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For many organizations, the employer mandate and the reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) loom. Employers want to ensure they will be in compliance come January 2016, when the required forms are due to their full-time employees and the Internal Revenue Service. Yet many organizations remain confused by the law’s many complexities, especially […]

What if we lived in a world in which organizations were held accountable for wages owed to their employees? Look no further than Cook County, Ill., whose board of commissioners recently approved a wage theft ordinance. The new ordinance was passed on behalf of low-income employees who increasingly have been plagued by businesses taking advantage of their hard work and abusing labor requirements.

In late February, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to revise specific conditions in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The new rule modifies the definition of a “spouse,” extending federal job-protected leave benefits to eligible workers in legal, same-sex marriages.

If you are a manager, HR professional or anyone with a hand in the payroll process, you probably already know that altering employee payroll sheets can land an organization in a heap of litigation. According to a new ruling, even your personal assets can be targeted if you are found guilty.

The time has arrived for employers impacted by the eligibility reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as the IRS officially released the 2014 versions of the final forms and instructions on Feb. 8. Posted were the following forms, which fulfill the reporting requirements under ACA sections 6055 and 6056:

Recently, Illinois became the first state to break ground on what could be the next big trend affecting organizations and their employees preparing for retirement. Signed into law on Jan. 4, the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act requires companies to automatically enroll their employees in – or give them access to –personal Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) funded through payroll deductions.

Earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2015-2, containing new guidelines to assist employers in making retroactive adjustments for 2014’s employer-provided excludable transit benefits.

Here we are, kicking off 2015 – the official beginning of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate. However, some employers have plan years that don’t begin on Jan. 1 and will not take part in the fun just yet.

President Obama has signed into law the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, which extends the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) until the end of December. Employers have diligently processed their employees for WOTC not knowing if the potential credit would be renewed, but with the recent extension they can be assured their efforts to utilize WOTC and other tax credits were not wasted; however, we are quickly approaching a deadline that is now just days away.

It is time to collect! President Barack Obama has signed HR 5771, aka the Tax Increase Prevention Act, into law. The highly anticipated legislation renews more than 50 expired tax breaks, allowing businesses, commuters and more to collect with tax season around the corner. For many in the corporate world, the excitement centers on the Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefit.

Heads up: The IRS is requiring employers to notify their employees of the Earned Income Credit (EIC) for 2014.

Employers already are well aware that the health care landscape is changing – and changing drastically. But now employers who thought they were complying with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are being told otherwise, as the Obama administration works to close loopholes – and fast.