The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released new versions of Form W-4 and its online withholding calculator to help taxpayers check their 2018 tax withholding following passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017.  The IRS urges taxpayers to use these tools to make sure they have the right amount of tax taken out of their paychecks.  The new tax law  increased the standard deduction, removed personal exemptions, increased the child tax credit, limited or discontinued certain deductions, and changed the tax rates and brackets. Read more.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has updated its model notice for employers to provide information on eligibility for premium assistance under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Employers that provide health insurance coverage in Florida (where there is Medicare and CHIP) must provide employees with the employer CHIP notice annually before the start of each plan year. Click here to download the new CHIP notice.

MIAMI, FL - After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, a Miami-based commercial aircraft paint contractor, will pay $54,704 in back wages to 31 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  Investigators found the company failed to pay time that employees spent traveling between job sites when determining how many hours they had worked - and also incorrectly considered workers to be independent contractors rather than employees.  Read more.

In 2016, the prescribing rate for opioids had fallen to the lowest level in more than 10 years, but was still at 66.5 prescriptions per 100 persons (over 214 million total opioid prescriptions annually). What can a company do to protect itself when workers who perform dangerous work may be taking strong narcotics?  Employers need to know the restrictions from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and follow a recommended course of action to legally respond to job-related safety concerns.  Read the steps to follow.

All employers are required to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. A fatality must be reported within 8 hours. An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours. The report can be submitted to your local OSHA office; by calling 1-800-321-6742 or reporting online. OSHA defines in-patient hospitalization as a formal admission to the in-patient service of a hospital or clinic for care or treatment. Treatment in an Emergency Room only is not reportable.

Washington DC - The Employer Information Report EEO-1, otherwise known as the EEO-1 Report, is required to be filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's EEO-1 Joint Reporting Committee. Reports from covered entities must be submitted and certified by  MARCH 31, 2018.   Private employers  with 100 or more employees and  federal gov't contractors or first-tier subcontractors  with 50 or more employees and  a contract/subcontract of $50,000 or more are required to file the EEO-1 report by federal law.  Read more on the EEO-1 Survey website. First time filer? We can help.