?

08/27/2013

Question: How can the company fulfill the I-9 requirement to physically review new hires’ documents when employees work remotely? Can we have a notary review the documents, notarize a copy of them and send that copy to our main office?

Trying a creative approach to pay? Have your attorney run the numbers to ensure legality

08/26/2013

Before you approve a creative approach to paying hourly employees, be sure to get expert help. That’s essential if your employees may have to put in more than 40 hours of work per week, because you will have to calculate their regular rate of pay to calculate overtime compensation. And that’s something the DOL wants done right.

Payroll self-audits protect the company–and Payroll pros

08/23/2013

As a Payroll professional, what’s your job? According to Lisa Poole, CPP, corporate payroll manager for Simmons Bedding Corp., your job is to protect the company’s assets, protect employees’ data and remain compliant. Internal payroll audits help you do all three.

Managing termination pay: Beware trouble ahead

08/21/2013

What goes into a final paycheck, and when that check must be given to a terminating employee, is strictly a state issue. Here are the final-pay rules.

401(k) excess deferral project reveals payroll errors

08/19/2013

The results of the IRS’ 401(k) Excess Deferral Project are in, and they reveal a high failure rate for pretax contribution amounts that were reported on employees’ Forms W-2. The finding: 75% of employers needed to correct their W-2s.

Final IRS regs help combat growing problem of EIN theft

08/15/2013

Employer Identification Number theft is the poor stepchild to Social Security number theft—but it’s a growing problem. If it happens to you, EIN theft will cost time and money as you unravel the complications with the IRS. Final regulations begin to take aim at the problem.

ACA’s employer mandate postponed one year, until 2015

08/14/2013

The IRS has postponed until 2015 the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for large employers to provide health insurance to full-time employees or pay a free-rider penalty. Not postponed: The Oct. 1, 2013, opening of the individual exchanges and the small business exchanges, or SHOPs. Also not postponed: W-2 reporting of employees’ health benefits. Crucial: You also need to provide the exchange notices to all employees by Oct. 1

State-by-State Chart on Final-Pay Laws

08/14/2013

This chart summarizes the states’ final-pay laws. States without laws have been omitted.

How can we avoid W-2 glitches?

08/12/2013

Question: On last year’s W-2s, Accuwage flagged a Social Security number (SSN) beginning with a nine. We called the Social Security Administration (SSA) and were advised to enter nine zeros for this SSN. We later learned that the SSN was an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Should we have reported the nine zeros or the ITIN, even though the W-2 instructions say not to accept an ITIN from an employee?

What’s next after child support withholding obligation is fulfilled?

08/09/2013

Question: An employee said he fulfilled his child support obligation. The state faxed us corroborating information, but not on the federal Income Withholding Order (IWO), so withholding continues. Must states use the IWO to inform employers to stop withholding?