IRS Information About HIRE Act Payroll Tax Exemption
If your company participated in the HIRE Act’s 2010 payroll tax exemption there is important IRS information you need to know. Without becoming anyone’s tax advisor (I’m not), let me point out a thing or two from the IRS website. I strongly recommend that you go there yourself (and make sure your payroll services provider is fully informed!). (more…)
- Published in Hire a Hero Act of 2010
Fight Is Over For Now – Missing Tax Incentives To Stay Missing
The US House is schedule to vote on the tax bill today. The House Rules Committee, however, is allowing a vote on only one proposed amendment – an amendment to increase the estate tax. The rule allows no other motions or amendments on the bill.
While we hoped for an extension of the HIRE Act payroll tax exemption, that program will end for new hires (as it was originally scheduled) on December 31. Do not forget, however, that the HIRE Act’s worker-retention tax credit remains in play — many employees who qualified for the payroll tax exemption in 2010 will generate an additional income tax credit for their employer in 2011 after working for 52 weeks.
Some employers who participate in the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program will experience a small decrease in qualifications in 2011 as the Disconnected Youth and Unemployed Veteran target groups also expire. We are consoled, however, by the fact that the WOTC program itself has been renewed through 2011.
So, far now — for now — the fight is temporarily over. In 2011, we will be working with the new Congress to renew and extend as many of these provisions as feasible. If you’re interested in joining the WOTC Coalition and playing some role in the effort, contact Paul Suplizio, President of the WOTC Coalition. Visit the Coalition’s website at www.WOTCCoalition.com.
- Published in Federal Legislation
U.S. Senate Passes Tax Bill – Eyes Turn to House to Please Add Back Missing Tax Incentives!
The Senate today passed the much anticipated tax bill without renewing the HIRE Act Payroll Tax Exemption, federal Renewal Communities, or the WOTC provisions for disconnected youth, unemployed veterans, or Gulf Opportunity Zone employers. This is a disappointment, but not unexpected.
Now that HR 4853 has been passed to the U.S. House of Representatives, eyes turn to susceptible House members seeking an amendment to add these provisions. If these incentives are important to you, please consider contacting House Members from your jurisdictions and urge them to support including these 5 provisions with any amendments to the tax bill. Make a special effort to contact Ways and Means Chairman Sander Levin.
Paul Suplizio, President of the WOTC Coalition, pointed out today that these 5 programs are “current-law job creation incentives” — so we are not urging the creation of any new program. In summary, what we seek:
- Extension of the HIRE tax credits
- Extension of the Renewal Community program
- Extension of WOTC for disconnected youth
- Extension of WOTC for unemployed Iraq-Afghanistan era veterans
- Extension of WOTC for Gulf Opportunity Zone employers
On the bright side, the bill passed by the Senate does include reauthorization of:
- The WOTC Program through 2011
- The Research and Development Tax Credit
- The Indian Employment Credit
- The Empowerment Zone Program
- The District of Columbia Enterprise Zone
See my previous post on this.
- Published in Federal Legislation
Asking the US House to Include Key Tax Incentives in House Amendment
As noted in my most recent post, some key employment incentives were left out of the Senate version of the tax bill being discussed in Washington D.C. I received a correspondence today from Paul Suplizio, President of the WOTC Coalition, detailing current efforts to include the missing programs in the House version of the bill. (more…)
- Published in Federal Legislation
Future of The HIRE Act’s Payroll Tax Exemption Benefit
While many U.S. employers have taken advantage of the 2010 federal HIRE Act’s Payroll Tax Exemption benefit, many more have not. As it currently stands, the Payroll Tax Exemption program is slated to expire on December 31, 2010; however, at least 2 facts mitigate the looming end of the program. (more…)
- Published in Federal Legislation, Payroll Tax Forgiveness
U.S. Treasury Department Reports RE HIRE Act Payroll Tax Exemption
On August 2, the U.S. Treasury Department published a report titled Updated Estimates of Newly Hired Employees Eligible for the Hire Act Tax Exemption. If you have a problem with that link, you can still read the Department’s press summary.
