Amounts Paid for Certain Personal Protective Equipment Treated as Medical Expenses Announcement

Announcement 2021-7 notifies taxpayers that amounts paid for personal protective equipment, such as masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, for the primary purpose of preventing the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19 PPE) are treated as amounts paid for medical care under § 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. Therefore, amounts paid by an…
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American Rescue Plan

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, Congress approved the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and it was signed into law on March 11th, but what does that mean for COBRA coverage and Dependent Care FSAs? We’ve gathered some key points to help break it down. COBRA Continuation Coverage Subsidizes 100% of premiums for eligible state…
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Winter’s Coming: Managing COVID-19

There have been a variety of changes as we continue to understand and gauge the impact and spread of Coronavirus. We want to post updated information and urge you to pause at this time, assess your policies and practices, determine if there are changes to be made based on what has been working well and…
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IRS Releases 2021 Contribution Limits for FSA and Commuter Accounts

The IRS has released Revenue Procedure 2020-45 announcing contribution limits for 2021. There are no changes to flexible spending account (FSA) and commuter benefits contribution limits for 2021. Medical FSA Contribution amounts will remain $2,750 and Dependent Care (married filing jointly) will remain at $5,000. Commuter monthly contribution amount for both parking and transit will…
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3 Red Flags to Watch Out For When Interviewing Potential Employees

Our VP of Human Resources, Rebecca Dioso contributed to the following article: 3 Red Flags to Watch Out For When Interviewing Potential Employees Always look for people who have read your entire website and have a genuine interest in your industry and company. by Diane Faulkner October 02, 2020 There are a few things you need…
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IRS Releases Guidance on Payroll Tax Deferral

On August 8th, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Secretary of the Treasury to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of certain payroll tax obligations. In response to this executive action, the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service issued guidance (Notice 2020-65) concerning the payroll tax deferral (commonly referred to as a…
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Kids Returning to School Raises Questions

With the continued rise in coronavirus cases and uncertainty regarding whether and in what manner schools will reopen in the fall, attorneys Rita Kanno and Diane Waters of Lewis Brisbois, in San Diego and Dallas, respectively, believe it is critical for employers to understand the evolving leave entitlements under federal, state and local law. Some…
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Department of Labor (DOL) Releases Revised FMLA Forms

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has released new and significantly revised versions of its model notice of rights, certification, and designation forms under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”). The new forms are now currently in effect and can be found on the DOL’s website. We have added the forms below for…
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How Should You Handle Employees Personal Travel?

Recently, we’ve received many inquiries related to employee personal travel and COVID. We have reached out to legal counsel and are providing some insight for your use, if you choose. We spoke to the team at Dinsmore and Shohl LLP: You can generally have a Company policy requiring precautions be taken after non-essential work travel…
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Tips and Resources for Employers During COVID-19

As we begin to enter month 5 of COVID work-place implications, we thought it would be helpful to pass along some new info and guidance that has been published and curated. If you watch any national news, there is extraordinary dialogue taking place about re-opening schools. From everything we are seeing, there is a very…
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