Contractors with No Employees Face New Workers’ Compensation Requirement

concrete construction workers

A new law will require almost all contractors in California to carry workers’ compensation coverage, regardless of if they have employees or not. According to the author of the bill, State Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) the new law was necessary due to the tendency of many small contractors to claim they have no employees, when…

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IRS Issues Final Rules for Family Coverage Affordability Determination

The IRS has issued final regulations that change the way employer-sponsored plan affordability is calculated when determining if a family is eligible for a premium tax credit (PTC) when purchasing individual health insurance through a public Exchange. In fixing what is commonly referred to as the “family glitch,” affordability for family members will be based…

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California’s New COVID-19 Sick Leave (SB114)

money sign and covid virus - california covid sick pay

The law is effective February 19, 2022 and retroactive to January 1, 2022. While the new legislation is similar to California’s prior bill (SB 95), which expired September 30, 2021, there are some notable differences this time around. Which Employers Does the New Law Apply To? Like SB 95, the new law applies to employers…

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IRS to Get Tough on ACA Reporting Form Mistakes – Forms 1094-C & 1095-C

employee benefits filling out irs forms

The time when the IRS offers relief from financial penalties to employers that make errors on their group health insurance reporting forms has come to an end. Starting this year, the IRS will no longer offer protection against reporting error penalties when “applicable large employers” (ALEs) file their Forms 1094-C and 1095-C and the employer…

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American Rescue Plan Act: Stimulus Plan Expands Business Assistance

Coronavirus Economy Money Mask

The $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that President Biden signed into law on March 11 contains a number of provisions intended to help small businesses and other organizations hurt by the pandemic. Foremost, it includes additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to struggling businesses, and a number of special grants to companies in…

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Top 10 Business Laws and Regulations for 2021

2021 Laws and Regulations

Every year starts with a bevy of new laws and regulations affecting employers and business in California, and many of the new rules this time around are an outgrowth of the COVID-19pandemic and its effects on workers. Employers in the year ahead have a number of changes they will have to contend with, some of…

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COVID-19 Relief Bill Extends Unemployment Benefits and Paycheck Protection Program

The $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, passed by Congress and signed into law on Dec. 27, includes a number of provisions that affect employers and their workers in terms of paid sick leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act provisions. The legislation also boosts unemployment benefits to out-of-work Americans, as well as reopening and…

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AB 5: New State Law Alters Employment Landscape

delivery driver independent contractor

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law that codifies a court ruling from last year that set new ground rules for what constitutes an independent contractor, and which expands on that ruling. There’s been a lot written in the media about the law, AB 5, and much of it misses the point. Some…

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