The IRS introduced a new W-4 form effective January 1, 2020 that eliminated withholding allowances. The form was redesigned to allow taxpayers to make their own calculations, especially when taking into account multiple sources of income. Employees who have furnished Form W-4 in any year before 2020 are not required to furnish a new form merely because of the redesign. However, with many employees surprised with either large tax bills or large refunds last year,…
The beginning of a year always feels like a fresh start, and many of us put getting organized at the top of our resolutions list. Clearing out clutter is always a satisfying task but it’s important to know what you need to keep and what you can toss. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offers the following rules for what is expected of employers in terms of record retention, and other agencies have their…
As the year draws to a close, company personnel charged with record-keeping should collect their corporate health insurance information in preparation for W-2 and other tax form reporting. For S-Corporations (S-Corps), this information should be segregated by payments made to employees, and their spouses and dependents (which are not wages and are therefore not subject to withholding), and payments made on behalf of officers, owners or employees who own more than two percent of the…
In the past, we have written about a variety of requirements and forms, from OSHA form to payroll and other accounting documentation. Today, we’ll cover some general guidance related to payroll recordkeeping. This task isn’t easy—although the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are straightforward, other state and federal laws can be complicated and confusing. Additionally, most of them change from time to time. As with so many workplace laws, one principle overrides…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that its Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) certification forms and notices are valid for three more years, until Aug. 31, 2021. (The DOL must submit its FMLA forms to the Office of Management and Budget for approval every three years to ensure the FMLA certification and notice process isn’t too bureaucratic.) In late August 2018, seven forms were certified. The DOL didn’t make any substantive changes to the forms,…
“Punching the clock” has long been a euphemism for “going to work,” since it comes from the practice of personnel “punching in” by sliding timecards into a mechanical device. Salaried employees may not need to “punch in and out,” but for hourly employees, it’s the only way to measure their time and ensure they are paid accordingly. However, older mechanical time clocks aren’t always accurate and are susceptible to “buddy punching.” Additionally, processing their time…
In the past, we have written about a variety of requirements and forms, from OSHA form to payroll and other accounting documentation. Today, we’ll cover some general guidance related to payroll recordkeeping. This task isn’t easy—although the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are straightforward, other state and federal laws can be complicated and confusing. Additionally, most of them change from time to time. As with so many workplace laws, one principle overrides…
Buffalo's Cafe Ends Human Resources Headaches;