Vision Payroll

According to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), employers in the counties of Mendocino and San Luis Obispo directly affected by the water surge caused by the tsunami may request up to a 60-day extension of time from EDD to file their State payroll reports and/or deposit State payroll taxes without penalty or interest. This extension may be granted under Section 1111.5 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC).

Mendocino and San Luis Obispo Counties in a Declared State of Emergency Due to Water Surge Caused by the Tsunami

Written request for extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return to file/pay.

Vision Payroll Can Assist Mendocino and San Luis Obispo Counties Clients with Extension Application

Contact Vision Payroll if you’ve been affected and need to file the extension request.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that it will no longer mail the Form 941 tax package to business taxpayers. Taxpayers who need paper copies of the forms can download them at IRS.gov or VisionPayroll.com.

Growth in Electronic Filing Spurred Move

The IRS says that it took these steps due to the continued growth in electronic filing as well as to help reduce costs. Additionally, most business forms are available through tax professionals and tax software.

Mailing of Many Other Forms Also Discontinued

The IRS also announced that mailing of the following forms and publication has also been discontinued:

Product	Title
Form 940	Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return
Form 943	Employer’s Annual Federal Return for Agricultural Employees
Form 944	Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return
Form 945	Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax
Form 720	Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return
Form 730	Monthly Tax Return for Wagers
Form 2290	Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return
Form 5500	Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan
Form 8027	Employer’s Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips
Form 8160-T	Tax Product Availability for Exempt Organization Filers
Form 11-C	Occupational Tax and Registration Return for Wagering
Form CT-1	Employer’s Annual Railroad Retirement Tax Return
Publication 51	(Circular A) Agricultural Employer’s Tax Guide
Publication 80	(Circular SS) Federal Tax Guide for Employers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Publication 179	(Circular PR) Guía Contributiva Federal para Patronos Puertorriqueños
Package 1120-H	U.S. Income Tax Return for Homeowners Associations

Vision Payroll Submits These Forms Electronically

Vision Payroll submits Form 941, Form 944, and Form 940 electronically to the IRS for its clients and does not need paper copies of the forms.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced a $1,570,907 grant to assist about 400 workers affected by the closing of Sonoco Packaging Products in Devens, Mass., and layoffs at Debbie’s Staffing in Ayer, Mass.

DOL Secretary Solis Comments on Grant

“Many of these workers — who have lost jobs through no fault of their own — face significant language and education barriers to new employment,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “This grant will make available the services they need to re-enter the workforce.”

Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board Will Operate Grant

Awarded to the Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development, this grant will be operated by the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board. It will provide these dislocated workers, many of whom are also certified as eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), with access to “wrap-around” and supportive services that are not available through the TAA program. The workers that are not TAA-eligible will have access to the full array of training and employment-related services under this grant, including English for speakers of other languages classes and assistance to prepare for the General Educational Development tests.

Additional Funding Will Be Released as Needed

Of the $1,570,907 announced today, $701,933 will be released initially. Additional funding up to the amount approved will be made available as the commonwealth demonstrates a continued need for funding.

National Emergency Grants Are Part of Discretionary Fund

National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor’s discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state or commonwealth’s ability to meet specific guidelines.

This week’s question comes from Stan, an HR manager. We just received our Notice of Employers Unemployment Insurance Contribution Rate Statement of Account Balance from the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). A solvency assessment was subtracted from our account balance. What is the solvency assessment in Massachusetts? Answer: The solvency assessment is used to pay benefits that are not assigned to an individual employer.

Three Main Charges To the Solvency Assessment Account

The solvency account has three main charges as follows:

1. Dependency allowances
2. State-funded extended benefits, and
3. Benefits paid when claimants are in DUA approved training programs.

Solvency Assessment Is not Paid Directly, but Reduces the Employer’s Account Balance

The solvency assessment is not paid through the DUA QUEST system, but is applied to the account balance when calculating the employer’s new rate. The solvency assessment rate of 1.22% for 2010 (1.71% for 2011) is multiplied by the employer’s taxable wages for the period to determine the total solvency assessment to be applied to each account.

More Questions on the Massachusetts Solvency Assessment?

