FINANCE

Minimum Wage Rates Will Increase in MD, OR, DC, and Several Large Cities Effective July 1, 2018, the minimum wage will increase in the following states and localities as follows: Maryland: $10.10 per hour Oregon: $10.75 per hour ($12.00 per hour in the Portland metropolitan area; $10.50 per hour in nonurban counties) District of Columbia (DC): $13.25 per […]

Cooks & Dishwashers Can Now Participate in Certain Tip Pools The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released guidance clarifying federal law on tip pooling. The guidance was issued in response to a federal law that amended the federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) tip pooling rules. The DOL guidance states that: Employers are prohibited from keeping […]

Service Advisors May Not Be Exempt Under State Law The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that service advisors—employees at car dealerships who consult with customers about their servicing needs and sell them servicing solutions—are exempt from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime pay requirements. Previously, the U.S. Department of Labor and a federal […]

Changes May Impact Amount of Premium Tax Credit Individuals with coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace who are receiving advance payments of the premium tax credit—which are paid directly to insurance companies to lower monthly premiums—that certain changes in their income or family size may affect the credit. As a result, if circumstances have changed for […]

2018 Publication 15-B Covers New Tax Law Changes The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the 2018 Publication 15-B, Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits, which contains information for employers on the employment tax treatment of fringe benefits. The 2018 version of the publication has been updated to include the following changes (among others) from the […]

Publication Includes Tax Guidance for HSAs, Health FSAs, and HRAs The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released a new Publication 969, Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans, which contains information for use in preparing 2017 tax returns. Publication 969 is released annually and provides information on the rules related to health savings accounts (HSAs), […]

Tax Previously Set to Become Effective in 2020 President Trump has signed the Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, which (among other things) delays implementation of the “Cadillac Tax,” the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage, until 2022. Previously, this tax—which would impose a 40% tax on plans that cost more than $10,200 (for self-only […]

Tax Returns Due April 17 Tax season will begin Monday, January 29, 2018, and the filing deadline to submit 2017 tax returns is Tuesday, April 17, 2018, according to an announcement by the IRS. Although the IRS will begin accepting both electronic and paper tax returns on January 29, paper returns will begin processing later in mid-February. The […]

Test Relevant to Minimum Wage & Overtime Pay Requirements The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has adopted the “primary beneficiary” test for determining whether interns of for-profit employers count as employees under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), according to an agency statement. The statement noted that four federal appellate courts have adopted the standard, which […]

Increases Apply to Civil Monetary Penalties Assessed After January 2, 2018 The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published a final rule adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed for violations of a number of federal labor laws. The rule increases penalties for employers that do not comply with certain requirements under the federal […]