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Compensation & Benefits

In the Payroll Mailbag: March ’25

02/19/2025
Vendors relentlessly market their wellness plans to employers, intentionally misrepresenting or not understanding the payroll rules. You’d be wise to not take vendors’ claims at face value. Two questions illustrate.

You can hit a three-point shot every time

02/19/2025
College basketball players (pros, too) strive to hit three-point shots, but they’re rare. You can hit the basket and score three points every time if you take care of these items now.

Please explain: Paycheck etiquette

02/19/2025
Most employees have their pay direct-deposited. This doesn’t matter to the dwindling few who still insist on paper checks. For them, there is little you can do except honor their wishes. But paper checks create unique headaches.

Employee or independent contractor? When Section 530 relief applies

02/19/2025
Section 530 is a significant safe harbor, but its scope is narrow. The key to Section 530 relief is how you treat workers, not what or how you pay them.

Finding the right way to say ‘thank you’ to employees

02/12/2025
With Employee Appreciation Day approaching on March 7, now is the perfect time to plan meaningful ways to recognize your team’s hard work.

Obey state & local wage-and-hour laws in addition to the federal FLSA

02/10/2025
Many states and municipalities have wage-and-hour laws that go beyond the mandates of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA sets the floor for wage-and-hour rules, but states and cities are free to set standards that are more generous to employees.

Research: 98% of employers pay bonuses

02/10/2025
WorldatWork found that 98% of organizations now use some form of bonus program, a significant rise from 93% in 2021.

Beware high fees associated with alternative pay methods

02/07/2025
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has launched a lawsuit alleging that providers of wage-payment methods are charging exorbitant fees to workers who receive their pay via alternative means such as debit cards.

‘Right to disconnect’ might be next employee-protection trend

02/07/2025
The smartphones we carry in our pockets and purses give us 24/7/365 access to work-related phone calls, emails and texts—which gives our bosses 24/7/365 access to us. Thus, many managers expect their employees to be available to instantly respond to questions or solve problems. That is taking a mental toll.

The ERC: Not in the news, but definitely not forgotten

02/03/2025
The IRS is still plugging away at processing those Forms 941-X on which the employee retention credit is claimed. But it’s been busy doing other things, too, like ratcheting up its compliance efforts by sending out ERC recapture letters, which is exactly what it sounds like—the IRS wants its credits back, and if you don’t give them back voluntarily, it will take them.