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Payroll
Payroll management, processing, and compliance for businesses of all sizes
Is an 18% Service Charge a Tip? The IRS Four-Factor Test and What It Costs Your Restaurant Payroll
A mandatory service charge fails the IRS four-factor tip test, so it is wages rather than tip income — you owe both FICA shares on it, lose the Section 45B credit on Form 8846, and it is excluded from the new OBBBA qualified-tip deduction. Covers the four-factor test, the journal entries that keep Service Charge Revenue separate from Tips Payable, and the payroll, tip-credit, sales tax, and fee-disclosure changes a restaurant hits the day it switches.
Vermont Saves and New York Secure Choice: The 2026 Auto-IRA Rules for Small Employers
Vermont Saves reached employers with five or more workers on July 1, 2026, and New York Secure Choice finished its three-wave rollout on July 15, 2026. What each program requires, the penalties ($20 rising to $75 per employee in Vermont, $250 per employee per year in New York), and how to book the withholding as a payroll liability rather than an expense.
Virginia's New 5-Employee Discrimination Threshold: An SB 637 Compliance Guide
Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia's SB 637 drops the Virginia Human Rights Act employer threshold from 15 employees to 5 and extends the filing window from 300 days to two years. Any business with five or more employees for each working day in 20 or more calendar weeks is now covered for every prohibited practice — not just discharge. Here is the 20-week counting rule, a seven-step compliance checklist, and the payroll and retention records an investigator asks for first.
Your Workers' Comp Premium Audit Is Coming: How to Pass Without a Surprise Bill
A workers' comp premium is payroll ÷ 100 × class rate × experience mod, so the year-end audit re-tests both variables against your actual records. This guide covers the three audit types and what triggers each, the documents auditors request, why overtime premium is only excludable when recorded separately by employee and week under NCCI Rule 2-B-2, the 2026 NCCI officer caps of $3,400 weekly maximum and $1,700 minimum, and why payments to a subcontractor without a current certificate of insurance get charged to you as payroll.
New Jersey's New ABC Test Regulations Take Effect October 1, 2026: What Businesses Hiring Contractors Must Prove
New Jersey's ABC test regulations become operative October 1, 2026, clarifying that every worker is an employee unless you prove freedom from control, work outside your usual course or places of business, and an independently established trade — learn the three prongs, five common mistakes, and a pre-deadline audit checklist.
The Dependent Care FSA Just Got Its First Raise in 40 Years: What the New $7,500 Limit Means for Your Business
The dependent care FSA limit rises from $5,000 to $7,500 per employee for plan years beginning after December 31, 2025 — the first permanent increase since 1986. It applies only after the plan document is amended, the 55% average benefits test gets harder to pass, and the child care credit can still beat the FSA for lower earners.
The DOL Wants to Simplify Independent Contractor Classification: What the Proposed Two-Factor Test Means for Small Businesses That Hire Freelancers
The DOL's February 2026 proposal would replace the six-factor totality test with a weighted two-factor standard focused on control and opportunity for profit or loss — here is how it works, what still depends on state law, and a checklist to audit your freelancer relationships now.
Fix Your Own 401(k) Mistakes: A Small Business Guide to IRS Self-Correction
EPCRS gives small business 401(k) sponsors three ways to fix plan mistakes — self-correction with no fee, no filing, and no IRS contact through the third plan year for significant errors, a voluntary filing with IRS approval, or a negotiated closing agreement on audit — with standard fixes for late deferral deposits, missed eligible employees, plan loan failures, and missed RMDs.
New Jersey Family Leave Act Now Covers Businesses With 15 Employees: What Small Employers Must Do Before July 17, 2026
New Jersey's Family Leave Act drops to 15 employees and 250 hours on July 17, 2026 — learn who is newly covered, how NJFLA differs from FMLA and NJ Family Leave Insurance, and the handbook, payroll, and job-restoration steps small employers must complete.
New Roth Catch-Up Rule in 2026: High Earners Over $145K Must Use Roth 401(k) for Catch-Ups
From 2026, catch-up contributions for 50+ workers earning >$145K–$150K prior-year FICA wages must be Roth — $8,000 regular or $11,250 super catch-up (60–63). What payroll must do.
The Accountant Shortage in 2026: Why 120,000 Openings, a 77% Shortage Index, and Rising Pay Define Hiring
BLS projects 120K+ accounting openings yearly while CPA pipeline shrinks — 77% shortage index, 134% hiring index, and why firms are rethinking pay and pathways.
Auto-IRA Mandates Just Expanded to Utah, Mississippi, and Philadelphia: A 2026 State-by-State Guide for Small Employers Without a 401(k)
Utah, Mississippi, and Philadelphia joined the auto-IRA wave in 2026 — Philadelphia as the first city. Learn which employers must auto-enroll, the 2026 deadlines, and how a 401(k) exempts you.