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Payroll

Employer group not tax-exempt—employee discounts are taxable

01/23/2025
Small employers can band together for such laudable purposes as holding blood drives, flu-shot clinics or holiday toy drives. But there are limits to what a group of employers can do if it seeks tax-exempt status.

‘Sorry’ is easy to say and hard to correct

01/23/2025
Sorry, but no one told you a remote employee moved to another state, so you just kept withholding for the employee’s old state. This employee just received a W-2 reporting wages for the wrong state. How do you fix this? Is it fixable at all?

Et tu, reissued W-2s?

01/23/2025
If Payroll could fire bad employees, those who routinely lose their W-2s, refuse to have anything to do with your employee self-service portal and call for replacements at the last minute would be sacked in a heartbeat. Instead, you need a foolproof strategy to deal with reissued W-2s.

Form W-2c: The agony of errors

01/23/2025
The earlier you fix errors on your 2024 W-2s, the less likely it is you’ll suffer a stiff penalty from the IRS. Here’s the scoop.

Fed contractor pay-transparency rule scrapped

01/21/2025
With little fanfare, the Biden administration in its final days withdrew a proposed rule that would have required federal contractors to include compensation information in job ads aimed at filling positions connected to contracts with Uncle Sam.

IRS clarifies the parameters of Section 530 relief

01/13/2025
Way back in the dim mists of antiquity, the IRS embarked on a campaign to reclassify independent contractors as employees, sticking employers with huge tax bills. In response, Congress added Section 530 to the Revenue Act of 1978. As a result, the IRS was forbidden from publishing regulations or revenue rulings with respect to the employment status of any individual for purposes of payroll taxes. But this doesn’t mean the IRS can never issue guidance interpreting Section 530.

Friday wrap: Tax deadline extended, 2025 labor penalties, disaster relief and more

01/10/2025
Tax deadline extension, inflation-adjusted penalties, wildfire disaster relief and more to end the week.

February 2025: Employer’s business tax calendar

12/31/2024
Here’s your monthly guide to critical payroll due dates.

Two last-minute laws ease 1095 reporting

12/19/2024
Two laws combined will ease your health-care information reporting responsibilities. The president has indicated he will sign them. These two laws become effective for Forms 1095-C required to be furnished to employees after Dec. 31, 2024.

How to handle 401(k) excess deferrals like a pro

12/18/2024
Employees are often advised to max out their 401(k) contributions up to the annual pretax limit ($23,500 for 2025). But contributing too much can have an unintended side effect: Your plan can be disqualified. The IRS has posted an issue snapshot for its 401(k) plan auditors on excess deferrals. You can use it to ensure excess deferrals are corrected expeditiously.