Author Archives: hottelandwillis

A federal trial court recently invalidated several provisions of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) temporary regulations implementing the paid leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The decision marks an important development in the implementation of the law. Pandemic relief As you may recall, the FFCRA amends the Family and MedicalContinue reading “Court invalidates some paid sick and family leave regs related to COVID-19”

On August 28, the IRS issued guidance that provides some explanation of how employers can defer withholding and remitting an employee’s share of Social Security tax when wages are below a certain amount. The guidance in Notice 2020-65 was issued to implement President Trump’s executive action signed in early August. The guidance is brief, andContinue reading “The IRS issues guidance on the executive action deferring payroll taxes”

On August 8, 2020, President Trump signed an executive memorandum that defers an employee’s portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes from September 1 through December 31, 2020. At this point, the taxes are just deferred, meaning they’ll still have to be paid at a later date. However, the action directs U.S. Treasury Secretary StevenContinue reading “What does the executive action deferring payroll taxes mean for employers and employees?”

COVID-19 is changing the landscape for many schools this fall. But many children and young adults are going back, even if it’s just for online learning, and some parents will be facing tuition bills. If your child has been awarded a scholarship, that’s cause for celebration! But be aware that there may be tax implications.Continue reading “Are scholarships tax-free or taxable?”

In Notice 2020-54, the IRS recently provided guidance to employers on Form W-2 reporting of qualified sick leave wages and qualified family leave wages. These are the wages paid to employees under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The guidance requires employers to report the amount of qualified sick leave wages and qualified family leave wages paidContinue reading “Form W-2 reporting of COVID-19-related sick leave and family leave”

Did you recently file your federal tax return and were surprised to find you owed money? You might want to change your withholding so that this doesn’t happen next year. You might even want to do that if you got a big refund. Receiving a tax refund essentially means you’re giving the government an interest-freeContinue reading “Conduct a “paycheck checkup” to make sure your withholding is adequate”

The tax filing deadline for 2019 tax returns has been extended until July 15 this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After your 2019 tax return has been successfully filed with the IRS, there may still be some issues to bear in mind. Here are three considerations. 1. Some tax records can now be thrownContinue reading “After you file your tax return: 3 issues to consider”

The CARES Act was enacted in an attempt to mitigate the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, it extends favorable tax treatment to qualified individuals who take so-called “coronavirus-related distributions” (CRDs) from IRAs, 401(k) plans and certain other retirement plans. Specifically, the CARES Act waives the 10% early distribution penalty for CRDsContinue reading “IRS guidance provides RMD rollover relief”

As you may have heard, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allows “qualified” people to take certain “coronavirus-related distributions” from their retirement plans without paying tax. So how do you qualify? In other words, what’s a coronavirus-related distribution? Early distribution basics In general, if you withdraw money from an IRA or eligibleContinue reading “What qualifies as a “coronavirus-related distribution” from a retirement plan?”