The H-2B visa allows employers with peak load, seasonal, or intermittent needs to hire foreign workers to fill those slots in certain situations. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), these visas are normally used in construction, health care, landscaping, lumber, manufacturing, food service/processing, and resort/hospitality services. Under the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2005 (SOS Act) a limit of 66,000 H-2B visas is set per fiscal year, with 33,000 allowed in each half of the fiscal year. The fiscal year 2010 begins on October 1, 2009. Since petitions may not be filed more than 120 days before the date of the actual need, the time to start filing petitions begins in early June. USCIS considers petitions filed on the date received, not the date postmarked. The USCIS will also regularly provide updates on the numbers of beneficiaries approved and pending. Contact Vision Payroll if you have further questions on the H-2B visa program.
As companies continue to use layoffs in an effort to control costs, they must consider whether those layoffs can cost more in the long-run due to losses in revenue generation and service quality. It is critical that companies retain their most talented employees so that they not only stay in business during the downturn, but also so that they are positioned to grow when the recovery begins. Companies that are able to identity, reward, and retain key employees will be better positioned to succeed both now and in the future.
In this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter, you’ll learn ten tips for successful employee relationships. Among the questions that will be answered are the following:
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How do job descriptions help you improve the hiring process?
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How can you use non-monetary incentives to improve morale?
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Which three checkpoint questions can you ask to determine if you have the right people in the right positions?
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’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.
Employers and self-employed individuals within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD) are now subject to the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax or MTA Payroll Tax as of March 1, 2009. This tax will provide revenues to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Employers whose payroll expense is $2,500 or less in any calendar quarter are not subject to the tax in that quarter. Otherwise, all employers engaged in business in the MCTD and required to withhold New York State income tax must pay the tax. The MCTD includes the counties of New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Rockland, Nassau, Suffolk, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester counties. The earnings subject to the tax are generally those defined as wages in §3121 and §3231 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, i.e., social security wages and railroad retirement wages. Self-employed individuals, including partners and LLC members treated as partners are subject to the tax if their self-employment earnings exceed $10,000 for the year. The rate of the tax is 0.34% on subject wages. Although the tax is effective as of March 1, 2009, the first payment will be made with the third quarter filing due October 31, 2009 and cover all wages paid after February 28, 2009 and before October 1, 2009. After the third quarter, filing and payments will be due on a quarterly basis. Vision Payroll is updating tax tables and will be prepared to file the required forms in the third quarter.
You’ve certainly heard stories in the media about the swine flu, officially known as influenza a virus subtype H1N1 “A(H1N1)”. The global response is being coordinated by the World Health Organization or WHO, but how your company responds can impact both the health of your employees and the health of your business. Employees are concerned about how A(H1N1) will impact the workplace. To learn what actions you should take to prepare your company for a possible pandemic, be sure to read this month’s featured article by the HR Pros at MyHRSupportCenter, 10 Action Items against H1N1 aka Swine Flu Threat.
Learn what you should consider as you decide how to address employee concerns, who you should establish communications plans with, how you should deal with employees who exhibit symptoms and much more that can be used not only when dealing with A(H1N1), but also when preparing for future pandemics.
To learn more, sign into MyHRSupportCenter and read this month’s featured article. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.
Could you use a systematic, objective tool to assess regulatory or policy compliance in the workplace? Would you like to identify areas of strength? Do you need to note areas of concern? Sign on today to MyHRSupportCenter and take the 3-minute HR audit. You’ll be asked a series of questions that will take just three minutes to complete. Within one business day you’ll receive an e-mail notifying you when your results are complete. For questions on or assistance with the results, Vision Payroll can provide you with the name of a competent HR professional in your area. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.
In tough economic times, employers may need to consider various strategies for reducing payroll costs. In so doing, they need to be aware of many issues. Will our strategy be considered discrimination against a protected group? How will employees’ exempt status be impacted by our strategy? Is severance pay a viable addendum to our chosen strategy? Do WARN or state “mini-WARN” laws apply to our strategy? How many options should we consider? What is the key to choosing the correct option?
