CalSavers Retirement Program

It is no surprise that a large portion of American workers are not prepared for a comfortable retirement. With the relentless rising costs in California, and fewer opportunities for employees to invest in retirement accounts through employers, California implemented the California Savers Retirement Program on September 30th 2020. CalSavers, a state mandated law, is designed …

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FFCRA & California’s New COVID-19 Supplemental Sick Leave Requirements

The passage of legislative changes in March 2021 regarding the extension of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) leave and CA Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SB 95) have notable impacts on California employers.  The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), for those employers who voluntarily continue to provide Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)-type leave, …

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Sonoma County: What should I do if an employee tests positive for COVID-19?

As states begin to ease restrictions, vaccine distribution increases, and speculation about getting “back to the office” ramps up, it is crucial to make sure your business is prepared. Since many employees will soon find themselves back in the workplace, it is important to make sure as an employer you are being proactive in preparing …

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Understanding Your W2

It is that time of year again – Tax Filing! By now, you should have received your 2022 W2 Form. Although it may look like gibberish and you feel like your just a middle man to your tax provider, it is important for you to understand what is on your W2. To help you understand …

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Out of State Employees

Hiring your dream team?! Employment does not have to stop at the state line! Whether you have remote employees, live near a border, or are just wanting to expand your geographic footprint – do not let the uncertainty of “how-to” stop you from growing your business. With the onset of COVID-19 and the shift to …

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Relief for FSA Accounts

To help ring in the new year and to ease the ongoing financial impacts of COVID-19, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) were recently awarded temporary relief as part of the passage of The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (signed into law on December 27th 2020). This bill, which also expanded revisions to the Paycheck Protection Program …

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Facial Recognition: Contactless Time Punch and Health Screening

Remember when the term “hands-free” became popular with the rise of Bluetooth compatibility in cars? Well with the rise of COVID-19 we are all adopting the term “contactless”. To stay with the times, Innovative has recently added a “contactless” way for employees to clock in/out utilizing facial recognition! With the newly introduced NoahFace (as in …

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Startup Next Steps

So, you have decided to start a business – congratulations! You have spent time thinking about what product or service you will provide, developed a business plan, and know who your target audience is. And while creating a brand, name, and scoping out your competition is exciting, what comes next? How do you get up …

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Teaming Up With Innovative

Needing a better WebHCM solution for your business? Thinking about making a switch and not sure where to start? With Innovative Business Solutions, your company gets personalized attention and customer support. Here is what a glimpse of our onboarding & implementation process looks like! Step 1: Business Solutions Team From the very start, you will …

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Meal Premiums

The days of nonchalant schedules are a thing of the past. Although these employment laws are implemented to protect employees, it does cause quite the planning and calculated configuration for employers all over the United States. For most businesses, having a “rush” or “busy” time, and losing track of hours worked & lunch breaks, is …

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Open Enrollment Next Steps

You have closed out your open enrollment and are now wondering, “What are my next steps?”.  Here are a couple suggestions from our HR Client Open Enrollment Checklist for your consideration: Run reports comparing plans/coverage/amounts and/or run a few test checks to make sure new pricing/plans pull through to payroll as expected.  Review December and …

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FLSA Overtime

One of the biggest stressors that administrators face is having a thorough knowledge of compliance rules and regulations, all while trying to stay up to date and current with new bills & laws that get passed regularly. One of the biggest compliance topics – FLSA Overtime!  Failing to comply with the FLSA Overtime laws is …

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Compliance Alert – Lower Threshold for Mandatory Training in 2021

Are you an employer with 5 or more employees? Did you know as of December 31, 2020, you are now required by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act law to have provided sexual harassment prevention training to all workers? Senate Bill 778 (2019), amendment to SB 1343 (2018) required that all employers of five …

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Free Training Courses

Picture this – It is payroll week, and your administrator who processes payroll suddenly quits, leaving the job of payroll on someone’s plate who has never been trained or knows what they are doing. Sound familiar? Innovative is known for their unmatched support for a reason, especially in stressful situations such as the one mentioned …

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California’s New Employer Pay Data Reporting Requirements [SB 973]

On Sept 30th, 2020, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 973, a bill which enacts extensive pay reporting requirements for employers to help reduce gender and racial pay gaps. Starting in 2021, SB 973 requires businesses with 100+ employees to submit annual pay data reports by gender, race, and ethnicity to the …

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1099-NEC vs 1099-MISC

Starting Tax Year 2020, the IRS announced they will be bringing back the form 1099-NEC for reporting non-employee compensation. This historic tax form, last used in 1982, has circumvented its way back into use because of due date discrepancies on the 1099-MISC, caused by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015. To …

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Thankful for Cloud-Based Software!

