Articles
COVID-19 Proposals Vary – Many Will Impact Employers
As the COVID-19 outbreak expands nationwide, federal, state and local lawmakers are offering a variety of proposals to keep people safe, protect workers who may miss work and support the broader economy. Many proposals focus on public health issues, but...
Coronavirus in the USA
On Tuesday, March 3 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 60 cases of COVID-19 from 12 states. Twenty-two of these cases are travel-related; 11 are believed to be person-to-person spread; and for the remaining 27 the source of...
DOL and NLRB both issue “Joint Employer” Rules
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule, on January 16, 2020, updating the definition of "joint employer" under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The DOL states this revision is “in order to promote certainty for employers and...
Deadline to Furnish Forms 1095-C and 1095-B Extended to March 2, 2020
The IRS has published Notice 2019-63 which extends the deadline for furnishing forms 1095-C and 1095-B to employees is March 2, 2020. It was previously January 31, 2020. The notice also extended "good faith effort" transition relief to employers for...
New Form I-9 Available
On January 31, 2020 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published the Form I-9 Federal Register notice announcing a new version of Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification. The notice provides employers additional time to make...
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Final Rule on Regular Rate of Pay
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a Final Rule that clarifies the types of compensation included in an employee’s regular rate of pay for overtime purposes.The rule marks the first significant update to the regulations governing regular rate...
Reminder: New Salary Threshold Scheduled to Take Effect January 1, 2020
On September 24, 2019, the Department of Labor issued a final rule increasing the salary-level threshold for white-collar exemptions from $455 a week to $684 a week. This final rule is effective Jan. 1, 2020. Employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards...
IRS Makes Significant Changes to 2020 Form W-4
The Treasury Department and the IRS are working to incorporate changes into the Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, for 2020.The revised form implements changes made following the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which made major revisions...
Michigan’s Governor May Join Other States by Increasing Overtime Pay Threshold
Michigan’s Governor Whitmer wants to create a rule that would increase the exempt salary threshold for a worker to be eligible for overtime pay to $51,000. The new federal rate, set to take effect January 1, 2020 is $35,568. Up $11,968 from the current...
California Approved Bill Which Requires Companies to Treat Contract Workers as Employees
California legislators approved a landmark bill on September 11, 2019 which requires companies like Uber and Lyft to treat contract workers as employees. The bill was signed into law on September 18, 2019 by Governor Newsom and will go into effect...