A federal jury in Oregon found that Nike discriminated against former employee Heather Hender by paying her less than male colleagues and delaying her promotions, in violation of federal and state laws. In 2018, Hender and three other female employees…
Hybrid schedules are now a standard part of many workplaces, but payroll teams are still sorting out when a commute during the workday belongs on the timesheet. The Department of Labor (DOL) recently addressed a recurring question: When a nonexempt…
When employers outsource leave administration to a third-party administrator (TPA), legal responsibility remains with the employer – as a recent settlement out of Atlanta shows. The case stems from an EEOC lawsuit and highlights that employers are accountable for Americans…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affordability update for 2027, giving employers a new figure to consider when reviewing their health plans and preparing for open enrollment. The ACA affordability percentage sets the threshold…
Not every sign-on bonus belongs in the overtime calculation – and a recent federal case out of Virginia shows why. A fired employee filed a lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was illegally terminated after complaining about a co-worker’s…
A San Diego deli will pay more than $500,000 in back wages after a federal investigation found it paid workers a flat daily rate that fell short of minimum wage and overtime requirements. Here's what happened, according to an investigation…
The IRS has increased 2026 mileage rates for the second half of the year due to rising fuel prices. Here are the changes that took effect on July 1. The business standard mileage rate is 76 cents per mile, up…
The new Mississippi Work and Save Program creates a voluntary, state-run retirement savings option for private-sector employees whose employers don’t offer one. Under the law, the State Treasurer must have the program operational so individuals can begin contributing no later…
A D.C. hospitality business will pay more than $243,000 after an investigation found worker misclassification and other wage and hour violations affecting more than 270 workers. The case shows that compliance risk doesn't stop at the federal level – local…
Most state withholding tables coincide with the start of the calendar year. But mid-year adjustments happen too, and they can catch payroll teams off guard, especially when the new tables apply retroactively. Three states released revised withholding tables in 2026.…
In Trump v. Barbara, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship by executive action and left intact the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee that children born in the United States are U.S. citizens at birth, regardless of…
Maryland added new restrictions to earned wage access (EWA) programs, becoming the latest state to reshape how these services operate. For employers with multistate workforces, it's another sign that EWA compliance is becoming increasingly state-specific. In April, Gov. Wes Moore…
Chicago employers with tipped workers can leave the tipped cash wage where it is — a scheduled July 1 step-up is off. The city's tip-credit phase-out, which would've raisedthe required cash wage, is paused for two years. The City Council…
A federal court entered a consent order against three Cowbell sports bars in Biddeford,Scarborough and Westbrook, ME, resolving a Department of Labor case alleging Fair LaborStandards Act (FLSA) violations involving minimum wage, overtime and child labor. FLSA Violations The Wage…
HR leaders don't have the luxury of rewriting their compliance strategy every four years. A recent Supreme Court ruling raises new questions about just how long today's enforcement priorities will last. In Trump v. Slaughter, the Court concluded that federal…
Payroll teams that pay nonexempt workers nondiscretionary bonuses should confirm those amounts are included in the overtime regular rate. A recent DOL investigation found that a Tennessee contractor failed to do so, resulting in a payout of about $1.73 million…
