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Compensation & Benefits

Federal employees gain 12 weeks of paid parental leave

12/19/2019
Federal government employees will soon be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave annually now that the Senate has voted to approve a House of Representatives provision.

February 2020: Employer’s business tax calendar

12/19/2019
Here’s your monthly guide to critical payroll due dates.

Final regs cover 401(k) hardship distributions

12/19/2019
401(k) plans may allow employees who are in financial difficulty to take hardship distributions. Final regulations, which implement portions of the 2018 Budget Act and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, ease up on the criteria for these distributions.

Mailing addresses for Form 945 have changed

12/19/2019
You must file Form 945 for 2019 if you withheld income taxes from nonwage payments, like pensions, or backup withheld income taxes on payments to independent contractors.

In the Payroll Mailbag: January ’20

12/19/2019
Age before taxes on group-term life? … Taxable or not: jackets with company logos?

Flu days and the FMLA don’t always go together

12/19/2019
According to the Department of Labor in an opinion letter to an inquiring employer, you can require employees to take unpaid FMLA leave, even if they’d rather use paid sick leave.

To prenote or not to prenote? That is the question

12/19/2019
In the past, employers used to prenote, which entailed sending a blank file to employees’ banks before the first live direct deposit transaction. Snag: Prenoting has fallen out of favor.

Trends to watch for in 2020 at the IRS

12/19/2019
Payroll has moved to center stage at the IRS. Here are changes to watch for this year.

Key to 2020 withholding: Standard deduction amounts

12/19/2019
The standard deduction amounts are now one of the main drivers for determining whether employees will have enough income taxes withheld from their pay. On the other hand, low-income employees may be able to claim the earned income credit. Here’s the basic information they’ll need to make this determination.

70% of us do some holiday shopping at work

12/17/2019
One-third of employees surveyed recently say the holiday season distracts them from their work. For 70% of employees, part of the distraction is all the online holiday shopping they can get done at work.