With the recent passing of the new tax law, we will find a significant delay in the IRS’ publishing of the 2018 W-4 Withholding Allowance Form. In the meantime, anyone hired in 2018 should complete the 2017 form, and they will not need to complete the 2018 form when it is released. Unless that is, if they want to later change their withholding. A Form W-4 remains in effect until the employee gives you a new one. When you receive a new form, begin withholding no later than the start of the first payroll period ending on or after the 30th…
Posts published in “Payroll”
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…
Not knowing the difference could result in a costly Department of Labor claim. Maybe more costly than a divorce. If your employee is Engaged to Wait then that time is considered hours worked. Conversely, Waiting to be Engaged are off-the-clock hours, thus not hours worked or compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). So what is the difference between the two? I am glad you asked. Engaged to Wait is time spent primarily for the benefit of the employer, and how much restraint is placed on an employee who is waiting. Let’s look at a few examples to…
This past week, September 29th, President Trump signed into law the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017. In addition to allowing early withdrawals and loans from retirement plans, deductions for casualty losses, and other personal tax considerations, there is an employment related tax credit for employers (Sec. 503) for retaining their employees during one of the three recent hurricanes; Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Qualifying businesses with locations in one of the Federal declared disaster areas can claim a tax credit for continuing to pay their employees during the time that the business was inoperable until…
When we are under watch for a hurricane or tropical storm, many business owners and payroll departments focus on securing their homes and business, but sometimes forget something critical. Paying your employees timely. At PayMaster, making sure your employees are paid accurately, and on time is our priority. Rest assured that if PayMaster is your payroll, time & labor, or HR partner, we will be there for you before, during*, and after the storm. *Yes, during the storm. Even though a hurricane may be passing through South Florida, PayMaster will be operating as normal during business hours whether from our…
Under regulations of Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, an employer can implement various Plans which allows employees an opportunity to receive certain benefits on a pre-tax basis. In this article, we will look at the Premium Only Plan (POP), where employees can elect to pay their portion of insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis, creating a savings for both the employee and the employer. Setting up a POP is simple and you just need to have a Plan Document and Summary Plan Description in place that describes all benefits and establishes the rules for eligibility and elections. (If…
Effective January 1st, 2018, employers in New York State will be required to offer Paid Family Leave coverage for their workforce. Employer’s should prepare now for this new coverage and can even voluntarily comply and start the coverage earlier. Do not wait until December 31st. New York will become the fourth state requiring family leave coverage, following California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. This coverage provides wage replacement and job protection to employees who need time off to bond with a new born, adopted, or fostered child, care for a family member with a serious health condition, or assist…
While there are many factors to consider when hiring family members, there may be a few advantages from the payroll tax perspective. But, only if you are aware and perform the necessary overrides in your payroll system or notify your payroll service provider. Let’s break this down into the types of family relationships as the advantages are different for each. Parent employs Child – If the child is under the age of 18 and works in their parents business, their wages are not subject to Social Security (OASDI) or Medicare taxes This only if the business is setup a sole proprietorship…
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of all individuals (citizens and non-citizens) hired for employment. On July 17th USCIS released a new form and employers have 60 days to implement this new version. First introduced in November 1986, this form is completed by both the newly hired Employee (where they state their eligibility to work -Section 1), and the Employer (where they verify the employee’s eligibility -Section 2) within three days of hire. The list of acceptable documents referenced by the employer to verify the employee’s eligibility…
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…