Compensation & Benefits

IRS lets employees drop cafeteria coverage, choose ACA plans

10/22/2014

The IRS has expanded the conditions under which cafeteria plans may allow employees to revoke their participation in group health plans to account for individual coverage that’s available on the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges. That could save them money.

SHOP 2015: Buying health insurance on the ACA exchanges

10/22/2014

Under final ACA regulations, open enrollment for the 2015 plan year begins Nov. 15, 2014, for small employers that buy group health plans through the federally run Small Business Health Options Program. State-based SHOPs can set their own open enrollment periods.

Worker damaged truck then quit: Any recourse?

10/22/2014

Q. An employee driving a backhoe backed into a wall and tore the door off. We had to install a new door ($275), but the employee quit that same week. So we deducted $275 from his last check. Now he says he’s talking to a lawyer. Were we right?

FICA wage base increases to $118,500 for 2015

10/22/2014

The 2015 taxable wage base for the Social Security portion of FICA is $118,500, a 1.28% hike over the 2014 wage base. The 6.2% Social Security tax is payable by both employers and employees; in 2015, the maximum tax is $7,347.

5 ways employers should respond to wage garnishments

10/20/2014

While the economy is finally waking up from the Great Recession, millions of Americans are still feeling the hangover in the form of wage garnishments. What if a lender wants a piece of your employee’s paycheck? Here are five tips.

All large employers on the 2015 health care reporting hot seat

10/20/2014

Now is the time to make decisions regarding information reporting, since the first returns are due in 2016.

Take a bite out of corporate travel expenses with per diems

10/17/2014

How can you keep employees out on the road without busting the company’s travel budget? You can get more bang for your travel buck if you use the federal government’s per diem rates.

In pay case, Supreme Court asks: What is work?

10/16/2014

Does standing in line count as work? That was at the core of the Justice’s questions on Oct. 7 as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk (No. 13-433, U.S. Supreme Court, 2014).

DOL: Baby Vision tried to silence workers, thwart probe

10/15/2014

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a restraining order against BabyVision Inc. in Poughkeepsie after workers reported being threatened and intimidated by the company’s two owners.

Don’t be spooked by year-end Payroll tasks

10/15/2014

Trick or treat—it’s a very simple menu. To avoid a huge year-end trick, and have a sweet year-end, cross off these tasks from your to-do list.