This new report provides monthly updated estimates of potential eligibility under the HIRE Act, including data through June 2010. According to the updated estimates, from February 2010 to June 2010, businesses hired 5.6 million new workers who had been unemployed for eight weeks or longer;
- Published in Payroll Tax Forgiveness
Amazing Map — Geography of a Recession — And the Hire Act Payroll Tax Exemption
This amazing map was published by the American Observer (American University’s Graduate Journalism Magazine). Using color mapping, it illustrates the monthly progress of the recession in each U.S. county as reflected by increasing levels of unemployment. (more…)
- Published in Unemployed Workers
US Teasury Department Says Employers Missing Out on 2010 Payroll Tax Exemption – Obama Will Likely Push for Extension
I found this piece by Deborah Solomon, published online today by the Wall Street Journal.
While accurate statistics will not be available until year’s end when companies complete the filing of their tax returns, anecdotal evidence suggest the HIRE Act’ 2010 Payroll Tax Exemption is far from being fully utilized by U.S. employers. In response, President Obama’s Treasure Department is expected to begin marketing the program more aggressively. The Obama Administration will also probably seek to extend the program beyond its current December 31, 2010 expiration date. (more…)
- Published in Payroll Tax Forgiveness
IRS Publishes More Answers about HIRE Act Payroll Tax Holiday
Additional answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the HIRE Act’s 2010 Payroll Tax Exemption (PTE) have been published on the IRS website. Of particular interest should be the expanded FAQs about how to claim the PTE, including a new code on the form W-2 for employees whose wages are claimed under the program (see FAQ#25).
Oh, what the hey. I’ll just copy a load of them here for your convenience. (more…)
- Published in Payroll Tax Forgiveness
From IRS Newswire – Special Payroll Tax Exemption Form Now Available
The following is directly from the IRS Newswire dated April 7, which I received about 39 hours ago. I reported on the new Form W-11 a few days ago after it was released in Draft form. The Draft Form W-11 has been officially upgraded to real.
Allow me to suggest that you go back and review my previous post. The Payroll Tax Holiday seems simple on its face; however, there are some operational questions in connection with the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) that must be wrestled with (click here).
Please feel welcome to contact me with your questions. Call (800) 655-5281, ext 101 or e-mail me at vah@WOTCPLanet.com.
Directly from the wire….
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today released a new form that will help employers claim the special payroll tax exemption that applies to many newly-hired workers during 2010, created by the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act signed by President Obama on March 18.
New Form W-11, Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act Employee Affidavit, is now posted on IRS.gov, along with answers to frequently-asked questions about the payroll tax exemption and the related new hire retention credit. The new law requires that employers get a statement from each eligible new hire, certifying under penalties of perjury, that he or she was unemployed during the 60 days before beginning work or, alternatively, worked fewer than a total of 40 hours for anyone during the 60-day period. Employers can use Form W-11 to meet this requirement.
Most eligible employers then use Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return, to claim the payroll tax exemption for eligible new hires. This form, revised for use beginning with the second calendar quarter of 2010, is currently posted as a draft form on IRS.gov and will be released next month as a final along with the form’s instructions.
Though employers need this certification to claim both the payroll tax exemption and the new hire retention credit, they do not file these statements with the IRS. Instead, they must retain them along with other payroll and income tax records.
The HIRE Act created two new tax benefits designed to encourage employers to hire and retain new workers. As a result, employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010, and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from the employer’s share of social security tax on wages paid to these workers after March 18. This reduction will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers would still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2-percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes. In addition, for each unemployed worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim a new hire retention credit of up to $1,000 per worker when they file their 2011 income tax returns.
These two tax benefits are especially helpful to employers who are adding positions to their payrolls. New hires filling existing positions also qualify but only if the workers they are replacing left voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other relatives do not qualify for either of these tax incentives.
Businesses, agricultural employers, tax-exempt organizations, tribal governments and public colleges and universities all qualify to claim the payroll tax exemption for eligible newly-hired employees. Household employers and federal, state and local government employers, other than public colleges and universities, are not eligible. IRS.gov has more details.
Related Item: IR-2010-33, Two New Tax Benefits Aid Employers Who Hire and Retain Unemployed Workers (more…)
- Published in Federal Legislation, Payroll Tax Forgiveness
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