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Compensation & Benefits

Safe harbor protects employers from free-rider penalties

10/30/2012

Under the health care reform law, employers of 50 or more full-time em­ployees during the preceding year will pay free-rider penalties if they don’t offer full-time em­­ployees (i.e., those who work at least 30 hours a week) affordable health benefits. How you determine full-time status is the subject of new IRS guidance.

Cleveland financial firm pushes employees to live healthier

10/29/2012

Execs at Cleveland-based KeyBank figure there’s something to be said for keeping the same medical administrator on staff for more than a decade. In fact, they call it part of their “commitment to wellness.” The organization’s aim: to drive down medical costs by helping employees im­­prove their health and become more involved in their own well-being.

Fall back: Standard time starts Nov. 4

10/29/2012
Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour, to standard time, at 2 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 4. Employees working the graveyard shift will actually work nine hours and will need to be paid for nine hours’ work.

What are the rules on timely pay?

10/27/2012

Q. Is it true that according to federal law, employees must be paid within two weeks of completing their work, no matter the excuse (computer glitch, etc.)?

OK to take your time probing misconduct–that won’t affect unemployment claim

10/27/2012
Good news for employers that hold off on firing an employee for an act that would otherwise be willful misconduct, making the employee ineligible for unemployment compensation benefits. As long as you can explain why you delayed actually terminating the employee, she won’t receive unemployment benefits.

Severance pay: Is it FICA taxable or not?

10/26/2012
A federal appeals court has ruled that a bankrupt company’s severance payments qualified as FICA-free supplemental unemployment benefits—also known as SUB pay. Therefore, the court concluded, the company’s $1 million FICA refund claim was proper.

Be prepared for questions about taxes due on some benefits

10/24/2012
It’s easy for benefits professionals to fall in love with nontraditional benefits—perks other than leave, health insurance and retirement benefits—because they’re generally cheap and build loads of employee good will. However, many so-called lifestyle benefits are taxable—much to the chagrin of employees.

Must we provide benefits during leave?

10/22/2012
Q. Are we required to continue to offer our employees benefits while they are out on leave?

U.S. DOL launches probe of Southland garment industry

10/22/2012

The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has begun a multiyear enforcement initiative that could result in sanctions against Los Angeles and Orange County employers in the garment industry. According to the WHD, the garment industry consistently violates federal wage-and-hour laws.

1099 this! And this! And this, too!

10/22/2012
The W-2 year-end process is burdensome enough. The last thing you need to worry about is back-up withholding from payments made to independent contractors and filing Form 1099-MISC. Here’s what you need to know for the 2012 filing season.