IRS Revises EIN Application Process…hoping to enhance security

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that starting May 13th only individuals with tax identification numbers may request an Employer Identification Number, or EIN, as the “responsible party” on the application.  This change will prevent entities, such as employer, from using their own EINs to obtain additional EINs. The requirement will apply to both the paper Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number, and the online EIN application.

Individuals named as responsible party must have either a Social Security Number (SSN) or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). The IRS is making the announcement now to give entities and their representatives time to identify proper responsible officials and to comply with the new policy.

This change is part of the IRS’s ongoing security review. It provides greater security to the EIN process by requiring an actual individual to be the responsible party and improves transparency. If the employer needs to change the responsible party, it can complete the Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party within 60 days of the change.

Entities such as federal, state, local or tribal governments are exempt from the responsible party requirement, as is the military including state national guard units.

 

Reminder: Keep up with the payroll news by subscribing to Vicki’s e-news alerts, Payroll 24/7.  The latest payroll news when you need it, right to your inbox.

 

 

New DOL Wage and Hour Opinion Letters Have Been Delivered. Let’s Look Inside…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced on March 14th, that they had released new opinion letters on their website.  These letters address the compliance issues related to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  Before we review the new opinion letters for the FLSA, let’s do a quick review of what exactly is an opinion letter.

The Wage and Hour Division issues guidance primarily through Opinion Letters, Ruling Letters, Administrator Interpretations, and Field Assistance Bulletins. They are provided on the DOL website.

An interpretation or ruling issued by the Administrator interpreting the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA), or the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (PCA) is an official ruling or interpretation of the Wage and Hour Division for purposes of the Portal-to-Portal Act. 29 U.S.C. § 259. Such rulings provide a potential good faith reliance defense for actions that may otherwise constitute violations of the FLSA, DBA, or PCA. Prior rulings and interpretations are affected by changes to the applicable statute or regulation so an employer should always periodically review any relevant opinion letters that it uses as a basis for a policy to ensure that changes have not occurred. From time to time the DOL updates its interpretations in response to new information, such as court decisions, and may withdraw a ruling or interpretation in whole or in part.

Now on to the new letters just recently issued.

FLSA2019-1:  This opinion letter clarifies the FLSA wage and recordkeeping requirements for residential janitors and the “good faith” defense. Discusses what to do if the FLSA and state requirements do not match. In this case the state of New York did not consider the employee subject to minimum wage and overtime but the FLSA does.

FLSA2019-2: Addresses the FLSA compliance related to the compensability of time spent participating in an employer-sponsored community service program.

I always encourage employers to use the opinion letters when formulating policy.  If you don’t see an opinion letter that addresses your issue, you may ask for one to be issued on that policy or question by submitting the request online.  Of course, not all requests submitted result in an opinion letter being issued. Or it may be issued but as a non-administrative letter which holds less weight. But it doesn’t hurt to ask!

Reminder: Keep up with the payroll news by subscribing to Vicki’s e-news alerts, Payroll 24/7.  The latest payroll news when you need it, right to your inbox.

Salary Levels Are Rising (Or Are They?) …It’s Still Anyone’s Guess …But We ARE Getting Closer!

On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a news update concerning the new salary levels for employees to qualify for the Executive, Administrative, and Professional exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  The news update acknowledges that the currently salary level of $455 per week, in effect since 2004, needs to be increased but not to the level that was required by the Obama Administration in 2016 ($913 per week). The Department is proposing to adopt a salary level that uses a clear and predictable methodology for employees and that will also comply with the FLSA and the recent court decisions concerning the Obama Administrations regulations that were invalidated by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The rule was submitted on Appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit but was being held in suspension.

This rulemaking proposes to rescind the 2016 rule formally and replace it with this current rule. The same methodology is being used as in the 2016 rule.  The level is set at approximately the 20th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried workers in the lowest region (South). Applying the 2017 data and projecting forward to January 2020 (when the rule should be effective) this results in a proposed standard salary level of $679 per week or $35,308 per year. However, the Department anticipates using the 2018 data in developing the final rule.

One holdover from the 2016 Obama Administration rule is the ability to count nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) to satisfy up to 10 percent of the standard salary level test.  These bonuses must be paid annually or more frequently. The new rule will incorporate these types of bonuses.

