Horizon Payroll Blogs

Some companies are in the midst of rehiring employees laid off due to the pandemic, and for others that’s still in the future. Either way, as you make plans to protect your employees’ health, be sure you know how to protect your business too. In this post we’ll talk about two important ways you must follow the law and best practices as you continue or begin the rehiring process.

You’ve probably weathered many changes to your company and staffing recently. And that includes staying compliant with new legislation that requires expanded paid leave. There’s a lot of detail to keep track of, but the good news is many employers are eligible for some relief in the form of tax credits. Here’s what you need to know.

If you’re like many employers, you’ve been following the developments about the DOL’s long-anticipated final rule regarding overtime eligibility. The law is critical to correctly classifying exempt and non-exempt employees, and many employers have been left in a holding pattern since updates were first suggested in 2016.

Employees depend on your payroll system to be concise and on time every pay cycle, but avoiding issues is not always easy. Business owners—especially of small and mid-sized companies—often have too much on their plate to double back and check their work or fix mistakes. Precision is not always possible without a little help.

No one enjoys employee termination: there’s bad news to deliver, unpleasant and awkward conversations to notify coworkers, paperwork to sign and file. Once the tasks of termination are finally finished you’re probably anxious to move forward, reassign job duties, and begin the search for a replacement. But few things derail that momentum like receiving notice that a former employee has filed an unemployment claim against your company.

It might be hard to believe, but 2018 is drawing to a close. Right now your company may be preparing for a slow-down during the holiday season, ramping up for your busiest time of year, or rolling along with business as usual. In any case, it’s time to start thinking about 2019. Our revised and updated checklist will keep you on track as you look ahead to the new year.

Work-life balance is a popular topic. Many employers realize their employees need time for hobbies, family and personal matters, and just a break from work. Flexible schedules, working remotely and generous paid time off policies go a long way toward meeting these needs. After all, an employee with time to attend to life outside work is more likely to be productive and focused on the job.

Ask anyone who works in human resources about the signs of autumn - chances are, leaf colors and pumpkin spice beverages aren't at the top of the list. In the HR world, open enrollment, preparing form 1095-C and setting up next year’s payroll schedule are really what signal that fall is here. There’s paperwork to file (or e-file), employee data to verify and did we mention the deadlines? It can make for a hectic time with lots of projects to keep track of. Read on to stay organized and manage the chaos.

In October 2015, 23.7% of US high school students age 16-19 had jobs. Where are these young people working? According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, industries in accommodation and food services (e.g. restaurants, hotels), retail (including grocery and food stores) and arts, entertainment and recreation (including amusement parks) see the highest numbers of youth workers. These tend to be companies looking for entry-level, minimum wage and temporary workers, maybe even yours. 

The Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) final rule on overtime was to take effect on December 1, 2016. Last fall, we explained the changes and gave some tips for compliance. Then in September, a lawsuit was filed to challenge the final rule. What’s happened since then? Let us bring you up to speed.

Although anticipated FLSA overtime rule changes have been put on hold, almost half of the United States will increase their state minimum wages in 2017. So, as an employer, what does that mean for you?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25/hour ($2.13 for tipped employees). However, FLSA also stipulates that state or local laws supersede FLSA rules if the state or local laws are more favorable to the employee. In other words, employers must pay the state minimum wage if the state minimum wage is greater than $7.25/hour. And, as previously mentioned, almost half the country will increase state/local minimum wage in 2017. The table below highlights the minimum wages you can expect in 2017.

There were a few important alerts announced this month that change federal compliance for human resource management that may affect your company. We thought it was worth going through the announcements one more time. 

It's been a strange few months. As we told you in July, FLSA changes are on their way. But these changes seem to be, well, changing.  Here are the latest updates, on both the rule and various attempts to thwart it.

As of now, the rule changes outlined below are set to go into effect on December 1, 2016. This is despite the following.

• The House of Representatives passed a bill on September 28, 2016 that would delay FLSA changes for six months. However, H.R. 6094 is unlikely to be signed into law before December 1, if ever.
• On September 20, 2016, 21 states filed a lawsuit, joining the Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Retail Federation and other business groups, alleging the changes are unconstitutional. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, however, these lawsuits are unlikely to move forward. 

So - what's an employer to do? The experts agree - prepare for the FLSA changes as if they are indeed going into effect December 1. 

You've probably heard a lot lately about the FLSA rule changes. I know we've blogged about it (along with many others). We've also heard that the rule changes are confusing. So - we're setting out to set the record straight, along with a few survival tips, so we're all ready on December 1st.

What It Is:

As we said, the Department of Labor (DOL) recently unveiled the newest addition to the Fair Labor Standards Act, a law that has been updated multiple times over the last several decades. With the new rule, the DOL raises the minimum salary threshold for overtime exempt workers within companies with over $500,000 in annual revenue. The two main types of salaries are:

1. Exempt from overtime (these employees don't qualify for overtime)
2. Non-exempt from overtime (these employees do qualify for overtime)

Although many employees believe they belong to the first group, salary exempt, a lot fall under the salary non-exempt category. This is usually because they do not fall under the true definition of a manager (see the What It Boils Down To section below).

Ever wonder how you can save money for your company? Here's one way, in four words: Work Opportunity Tax Credit. If you aren't getting it, you're losing out.

What is the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, also known as WOTC? According to the US Department of Labor, the WOTC "is a Federal tax credit available to employers for hiring individuals from certain target groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment." These target groups include:

Did you know the Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed some big changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act? You need to be ready for these changes, as they could go into effect later this year. The DOL estimates they will effect 4.6 million workers in the first year alone.

According to the DOL, key provisions of the proposed rule aim to:

1. set the standard salary level at the 40th percentile of weekly earnings for full-time salaried workers ($921 per week, or $47,892 annually);
2. increase the total annual compensation requirement needed to exempt highly compensated employees (HCEs) to the annualized value of the 90th percentile of weekly earnings of full-time salaried workers ($122,148 annually); and
3. establish a mechanism for automatically updating the salary and compensation levels going forward to ensure that they will continue to provide a useful and effective test for exemption.