Author name: dshipps

The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently issued new guidance regarding the Payment Protection Program (PPP), established to offset the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Small businesses can request loans from the PPP to help cover payroll costs. This new guidance from the SBA concerns employees who refuse to return to work after a business […]

Many small businesses must rely on payroll-protection loans to keep workers on board during the coronavirus pandemic-and they need to carefully plan and track their spending if they intend to apply for loan forgiveness. Under the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress allocated $349 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program

Businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans can exclude laid-off employees from loan forgiveness reduction calculations if the employees turn downa written offer to be rehired, according to new guidance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which warned that employees who reject offers of reemploymentmay find themselves ineligible to continue receiving unemployment benefits.

A dependent care assistance program (DCAP) allows employees to pay for qualifying dependent care expenses, such as day care expenses, on a tax-free basis, up to certain limits. With many schools and day care facilities closing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, employees may want to change the amount of their DCAP contributions. Also, employees may

This is a sample Coronavirus Action Plan. It is not meant to be exhaustive or construed as legal advice. Consult additional insurance and/or legal counsel for professional advice. Please modify this action plan to meet your business needs, taking all relevant federal, state and local compliance requirements into account. The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted

The coronavirus pandemic has upended nearly every industry and has every employer wondering, “When will it be safe to bring employees back to work?” Government guidance can shift rapidly, sometimes within the same week. Shelter-in-place orders have been extended by some officials, with others questioning why restrictions are still in place. With all this uncertainty,

As the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies, employers around the United States are looking for ways to provide relief from the outbreak’s financial burden on employees. One option available for employers from Section 139 of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) is the Qualified Disaster Relief Payment program. In general, payments made by an

Employers are responsible for withholding Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes from their employees’ paychecks and paying these taxes along with the employer’s share to the IRS each month.  The Social Security tax is 12.4% total, with 6.2% withheld from the employee’s wages and the employer paying 6.2%.  The Medicare tax is 2.9%, with 1.45%

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has interrupted many businesses across the country. While it’s unclear how long COVID-19 will continue to affect organizations, many employers are looking to the future of employees returning to work. Echoing the sentiments of public health officials, a return to normalcy won’t be like flipping a switch, but rather a gradual

After observing a 30-day nonenforcement period to help employers come into compliance with new paid leave rules, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that it is fully enforcing all provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).    The FFCRA requires private employers with fewer than 500 employees and certain government employers