On Independence Day, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This 330-page act covers a great deal, most of which will not be discussed in this article, but since it does have an impact on the payroll world, I will review pertinent items including the no tax on tips and overtime provision and the retroactive change to the Employee Retention Tax Credit. Employee Retention Tax Credit For ERTC, there will be no credit allowed for claims involving the 3rd and 4th quarter 2021, filed after January 31, 2024. This is somewhat good news, as Congress…
Posts published in “Payroll”
Many businesses are leaving valuable payroll tax credits unclaimed, missing out on significant financial benefits. Programs like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), Federal Empowerment Zone (FEZ) Credits and Research and Development (R&D) credit offer substantial savings, yet they often go overlooked due to lack of awareness or resources. Here’s a closer look at these credits and how your business can capitalize on them: Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Since its introduction in 1996, the WOTC incentivizes hiring from specific groups, such as veterans, long-term unemployed and individuals receiving government assistance. The Department of Labor estimates that one in five…
The month of June is the start of summer, but for those in southeastern states, June 1st marks the start of hurricane season. Hurricane preparedness often includes stocking up on supplies and being at the ready for physical damage to a business, but another equally important aspect is having a plan to pay your employees. At PayMaster, we have been right in the thick of things, operating our headquarters out of South Florida. Over our past 30 years, we have maintained service before, during and after any and all hurricanes that have come our way. This is due to critical…
Currently, there is no federal law guaranteeing even one day of paid sick leave to workers, with the exception of federal contractors and government employees. There is the Family Medical Leave Act, but that simply provides the ability to take unpaid job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons. There was an attempt back in 2016, where President Obama called on Congress to pass the Health Families Act which would have expanded sick leave to all private-sector workers, but it did not pass the House. Since that time, states and localities have taken action to provide all workers, within their…
Compensatory time, or “comp time,” is an alternative to overtime pay where employees receive paid time off instead of extra wages for overtime hours worked. But, not so fast. While this may seem like a useful tool for managing labor costs and scheduling, its legality depends on the type of business and the classification of employees. Employers must understand the rules before offering comp time to avoid legal issues. The legality of comp time depends on whether an employer operates in the public or private sector: Public-Sector Employers: Under certain prescribed conditions, employees of state and local government agencies are…
Paid Time Off, including Sick, Vacation, and the like policies, are an essential employee benefit, allowing workers to take time off while still receiving compensation. Many employers also offer PTO cash-out options where employees can receive payment for unused leave. However, these policies must be carefully structured to avoid unintended tax consequences under the IRS constructive receipt doctrine. If improperly designed, a PTO cash-out policy could result in employees being taxed on income they never actually received. This article explains how constructive receipt applies to PTO payouts and outlines strategies employers can use to structure PTO policies in a tax-compliant…
Each year in January, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) presents its annual report to Congress, consisting of a summary of the ten most serious problems encountered by taxpayers each year. It may not be any surprise to those waiting for their Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) refund, but the most serious problems reported for this year are the IRS delays, inefficiencies and lack of transparency in their processing of these claims. Created in 1996 by Congress, the TAS is an independent organization within the IRS; their job is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly under the Taxpayer Bill…
OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting Begins February 1 The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers. It is a division of the U.S. Department of Labor and they set and enforce standards, as well as reporting requirements. In short, it is one more set of government regulations many businesses will need to comply with, or otherwise, face penalties. Form 300A Posting Requirement From February 1 to April 30, 2025, covered employers* with 11 or more employees at any time in 2024, must post OSHA…
Over the next few weeks, as your employees start to receive their 2024 W-2 form, they will likely have questions as to what all those numbers mean. For example, it is not uncommon for a salaried employee who earns a salary of $50,000 per year question why their Box 1 Wages only reflects $45,000. Did they get underpaid? Probably not. If the employee contributes to a pension plan (aka 401(k)) or has pre-tax insurance deductions, then those amounts reduces the “taxable” wage, which is what appears in Box 1. Some employees may also wonder why their Federal Income Tax withheld…
Under the provisions of the American Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), a Federal tax is levied on employers covered by the Unemployment Insurance program at a current rate of 6.0% on wages up to $7,000 a year paid to a worker. The law, however, provides a credit against federal tax liability of up to 5.4% to employers who pay state taxes timely under an approved state UI program. Accordingly, in states meeting the specified requirements, employers pay an effective Federal tax of 0.6%, or a maximum of $42 per covered worker, per year. The credit against the Federal tax may…