Vision Payroll

Due to the damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene in Connecticut beginning on August 27, 2011, President Barack Obama declared the following counties a federal disaster area: Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland and Windham. Individuals who reside or have a business in these counties may qualify for tax relief.

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 August 26, 2011 and before September 13, 2011 as long as the deposits are made by September 12, 2011. In addition, affected taxpayers have until October 31, 2011 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 Tropical Storm Irene and need further information on the relief provided by the IRS.

Due to the damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene in Massachusetts beginning on August 27, 2011, President Barack Obama declared the following counties a federal disaster area: Berkshire and Franklin. Individuals who reside or have a business in these counties may qualify for tax relief.

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 August 26, 2011 and before September 13, 2011 as long as the deposits are made by September 12, 2011. In addition, affected taxpayers have until October 31, 2011 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 Tropical Storm Irene and need further information on the relief provided by the IRS.

What Are the Updated Standard Industry Fare Level Rates?

This week’s question comes from Russell, a company president.

Russell asks…

Some of our employees use our company aircraft for personal purposes. We need to value this and include it as income for those employees. What are the updated Standard Industry Fare Level Rates?

Answer: The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) recently released updated Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) rates, which are used to value employee personal use of company aircraft.

Revised Rates Are Effective For the Second Half Of 2011

The Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) rates for the second half of 2011 were published by the Transportation Department. The rates, which are used to determine the taxable value of an employee’s personal flight in a company aircraft, are 23.95 cents for flights of up to 500 miles, 18.26 cents for flights of 501 to 1,500 miles, and 17.56 cents for flights greater than 1,500 miles. The terminal charge is $43.79.

Contact Vision Payroll for Updated SIFL Rates

Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on SIFL changes.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending September 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 414,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 412,000. The 4-week moving average was 414,750, an increase of 3,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 411,000.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Remains Unchanged

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0% for the week ending August 27, 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 August 27 was 3,717,000, a decrease of 30,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,747,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,734,500, an increase of 5,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,729,000.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is providing tax relief to individual and business taxpayers impacted by Hurricane Irene.

The IRS has announced that certain taxpayers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Vermont will receive tax relief, and other locations are expected to be added in coming days following additional damage assessments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The tax relief postpones certain tax filing and payment deadlines to Oct. 31, 2011. It includes corporations and businesses that previously obtained an extension until Sept. 15, 2011, to file their 2010 returns and individuals and businesses that received a similar extension until Oct. 17. It also includes the estimated tax payment for the third quarter of 2011, which would normally be due Sept. 15.

The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by the hurricane and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, individuals should visit disasterassistance.gov.

Tax Relief Available So Far

Filing and payment relief is currently available to taxpayers in federal disaster areas declared in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Vermont. The IRS expects to announce tax relief for taxpayers in other areas as damage assessments continue. The IRS encourages taxpayers and tax practitioners to monitor Tax Relief in Disaster Situations for updates.

So far, IRS filing and payment relief applies to the following counties and municipalities:

• Connecticut: Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland and Windham;
• Massachusetts: Berkshire and Franklin.
• New Jersey: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.
• New York: Albany, Clinton, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Nassau, Orange, Otsego, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren and Westchester.
• North Carolina: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington and Wilson;.
• Puerto Rico: Arroyo, Aguas Buenas, Caguas, Canovanas, Carolina, Cayey, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Humacao, Jayuya, Juncos, Loiza, Luquillo, Orocovis, Patillas, Ponce and San Juan.
• Vermont: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Orange, Rutland, Washington and Windsor.

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

Contact Vision Payroll if you were affected by Hurricane Irene and need further information on the relief provided by the IRS.

Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene in North Carolina beginning on August 25, 2011, President Barack Obama declared the following counties a federal disaster area: Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Halifax, Hyde, Lenoir, Onslow, Pamlico, Pitt, Tyrrell and Washington. Individuals who reside or have a business in these counties may qualify for tax relief.

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 August 24, 2011 and before September 10, 2011 as long as the deposits are made by September 9, 2011. In addition, affected taxpayers have until October 31, 2011 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 Hurricane Irene and need further information on the relief provided by the IRS.

Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene in New Jersey beginning on August 27, 2011, President Barack Obama declared the following counties a federal disaster area: Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset. Individuals who reside or have a business in these counties may qualify for tax relief.

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 August 26, 2011 and before September 13, 2011 as long as the deposits are made by September 12, 2011. In addition, affected taxpayers have until October 31, 2011 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 Hurricane Irene and need further information on the relief provided by the IRS.

Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene in New York beginning on August 26, 2011, President Barack Obama declared the following counties a federal disaster area: Albany, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Nassau, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie, Ulster and Westchester. Individuals who reside or have a business in these counties may qualify for tax relief.

