Vision Payroll

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending September 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 453,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 469,000. The 4-week moving average was 458,000, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 464,250.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Decreases

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.5% for the week ending September 18, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the prior week’s revised rate of 3.6%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 18 was 4,457,000, a decrease of 83,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,540,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,526,750, a decrease of 5,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,532,250.

An organization’s workforce is its most valuable asset. And when an employee can’t work due to illness or injury, it impacts not only an organization’s productivity, but also its morale.

The Return-to-Work Toolkit Provides Valuable Resources

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) in the US Department of Labor created its new online Return-to-Work Toolkit to help employers and employees understand the return-to-work process and provide resources to assist in getting employees back on the job quickly and smoothly.

Effective Return Helps Employers and Employees

Effective return-to-work approaches can protect an employee’s earning power and boost an organization’s output as the employee adds value while still recuperating. Furthermore, in many instances, work itself plays an important role in the recovery process.

Employees Can Benefit from the Toolkit

With effective accommodations and a clear understanding of the return-to-work process, employees can be back on the job sooner and retain their income. Employees can use this toolkit to get started.

Employers Can Also Benefit from the Toolkit

Strategies to return employees to work as quickly and smoothly as possible benefit everyone. Employers can use this toolkit to learn about the tools and resources available to assist you with the return-to-work process.

A World with Unlimited Employment Opportunities

Vision Payroll salutes the ODEP in its quest for a world in which people with disabilities have unlimited employment opportunities.

Monday, October 11, 2010 will be Columbus Day, a federal holiday. Although the offices of Vision Payroll will be open and payrolls will be processed, most banks will be closed in observance of the holiday.

Date Paid	Process Deadline
10/11/2010	10/6/2010
10/12/2010	10/7/2010
10/13/2010	10/11/2010

Payroll Dates May Be Affected by Columbus Day

Payrolls dated October 11 will be paid October 8 unless a previous change in schedule has been submitted. Payrolls submitted after these processing deadlines will be pushed back until the next available processing day. No changes are required for payrolls dated October 14.

Veterans Day Is Next Federal Holiday

The next federal holiday will be Thursday, November 11, 2010, Veterans Day. Contact Vision Payroll as soon as possible to make changes to or for questions on your processing schedule.

Vision Payroll was one of only nine companies chosen from hundreds nationwide as a 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award winner by Payroll Associates, the leading payroll software provider in the country. The award was announced at the annual users’ conference held recently in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“We’re honored to be recognized with such a prestigious award,” said Anne Leader, president of Vision Payroll. “It is a remarkable testimony to the support we’ve received from our current customers and the hundreds of companies who make the decision each year to choose Vision Payroll for their employer services.

“We also want to thank our employees for their part in helping us win this award. Though we have the best technology in the industry, without our employees, our clients would be just another number as they are at other payroll providers.”

Vision Payroll of Leominster provides payroll processing, human resource management, time and attendance, and employee screening and hiring and collaborates with the top providers in many other areas to provide a superior solution for the employee-related needs of today’s employers.

Assistant Secretary Julie E. Squire of the Division of Unemployment Insurance of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation has announced that the taxable wage base for 2011 will remain at $8,500, unchanged from 2010. Rate information for 2011 will be available in the coming months.

Wage Base Has Been Unchanged Since 1992

The wage base in Maryland has been at $8,500 since 1992.

Find Out the Wage Base for All States by Visiting the Vision Payroll Unemployment Taxable Wage Base Page

Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on Maryland unemployment taxable wage base or visit our Unemployment Taxable Wage Base page.

Brad Avakian, Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, announced recently that, effective January 1, 2011, the minimum wage for the state of Oregon will increase to $8.50 per hour.

Measure 25 Mandates Annual Adjustments

As a result of Measure 25, which passed in 2002, an adjustment to the minimum wage must be calculated no later than September 30 of each year. The adjustment is based on any increase in the US City Average Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for All Items (CPI). The 1.15% increase in the CPI will result in a comparable change in the minimum wage.

Find Out the Minimum Wage for All States by Visiting the Vision Payroll Minimum Wage Chart Page

Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the Oregon minimum wage or visit our Minimum Wage Chart.

This week’s question comes from Katy, an HR administrator. We know we need to capture the cost of health coverage and report it on Form W-2, starting in 2011. How do we determine the cost of health insurance to report on Form W-2? Answer: Employers are required to use rules “similar to the rules of §4980I(d)(1)”, which are the rules used to calculate the cost to qualified beneficiaries who elect COBRA coverage.

Further Guidance for Reporting the Cost Health Insurance on Form W-2 Is Expected

As further guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) becomes available in this area, Vision Payroll will provided updated guidelines for calculating the amount to be included on Form W-2.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending September 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 465,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 453,000. The 4-week moving average was 463,250, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 466,500.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Decreases

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.5% for the week ending September 11, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the prior week’s revised rate of 3.6%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 11 was 4,489,000, a decrease of 48,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,537,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,519,500, an increase of 2,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,517,000.

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in 2009, more than 93,000 workplace discrimination charges were filed nationwide, the second highest level ever.

Race and Sex Charges Remain Most Common Charges

Race and sex charges were the most commonly filed charges, representing a combined two-thirds of all charges.

National Origin, Religion, Retaliation, and Disability Claims All Increase

For 2009, claims of discrimination based on national origin, religion, retaliation, and disability were all the highest ever recorded. Though age discrimination claims eased slightly, they were still at the second-highest level in EEOC history.

Important Questions on EEO Training

How important is training and what is the impact of internet-based training? What should your employee handbook say about equal employment opportunity (EEO)? What is the impact of Plan/Prevent/Protect?

What Can You Do to Prevent Violation of the Discrimination Laws?

To pick up tips and tools to help minimize and shield your business against claims of workplace discrimination and harassment, be sure to listen to Defending Your Business with EEO Training in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter.

MyHRSupportCenter Provides Alerts, Best Practices, and HR Tools Every Day

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly, not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you haven’t yet signed up and would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

Declaration Leads to Extension of Payroll Tax and Other Deadlines

Therefore, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced recently that it will waive failure to deposit penalties for employment and excise taxes due after July 19, 2010 and before August 5, 2010 as long as the deposits were made by August 4, 2010. In addition, affected taxpayers had until September 20, 2010 to file most tax returns.

Vision Payroll is Here to Help Affected Taxpayers with Payroll Tax Issues

Contact Vision Payroll if you were affected by the severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes and need further information on the relief provided by the IRS.