The DOL is not proposing any changes to the standards duties tests at this time.

For employees who are exempt under the Highly Compensated Employee test, this level will be increasing as well.  The 2016 rule increased that $100,000 threshold to $134,004.  This new rule, using the same methodology of the 90th percentile for full-time salaried employees nationally as the 2016 ruling is projecting that the final level will be $147,414 for 2020.

The automatic updates contained in the 2016 rule will not be adopted.  Instead the DOL proposes to update the earnings thresholds every four years to prevent the levels from, once again, becoming outdated.

The DOL is now conducting a 60-day comment period on the new rule.  Click here to read the new proposed rule.  The address to comment is on page 2 of the report.

We will see where the rule stands after the 60-day comment period. Until then we just wait…

I invite your comments… what do you think of the new level?

 

Reminder: Keep up with the payroll news by subscribing to Vicki’s e-news alerts, Payroll 24/7.  The latest payroll news when you need it, right to your inbox.

With Higher Minimum Wages Can Come Higher Penalties

As my Payroll 24/7 subscribers found out today, Illinois is increasing its minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by the 2025.  But the bill, Senate Bill 1, also increases the penalties for failure to follow

the new requirements.  One of blogs that I follow, Wage & Hour Insights has an excellent post on this very issue.  I urge you to take a moment to read Bill Pokorny’s blog on the new Illinois minimum wage violations penalties, Stiff New Employer Penalties Included in Illinois $15 Minimum Wage Law. It is an excellent source on the new requirements.

Taxpayer Advocate Annual Report: Payroll is Upfront and Center in this Year’s Recommendations

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS.  Its purpose is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and to help taxpayers know and understand their rights.  The current Taxpayer Advocate is Nina Olson.  Each year the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) releases their Annual Report to Congress.  This report describes the challenges the IRS is facing. Federal law requires that the NTA’s annual report identify at least 20 of the most serious problems encountered by taxpayers and to make administrative and legislative recommendations to mitigate those problems. The following are the highlights of this year’s recommendations that affect payroll:

  1. Alternative to Form W-4: The report recommends scraping the Form W-4 altogether and analyzing the feasibility of adopting an IRS-determined withholding code. This approach is currently being utilized in the U.S. tax administration.  It also recommends that withholding be expanded at the source to encompass not only wages, but taxable interest, pensions, dividends, capital gains, IRS income, unemployment and even, potentially, certain earnings as an independent contractor.
  2. Furnishing Information Returns Electronically: Information return data to taxpayers should be furnished electronically for direct importation into tax return preparation software or to authorized tax return preparers.
  3. Lower Electronic Filing Thresholds: The report recommends requiring employers with more than five employees to file Forms W-2 electronically.
  4. Form 941 Filing: Recommends requiring Form 941 contain information about each employee’s name, address and social security number. To promote electronic filing, direct the IRS to use the fillable form currently on the IRS website and reformat so the form can be electronically filed, at no cost, directly from the website.
  5. Effects of the new tax law and the shutdown on overall IRS workloads: With all of the new tax forms needed to incorporate the changes to the tax code the IRS was overwhelmed. Add to this the shutdown and the antiquated systems (IRS has two of the oldest IT systems in the federal government) and you have a recipe for potential disaster. Because of these issues the IRS is now having to process more than five million pieces of mail and over 87,000 amended returns. All manually. IT modernization was the number one recommendation in this report.

Whether or not the recommendations are implemented is anybody’s guess.  But as the situation is becoming more intense at the IRS for meeting deadlines and handling the workload with antiquated systems it will be well remembered to monitor this report for any upcoming legislative changes.  Especially in the area of electronic filing, lowering thresholds and replacing the Form W-4.

Reminder: Keep up with the payroll news by subscribing to Vicki’s e-news alerts, Payroll 24/7.  The latest payroll news when you need it, right to your inbox.

Average vs. Weighted Average When It Comes to Calculating Overtime Rates–Another Use for Algebra!

