Growth Hacker’s Blog

A business owner’s guide to effective, compliant workforce management

American Payroll Association (APA) Compliance Update

Payroll in 2013 – Higher Social Security Tax Rate; New Withholding Tables -- On January 2, 2013, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA 2012; H.R. 8). The new law permanently fixes income tax rates at the levels...

HRA or HSA? – Part 3

In HRA or HSA?– Part 1 and HRA or HSA? – Part 2, we took a look at the basic components of the HSA and HRA.  This time, let’s weigh the pros and cons of each benefit and decide which is best for your company. First, let’s list what they have in common. ...

Employee Wellness – For Businesses Large and Small

Wellness Programs aren't just for the 500+ employee companies anymore.  Regardless of the size of your staff, an employee’s health and well-being impacts your organization’s productivity and bottom line.  Let’s take a look at some of the...

Year-End Payroll Reminders – If You Process Your Own Payroll

Year-end has many challenges for those of us responsible for payroll in our companies; however, if you process your payroll in-house, your to-do list is even longer.  In this post, we’ll discuss the tasks you’ll need to do in order to be ready when you get to...

HRA or HSA? – Part 2

In HRA or HSA? – Part 1 we discussed the HSA and how it works with a high-deductible health plan.  In this post, we’ll take a look at health reimbursement arrangements (HRA) and how they can help your employees. Unlike the HSA, a high-deductible health plan...

Year-End Payroll Reminders – What Needs to Be Added to the W-2?

W-2 federal wages and withholding…check. W-2 social security and Medicare wages and withholding…check. W-2 state wages and withholding…check. W-2 boxes 12, 13, and 14…huh? Feel like you need a decoder ring to understand the codes for box 12 and box 14 on the W-2?...

Employee Handbooks

Employee Handbooks are not required by law, but it’s always in your company’s best interest to have one.  A handbook allows employers to inform employees about workplace rules and benefits in an efficient, uniform way.  Employees will know what is expected...

HRA or HSA? – Part 1

For many employers, autumn isn’t just about football, warm sweaters, and brightly-colored leaves.  It’s also the season for designing an employee benefits package for the new year.  And like those leaves drifting to the ground, acronyms are swirling all...

Year-End Payroll Reminders

It’s that time of year!  As the days grow shorter, the payroll to-do list grows ever longer.  Today we’ll take a look at the general categories you need to deal with as year-end approaches. First and foremost, confirm that your employees’ names, addresses,...

Employee or Independent Contractor?

“Can we classify this person as a 1099?” is a common question for a payroll company.  Sometimes one assumes a worker can be considered a contractor if they are only temporary, or only work a few hours a week, but that’s not necessarily the case.  Take time...

OASDI Tax Rate

For 2012, the maximum taxable earnings amount for Social Security (OASDI) taxes is $110,100. There is no limit on taxable earnings for Medicare's Hospital Insurance (HI) taxes. The Social Security tax rate for employees is 4.2 percent and is set to expire December 31,...

Minimum Wage Increase

Several state minimum wage rates expire on December 31, 2012. On January 1, 2013, some states will have an increased minimum wage rate. Review the state law summaries of the HR Support Center to stay updated with your state’s minimum wage.

Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012

President Barack Obama signed the payroll tax cut extension into law on February 22, 2012. The “Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012,” extends the two percent payroll tax reduction until December 31, 2012 and guarantees up to 99 weeks of unemployment...

IRS Severance Pay Provisions in Employment Agreements

Many employment agreements provide severance pay upon a change in control or a termination without cause if the employee signs a release of claims. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has noted that these types of agreements may cause problems under Section 409A of the...

IRS Mileage Rate Expiration for 2012

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) optional standard mileage rate of 55.5 cents/mile for business miles expires on December 31, 2012

Bush Tax Cuts Expire

With the re-election of President Barack Obama, Congress will need to determine whether to extend the federal income tax cuts launched by former President George W. Bush, under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA). The Bush Tax cuts...

HIPAA Privacy & Security Audit Program

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), in Section 13411 of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), requires the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for periodic audits to ensure covered entities...

Continue using Form I-9

Until further notice, employers should continue using the Form I-9 currently available in the HR Support Center (even though the OMB control number expiration date of August 31, 2012 has passed). The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will...

“At-Will” Statement vs. National Labor Relations Act

In the news recently, there has been mention of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRA is a federal act, otherwise known as the Wagner Act.   The NLRA was enacted in 1935 “to diminish the causes of labor...

Senate Vote to Extend Immigration Programs

The Senate approved a bill (S. 3245) that would extend four key immigration programs that are set to expire on September 30, 2012 with a new expiration date of September 30, 2015. The bill authorizes a three-year extension for the E-Verify program, the EB-5 Regional...

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