California’s Department of Finance certified a minimum wage increase from $16 per hour to $16.50 per hour, beginning January 1, 2025. This determination will apply to most California employers regardless of size, that don’t have special wages for their industry or localities. Why was this CA minimum wage increase implemented? The California Director of Finance... The post California’s Minimum Wage Set to Increase in 2025 appeared first on California Payroll ..read more

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) approved a long-awaited indoor heat-illness standard on June 20, 2024. Before going live, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) will have 30 days to approve or deny the standard. Cal/OSHA has requested that it go into effective immediately after OAL approval, so it could very well go live in a month. The standard, Section 3396, requires employers with indoor workspaces of 87 degrees Fahrenheit and above to reduce the room temperature and offer workers other cool-down options. For indoor workers who wear poor ventilating prot ..read more

In addition to industry specific wage increases coming next month, several cities and counties in California are also increasing local minimum wages. Increased wages apply only to hours worked on and after July 1, 2024. These Local Wage Increases are Effective July 1, 2024 Alameda, CA: $17.00/hour; Berkeley, CA: $18.67/hour; Emeryville, CA: $19.36/hour; Fremont, CA: $17.30/hour; Los Angeles, CA (City): $17.28/hour; $20.32/hour for hotels with 60 or more rooms Los Angeles County, CA (unincorporated areas): $17.27/hour; Malibu, CA: $17.27/hour; Milpitas, CA: $17.70/hour; Pasadena, CA: $17.50/h ..read more

Last Friday, May 31, 2024, Newsom signed SB 828, which delays the minimum wage increase for California health care workers, outlined in the previous bill, SB 525, for one month. The planned schedule of wage increases will now begin July 1, 2024, instead of June 1. The bill has an urgency clause, meaning it takes place immediately. How and Why SB 525 plans to increase health care wages SB 525’s minimum wage increase plans were signed in 2023 to help compete with the increasing wages of many industries in 2024, and attract more dedicated and consistent health care workers to the field post-pan ..read more

California Labor Code Section 6401.90 will require eligible employers to enact new workplace violence prevention protocols by the deadline of July 1st, 2024. Resulting from Senate Bill 553 (SB 553), signed into office in September 2023, this legislation represents a significant compliance hurdle for employers. Drafted initially to protect retail workers from theft-related violence, SB 553 will require extensive preparedness for physical threats in all types of workplaces. A recent report from the CDC suggests that this regulation may be desperately needed. It found that i ..read more

Eligible employers must file the 2023 EEO-1 Component 1 report by Tuesday, June 4, 2024. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recommends starting this process early to meet the upcoming deadline. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act mandates that eligible employers file EEO-1 data annually. Employers with 100 or more employees must submit the EEO-1 report with a few special additions. Here are some details on the minutia to help you understand if you need to file. Private employers A private employer subject to Title VII with 100 or more employees during the fourth quarter (Octobe ..read more

Employers across California need to be aware of an increase in the minimum wage for fast-food workers set to go into effect on April 1, 2024. AB 1228, an act to amend Division Two of the California Labor Code, sets new standards for fast-food restaurant working conditions, including health and safety standards, training, and an increase in the minimum wage to $20 per hour. This new minimum wage standard will likely have significant ripple effects across the California labor market. What Businesses Are Affected by SB 1228? AB 1228 strictly defines fast-food businesses as “a set of limited-servi ..read more

Maintaining ACA compliance is an essential, albeit often frustrating, part of running most businesses. The complexities of the Affordable Care Act and changing healthcare laws and regulations in your state can make it difficult to keep up with and understand your filing obligations and reporting requirements. For the tax year 2023, the April 1, 2024 deadline for e-filing Form 1094-C and Form 1095-C with the IRS range is fast approaching. Ensuring compliance with the IRS’s ACA reporting requirements is essential to avoiding fines or penalties as well as ensuring that your employees have the h ..read more

Since the passage of the 2022 Pay Transparency Act in the California Senate, employers with 100 or more workers and companies with 100 or more labor contractors that operate or hire in California have been required to comply with new requirements for Pay Data Reporting. Looking Ahead: Pay Data Reporting Deadlines The deadline to report your Pay Data for the reporting year 2023 is Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The deadline for filing Pay Data Reports for any reporting year will always be the second Wednesday of May the following year. Failure to report by this date still carries some hefty penal ..read more

Budgets across the country are stretching thinner and thinner, especially in areas with high costs of living. Reports by LendingClub put the portion of consumers who live paycheck-to-paycheck at just over 60% as of August 2023, and 19% say they struggle to pay bills on time. 76% of low-income workers live paycheck-to-paycheck, and according to a March 2023 CNBC Your Money Financial Confidence Survey, 70% of American workers in total are stressed about their finances. When employees are financially unwell, productivity, engagement, and retention all suffer—and so does your business. Providing ..read more