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Payroll

Special analysis: Hot job market + cool fringes = Payroll headaches

09/24/2018
The unemployment rate hasn’t been this low in more than 50 years. So HR is tasked with coming up with fringe benefits that will incentivize new hires to sign on and entice current employees to stay. Too bad they didn’t consult you first.

SSA reinstates employer no-match letters

09/24/2018
The Social Security Administration is again sending no-match letters, called Educational Correspondence Announcements, to employers that file W-2s on which employees’ names and Social Security numbers don’t match its records. Warning: W-2s with these mismatches may also garner penalties from the IRS.

Accurate pay statements: your responsibility

08/27/2018
It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure employees receive accurate wage statements with each paycheck. That’s true even if the employee hasn’t provided an accurate accounting of time worked.

Employee gets to prove OT claim, employer’s willfulness

08/16/2018
“I didn’t know an employee worked overtime” won’t get you far if a manager flouts the overtime rules, a federal trial court has held. Worse: The court is letting a jury decide whether the employer acted willfully when it failed to pay overtime to the employee.

How to successfully navigate payroll overpayments

08/16/2018
Recouping overpayments from employees can be a good experience, but often isn’t. Here’s some guidance from Barbara Youngman and LaTisha O’Neal to attendees at the American Payroll Association’s 36 Annual Congress in May.

Supreme Court: Public sector workers can’t be forced to pay union fees

06/27/2018
Expect the decision to substantially weaken public-sector unions—which traditionally support Democratic candidates—as this ruling likely means the unions will likely see a large drop in funding.

Fix it fast: How to handle an uncashed paycheck

05/17/2018
Your options: You can either void uncashed checks or hold them open on your books. Hiccup: Banks generally won’t honor checks that are older than six months, so your employees won’t be happy either.

Start planning now to stay ahead of tricky summer pay issues

04/19/2018
Before getting lost in daydreams about the lazy days of summer, start working with your colleagues in the payroll department to anticipate some of the headaches that accompany holidays and vacation time off.

The check’s in the mail—or the money’s already in the bank

04/19/2018
Can you steer employees to paycards instead of checks or direct deposit? Yes, but you can’t require them.

Company events still deductible, IRS clarifies

04/19/2018
The deductibility of costs incurred for company events, such as a Christmas party, is covered under tax code Sections 274(e)(1) and (e)(4), which the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act didn’t touch.