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Compliance
42% of medium and small businesses have negative feelings about their compliance management practices. Learn how to get the upper hand on this complex topic.
4 Common Payroll Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Overtime Pay, Pay Equity, Workers’ Comp, Payroll Taxes Topics Covered Missclassifying Employees Pay Equity Workers' Comp Payroll Taxes Dump Your Payroll Provider Payroll Compliance: More Complex Than You Think From FLSA, EPA, Workers Comp and more, there are lots of federal laws to keep track of, and state and local taxes only add complexity. That’s why HR and business leaders need to have processes in place to consistently apply pay policies, accurately calculate overtime and streamline leave policies. If you don’t and your company is audited or sued, you won’t have the proper controls in place to quickly provide accurate records and audit trails. Here are four common Payroll mistakes you might be making: Misclassifying Freelancers and...
401(k) Match Limits 2019: What Payroll Administrators Need to Know
It’s a relatively small change, but it’s a change for payroll administrators to take notice of. As of November 2018, your employees’ contribution limits for their 401(k) increased to $19,000 from $18,500. The increase raises the total annual contribution amount (employee plus employer contribution) to $56,000 or 100% of the employee’s salary if they make less than that. Most companies typically offer 3-6% in matching funds, but there is no limit to the amount an employer can contribute as long as the annual cap isn’t reached. 2018 & 2019 401(k) Match Limits Defined Contribution Plan Limits 2019 2018 Difference Maximum employee contribution $19,000 $18,500 +$500 Catch-up contribution for employees aged 50 or older $6,000 $6,000 No...
The Role of HR in Risk Management
HR Risks Covered:Recruiting Interviewing Drug Testing Background Check Employee Handbook Paying Employees Wage and Hour PenaltiesPay EquityHarassment PolicyTermination Where Are You Most Vulnerable? Tightrope walkers are kind of like human resource managers.You have big, long term goals and you want to make a difference. Yet day to day, you step carefully, balancing the complexities of the workplace.We love to talk to HR professionals about their strategic goals – for inspiration, check out Unlock the True Power of HR.In this article, however, we’re focusing on another aspect of your job: risk management, or risk balancing. We’ll walk you through some (certainly not all!) of the most common risks HR professionals need to balance...
I-9 Compliance: How to Verify Remote Employees
What is Form I-9? The I-9 is a government form filled out by an employee to confirm their identity and verify they are legally able to work in the United States. It’s also known as an Employee Eligibility Form.The form dates back to 1986 during the Reagan administration, which passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). It was created by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Part of the act makes employers legally responsible for verifying whether their employees can legally work in the United States. Why is an I-9 required? In addition to being used to verify employment eligibility, Form I-9 as well as the IRCA are used to attempt to reduce...HR
Federal Tax Deposit 101: Everything Employers Must Know
What is a Federal Tax Deposit? Most would agree that taxes is not an exciting topic. But a full understanding of the rules around taxes is absolutely essential for employers. It’s a major responsibility to manage employees and follow the requirements of withholding taxes from employee wages.The IRS has specific and strict guidelines around withheld taxes. Any withheld taxes must be deposited to the IRS in the appropriate manner. This process is called the federal tax deposit.In this guide, we’ll outline the important aspects of payroll processing and the federal tax deposit.Before we dig into the federal tax deposit, these are the important areas within employee taxes and payroll. Paycheck calculation and preparation Withholding taxes...
Leap Year Payroll: How to Handle 27 Pay Periods
If you pay employees bi-weekly, you normally have 26 pay periods a year. But 2020 brings you an extra one—thanks, leap year. True, an extra pay period isn’t exclusive to leap years, sometimes it just depends on which day of the week you pay your employees. But regardless of when it occurs, it can cause headaches for HR and payroll administrators who aren’t prepared.There are a few ways to approach a 27-pay-period year, but the most important thing is to communicate your plan to your workforce. Make sure they understand what to expect so there aren’t any surprises surrounding their paychecks. How to Pay Employees During a Year with 27 Pay Periods Option 1: Everyone gets an extra paycheck. Woo-hoo! The extra paycheck would be for the same...
