Company Required to Pay 1 MILLON Dollars in Back Wages to Independent Contractors

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:38:00 GMT

The IRS is the federal entity we usually associate with misclassification errors related to independent contractors. The penalties for misclassification include uncollected employment taxes and federal income taxes. But one federal entity that

Mandated Marketplace Notices Due October 1, 2013

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sun, 12 May 2013 10:48:00 GMT

The Affordable Care Act contains requirements that employers provide basic information regarding the Healthcare Market Place (formally called the Healthcare Exchange) to employees.

Initially this notice was to be provided on March 1,

Employee Uniforms - Taxable Income?

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:23:00 GMT

During a recent public seminar a participant brought up an IRS audit their company had experienced and one of the adjustments made by the auditor. The IRS had made a significant adjustment regarding company provided uniforms. The company provided log

Wellness Programs ?The Affordable Care Act and the IRS

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:54:00 GMT

The Affordable Care Act has made some changes to the rules around wellness programs. The last several years the Department of Health and Human Services and the IRS have put in guidelines that regulate what qualifies as an acceptable “health con

Regulation vs. Application / Tax Court Rules on Independent Contactors

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:13:00 GMT

Recently the IRS released a ruling from the Tax Court in New York regarding a general contractor and independent contractors. This ruling gives us some insight into how the court evaluates the merits and rules around independent contractors.

Enrollment Waiting Periods Clarified Under the Affordable Care Act

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:35:00 GMT

Last week guidance was issued clarifying that waiting periods for enrollment under the Affordable Care Act cannot exceed 90 days.

This guidance is not unexpected. The questions employers have needed answered are;

1. What i

The Realities for Employers with 50 to 100 FTE?s Under the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:47:00 GMT

As businesses now prepare for the largest segment of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to be implemented on January 1, 2014 there are some harsh realities that are beginning to be realized. On January 1, 2014 the mandated coverage pr

Stand Up, Stand Out, Get Hired ? Overcoming the fear of public speaking

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 15:15:00 GMT

If you could speak to multiple business owners and managers and demonstrate your expertise in a subject or business specialty, would you do it? Making a presentation at a local service organization could provide such an opportunity. Beware though, kn

Coverage Exclusions vs. Pre-Existing Exclusion ? Patient Protection Affordable Care Act

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:39:00 GMT

One of the most hailed benefits of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed in 2010 was the elimination of pre-existing exclusions. These exclusions have been used by insurance companies to delay or eliminate certain conditions from

Gun Control and the Affordable Care Act

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:26:00 GMT

Who would have thought that the gun control debate could end up in the Affordable Care Act? While the passage of the Affordable Care Act has brought out very strong emotions on both sides of the debate, the issues around gun control possibly su

Do Companies Need Policies on Hand Held Phone Use While Driving Company Cars?

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:27:00 GMT

Do you allow employees to use hand held cell phones while driving company cars? What if an employee had an accident while driving the company vehicle and was talking on their cell phone?

In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crash

The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act and Employers Under 50 Employees

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 15:56:00 GMT

Much has been written regarding the impact of the Affordable Care Act on employers over 50 employees. There is no question that employee benefits will be drastically changed for large employers (employers over 50 FTE’s) starting in 2014,

IRS Releases Guidance on Shared Responsibilty Fees

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:26:00 GMT

After much speculation the IRS released specific guidance for businesses regarding their potential liability related to the “shared responsibility” fees associated with the Affordable Care Act. It is important to note that the Affor

Withholding Procedures for Supplemental Wages Including Bonuses

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:54:00 GMT
Recently the I.R.S. released a “general information” letter explaining the guidelines regarding withholding on supplemental wages. This information is very important to those companies who are paying bonuses this year and the employees wh

Medicare Taxes to Increase

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:59:00 GMT

As part of the Affordable Care Act there is an upcoming Medicare tax increase for individuals with a gross income in excess of $200,000 or couples who earn more than $250,000. The additional tax will be .9% on all earnings in excess of the abov

Cyber Monday to See Changes?

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:42:00 GMT
As we approach “cyber Monday” the equivalent of “black Friday” for online retailers are there changes on the horizon? For many years the outcry regarding the advantage that online retailers have regarding the collection of sal

Employee Loans - Stay in Compliance

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 10:43:00 GMT

During this economic period many employers have been put in the position of having to help employees by providing loans. While the advantages and disadvantages of such practices may be debated, it is important that the transaction be handled co

Health Reimbursement Arrangements - Reduce the Cost of Employee Benefits

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:17:00 GMT
As employers review their renewal options for employee benefits for 2013 it may be the time to consider a health reimbursement arrangement to complement your employee group health coverage.
H.R.A.’s are not new but are one of the options e

Temporary Staffing Owner Sentenced to 12 Years and Owes 40 Mil in Taxes

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:21:00 GMT
The owner of several temporary staffing agencies with headquarters in North Carolina has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his failure to remit 40 million dollars in payroll taxes collected from his employees (http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/201

Outsourcing Payroll - I.R.S. Says Employers Liable

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:32:00 GMT
Once again a payroll company in Iowa has been charged and liens enforced due to negligence in remitting payroll taxes withheld from client employees. If the I.R.S. cannot recover the monies they then will go back to the employers and the employer&nbs

Making High Deductible Health Plans Work

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:01:00 GMT

It is estimated that health care costs will continue to rise between 6% and 8% in 2013, and while this is much lower than in previous years, the trend to transfer more risk and responsibility to the employee will continue according to the lates

Understanding the Health Care Savings Account

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:15:00 GMT
With the increasing implementation of High Deductible Health Plans by employers of all types and sizes the rules and regulations around Healthcare Savings Accounts also called H.S.A.’s become very important to employees and employers. There are

I.R.S. Targets Re-Characterized Wages

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:09:00 GMT
I.R.S. Targets Re-characterized Wages as Non Taxable Reimbursements

The I.R.S. recently issued Internal Revenue Bulletin 2012-37 addressing re-characterization of wages to non-taxable expense reimbursements. This determina

Will Health Care Reform Result in HIGHER Unemployment?

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:47:00 GMT

Could healthcare reform result in HIGHER unemployment?

With the Supreme Court ruling that the Affordable Care Act was constitutional, and all but the Medicaid provision upheld, small businesses must make some very difficu

IRS Defines Rules Around 90 Day Waiting Period

The Illuminare Group, Inc. — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:10:00 GMT

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have now defined the meaning of 90 days and how it applies to employee enrollment in employee benefit plan