Calculating overtime is always tricky.  What rate is the “regular rate of pay” as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a question that must be answered each time for each calculation.  What can make this even more difficult is when the employee works at more than one rate in the workweek.  What rate do you use for the “regular rate of pay” if the employee has two or more hourly rates during the workweek? Can you simply average the different rates or is something more required?  The Department of Labor recently addressed this situation in Opinion Letter FLSA 2018-28, dated December 21, 2018.

Facts of the letter:  The employer in question wanted to determine if their compensation plan, which pays an average hourly rate that may vary from workweek to workweek, complies with the FLSA. It was concerned in both the area of minimum wage and calculating the overtime rate.  The employer pays a different rate for when an employee is working with a client as opposed to when the employee is traveling between clients.  It makes sure that the typical standard rate of pay is $10.00 per hour and if the employee works over 40 hours in any given workweek, they are paid overtime based on the $10.00 rate.

The DOL agreed that the employer followed the minimum wage requirement as the employer is paying well above the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.  However, the problem for the employer is with the rate used to calculate overtime.  According to the letter:

…If the employer always assumes a regular rate of pay of $10 per hour when calculating overtime due, then the employer will not pay all overtime due to employees whose actual regular rate of pay exceeds $10 per hour. 29 C.F.R. § 778.107. Neither an employer nor an employee may arbitrarily choose the regular rate of pay; it is an “actual fact” based on “mathematical computation.” Walling v. Youngerman-Reynolds Hardwood Co., Inc., 325 U.S. 419, 424–25 (1945); 29 C.F.R. § 778.108. That said, the compensation plan does comply with the FLSA’s overtime requirements for all employees whose actual regular rates of pay are less than $10 per hour, as an employer may choose to pay an overtime premium in excess of the statutorily required amount.

So what rate should an employer use to calculate the overtime in situations where the employee is working two or more rates within the workweek?  The rate is determined by what is known as a “weighted average” not an average of the rates. The DOL addresses this method in Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA.  It reads as follows:

…Where an employee in a single workweek works at two or more different types of work for which different straight-time rates have been established, the regular rate for that week is the weighted average of such rates. That is, the earnings from all such rates are added together and this total is then divided by the total number of hours worked at all jobs. In addition, section 7(g)(2) of the FLSA allows, under specified conditions, the computation of overtime pay based on one and one-half times the hourly rate in effect when the overtime work is performed. The requirements for computing overtime pay pursuant to section 7(g)(2) are prescribed in 29 CFR 778.415 through 778.421.

Here is an example of a weighted average calculation: The employee has worked the following hours at the following rates for the workweek:

Step 1: To determine the weighted average the following calculations would be required:

Step 2: Divide the total earnings by the total hours worked to determine the regular rate of pay

$475.75 divided by 43 = $11.06 (regular rate of pay)

Step 3: Determine the premium pay for overtime by multiplying the regular rate of pay by .5 (or divide by 2) then multiplying that amount by the number of overtime hours

$11.06 x .5 x 3 = $16.59

Step 4: Determine the total weekly compensation by adding the total earnings (step 1) and the premium pay (step 3): $475.75 + $16.59 = $492.34.  $492.34 is the total weekly compensation.

In closing, it must be remembered that it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the regular rate of pay used for overtime calculations is the correct one.

 

Warning: Once Again Payroll Professionals are Being Targeted by Scams

 The Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners have once again warned payroll professionals of an uptick in phishing emails targeting them that this time involve payroll direct deposit and wire transfer scams.

 These business email compromise/business email spoofing (BEC/BES) tactics generally target all types of industry and employers. The IRS and the Summit partners, consisting of state revenue departments and tax community partners, are concerned these scams – a well as the Form W-2 scam — could increase as the 2019 tax season approaches.

These emails generally impersonate a company employee, often an executive, and are sent to payroll or human resources personnel. The email from the “employee” asks the payroll or human resource staff to change his or her direct deposit for payroll purposes.The “employee” provides a new bank account and routing number, but it is, in reality, controlled by the thief. Most of the time this scam is usually discovered quickly, but not before the victim has lost one or two payroll deposits.

As a reminder, we have discussed in a previous blog, there is another version of the BEC/BES scam, the emails impersonate a company executive and are sent to the company employee responsible for wire transfers. The email requests that a wire transfer be made to a specific account that is controlled by the thief. Companies that fall victim to this scam can lose tens of thousands of dollars.