Contact Vision Payroll if you have further questions on the Massachusetts solvency assessment.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending March 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 385,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 401,000. The 4-week moving average was 386,250, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 393,250.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Remains Unchanged

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0% for the week ending March 5, unchanged from the prior week’s unrevised rate of 3.0%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending March 5 was 3,706,000, a decrease of 80,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,786,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,779,000 a decrease of 58,000 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,837,000.

According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), homicide is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. Workplace violence such as intimidation, verbal threats, physical attacks, and property damage includes, but is not limited to, acts committed by employees, customers, and unsolicited visitors at the workplace.

High-Risk Occupations that Expose Workers To Violent Situations

Examples of occupations exposed to higher risks of violent situations likely to occur may involve those with:

• Direct customer contact while handling cash transactions,
• Service deliveries in high-crime neighborhoods, and
• Early morning or late night work shifts.

Federal Law Requires Employers to Act

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace for all workers covered by the Act. If the work environment has hazards or harmful conditions present, then the employer has an obligation to protect their employees who may be at risk of unintentional accidents and potential dangers.

Find Out More About Taking Control of Workplace Violence Now

To find out the steps to take to provide a safe and healthful workplace, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, Taking Control of Workplace Violence. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

As of January 1, 2011, the Nebraska Department of Revenue (DOR) required the use of an electronic funds transfer (EFT) all payments of taxes or fees for tax programs, such as income or sales and use tax, if the taxpayer had made tax or fee payments above $20,000 for that same tax program in a prior tax year.

Further Reduction Effective July 1, 2011

As of July 1, 2011, the threshold is reduced from $20,000 to $16,000. Further reductions are scheduled every six months until the threshold is $5,000 effective January 1, 2015.

Failure to Use EFT Will Result in a Non-Compliance Penalty

A $100 penalty for non-compliance will be imposed if required payments are not made by EFT. The penalty does not apply to individual income tax payments.

Contact Vision Payroll for More Information

Contact Vision Payroll for further questions on the changes to the Nebraska EFT threshold.

According to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), employers in the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz directly affected by the water surge caused by the tsunami may request up to a 60-day extension of time from EDD to file their State payroll reports and/or deposit State payroll taxes without penalty or interest. This extension may be granted under Section 1111.5 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC).

Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz Counties in a Declared State of Emergency Due to Water Surge Caused by the Tsunami

Written request for extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return to file/pay.

Vision Payroll Can Assist Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz Counties Clients with Extension Application

Contact Vision Payroll if you’ve been affected and need to file the extension request.

According to statistics released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in February 2011, the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 20.6, up from 20.1 in January. By comparison, the percentage of persons with no disability in the labor force remained unchanged at 69.5.

Unemployment Rate at 15.4%

The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 15.4%, compared with 9.3% for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted.

Table A-6 Provides Further Details on Employment Levels by Disability Status

Table A-6 shows further details on employment status of the civilian population by sex, age, and disability status, not seasonally adjusted.

Definition of a Person with a Disability

In compiling the data, the BLS defines a person with a disability as a person having at least one of the following conditions: is deaf or has serious difficulty hearing; is blind or has serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses; has serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition; has serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs; has difficulty dressing or bathing; or has difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition.

Visit VisionPayroll.com Monthly for Updated Disability Employment Statistics

Each month, Vision Payroll will provide updates disability employment statistics as they become available.

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released a clarification to the original guidance provided on the tax treatment of health care coverage extended to adult children.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Requires Extension up to Age 26

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires plans and issuers that offer dependent coverage to make the coverage available until a child reaches the age of 26. Both married and unmarried children qualify for this coverage.

Employment Taxes not Applicable To the Value of This Coverage

According to the EDD:

The extended coverage to adult children under the federal legislation referenced above is not considered wages that are subject to Unemployment Insurance (UI), Employment Training Tax (ETT), or State Disability Insurance (SDI), taxes. Existing State law, Section 931 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC) excludes payments for employer-provided coverage under accident or health plans to a dependent from being considered taxable income for UI, ETT, or SDI purposes.

Section 931 of the CUIC does not apply to California Personal Income Tax (PIT) provisions. The fair market value for health care coverage to an adult child under the new federal provision is considered reportable income for California PIT purposes and subject to California PIT withholding. The fair market value of the health care coverage is set at the discretion of the employer.

Further Changes Are Expected In California and Other States

Check VisionPayroll.com frequently for updates to taxation of this coverage in California and other states.