Payroll

‘Back to school’ may mean employees need time off

08/07/2023

Most employers are flexible about granting school-related leave, but just how far they’ll bend depends on whether employees are nonexempt or exempt and state short-term leave laws.

They didn’t seriously argue that, did they? Religion in the kitchen stirs the DOL to action

06/21/2023

Religion in the workplace is a touchy matter. What if your boss brought in a priest and encouraged everyone to confess their sins? What if you weren’t Catholic? It’s not a hypothetical question. An employee of a California restaurant testified that his employer brought in a person identified as a priest to hear their confessions during work hours.

STOP! Do not pass go without checking with Payroll first

04/27/2023

Employees shouldn’t be bored or discontented at work, because bored and discontented employees aren’t productive employees. But the phrase employee engagement, like the employee experience, seems like a euphemistic way of saying motivation. Why not just say motivation?

Look, Ma, my first W-4!

04/26/2023

On the off chance you’re not the parent, you’re the payroll manager dealing with this new member of the taxpaying community—or maybe several of them—as your company takes on summer hires. Use this checklist to bring order to the summer hiring process.

A father-daughter chat about money and financial literacy

04/13/2023

April is National Financial Literacy Month. Payroll is the company department holding employees’ money, so take some time to educate them about it.

CHIPS, employer-provided dependent care benefits and employees’ 1040s

03/01/2023

The Commerce Department will be doling out $50 billion to construction and chip manufacturers. Catch: Applicants requesting more than $150 million in direct funding must provide their employees with access to affordable, accessible, reliable and high-quality child care.

Never mind a recession: CFOs say they’re budgeting for higher payrolls

02/07/2023

Almost all chief financial officers surveyed by the Gartner business advisory firm say their organizations plan to spend more on employee compensation this year. A full 86% said they plan to raise their compensation spending by at least 3% year-over-year.

First Friday in February: The end of the pandemic emergencies, DOL keeps getting into trouble and more

02/03/2023

The end of the national pandemic emergency, challenges to DOL regulations and more.

Five items Payroll needs to address this year

01/05/2023

We wish we had a crystal ball, but we don’t. Nevertheless, 2023 is looking like another challenging year for Payroll. Here are five items we see coming this year.

SECURE Act 2.0: So nice Congress did it twice

01/03/2023

The last act of the 117th Congress was to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Tucked not-so-deep into the CAA is the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022—90+ provisions focused on 401(k) and other retirement plans. SECURE 2.0 builds on what we can now call SECURE 1.0, which was enacted in 2019.