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Compensation & Benefits

I love you, now please get off my health insurance

08/22/2024
Open enrollment will soon be here. If you’re wondering why your group health premiums have gone sky-high, it may be because you extend group coverage to employees’ spouses. You can kick spouses off your plan without it turning into a catastrophe for employees. Some options may even save employees money.

Pay equity trends and data: What HR departments need to know

08/22/2024
While HR professionals are likely aware of the rising trend and growth of pay transparency laws, pay equity laws are rising as well. Joanna Colosimo, vice president of workforce equity and compliance strategy at DCI Consulting, dug into this issue during a session at SHRM’s annual conference this past June.

Can you make access to drugs contingent on meeting health goals?

08/22/2024
According to a recent survey, one of the biggest headaches for HR professionals in charge of planning employee compensation and benefits is dealing with the increasing cost of new drugs designed to treat common medical problems like diabetes and obesity. According to the report, 44% of those surveyed ranked specialty drugs as their top health-care management challenges.

Consider benefits for nursing mothers

08/22/2024
Medela, a leading provider of breast milk pumping equipment, and Mamava, the creator of nursing pods, teamed up to survey new mothers about their nursing needs as they return to the workplace. The results highlight why offering more than the minimum legally required breaks for milk expression may be a welcome benefit, encouraging retention and a reputation for being an employer of choice for new parents.

In the Payroll Mailbag: September ’24

08/22/2024
Questions are still bubbling up regarding the Department of Labor’s salary-level regulations, which required you to raise exempts’ salary to $844 a week on July 1.

FMLA leave begins at birth, not before

08/22/2024
The days immediately preceding a child’s birth are exciting. And who could blame a dad for wanting to experience it by taking FMLA leave? The 11th Circuit, however, has ruled that FMLA leave begins when the child is born, not before, so an employee who was terminated for absences he racked up before his child was born was fired legitimately.

4 common errors on Forms 1095/1094 & how to avoid them

08/21/2024
The Affordable Care Act requires employers with at least 50 full-time employees to offer 95% of their full-time employees affordable group health insurance providing minimal value and to report those offers on Forms 1095-C and 1094-C. The IRS is once again ramping up enforcement efforts. Here are the mistakes you need to avoid for 2024 reporting.

Vote early, not often

08/21/2024
Election Day is a scant two months away, and everyone should exercise their franchise. If you’re not located in a state with early voting, you can let employees take time off from work to vote. On the other hand, you may not have much choice—some states require you to give employees this time off.

The revenue officer always calls first

08/21/2024
Undeposited payroll taxes pile up so quickly, the IRS has a special name for it: pyramiding. Pyramiding is of such a concern to the IRS that it used to send revenue officers, unannounced, to employers falling behind on their deposits. A recent memo from the IRS’ Small Business/Self-Employed Division outlines the new procedure for ROs who are pursuing failure-to-deposit penalties.

What records are good enough to pass an auditor’s test?

08/21/2024
The quality of your records determines the outcome of a tax audit. Keep sloppy records—what IRS auditors call the dreaded “box of frogs”—and odds are you just talked your way into a large tax bill. Mileage apps can help employees neaten up their documentation chores when they seek reimbursement for their business miles.