Payroll

Uncle Sam wants you! … to properly handle summer military duty

05/21/2013

Employees in the National Guard and Reserve usually serve their two weeks during the summer, but others may be away longer. Here’s what Payroll needs to know to properly handle summer military duty.

State document requirements for employing teens

05/17/2013

State law controls the age at which teens must obtain age certificates, working papers or parental consent letters and how long you must retain those documents. To help you get a handle on this crucial paperwork requirement, here’s a chart summarizing the state laws.

Set up summer hires for their first paychecks

05/17/2013

When summer rolls around, Payroll often takes on a parental role, initiating summer hires into adulthood as they pay taxes for the first time. Make sure your processes are in order so that the summer hiring process runs smoothly.

Keep your cool and vanquish your tough summer pay problems

05/15/2013

It’s summertime soon, and the Payroll living is anything but easy. Every employee wants off at the same time (not gonna happen!). Unpaid interns flood the office … Here’s what you need to know to keep Payroll running smoothly this summer.

Your gift for newlyweds: Fresh HR paperwork

05/14/2013

If you have employees who are getting hitched soon, help them start married life right by getting their HR documents in order. The problem: Brides who take their husbands’ names and couples with hyphenated names suddenly don’t match a host of records.

Failing to pay workers on time may cost you a big penalty

05/09/2013

In Minnesota, employees are supposed to be paid promptly and receive an accounting of their time worked. Failure to comply may mean you’ll have to pay a penalty.

How should we apply the pretax contribution limits for 401(k)s?

05/09/2013

Q: An employee has asked if she can continue to make pretax contributions into her 401(k) plan even after her compensation reaches the annual salary limit of $255,000. Our benefits department has never encountered this question before. Can she do so?

Is it OK for employees to donate leave pay to deceased employee’s relatives?

05/06/2013

Q: One of our employees died. Our HR manager would like to allow employees to donate their vacation time to the family and she’s asked Payroll for some guidelines. What can we tell her?

Can an “additional amount” on the W-4 be a percentage?

05/03/2013

Question: We recently acquired a new company. Our payroll system kicked out an acquired employee’s W-4 form. He claims single status-99 with an additional 20% on his form. This W-4 seems contrary to wording on the W-4 itself. What do we tell him?

Know the regs that help avoid ACA free-rider penalties

05/02/2013

The bottom line for you to avoid free-rider penalties under the Affordable Care Act is not to have employees obtain health insurance on the individual exchange and qualify for premium tax credits or other cost sharing reductions.