In case you hadn’t heard Congress is working on a tax bill!  Yes, a bit snarky there.  But this new tax bill does have a direct effect on payroll, especially our year end and year beginning updates.  Normally by now we would have received the Notice that gives us the 2018 tax charts, the Form W-4 would have been finalized etc.  But we were notified in the monthly IRS payroll industry phone conference call, on Thursday Dec. 7,  that these items are on hold until the tax bill is passed or abandoned.  Now since it is unlikely this bill will just be abandoned, the mas ..read more

I attended the October 5th payroll industry telephone conference call.  On the call Scott Mezistrano, with the IRS Industry Stakeholder Engagement and Strategy, provided the listeners with updated information on the W-2 Verification Code Pilot Program for the 2018 filing season (2017 Forms W-2). Where the code appears First just a quick review of the program itself.  It was implemented during the 2016 filing season. Its purpose is to combat tax-related identity theft and tax refund fraud.  It requires a 16-character code be input into box 9 so that the tax filer can be verified ..read more

Nina Olson is with the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS).  This is an independent organization within the IRS that assists taxpayers who are experiencing “troubles” with the IRS in getting issued resolve through the “normal channels”. During recent congressional hearing she was asked what seemed like simple questions concerning the types of IRS guidance taxpayers can rely on.  But the answer was not simple.  She has written a blog; IRS Frequently Asked Questions Can be a Trap for the Unwary on July 26, 2017, that contains excellent information for those of us who need to research ..read more

If you are currently using the fluctuating workweek that is permitted under the Fair Labor Standard Acts (FLSA) you may want to review that decision.  The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has drawn some limits on that method.  Bill Pokorny has done a fantastic blog on discussing this recent court case. Check it out for the latest if you are currently using this type of workweek or just want to increase your current knowledge in this area ..read more

When conducting my webinars on the FLSA requirements one area always seems confusing to attendees and that is the eight types of payments that can be excluded when calculating regular rate of pay.  The one found most often to be confusing to my attendees and maybe to you as well is the one that is for bona fide overtime premiums. Bill Pokorny has done an excellent blog post on this subject that I know you will find helpful on this topic. Please take the time to check it out if you offer this type of payment or to improve your general payroll knowledge ..read more

With the major disasters befalling us many employers and employees are looking for ways to help or seeking help to recover.  The IRS, the states and others are providing relief for these disasters.  For example the IRS is permitting pension plan hardship loans and filing extensions. They are also permitting leave sharing programs and leave donations with favorable taxation.  Click here for outline of the IRS latest tax relief.  ..read more

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been notified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that it is initiating a review and immediate stay of the effectiveness of the pay data collection aspects of the EEO-1 Form that was revised on September 29, 2016, in accordance with with its authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The previously approved EEO-1 form which collects data on race, ethnicity and gender by occupational category will remain in effect. Employers should plan to comply with the earlier approved EEO-1 (Component 1) by the previously set fili ..read more

On August 31st, the Judge in charge of the court case for the new OT rules initiated by President Obama issued its final ruling.  Basically he sided with the plaintiffs. For an excellent recap of the ruling I am referring you to Bill Pokorny’s blog ..read more

I recently had a discussion with an associate (also an payroll consultant) about the regular rate of pay and payroll systems in general.  Unfortunately the question we both had, we could not fully answer. So I am turning to my blog followers to help me out.  When I started in payroll we did payroll by hand, including the regular rate of pay calculations.  Of course, systems have improved since 1977.  But my question is…which current systems (whether in-house or service bureau) do regular rate of pay calculations?  For example, I give a bonus to an employee for finishin ..read more

The latest on the salary increase was released today.  The U.S. Department of Labor has today announced that it will publish a Request for Information (RFI), Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees. The RFI offers the public the opportunity to provide information that will aid the Department in formulating a proposal to revise these regulations.  The RFI solicits feedback on questions related to the salary level test, the duties test, inclusion of non-discretionary bonuses and incentive payments to satis ..read more