Some large employers are sidestepping health insurers and contracting directly with providers. A recent Willis Towers Watson survey found that only 6% of employers contract directly with providers now, but 22% are considering it for 2019. Can a small employer do the same? Yes. Here in Richmond, trusted provider Bon Secours had partnered with a third party…
The Martin Luther King holiday will be observed on Monday, January 21. SIMA is open however, most banks will be closed. Allow an extra day for direct deposit. If your pay date is on this date please contact your payroll team at payroll@simafinancialgroup.com to let us know whether you would like to move your pay…
The IRS has announced that it will begin processing 2018 federal income tax returns on January 28, 2019. The filing deadline to submit 2018 tax returns is April 15, 2019 for most taxpayers. Click here for more information.
The Internal Revenue Service has announced that the optional standard mileage rate used to calculate the costs of operating a car, van, pickup truck, or panel truck for business purposes in 2019 will be 58 cents per mile, up from 54.5 cents per mile in 2018. The 2019 rates for automobiles used for charitable, medical,…
The current federal minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour. However, many states have adopted minimum wage rates higher than the federal rate. When the state rate and the federal rate are different, employers must pay their employees the higher rate. The list below outlines states (and the District of Columbia) that have adopted new…
With a new year upon us, your attention is likely focused on setting financial and productivity goals for your business. As you plan, make sure to look at one area you may have overlooked: employee retention. Employee retention has a huge impact on your bottom line, and now is a great time to make some…
In late 2018, the IRS began issuing enforcement letters to employers with generally 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees regarding their compliance with the employer shared responsibility rules under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the 2016 calendar year. These letters, known as Letter 226-J, inform employers of their potential liability for an…
Soon, Generation Z—those born between 1996 and 2010—will be entering the workforce. Is your company somewhere they can thrive? Is it somewhere they would even want to work? If you want to attract this budding workforce, you need to understand Gen Z-ers’ motivations. For instance, Gen Z-ers have never known a life without technology. This means if…
The ACA imposes a dollar limit on employees’ salary reduction contributions to health flexible spending arrangements (health FSAs) offered under cafeteria plans. This dollar limit is indexed for cost-of-living adjustments and may be increased each year. New Limit Amount In November 2018, the IRS increased the health FSA contribution limit from $2,650 to $2,700 for taxable…