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 August 25, 2011 and before September 13, 2011 as long as the deposits are made by September 12, 2011. In addition, affected taxpayers have until October 31, 2011 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 Hurricane Irene and need further information on the relief provided by the IRS.

This week’s question comes from John, an HR director. I read about HR On-Demand previously and would like more information. Can you tell me more about HR Compliance Services? Answer: HR Compliance Services is one of three great HR solutions that Vision Payroll offers its customers. The other two are MyHRSupportCenter and HR On-Demand.

Get Support from Your Assigned HR Pro

With HR Compliance Services, you get continuous, ongoing support from your very own assigned HR Pro. It’s like having a full time HR Pro on staff. Your HR Pro partners with you to understand your company and is there whenever needed.

An HR Auditor Will Help Identify Areas of Concerns, Risks, and Violations

A Certified HR Auditor will visit on-site and conduct an audit of your HR functions to identify areas of concerns, risks, and violations. An HR Compliance Action Plan will be created, thus providing the written documentation for you and your assigned HR Pro to work toward workplace compliance and correction of violations. HR forms, documents, education and training are all included.

Expect More with HR Compliance Services

In addition to all the services you’d get with HR On-Demand, HR Compliance Services offers the following:

• On-site HR Audit: A Certified HR Auditor visits you on-site and conducts an audit.
• Customized HR Compliance Action Plan: Results of audit are analyzed, and an HR action plan is created and catered to your business.
• Assigned HR Pro: Your designated HR Pro works with you on the action plan priorities.
• HR Compliance Coaching: Regular meetings with the HR Pro are scheduled to help you stay on track.
• Annual Labor Law Posters and Updates: State and Federal!

And so much more!

Get Started with HR On-Demand Today

If you would like to upgrade to or get started on HR On-Demand, contact Vision Payroll today.

Nonfarm payroll employment was unchanged in August, and the unemployment rate held at 9.1%, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment in most major industries changed little over the month. Health care continued to add jobs, and a decline in information employment reflected a strike. Government employment continued to trend down, despite the return of workers from a partial government shutdown in Minnesota.

Household Survey Data

The number of unemployed persons, at 14.0 million, was essentially unchanged in August, and the unemployment rate held at 9.1%. The rate has shown little change since April.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (8.9%), adult women (8.0%), teenagers (25.4%), whites (8.0%), blacks (16.7%), and Hispanics (11.3%) showed little or no change in August. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.1%, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was about unchanged at 6.0 million in August and accounted for 42.9% of the unemployed.

The labor force rose to 153.6 million in August. Both the civilian labor force participation rate, at 64.0%, and the employment-population ratio, at 58.2%, were little changed.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) rose from 8.4 million to 8.8 million in August. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in August, up from 2.4 million a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 977,000 discouraged workers in August, down by 133,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.6 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in August had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Establishment Survey Data

Total nonfarm payroll employment, at 131.1 million, was unchanged  in August. Employment changed little in most major private-sector industries.

Health care employment rose by 30,000 in August. Ambulatory health care services and hospitals added 18,000 and 8,000 jobs, respectively. Over the past 12 months, health care employment has grown by 306,000.

Employment in mining continued to trend up in August (+6,000). Since reaching a trough in October 2009, employment in mining has risen by 144,000, with mining support activities accounting for most of the gain.

Within professional and business services, computer systems design and related services added 8,000 jobs in August. Employment in temporary help services changed little over the month (+5,000) and has shown little movement on net so far this year.

Employment in the information industry declined by 48,000 in August. About 45,000 workers in the telecommunications industry were on strike and thus off company payrolls during the survey reference period.

Manufacturing employment was essentially unchanged in August (-3,000), following a gain of 36,000 in July. For the past 4 months, manufacturing has added an average of 14,000 jobs per month, compared with an average of 35,000 jobs per month in the first 4 months of the year.

Elsewhere in the private sector, employment in construction; trade, transportation, and utilities; financial activities; and leisure and hospitality changed little over the month.

Government employment continued to trend down over the month (-17,000). Despite the return of about 22,000 workers from a partial government shutdown in Minnesota, employment in state government changed little in August (+5,000). Employment in local government continued to decline. Since employment peaked in September 2008, local government has lost 550,000 jobs.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 hour over the month to 34.2 hours. The manufacturing workweek was 40.3 hours for the third consecutive month; factory overtime increased by 0.1 hour over the month to 3.2 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged down to 33.5 hours in August, after holding at 33.6 hours for the prior 6 months.

In August, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased by 3 cents, or 0.1%, to $23.09. This decline followed an 11-cent gain in July. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 1.9%. In August, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees decreased by 2 cents, or 0.1%, to $19.47.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised from +46,000 to +20,000, and the change for July was revised from +117,000 to +85,000.