Case Study: Rochester University
Michigan based Rochester University relied on their own payroll processing for nearly 60 years. But when their payroll administrator decided to retire, they turned to Paycor to help them save time and resources. “In the three years we’ve been a Paycor customer, I’ve never had a problem reaching my dedicated support team. If I have an emergency, I know I can trust Paycor.” – Ginny May, Director of HR With Paycor, Rochester University has significantly transformed how they manage HR and process payroll with Paycor Time, Paycor’s Mobile App and ACA filing. By eliminating manual work, their staff has more time to focus on strategic initiatives like finding the right faculty members, motivating employees and creating better experiences for...
DOL Final Overtime Rules: Quickstart Guide for Employers
On September 24, 2019, the Department of Labor issued its final overtime rule to increase the minimum salary threshold for executive, administrative and professional exemptions from $455 per week ($23,660 annually) to $684 per week ($35,568 annually). The new rule goes into effect January 1, 2020.As your organization considers how to prepare and comply, we’ve created this guide which outlines the new ruling, provides tips to manage impacted employees and offers a checklist of key details to follow to mitigate risk. Click below to instantly download the guide.
What are W-3 Forms? FAQs and Helpful Tips for 2020
As a trusted HR & payroll provider, Paycor gets hundreds of questions about Form W-3 each year. To help HR professionals mitigate risk, our compliance experts answered the most frequently asked questions around Form W-3. What is a W-3 form? Technical answer: Form W-3 is used to total up all parts of Form W-2. Both forms are filed together and sent to Social Security Administration (SSA) every year. Form W-3 is also known as “Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements.”What employers really need to know: As an employer your responsibility is to review all W-2s for your workforce, summarize employee wages and tax information and then combine that data into one W-3 form. What’s the difference between Form W-2 and Form W-3? The difference...
Employer Breastfeeding Laws by State
Breastfeeding, ACA and FLSA When President Obama made the Affordable Care Act (ACA) the law of the land in 2010, new amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) addressing breastfeeding in the workplace went into effect. The new guidelines require all employers in every state to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for their nursing child for one year after the child’s birth. States are Making Changes While the federal government laid the foundation, 32 states have built upon the basic law. Some states have clarified whether these breaks are paid or unpaid and some have extended how long breastfeeding mothers are protected by the law.Where does your state stand? Use the chart below to find out....
Case Study: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Compliance concerns and a desire to streamline their overall HR process led Smuttynose Brewing Company in Hampton, N.H., to find HR & payroll software that suited their needs. With employees scattered throughout the Northeast, Smuttynose needed an efficient way to collect hours worked and to ensure payroll tax compliance. “Paycor is a one stop shop with great customer service and that service does not stop after implementation. I consider Paycor to be a true partner. I am extremely satisfied that I made the switch to Paycor and believe that satisfaction will only grow stronger as our partnership has a chance to mature.” —Mia Jennings, Director of HR, Smuttynose Brewing Paycor’s HR, recruiting and onboarding solutions streamlined a...
The Benefits of Outsourcing HRM
As your business grows, it’s probably not going to be feasible to have just one or two people running payroll and HR management (HRM) for the entire company. The need for offloading these functions eventually becomes a business necessity. For many companies, the various functions and compliance challenges related to the HR department become far too complex to maintain in-house and fall under this umbrella. HR teams manage multiple functions So, it’s not always obvious which ones can be effectively outsourced. A good first step is to define the role you want HR to play in your company as well as how you want your systems to operate (Software as a Service [SaaS] is one option). We’ve compiled a list of six areas where an outsourced HCM...
Buyer's Guide To HCM And Payroll Technology
An HCM platform is the foundation of your business, and choosing the technology is one of the most important decisions you'll make.
Get ExpertiseWhat Compliance Means for Your Organization
Do you spend too much or too little time on compliance? The IRS estimates U.S. businesses spend a collective 2.8 billion hours a year on tax compliance alone. Add in the Department of Labor’s requirements for overtime and minimum wage as well as the Affordable Care Act’s tracking and reporting regulations and you’ve only just scratched the surface of compliance.
Naturally, being compliant is going to mean something different depending on the industry in which you work. Are you a medical facility who can’t allow licensing to lapse or perhaps a manufacturer with concerns about Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) law? What sort of training do you have in place to prevent employment discrimination and a subsequent EEOC lawsuit?
The right HR partner can offer your organization expert advice on how to mitigate compliance risk. Learn what potential violations should be on your radar and how to avoid them as well as how to maintain compliance through the employee lifecycle.