The Internal Revenue Service recently released an advance copy of Notice 2009-27, Premium assistance for COBRA benefits. Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or ARRA, certain involuntarily terminated employees are eligible for...
Involuntary Termination under Notice 2009-27
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released an advance copy of Notice 2009-27, Premium assistance for COBRA benefits. Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or ARRA, certain involuntarily terminated employees are eligible for...
Question of the Week: When Do I Need to Use the New I-9?
This week’s question comes from Toni, an office manager. In February, you wrote that implementation of the new Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, had been delayed. When do I need to start using the new Form I-9? Answer: The United States Citizenship and...
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report Update for March 28, 2009
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending March 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 669,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 657,000. The 4-week moving average was 656,750, an increase of...
Tip of the Week: Use New Worksheet to Help Calculate Correct Withholding
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released a revised version of Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding?, to reflect changes from the Making Work Pay credit implemented as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The IRS was...
IRS Releases Notice on Premium Assistance for COBRA Benefits
The Internal Revenue Service recently released an advance copy of Notice 2009-27, Premium assistance for COBRA benefits. Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or ARRA, certain involuntarily terminated employees are eligible for...
Unemployment Benefits Not Fully Taxable in 2009
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits received by a taxpayer during 2009 are not subject to federal income tax. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released IR-2009-29, First $2,400 of...
US Department of Labor Sues Former NFL Player Michael Vick
The US Department of Labor (DOL) announced recently that it has filed suit against former National Football League (NFL) player Michael Vick. Vick, who formerly played for the Atlanta Falcons, is scheduled to be released in May from a Kansas prison. The suit alleges,...
Department of Labor Extends Effective Date of Rules on 401(k) and IRA Investment Advice
On January 21, 2009, the US Department of Labor (DOL) published at 74 FR 3822 “final rules under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and parallel provisions in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, relating to the provision of investment advice by a fiduciary...
Question of the Week: What Information Do We Need to Keep to Document the COBRA Credit?
This week’s question comes from Sandy, an HR manager. We’ve just had our first employee sign up to receive the COBRA premium subsidy. What information do we need to keep to document the COBRA credit? Answer: Employers reimbursing employees for 65% of the eligible...
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report Update for March 21, 2009
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending March 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 652,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 644,000. The 4-week moving average was 649,000, a decrease of...
Tip of the Week: Setup PayChoice Online Tax Codes for COBRA Changes
Do you have former employees eligible for the COBRA continuation coverage premium subsidy? Do you need to know how to enter the premiums paid so that you may claim the credit on your Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return? Do you have questions on how the...
Transit Pass and Van Pooling Exclusion Increased by New Law
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as ARRA, increased the monthly exclusion for transit passes and commuter highway vehicles under §132 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC). For January and February 2009, the maximum excludible amount...
Deadline for Filing Forms W-3 and W-2 Looms
The third and final deadline applicable to federal filing of Forms W-2 is approaching. The first deadline, January 31, 2009, was the deadline for providing copies of Form W-2 to employees. The second deadline, February 28, 2009 (extended to March 2, 2009 because of...
Tax Treatment of Health Coverage for Former Spouse Clarified
The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended (IRC) provides in §106 for an exclusion from income for employer-provided health insurance that covers the employee, the employee’s spouse, the employee’s children, and the employee’s qualifying relatives. Prop. Treas. Reg....
Vision Payroll Announces Updates to Web-Based General Ledger Import Program
Vision Payroll announces updates to our web-based general ledger (G/L) import program. Clients may use the program to import general ledger entries and paychecks into most popular accounting packages. In some very limited cases, clients with a large chart of accounts...
Question of the Week: Are Model Notices Available for the COBRA Premium Reduction?
This week’s question comes from John, an HR Director. We need to send COBRA notices to terminated employees. Are model notices available for the COBRA premium reduction? Answer: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) made changes to the Consolidated...
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report Update for March 14, 2009
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending March 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 646,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 658,000. The 4-week moving average was 654,750, an increase of...
Tip of the Week: Reviewing Your Employee Review Process
The employee review process is one that makes many employers cringe and many employees anxious. When is it required by law? Should you do it if not required by law? Can the employee evaluation be an effective tool in business management? The answers to these questions...
Vision Payroll Announces Release of Updated File Transfer Site
Vision Payroll is proud to announce the availability of our updated file transfer site. Here employers, employees, vendors, and third-parties can upload and download files from a secure site without the security risks associated with e-mail. And since many e-mail...
US Department of Transportation Issues Updated Standard Industry Fare Level Rates
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) recently released updated Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) rates which are used to value employee personal use of company aircraft. The revised rates are 24.84¢ per mile for 500 or fewer miles traveled, 18.94¢...
US Department of Labor Issues Opinion Letter on Mandated Vacations for Exempt Personnel
The US Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued Administrator signed Opinion Letter FLSA2009-2. Although Opinion Letters only apply to the exact set of facts and circumstances presented in each case, they are a valuable aid in understanding current interpretations of...
US Department of Labor Issues Opinion Letter on State-mandated Training Programs
The US Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued Administrator signed Opinion Letter FLSA2009-1. Although Opinion Letters only apply to the exact set of facts and circumstances presented in each case, they are a valuable aid in understanding current interpretations of...
Question of the Week: Do Employees Need to File a Revised Form W-4?
This week’s question comes from Jerri, an HR director. I know federal income tax withholding is supposed to change because of the new tax law. Do employees need to file a new Form W-4? Answer: Employees are not required to file a revised Form W-4, Employee’s...
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report Update for March 7, 2009
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending March 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 654,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 645,000. The 4-week moving average was 650,000, an increase of...
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