Starting Jan. 1, 2027, New Jersey’s minimum wage for most workers rises 56 cents to $16.48 an hour. The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development sets the rate each year based on Consumer Price Index increases, as required by…
Payroll
California employers that repeatedly miss required pay data reports could face a fivefold increase in maximum financial penalties under a newly signed law. On Sept. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1237, increasing the maximum penalty for a subsequent failure…
Time to update your systems: The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced the 2027 Social Security taxable wage base. Next year’s number will increase to $192,300; that’s $7,800 more than the current $184,500. So, the intermediate projection in the 2026…
With Election Day coming Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, now’s a good time for payroll teams to review state voting leave requirements – before you start getting time-off requests. Four states show why a single companywide policy may not be enough.…
Wyoming’s unemployment insurance (UI) wage base rises to $34,900 per employee in 2027, up from $33,800 in 2026. The $1,100 increase takes effect Jan. 1 and increases the wages subject to each employer's assigned UI tax rate. The change doesn't…
California’s statewide minimum wage will rise to $17.40 an hour on Jan. 1, 2027. The increase will also raise the annual salary an employee must earn to qualify for exemption from overtime requirements to $72,384; employees must meet the duties…
A pizza delivery driver’s challenge to a 35-cent-per-mile reimbursement rate is back before a federal court in Colorado, reminding employers that mileage reimbursements can create wage-and-hour exposure. The Tenth Circuit revived the driver's complaint against a Papa John’s franchise operator,…
Informal cash-pay practices leave wage payments and hours worked outside normal payroll controls. Case in point: A Washington state court ordered Alan Tagle and Tagle & Partners LLC to pay $1.86 million to 70 former Beehive Espresso baristas in a…
How much might an employer have to pay when it fails to reinstate striking employees? NLRB Region 6 has approved a $3.66 million settlement with Langeloth Metallurgical Co. It resolves allegations that the company failed to reinstate, or delayed reinstating,…
A federal court in Texas has dismissed a challenge to the IRS regulation governing lock-in letters, leaving withholding directives issued to two employers in place. In November 2024, the IRS sent lock-in letters to the employers of Matthew Lobdell and…
The IRS announced new per diem rates for fiscal year 2027, effective Oct. 1, 2026. As a reminder, using the per diem method can reduce receipt-keeping, but employees still must substantiate the time, place and business purpose of their travel.…
On Sept. 30, 2026, Florida’s minimum wage increased to $15 an hour, from $14 an hour. The minimum cash wage for tipped employees rose to $11.98 an hour, from $10.98. The increase marked the final $1 annual increase required under…
