Author: Robert Hernandez

U.S. Department of Labor Withdrawing Independent Contractor Rule

The U.S. Department of Labor announced the withdrawal – effective May 6 – of the “Independent Contractor Rule,” to protect workers’ rights to the minimum wage and overtime compensation protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Department is withdrawing the rule for several reasons,...

10 May, 2021

Treasury Department and IRS provide safe harbor for small businesses to claim deductions relating to first-round Paycheck Protection Program loans

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service recently issued Revenue Procedure 2021-20 for certain businesses that received first-round Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans but did not deduct any of the original eligible expenses because they relied on guidance issued before the enactment...

07 May, 2021

From the HR Support Center: How to Help Employees Communicate More Effectively

In an ideal world, communication would be easy. We’d immediately know exactly what to say or write. Emails, Slack messages, and reply threads would practically write themselves. And there’d be no confusion about what anyone meant, ever. Of course, communication never works that way. We stare...

06 May, 2021

I’m a new ordained Minister. What are estimated tax payments?

For those just starting as Clergy, you may not be familiar with how clergy taxes are paid. The United States has a pay-as-you-go tax system. This means that the Internal Revenue Service expects you to pay your taxes throughout the year, rather than just making...

05 May, 2021

DOL Issues Guidance on Tracking Remote Employees’ Time

In August 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor released Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-5. The bulletin addresses "Employers' obligation to exercise reasonable diligence in tracking teleworking employees' hours of work." While the bulletin covers issues arising directly from the COVID-19 pandemic, it also applies to remote...

04 May, 2021

Are Your Employees Cross-Trained?

When employees quit or miss work for some reason, when layoffs become necessary, or even when it's just a matter of busy season, cross-trained employees can step in to minimize disruption. Simply put, cross-training is about showing employees how to do each other's jobs. Cross-Training Has...

03 May, 2021

IRS will recalculate taxes on 2020 unemployment benefits and start issuing refunds in May

Normally, any unemployment compensation someone receives is taxable. However, a recent law change allows some recipients to not pay tax on some 2020 unemployment compensation. The IRS will automatically refund money to eligible people who filed their tax return reporting unemployment compensation before the recent changes...

30 April, 2021

From the HR Support Center: Key Practices to Keep the Workplace Safe

In 1970, when Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act into law, an estimated 14,000 workers were killed on the job every year. Fifty years later, that number is down to 5,333, but safety in the workplace remains a paramount concern, and not...

29 April, 2021

Is a Minister’s Social Security Allowance Taxable?

Is a Minister's Social Security Allowance Taxable? Yes. Unlike non-clergy employees, clergy do not have Social Security or Medicare taxes taken out of their paycheck. The Church also does not pay any matching portion to IRS, so the Minister has to pay both halves, the employee...

28 April, 2021

Top 3 Ways to Lower Labor Expenses

While labor expenses are not something that employers can completely eliminate, we have yet to encounter a business that cannot find ways to reduce them. A reduction in labor costs provides an immediate monetary benefit, so it's easy to measure the ROI. One reason that...

27 April, 2021