The answers to these questions and many more can be found in this month’s HRCast a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter. Learn what you need to know about these six key strategies:
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Decrease Wages
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Reduce Work Schedules
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Redistribute Work Loads
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Offer Leaves of Absence
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Provide Voluntary Separation Packages
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Exercise a Phased Layoff
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’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) made changes to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) continuation health coverage. In certain situations, employers must pay 65% of the continuation premium and take a credit on Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return. Plans subject to the Federal COBRA provisions must send the Notice in Connection with Extended Election Periods to any assistance eligible individual (AEI) (or any individual who would be an AEI if a COBRA continuation election were in effect) who:
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Had a qualifying event at any time from September 1, 2008 through February 16, 2009; and
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Either did not elect COBRA continuation coverage, or who elected it but subsequently discontinued COBRA.
This notice includes information on ARRA’s additional election opportunity, as well as premium reduction information. This notice must be provided by April 18, 2009.
Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the Notice in Connection with Extended Election Periods.
Did you know that the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported a 15% increase in the number of workplace discrimination charge filings during fiscal year 2008? Did you also know that although the most frequently filed charges involve race, sex, and retaliation, the biggest increases were in age and retaliation charges? Do you know the steps that you should take if an employee alleges an EEOC violation? Learn what you should do by reading this month’s featured article by the HR Pros at MyHRSupportCenter, The ABCs for an EEOC Complaint.
No matter how trivial or petty a complaint may seem, the company’s response can make the difference between preventing an EEOC claim and defending against it. This month’s article highlights how the company should formulate its response, revolving the guideline of cooperation, information, and communication. Learn how you should formulate your position statement and why you should include a concise position, the company’s equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies, and any evidence of non-discrimination.
To learn more, sign into MyHRSupportCenter and read this month’s featured article. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released a revised version of Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding?, to reflect changes from the Making Work Pay credit implemented as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The IRS was concerned that two-earner families, employees with multiple jobs, and pension recipients may be under-withheld due to the changes in withholding tables mandated by ARRA. As a result, taxpayers could owe several hundred or thousands of dollars when filing their 2009 tax returns next year. The IRS recommends that taxpayers use new Worksheet 12, Making Work Pay Credit Worksheet (Including Special Credit for Government Retirees), from Publication 919 to adjust their withholding if necessary.
Contact Vision Payroll if you have questions on this topic.
Do you have former employees eligible for the COBRA continuation coverage premium subsidy? Do you need to know how to enter the premiums paid so that you may claim the credit on your Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return? Do you have questions on how the credit will be applied? This week’s Tip of the Week guides you through all this and more.
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or ARRA, certain involuntarily terminated employees are eligible for employer-provided subsidies to help pay for their COBRA continuation coverage. Employers may then claim a credit on their Form 941 to be reimbursed. Earlier posts discussed the requirements and mechanics of the credit. Click the COBRA tag to learn more. This post assumes that you have made eligible premium payments and now need to initiate the process to claim the credit on Form 941.
First, contact Vision Payroll and ask for a full overwrite. You should plan for us to do this immediately after your payroll has been processed. Locate the former employee for whom the payment was subsidized and select the employee’s Manual Adjustment Screen. If the premiums subsidized were for a single plan, choose code FS, otherwise choose code FM. Enter the 65% subsidy as a credit amount, e.g., -200.00. Key 0.00 in the Check Amount field—this is a mandatory step. Save the adjustment and you’re finished.
If the credits are less that that payroll’s Form 941 tax deposit, Vision Payroll will deposit the net amount. If the credit is greater than that payroll’s Form 941 tax deposit, Vision Payroll will reduce the amount of the claimed credit to exactly offset that payroll’s deposit and carry-forward any balance to the next payroll to reduce that payroll’s deposit.
Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the COBRA continuation coverage premium subsidy.
Vision Payroll