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Incentive Pay

IRS tells how to make bonuses tax deductible for employers

01/25/2012
The IRS has clarified that em­­ployers can take a current-year tax deduc­­tion for a fixed amount of bonuses that will be paid to employees during the following year, even though the amount that each employee will re­­ceive, and even the identity of employees, aren’t known until after the tax year ends.

12 compensation trends to watch in 2012

01/10/2012
The average pay raise will be modest this year—around 3%—compared to about 4% from 2005 to 2008, just before the economy tanked. Here are a dozen pay trends to consider as your organization weighs how to structure compensation in an age of diminished expectations.

HR salaries: It pays to specialize

01/03/2012
Organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of human resources and its strategic role in helping recruit, develop, and reward talent. In turn, salaries and the opportunity to earn incentives have increased for HR professionals, according to a report by Culpepper Compensation Surveys & Services. Here is Culpepper’s anaylsis of the report …

Bonuses: You paid them, now when can you deduct them?

01/02/2012
If you use an accrual method of accounting and allocate money to a bonus pool, you can breathe a sigh of tax deductible relief. The IRS has concluded that employers can take a current tax deduction for a fixed amount of bonuses that will be paid to employees during the next year.

Beware management push-back on HR decisions

12/21/2011
As an HR professional, you may come across employment practices that you think violate the law. What you do with that concern and how you express it may make the difference between engaging in protected activity or not—and by extension, whether you can sue for retaliation if upper management punishes you.

Will you offer any kind of year-end bonus to employees in 2011?

12/06/2011
Many won’t get bonuses in 2011, but those that do had to meet goals to earn their extra pay.

Can bonuses affect overtime calculations?

10/04/2011
Q. We wish to offer a variety of incentive bonuses to hourly workers in an attempt to increase business and productivity. Will these bonuses affect the employees’ “regular rate” under the Fair Labor Standards Act FLSA for purposes of calculating overtime?

Beware double damages when sued under EPA

09/02/2011
Here’s something to consider when reviewing your pay and compensation packages: Employers that lose an Equal Pay Act claim may end up paying double damages.

No more bonuses just for showing up on time

08/23/2011
The South Jersey Port Corporation, which operates shipping terminals on the Delaware River near Philadelphia, has heeded New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s call for fiscal austerity by taking a heretofore unusual step: It will no longer pay bonuses for not being late.

No more bonuses just for showing up on time

08/23/2011
The South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) has heeded Gov. Chris Christie’s call for austerity in state agencies by taking a heretofore unusual step: It will no longer pay bonuses for not being late.