The pandemic has highlighted, but did not create, a growing diversity of worker status. There are a variety of employee types... The laws on worker classification and protection are evolving. The lines are blurring between independent contractors and employees, with more protection and greater benefits usually limited to employees being extended to independent contractors. The tests for determining worker classification are not uniform. Here are some developments to note. Read More

Much of the government relief provided to small businesses was keyed toward their employees. They could qualify for the SBA’s EIDL grant of $1,000 per employee (up to a max of $10,000). They could claim a tax credit for keeping employees on the payroll (“employee retention credit”). And employees could avail themselves of a number of breaks...But what about self-employed individuals—independent contractors, freelancers, and gig workers—who work alone, without any employees? What breaks do these self-employed individuals qualify for? Read More

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), signed into law on December 27, 2020, changed some important rules impacting various employee benefits for 2021. With the new year underway, now is the time to review your retirement plans and other employee benefit plans to ensure compliance with law changes. Read More

When the pandemic hit, most businesses that were able to do so scrambled to transition their employees to working remotely from their homes. Likely, many small businesses did this without adopting comprehensive policies to make the arrangement workable for employees while protecting the company from potential threats and addressing various issues. With the continuation of the pandemic, at least for the foreseeable future, it’s time for employers to adopt formal work-from-home policies or review existing ones to cover all the bases. Read More

According to a study by Maven and Great Places to Work, companies that provide support for employees with childcare responsibilities have 5.5 times the revenue growth compared with companies that don’t. Here are some ways small business can do this with little or no cost. Read More

The deadline for providing employees with their Form W-2 for 2020 and independent contractors who received at least $600 in 2020 with their Form 1099-NEC has passed. Because January 31, 2021, the usual deadline is on a Sunday, the due date for 2020 forms is February 1, 2021. Here are some last minute things to know about these filing obligations. Read More

2020 began on a note of high optimism for small businesses. The NFIB Small Business Economic Trends in January 2020 showed an optimism rating of 104.3, among the top 10 of all readings in the 46-year history of the survey.

... What a difference a year makes! NFIB’s December 2020 report showed a decline in optimism and declines in most other factors. How do these numbers impact my resolutions for this year? How do they impact yours? Read More