 A common theme in these and many other email scams is that they include grammatical and spelling mistakes.

The IRS has provided an example of one such email (edited by IRS) that is displayed at the top of this blog.

Payroll/Tax professionals and others should also report tax-related phishing emails to phishing@irs.gov. This account is monitored by IRS cybersecurity professionals.This reporting process also enables the IRS and Security Summit partners to identify trends and issue warnings. Because of the dangers to tax administration posed by the Form W-2 scam, the IRS set up a reporting process for employers. Employers who fall victim to the W-2 scam should report it at dataloss@irs.gov. There is a process employers can follow at Form W-2/SSN Data Theft: Information for Businesses and Payroll Service Providers. Employers who receive the W-2 scam email but do not fall victim should forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.

Paying Extra to Exempt Employees

I always seem to get questions this time of year about paying overtime or “extra pay” to exempt employees.  Many departments or companies have this time of year as their busiest and want to make sure that exempt employees can earn extra monies during this time without endangering their exempt status or actually converting those employees to nonexempt.  I want to refer my followers to a great blog by Bill Pokorny of Franczek Radelet written for the Wage and Hour Insights blog that answers this exact question. I hope you find it useful.

Election Day a National Holiday?

Well it’s almost over, the 2018 election. Still having a few counts here and there with a runoff election still to come. But all in all, the 2018 election has come and gone. The only thing that remains, as it does after every election cycle here in the United States, is the discussion of making election day a national holiday. But what exactly does a “national holiday” mean here in the United States?

It appears to me that most people who discuss having election day designated as a national holiday don’t understand how holidays work here in this country. The United States does not have national holidays. It’s that simple. Yes, we have days that are designated as a holiday on the federal level. But these days are not official holidays for all employees in the country. They are, rather, the days that federal employees are given off with pay. I have stated this before, in other blogs, but will state once again. The United States is the only country that does not mandate that employees receive days off with pay in honor of national holidays. When I say other countries, I am speaking of course of industrialized countries. But this list of industrialized countries includes Chad, Peru, Slovenia and Sudan. So, we are not only talking about major European countries such as Germany or France. But if we were just looking at European countries let’s take Germany as an example. Germany has one national public holiday which is their German Unity Day, with the remaining 9 to 13 holidays being regulated by what they call their states even though some of them are held nationwide. Now this is in addition to 20 days of vacation as well as additional dates that the employer may give as a public holiday. Yet despite this they have a very strong economy. Yet here in the United States is not mandated for all employees to have the nation’s birthday, July 4th, off with pay.

Therefore, when local, regional, statewide, and national elected officials talk of having our election day as a national holiday it means nothing to the average worker if it were simply to be added to the holidays we already have. Yes, many employees may get Christmas off with pay, or Fourth of July off with pay, but not all employees are required to be given the day off with pay. It all depends on the company’s or employer’s policy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics workers in private industry in the United States receive an average of eight paid holidays per year based on the latest statistics in 2017. Workers in the manufacturing and information industries are more likely to receive paid holidays (97%). But workers in the leisure or hospitality industry only receive paid holidays 37% of the time. Not all workers receive the same holidays or the same number of holidays. For example, again the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that workers in manufacturing and financial activities receive an average of nine paid holidays per year while workers in leisure and hospitality receive an average of six paid holidays per year. For clarification, there are 10 annual federal holidays with Inauguration Day occurring only once every four years for a total of 11 days.

Before you start the discussion of employees who would not be able to have a day off due to their type of work such as first responders, hospitals and even restaurants, other countries have already addressed this issue quite easily.  It is usual for the employee who must work on a “mandated holiday” to have another day off with pay. So, if on a Monday holiday, I would have to work as a police officer, I might get Tuesday or Wednesday off with pay in addition to my normal days off.

My question to all the elected officials and others who advocate a national day off to vote is this:  Where would this national election day fall? Would it establish our first and only mandated national holiday? Or would it just simply be added to the calendar as another day to shop, BBQ or sleep in, if and only if, my employer decided to give me the day off with pay?

Keeping Remote Freelance Workers Accountable

We have another guest blogger with some great info for you.  Hope you enjoy it.

