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Compensation & Benefits

Regs Require Uniform Summary of Health Benefits & Coverage

11/01/2011
Beginning March 23, 2012, all group health plans—including grandfathered plans, self-insured plans and plans not covered by ERISA—must provide employees and beneficiaries with a simple explanation of their benefits and a uniform glossary covering basic health insurance and medical terms.

Atlanta employer to open child care center for 120

11/01/2011
Newell Rubbermaid has broken ground on a two-story, 17,000-square-foot child care center that will accommodate 120 children of full-time employees by early next year. The company has partnered with Bright Horizons Family Solutions to manage and staff the center.

Are we allowed to round off hours worked?

10/31/2011
Q, My company tracks the hours of nonexempt em­­ployees using a time clock. In determining their wages, can we round up or down to the nearest five-minute increment?

Trade legislation impacts FUTA, new-hire reporting

10/31/2011
To offset the cost of three new free-trade agreements, the Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011 requires states to beef up their unemployment and new-hire reporting laws. Both provisions will affect your payroll operations.

Health benefit affordability safe harbor leans on payroll

10/30/2011

Under the Affordable Care Act health care reform law, employers will pay a penalty if just one employee enrolls in coverage through the individual exchange and receives a premium tax credit and his or her contribution isn’t affordable because it exceeds 9.5% of his or her household income. Problem: You usually don’t know employees’ household income. To remedy this, the IRS is proposing an employer affordability safe harbor.

Wage payment on termination: state laws

10/30/2011
Most states have regulations regarding the timing of when employers have to pay employees when a termination occurs. Often, there is a difference in that timing when it involves an employee who quits versus an employee who is fired by the employer.

2012 Withholding Numbers: First Round Released

10/30/2011
The IRS has yet to release the 2012 percentage method and wage-bracket withholding tables. It did, however, release the 2012 inflation-adjusted withholding allowance amounts and the amounts employees can defer from their pay for qualified transportation fringe benefits. Also unsettled is the Social Security tax rate for 2012.

Accommodations offer cuts unemployment claim

10/27/2011
Employees who quit for medically related reasons can sometimes collect unemployment compensation if they are still ready and able to work elsewhere. However, to claim that medical reasons required resigning, employees have to prove the employer knew about but didn’t accommodate their medical problems.

Higher rates approved for state employee health plans

10/26/2011

New Jersey and its public employees will pay more for health insurance coverage next year. Rates for 2012 health insurance plans will rise by an average of 9% for active state employees, 3% for retirees and a whopping 10.3% for municipal employees.

Cut unemployment liability by working to keep employee

10/26/2011
Employees who quit their jobs aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation benefits unless they legitimately believe they had no choice but to resign. But if an employer makes a genuine effort to help the employee stay and he turns down that offer, he may lose eligibility for unemployment.