Lori B

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Lori B
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  • Hi I'm also in need of these types of policies. Can anyone share samples or guidelines? Thx
  • I think the issue gets down to whether you know the ee worked or not. If you know they worked, but no timesheet, you're kind of stuck paying and adjusting later. It is my position though that if I don't have a time sheet, how on earth do I know if…
  • The effective date of the raise must tie to day one in the pay cycle for us. For ex, if our goal was to make raises effective Jan 1, we tell ees it is effective in the nearest paycycle that starts on or after Jan 1. Nobody complains so long as you…
  • We always tie our raises to the beginning of a pay cycle. Why sprain our brains about which hours are paid at a what rate within same cycle...
  • I think Pork hit it on the head first. If you have never processed payroll, then you have no idea of the nightmares created at quarterend/yearend. If you use an outside payroll service, they charge an arm and a leg for payroll adjustments. Do not …
  • No dice. The IRS sees this as supplemental wages and they want their tax.... Keep in mind that the supplemental flat tax rate applies to bonuses.
  • The American Payroll Assoc has some good summaries by state here. I find their material useful since these issues do vary by state.
  • A discussion with your accountant is in order. It would be absolutely inappropriate to only pay FICA on a bonus (social security and medicare). The IRS does impose a flat tax rate for supplemental compensation that applies here. That rate is some…
  • You are correct. Comp time is simply not allowed for nonexempt/hourly personnel in the private sector. There are periodic pushes in Congress to change this, but nothing has passed yet.
  • Don is correct. One more point though: if you live on a state line, watch out for people who move into the neighboring state. This will trigger a new W-4 and potential fun taxation issues if the ee is living a different state than where he/she wor…
  • This could require someone with expertise in your state. There are some states that have separate laws on point just for sales reps that are paid by comm'n only. For ex, in Ilinois, such people are specifically exempted from coverage under the wag…
  • We require that the ee produce the SSA card so that we can compare it to the W-4 at hire now. This is separate and apart from any I-9 verification. (where it would be illegal to require that specific document as a form of identification). We also…
    in W-4's Comment by Lori B October 2002
  • This is not required annually (unless ee claimed to be exempt from all tax, or over 10 exemptions in prior year). Pork is referencing the safe harbor provisions of the new SSA verification requirements. If an employer updates W-4s annually, it cre…
    in W-4's Comment by Lori B October 2002
  • We also include the holiday pay as time worked toward the 40 for the week. It is a perk and we remind the ees of that continuously to prevent the entitlement mindset from setting in.
  • Oooohhhhh, you are in for a nasty surprise.... Yes, DOL interviews ees. The issue: disgruntled former ees do not always tell the truth...or they get amnesia...suddenly, they remember working every morning without pay....in fact, they pull out cale…
  • Hi Don I totally agree with Down the Middle. If a wage claim is filed, the DOL will assume that the punch in time means that is when work began. Unless you can prove to them that people weren't working, you are now on the hook for all those extra…
  • I agree with Moneyman. You can always do more, just do it consistently. Put some serious thought into this one before you open the checkbook. You need guidelines in place to prevent abuse. It doesn't take ees long to figure out that if they ta…
  • Timeslips still seems pretty common for law firms and consulting firms. It does exactly what you want but can also generate the invoices if you are looking to provide this level of detail to your customers for services rendered.
  • I can't speak for GA law, but the general rule in most states follows the procuring cause rule. If ee "caused" the sale, ee gets the comm'n regardless of when it is paid. The way to avoid this: draft a commission agreement that clarifies exactly h…
  • We offer $12-13/hour for such an entry level position and found great candidates. Good luck!
  • Hi The obligations relate to whether these ees are exempt from OT or not. If they are exempt, you need not track travel time since their salary would cover all time worked. If they are nonexempt, then you need to pay careful attn to the rules. …
  • Payroll is part of HR for us. We all work in one suite and share an admin asst who does a lot of the data entry on both ends. It makes our system run very smooth b/c we each have access to all files of the other and there is no built in delays of …
  • You all raise good points. Keep in mind that this entire practice is illegal in most states if challenged. The last point is key. Most ees simply don't challenge it so everyone does it. For ex, in Illinois, the ee has to sign the authorization…
  • I agree with Don. The only way to avoid the problem I cite for Illinois is to ensure that sick hours are not hours that can be used for any reason like vacation. This means separate tracking no matter what you call it.
  • I agree that PTO is easier to administer and has lots of benefits. Watch out for drawbacks though. For ex, you might be increasing your exposure for payouts when people terminate. In Illinois, PTO banks are simply treated like vacation pay. If s…
  • Oh Don you are so right. Our payroll dept has been burned beyond belief by cross state scenarios that have no rhyme or reason. Now, don't get me started on Local Taxes 101....
  • Be careful. Be careful. Be careful. This area is very state specific. There are no hard and fast rules that you can apply from one state to another. It requires research. If you are a member of APA, you should be able to find some of this mater…
  • We have this policy but we only use it with our hourly staff. They need to be at work unless on preapproved vacation or they have a doctor's note. We were getting burned by too many people turning 3-day weekends into 4, etc. Some people gripe abo…
  • I believe that MO law requires pay on day of termination if you fire them. You could pay in the next regularly scheduled payroll if the person resigned though. My materials on this subject are about 2 years old from the APA. I presume no changes …
  • Watch out for the subpoena. ADA doesn't allow production of medical info absent a court order or voluntary request by the former ee. A subpoena does not rise to the level of a court order. Consider agreeing to a joint protective court order so th…