Tag: employee

  • Businesses Can Show Appreciation — and Gain Tax Breaks — with Holiday Gifts and Parties

    Businesses Can Show Appreciation — and Gain Tax Breaks — with Holiday Gifts and Parties

    With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the holiday season will soon be here. At this time of year, your business may want to show its gratitude to employees and customers by giving them gifts or hosting holiday parties again after a year of forgoing them due to the pandemic. It’s a good time to brush…

  • Eligible Businesses: Claim the Employee Retention Tax Credit

    Eligible Businesses: Claim the Employee Retention Tax Credit

    The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) is a valuable tax break that was extended and modified by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), enacted in March of 2021. Background Back in March of 2020, Congress originally enacted the ERTC in the CARES Act to encourage employers to hire and retain employees during the pandemic. At…

  • Providing Education Assistance to Employees?  Follow These Rules

    Providing Education Assistance to Employees? Follow These Rules

    Many businesses provide education fringe benefits so their employees can improve their skills and gain additional knowledge. An employee can receive, on a tax-free basis, up to $5,250 each year from his or her employer for educational assistance under a “qualified educational assistance program.” For this purpose, “education” means any form of instruction or training…

  • New COVID-19 Relief Law Extends Employee Retention Credit

    New COVID-19 Relief Law Extends Employee Retention Credit

    Many businesses have retained employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and enjoyed tax relief with the help of the employee retention credit (ERC). The recent signing of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) brings good news: the ERC has been extended yet again. The original credit As originally introduced under last year’s CARES Act, the ERC…

  • ESOPs Offer Businesses a Variety of Potential Benefits

    ESOPs Offer Businesses a Variety of Potential Benefits

    Wouldn’t it be great if your employees worked as if they owned the company? An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) could make this a reality. Under an ESOP, employee participants take part ownership of the business through a retirement savings arrangement. Meanwhile, the business and its existing owner(s) can benefit from some tax breaks, an…

  • Employers Have Questions and Concerns About Deferring Employees’ Social Security Taxes

    Employers Have Questions and Concerns About Deferring Employees’ Social Security Taxes

    The IRS has provided guidance to employers regarding the recent presidential action to allow employers to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of certain payroll tax obligations. The three-page guidance in Notice 2020-65 was issued to implement President Trump’s executive memorandum signed on August 8. Private employers still have questions and concerns about whether, and…

  • Re-evaluate Your Company’s Competitiveness in a Changed Economy

    Re-evaluate Your Company’s Competitiveness in a Changed Economy

    Just about every business owner’s strategic plans for 2020 look far different now compared to how they looked heading into the year. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the economy in profound ways, forcing many companies to recalibrate suddenly and severely. As your business moves forward in this uncertain environment, it’s important to re-evaluate competitiveness. You…

  • Hiring Independent Contractors? Make Sure They’re Properly Classified

    Hiring Independent Contractors? Make Sure They’re Properly Classified

    As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, your business may be using independent contractors to keep costs low. But you should be careful that these workers are properly classified for federal tax purposes. If the IRS reclassifies them as employees, it can be an expensive mistake. The question of whether a worker is an…

  • What Are the Key Distinctions Between Layoffs and Furloughs?

    What Are the Key Distinctions Between Layoffs and Furloughs?

    As businesses across the country grapple with the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many must decide whether to downsize their workforces to lower payroll costs and stabilize cash flow. If your company is contemplating such a move, you’ll likely want to consider the choice within the choice: that is, should you lay…