They say, “Timing is everything!”   Though 2020 came with unforeseen trials & tribulations, our timing to finish converting clients to a cloud-based software could not have come at a more perfect time. The “years-in-the-making” migration to move 1000+ clients from our legacy, on-site server software, to a robust, billion-dollar international web-based HCM platform came to a finish in March 2020, just days before the global shutdowns began.  Utilizing a fully-cloud based architecture allowed our clients, as well as Innovative, to immediately & successfully deploy …

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COVID-19: Resources for Our Clients

With things everchanging in response to the unending updates regarding COVID-19, we understand it may be difficult to keep up with the latest information for Employers.  Below we have listed a few of the latest resources (at this time) for your reference. Here at Innovative, we are dedicated to serving our clients, employees, and our community …

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Emergency Response and the Workplace

Unfortunately, California has been faced, yet again, with the disastrous threats and consequences of wildfires. With so many employers and employees affected, it is important employers are prepared to navigate leaves and support their staff during these times of need.  As a part of the local community, Innovative would like to extend our support to all …

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Are You Ready For Year End?

We Are Over Half-Way Through the Year — It’s Time to Revamp Your Year-End Processes! —  Don’t wait until the last minute to address needed changes  —    Now is the time to assess your year-end processes such as Open Enrollment, Performance Reviews, and ACA to determine if there are any needed updates/changes before this year’s …

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It’s EEO-1 Survey Season

It’s that time for the EEO-1 Survey (The Employer Information Report).  The 2019 deadline to submit the certified report for regular Component 1 data to the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is May 31, 2019.  The 2019 deadline to submit the certified report for 2017 and 2018 Component 2 pay data to the EEOC isSeptember 31, 2019.

HR Resources

 How can I make sure my company stays up-to-date and compliant? This is a question we receive often. There are resources available, many free, which are tailored to help employers stay informed and up-to-date on the latest policy changes and compliance regulations.  Below are three examples of resources which provide helpful HR related tools and information to help you stay in-the-know.  …

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ACA & The Unexpected…

The Affordable Care Act (ACA)Will it stay or will it go?  Can we leave it in the past or do we need to be prepared?  According to Attorney and ACA expert, Arthur Tacchino, “…the Affordable Care Act will remain stable for at least two more reporting seasons”.  What does this mean for your company?  Click here to read …

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Final Paychecks

What are the rules surrounding final pay of a terminated employee? Do I have to provide payment within a certain amount of time? What am I required to pay out? What can I deduct?  These are a few of the common questions that come up from our clients.  As an employer it is important to know …

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Act Now: Correct Employee Information

Employers may soon receive an announcement letter from The US Social Security Administration (SSA) notifying them of any discrepancies in recently submitted records of employee names and Social Security numbers that do not reconcile with their records.  A recent notice received from the SSA, states, “If we cannot match the name and SSN reported on a Form W-2 …

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HSA Limits: What’s Changed This Year & What’s Next?

On April 26, 2018, the IRS reverted the 2018 Health Savings Account (HSA) limits back to the originally published amounts released in May of 2017.  The current rates are: $3,450 for individuals with self only coverage; and $6,900 for family coverage.  After reducing the limits in March of 2018, the IRS reinstated the higher annual limit in April stating, “… …

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Missed the ACA Filing Deadline?

If you missed the Affordable Care Act filing deadline, you can find information on what do next by visiting the IRS website’s page (by clicking here). There you can find information on how to apply for an extension as well as learn about all potential applicable penalties.

The IRS Publishes 2018 Form W-4

The New Form: The IRS has published the 2018 Form W-4. The IRS developed updated guidance for withholdings after the latest tax reform bill was signed into law in December. The new withholding tables reflect many changes including updated tax rates and brackets. What this means for you and your employees:                Employers – You should implement the …

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New CA Parental Leave Law

On January 1st, 2018, a new Parental Leave Law takes effect in California. The law applies to employers with 20+ employees and covers employees who are not eligible for Family Medical Leave (FMLA) or California Family Rights Act (CFRA).  California employees (who are fathers or mothers) are now able to take up to 12-weeks of …

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New CA Recruiting Laws

Two new California laws are taking effect, on January 1, 2018, that restrict what information employers can request during the hiring process. Employers will no longer be able to inquire about an applicant’s salary history, or conduct conviction related background checks without a contingent employment offer. As the new year draws near, it is important …

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Unemployment Insurance Benefit – One Week Waiting Period Suspended

Here at Innovative, our hearts go out to our community, all of our clients, their employees and families during this challenging time. As some of the shock and smoke of last week’s fire dies down, many of those affected are now focusing on how to begin rebuilding their lives. An important next step for people, …

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Emergencies and the Workplace

Emergencies and the Workplace: How Employers can support their staff “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” Fires are raging across Sonoma and Napa County. Many homes and business have been destroyed. There seems to be no one who has not been touched or …

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Performance Reviews – Worth It?

Many employers view performance reviews as a pain. They seem unproductive or don’t achieve the goals for which they were designed. It can also be a stressful and unpleasant experience for both managers and employees. Managers struggle to find time to create meaningful content for each employee, while employees may not absorb managers’ feedback because …

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