Payroll

Wilkes-Barre McDonald’s faces debit card suit

09/03/2013

A former McDonald’s employee is suing a franchise owner, arguing that paying her via a payroll card—with all its attendant fees—meant she earned less than the minimum wage.

DOMA-related issues top IRS’ 2014 business plan

09/02/2013

The 2013-2014 Priority Guidance Plan is the IRS’ road map for regulatory and administrative guidance it hopes to publish by June 30, 2014. Commonly referred to as “the business plan,” the IRS has loaded itself up with 324 projects. As usual, Payroll figures very prominently on the IRS’ agenda. Here’s what to expect.

What? Year-end already!

09/02/2013

We can already hear the collective “@#$%&!” from Payroll managers across the nation. But the world turns, and now it turns once again to year-end. Take a few minutes now to run down this checklist, and you’ll almost certainly have a smooth start to year-end 2013.

No tax-free reimbursement for a long-distance commute

09/01/2013

Question: An employee lives in New York, but commutes to our offices in Maryland every week. He returns home on Friday. We are contractually obligated to reimburse him for his weekly hotel/housing expenses. Are his reimbursements taxable, or do they qualify as tax-free local lodging expenses?

How separate must employers be for OT purposes?

08/30/2013

Question: A nonexempt employee works for a company and its subsidiary. Each company has separate federal Employer Identification Numbers (EINs), workers’ compensation policies and state unemployment accounts. The two companies, however, share an HR department and some corporate officers. The employee completes two time sheets and has different managers. Is she entitled to overtime if she works longer than 40 hours between the two companies?

Jury’s discrimination award is subject to withholding

08/29/2013

A federal appeals court has ruled that a former employee’s Title VII jury award was taxable back pay and front pay. The employer, therefore, didn’t need to seek the trial court’s approval to withhold taxes, even though the award didn’t explicitly allow the employer to withhold.

September 2013: Employer’s business tax calendar

08/29/2013

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.

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.