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Payroll

DOL takes action on two minimum wage issues

11/24/2014
The Department of Labor (DOL) is closing out the year with a bang. It’s issued final regulations increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for employees who work on new or renewed federal contracts and has postponed enforcement action on its final regulations governing home care ­workers.

Slip sliding away: How to handle weather-related absences

11/22/2014
Absences occasioned by bad weather can clash with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Here are the five key rules you need to know to make this winter (or any season) run smoothly.

State-by-state chart on 2014 W-2 mag media/e-filing requirements

11/21/2014
States have their own W-2 e-filing thresholds and specifications. This chart summarizes those requirements.

Take credit for your health benefit contributions

11/21/2014
If you’re shopping around for group health benefits on the SHOP, don’t forget to factor in the value of the small business health care credit when evaluating the cost of a group policy.

Payroll 2015: What you need to know now

11/20/2014
Increases to the personal exemption amount, which doubles as the annual withholding allowance amount, are based on increases to the August Consumer Price Index. Here are the crucial payroll figures you need now.

If an employee wants to earn less, not more, what could possibly be the legal risk?

11/19/2014
Q. Can we pay an employee minimum wage for a position that usually pays more? We have an applicant who doesn’t want to lose her pension benefits and can work for minimum wage yet still qualify to receive her pension. Should we have her make that request in writing?

Are loans from the company taxable to employees?

11/14/2014
Q: HR’s latest benefit is a computer purchase program, which is an interest-free loan. The guidelines state its purpose is to encourage employees to purchase up-to-date equipment, increase their comfort level with technology and extend those educational and personal benefits to their families. Employees can borrow up to $1,500, payable over 24 months via payroll deductions. We’re concerned with two aspects of this program …

Should we automatically make payroll deductions for employees’ lunch breaks?

11/14/2014
Q. Our payroll system automatically deducts 30 minutes per day from drivers for lunch since they are on the road and away from a computer. I have concerns about liability. Should we make this deduction?

IRS to Payroll: It’s going to be a busy year

11/10/2014
The IRS has pegged 317 projects in its annual Priority Guidance Plan, commonly called the business plan. While that’s down from last year’s 324 projects, many of them will have a substantial impact on your payroll operations.

Webinar Wisdom: Wage & Hour Law 2014 – Employee Classification Workshop & New Overtime Rules

11/07/2014
A quick summary of a recent training webinar presented by Business Management Daily.