Payroll

IRS provides sample Sec. 83(b) election form

08/01/2012

Payroll usually doesn’t withhold income and FICA taxes from employees who receive restricted stock until the restriction lapses and the stock vests. Under Section 83(b), however, employees can opt to have taxes withheld currently, long before the restriction lapses. The IRS has now provided sample language for an 83(b) election.

How can we stop the clock on off-the-clock work?

07/30/2012

How can an employer reduce its exposure to claims for off-the-clock work if employees use their own electronic devices for business purposes?

Could your time records withstand scrutiny?

07/27/2012

If you can’t show your time records are accurate, lawsuits claiming unpaid overtime can get costly. That’s because—absent reliable employer records—courts will let employees fill in the timekeeping details. Make sure your records are easily explained and tamper-proof.

Everything you wanted to know about corporate taxes (but didn’t know how to ask)

07/26/2012

Payroll expense is a usually a company’s largest deductible expense. That’s a huge impact on the bottom line. But there’s a world of difference between payroll and corporate taxes, according to consultant Gretchen Inouye, CPP.

IRS clarifies $2,500 pretax limit to health FSAs

07/20/2012

The Affordable Care Act health care reform law limits employees’ pretax contributions into health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to $2,500 for taxable years beginning after Dec. 31. The IRS has now clarified whose taxable year counted—the employee’s, the employer’s or the cafeteria plan’s.

IRS provides answers on the new 0.9% Medicare tax

07/16/2012

To pay for health care reform, high earners—single employees earning more than $200,000 and joint filers earning more than $250,000—will pay an additional 0.9% in Medicare taxes, for a total tax rate of 2.35%, beginning Jan. 1, 2013. The IRS has issued “Questions and Answers for the Additional Medicare Tax” to provide guidance.

Regs shed light on when to tax noncash compensation

07/06/2012

Under tax code Section 83, you don’t have to tax employees who receive company stock, stock options or other property that is subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture until the risk lapses and the property vests. Proposed regulations now define what counts as a substantial risk of forfeiture.

Can we talk? Tips for communicating with employees about payroll

07/04/2012

Payroll isn’t an easy subject to master, so it’s a safe bet that employees in your company don’t have a clue about what goes on in your office. That makes explaining key payroll changes to employees difficult. Tips from two payroll managers at large organizations:

After Supreme Court ruling, plan now for W-2 health care reporting

07/03/2012

Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the health care reform law, you have an urgent item on your to-do list: Coordinating closely with the payroll department to ensure you’re ready to make sure employees’ 2012 tax documents reflect the value of their health benefits.

LLC owner must sign tax forms

07/02/2012

It seems counterintuitive, but you can use your consent to extend the statute of limitations on payroll tax assessments as leverage with auditors. But only if the proper party signs Form SS-10, Consent to Extend the Time to Assess Employment Taxes. The IRS has concluded in emailed advice that a single-member LLC owner is the correct party to sign.