Agility is key in today’s economy, where uncertainty reigns and businesses must be ready for anything. Highly skilled employees play a huge role in your ability to run an agile company. One way to put them on optimal footing is cross-training. Multiple advantages Simply defined, cross-training is teaching employees to understand and perform responsibilities and […]
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Many businesses turn to independent contractors to help manage costs, especially during times of staffing shortages and inflation. If you’re among them, ensuring these workers are properly classified for federal tax purposes is crucial. Misclassifying employees as independent contractors can result in expensive consequences if the IRS steps in and reclassifies them. It could lead
Hiring independent contractors? Make sure you’re doing it right Read More »
Your business can set up an educational assistance plan that can give each eligible employee up to $5,250 in annual federal-income-tax-free and federal-payroll-tax-free benefits. These tax-favored plans are called Section 127 plans after the tax code section that allows them. Plan basics Sec. 127 plans can cover the cost of almost anything that constitutes education, including
An education plan can pay off for your employees — and your business Read More »
Today’s companies have several kinds of tax-advantaged accounts or arrangements they can sponsor to help employees pay eligible medical expenses. One of them is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). Under an HRA, your business sets up and wholly funds a plan that reimburses participants for qualified medical expenses of your choosing. (To be clear, employees can’t
EBHRAs: A flexible health benefits choice for businesses Read More »
Suppose you’re thinking about setting up a retirement plan for yourself and your employees. However, you’re concerned about the financial commitment and administrative burdens involved. There are a couple of options to consider. Let’s take a look at a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and a Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE). SEPs offer easy
Explore SEP and SIMPLE retirement plans for your small business Read More »
When it’s time to consider your business’s future, succession planning can protect your legacy and successfully set up the next generation of leaders or owners. Whether you’re ready to retire, you wish to step back your involvement or you want a solid contingency plan should you unexpectedly be unable to run the business, exploring different
Planning for the future: 5 business succession options and their tax implications Read More »
There are some nice tax breaks for transportation-related employee fringe benefits. If your employer offers these tax-favored fringes, you should probably take advantage of them by signing up. Here’s a quick summary of the current federal tax treatment of transportation-related benefits. Mass transit passes For 2025, employer-provided mass transit passes for train, subway and bus
Riding the tax break train: Maximizing employee transportation fringe benefits Read More »
A strong sales team is the driving force of most small to midsize businesses. Strong revenue streams are hard to come by without skilled and engaged salespeople. But what motivates these valued employees? First and foremost, equitable and enticing compensation. And therein lies a challenge for many companies: Choosing the right sales compensation model isn’t
Choosing the right sales compensation model for your business Read More »
Today’s job seekers and employees have grown accustomed to having an incredible amount of information at their fingertips. As a result, many businesses find that failing to adequately disclose certain things negatively impacts their relationships with these parties. Take pay transparency, for example. This is the practice, or lack thereof, of a company openly sharing
5 steps to creating a pay transparency strategy Read More »
Every company presumably wants a workforce full of engaged employees. However, is it possible for workers to be too engaged? Apparently so. A 2024 survey of 3,000 workers by employee engagement consultants Perceptyx found that 72% of respondents work to some degree throughout their vacations. As a business owner, your initial response to this might be, “Wow,
Are “workationers” a danger to your business? Read More »
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