As attested by Pew Research self-named Generation Y (those born during the 1980s and early 90s) have eclipsed previous generations in regards to workforce involvement. In fact, according to a recent survey  a vast majority of millennials feel that “flexibility and ambition” are closely associated. With 78% of this group more likely to have a full-time spouse/partner working, there’s little surprise that workplace formulation has made a tremendous shift. The upshot is telecommuting. Actually, businesses today are no longer put-off by home based work requests and frequently include work-at-home proposals in HR recruitment plans.

The increase in millennial contemporaries has introduced massive modifications in the way companies manage their staff due to remote employment. The millennial workforce is expanding, proficient, and au fait with the demands of today’s global economies.

The concept of remote workers continues to be an anomaly of sorts, as more convenient options of generating income has yet to sink into the psyche of the masses. To many individuals, the traditional way of working is the only viable means of employment. Questions like, how people get paid, how companies account for workers, and is it serious work are common. Unfortunately, short-sighted suppositions prevent many who could benefit from remote work the opportunity to take advantage of it.

Organization Advantages and Accountability

Consequently, a long-term sophisticated system must be established to consolidate the undertaking and oddities of the digital workforce, as telecommuting is now accepted as the adopted workforce for both large and small companies. As a result, many corporations have devised means of cutting costs in the current world of financial dubiety with access to a worldwide top-notch labor force.

Outsourcing is mutually beneficial for both companies and their remote staff. For example, individuals with physical limitations are able to find work while companies increase production, downsize office space and save on office equipment.

Nevertheless, making remote workers accountable is a sticking point for many corporations. What strategies and blueprints are foolproof enough to ensure that telecommuters are actually on-the-job and not sipping tea while watching the latest reality show?

Keeping Remote Workers Accountable

HR managers, CEOs, and IT folk at both large and small businesses, are hard-pressed to discover a way of guaranteeing that their employed remote workers are actually working. It’s much like maintaining a long distance relationship without the romanticism. What it comes down to is implementing a superb software program. Here are three suggestions on how to keep remote workers accountable.

  1. Consolidate Correspondence

Dissimilar to staff working in an office, remote staff may experience delays in correspondence due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. To clarify the situation, companies should consider arranging several specific communication techniques that coordinate with a virtual program for work at home employees. For instance, some businesses use social computer networks or employee apps like Blink or VeryConnect. These types of networks allow virtual staff to stay connected to other telecommuters who may offer assistance and management throughout the working day.

Another solution for communication issues include using Skype or Google Hangout in case of inaccuracies via chat or email. Of course, the good ole’ 19th century invention called the telephone is still viable in its 21st century incarnation known as a smartphone.

  1. Highlight Clarity

Remote teams require a sophisticated level of management and transparency across every  line of work. In light of this, it is crucial to employ a system that allows access to a telecommuter’s tasks, work hours, pay arrangement (for instance by the hour or by each task), etc. Software systems like Time Doctor offers everything from time tracking and screen shots to web usage, payroll, reporting and more. This type of software tracking system helps employers keep remote workers viable and accountable.

Businesses must keep track of telecommuters working hours and additional vital information to make sure all is aboveboard; therefore, the correct software set-up is vital for companies and their teleworking staff. In addition, companies must make modifications and incorporate accountability into the workflow. Well-organized coordination between employers and remote workers substantially increases productivity according to Remote.Co.

  1. Planning Ahead

Working virtually is not exempt from stumbling blocks. In spite of that, there are a number of reliable methods to contend with the most frequent problems. For example, what if an employee has unreliable Internet? The best solution is to make certain that a potential team member has a stable connection before hiring them. In fact, a secure Internet connection should be a priority for remote workers. In case something does happen, a telecommuter should have access to a Wi-Fi hot-spot nearby. If not, stopping by the office is another option if it’s close by. Doing something is better than doing nothing and letting technical problems get in the way of a day’s work.

In essence, it’s about using common sense ways and means to anticipate difficulties that might arise from using remote workers and making provisions for them.

 Vaishali Badgujar is a digital marketer at Time Doctor, a SaaS time tracking & productivity tool for companies & freelancers. She is an inbound marketing expert & specializes in link building.