Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Travel by non-exempts outside the normal area brings two different sets of rules into play. (As we mentioned yesterday, exempt employees are expected to work as and when the job requires.) Special Assignment in a Different Location When an employee who regularly works at a fixed location in one city is given a special one-day […]
Whether time spent traveling is paid work time depends on the type of travel involved: commuting, day travel, and overnight travel. Travel time that is work time is subject to both the minimum wage and overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. (Don’t forget to check state laws on travel pay; some states, […]
With Jennifer McCormack, Esq. Lots of different kinds of coverage will not have to report their expenses next tax year (the 2012 tax year), and lots of employers won’t have to either. Are you one of them? Beginning calendar year 2012, employers must report on Forms W-2 (which employers will give employees in January 2013) […]
Confused about what exactly a “leased employee” is? Turns out a lot of people the IRS contacted were, too. The IRS’ Employee Plans Compliance Unit (EPCU) recently completed its study on the role of leased employees in retirement plans. When EPCU asked plan sponsors who used pension feature code “3F” on their Forms 5500 — […]
The flood of donning and doffing disputes under the Fair Labor Standards Act that we saw a few years back may have leveled off. But some pay issues relating to this routine taking off and putting on of clothes are not yet resolved. The Supreme Court had two opportunities in its current term to pick […]
By Shlomo D. Katz This time of year, when snow and ice pose challenges in many parts of the country, many employers wonder about the rules for paying employees in the event they must close the office due to bad weather and unsafe road conditions. Below we provide answers to some frequently asked questions. The […]
The airline industry is helping to shift more of the cost of business travel away from the booking phase — the stage at which costs can be managed most easily — to the trip itself when expenses are incurred on the fly. This creates challenges for corporate travel managers — and the federal government, which […]
In its latest guidance on W-2 reporting of health benefits (Notice 2012-9, issued Jan. 5) the IRS has clarified that employers need not include the cost of coverage under an employee assistance program (EAP), health reimbursement accounts (HRA), wellness program or on site-medical clinic in the reportable amount if the employer does not charge a premium […]
In a recently released legal memorandum, the IRS said that meals provided to airline crewmembers while they are on duty aboard an aircraft are not excluded from the employees’ gross income as a de minimis fringe benefit because they were not provided at “eating facilities.” Although the value of the meals would be excludable from […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorneys Deanna Brinkerhoff and Dora Lane helped us understand DOL’s misclassification crackdown; today, what to do about it, plus some good news—your job descriptions are ADA-compliant and up to date. Classification of workers as employees or independent contractors is a murky area, but there are some safe harbors and some steps every […]