More help brings more questions and new confusion. On March 27, 2020, Congress passed a second round of economic stimulus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Some of the relief elements contained within this latest act include:

• Paycheck Protection Program Loans
• Additional Unemployment Benefits
• Student Loan Payments Suspension
• Funding for Hospitals, Airlines/Airports, and Food Assistance Programs
• Government Checks to Individuals
• Small Business Debt Relief
• Economic Injury Disaster Loans & Emergency Economic Injury Grants

Here is a closer look at some key aspects.

** This article was originally sent to our Bennett/Porter clients via email on 4/9/2020 **

There has been no shortage of information in the last couple of weeks regarding COVID-19 and the Federal mandate about paying employees who are sick with the virus, have been ordered to stay home to self-quarantine, or have a family member who is affected by the virus and who the employee must take care of. Despite all of the information, there are still many outstanding questions employers are encountering as they administer the processes around this mandate.

Who is dreaming about the days of getting back to a normal version of crazy? You know, kids back in school, too many scheduled social gatherings, a day packed with back-to-back in-person meetings, watercooler talk with co-workers, sporting events to cheer at, too many toilet paper options at the grocery store, and bumper-to-bumper traffic in the morning and afternoon. Okay, maybe not so much the traffic.

These are definitely uncharted times that we are going through. It’s such a strange feeling to take that pause that keeps our family members, friends, co-workers, and even total strangers a little safer by staying distant from them. 

Oh no! The IRS is changing the W-4! While the final version of the form isn't expected until November, the current draft gives us a good idea of what employers and employees will begin using starting in 2020.

What does this mean for my employees and the taxes they pay (because you know they're going to ask you those questions)? Taxes, payroll, the IRS, their forms, and everything associated with these requirements can all seem so confusing and stressful to employees. These things are often referred to as “adulting” because they bring with them anxiety and fear, and they seem to encourage avoidance. In reality, the changes aren't as daunting as they seem. Here's an overview of what you should know when your employees ask.

If you are filing your quarterly tax returns through Aatrix, the State of Oregon has a new requirement that a company’s BIN number has to be verified by a previous quarter’s taxes. The requirement can be fulfilled by doing the following:

It’s that time of year when the impact of the recent Oregon Legislation Session is starting to be realized by employers. Several new laws (and at least one that previously was implemented) are, or will be, affecting employers and employees. Following is a summary of just some of the changes on the horizon.

It's quarter end again, which means - among many other tasks - that it's time for Oregon employers to submit reports to the state for the Oregon Statewide Transit Tax. For Sage 100 Payroll users, we previously provided a method for storing Oregon Statewide Transit Tax information in Sage 100 Payroll. Subsequently, we developed a process and a pair of Crystal Reports that can be installed in Sage 100 for getting the information out of the Sage 100 Payroll module so that it can be transferred to the State of Oregon via Revenue Online, the Oregon Department of Revenue's site for tax reporting and payment. Since this process is done only quarterly, we thought refreshing your memories with the steps might be welcome. Those are below.

Do you have employees in Washington state? Have you been collecting premiums for the Paid Family and Medical Leave since January 1, 2019?

In October 2018, we published a blog post entitled 'Washington Based Employers: Family Leave Act Premiums Begin January 1, 2019'. The post provided details on the program that became effective on January 1, 2019 as well as the new requirements for employers with employees in Washington state. Here's an update with an important change to the first quarter reporting deadline.

With a new year come new changes and updates to payroll requirements. 2019 is quickly approaching, so - like last year - we compiled the following list of items that may initiate some payroll changes in your organization. You might start thinking about these and take action sooner than later.

On December 19th, Sage will release a year-end Interim Release Download (IRD) with program changes for Accounts Payable and Payroll, as well as a 2019 Tax Table Update. Please note that the IRD and Payroll Tax Table Update are available for only specific versions of Sage 100 and Sage 100cloud; so please keep reading to find out which versions those are!