0000020281 00000 n At the state and local level, there are currently 10 jurisdictions that have statutes or case law specifically addressing an employers requirement to reimburse business expenses: California, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, District of Columbia, and Seattle, Washington. Is Time Rounding Over for California Employers? 202 For example, if an employee who is subject to the statutory minimum wage of $7.25 per hour (effective July 24, 2009) is paid an hourly wage of $7.25, the employer may not make any deduction from the employee's wages for the cost of the uniform nor may the employer require the employee to purchase the uniform on his/her own. Work with a Professional Employer Organization such as Resourcing Edge to ensure compliance with applicable laws and develop an accountable expense plan to help maximize tax benefits. One and one-half times their regular, "straight-time" hourly rate of pay for all hours over 60 in a calendar week and/or for any hours worked on day of rest. New York State reimburses employees for business use of a personal vehicle based on the standard mileage allowance established by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Location: Other states, including Illinois, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire and South Dakota, have enacted laws which may require reimbursement of employee expenses, although case law in these states is not as well-developed as in California. New York. The expense reimbursement Section 202 Reimbursement for Travel and Moving Expenses Upon Transfer, Reassignment or Promotion, II. Employers are therefore well advised to re-evaluate the scope of potential expenses, legal obligations for reimbursement, and the state of written policies to ensure the greatest measure of compliance with law. return excess reimbursements or allowances in a reasonable amount of time. For example, California Labor Code Section 2802(a) requires an employer to indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties, or of his or her obedience to the directions of the employer. Failing to reimburse employees can lead to class or collective actions and quickly become incredibly burdensome for employers. It appears that your web browser does not support JavaScript, or you have temporarily disabled scripting. xref My Company Requires Employees Sign Non-competes. Your company required or approved the employee to make the expense. If employers fail to adequately reimburse these expenses, the employer may be receiving an hourly kickback from each employee. Provide employees with a cell phone or another communication alternative for business use. A: No. income, social security, Medicare, and FUTA taxes. For any questions please email or call Sarah Fuller at Sarah.F.Fuller@dol.nh.gov or 603-271-3597. If there's an . They are reported a clearly written accountable plan document, none of your reimbursements should With over 30 years of employment law experience, Lipsky Lowe LLP has a proven track record of advocating for clients in all areas of employment law, including employee expense reimbursements. Home expenses such as telephone and internet fees, extra energy to heat or cool a house and office supplies can add up to $50 to $200 a month per employee, according to more than a dozen lawsuits . properly substantiate expenses in a reasonable amount of time. income. This form is used for reimbursements or expenses not already covered by a Non-Employee Travel (NET) card. 0000008983 00000 n Employees often use their personal resources to pay for expenses necessary to carry out their employment. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM MENA "); Employee expense reimbursement is an area that's sometimes overlooked by business owners. professional licenses. Its important to know which business expenses are valid or not, and to separate business expenses from personal expenses, capital expenses, and expenses to figure the cost of goods sold. xb```b``b`e``cg@ ~(N'4700] W}GtaSn8~;k+Sg6 I!G) a S@Z"|b@qlAW6)kd0u`Ch$$ P10 Some, particularly in tech, may be working from home through the end of the year, or even permanently! requesting reimbursement. The law is based on the Internal Revenue Code that authorizes pre-tax commuter programs, which benefit employers and employees. ", Lewis said that he implemented a written policy that anything expensed "is subject to return upon termination of employment, and [we created] an addendum that there could be a payroll deduction for any non-consumable expense not returned.". treated as supplemental wages and subject to taxes. "If the employee's Internet bill is $90 a month [for Internet use only, not TV, DVR, phone, etc. An expense policy like this, though, has to distinguish between what is paid as a regular wage and what is reimbursement for employee expenses. 0000004318 00000 n If the employer is a corporation, the New York statute holds its President, Secretary, and Treasurers each guilty of a misdemeanor for failing to pay their employees benefits or wage supplements. It is important to note that the provisions in this section do not apply to bona fide professional, administrative, or executive employees who earn over $900 US per week. The reimbursement would have otherwise It is good practice to ask terminating employees to submit expense reimbursement timely, telling them that late submissions are likely to be rejected. This is why a good employee expense reimbursement policy can be handy. The FLSA, however, is implicated if an employees unreimbursed business expenses bring their wages below the applicable minimum wage or cut into overtime wages. But, there are some complications Business Units may use the Travel and Expense module directly or bulkload the Travel and Expense module from their systems. Example: Mario is an employee forced to work at home due to the coronavirus for two months. In Employee expenses reimbursed through the Travel and Expense module include travel expenses, claims for damages, and other employee reimbursements. Given this, when crafting a nationwide policy, sometimes its simplest to use California as the high water mark. Additionally, employers that are found to have willfully failed to properly reimburse expenses may be required to pay interest and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. 0000019915 00000 n On a federal level, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employees cannot be required to directly pay or reimburse their employer for business-related expenses if doing so would cause the employee's wage rate to fall below the required minimum wage or overtime compensation thresholds. OSC will assist the Finance Office in reaching an agency-specific solution. Your payments are regarded payment, but what about reimbursements? Gain the intel you need now to successfully anticipate and navigate employment laws, stay compliant and mitigate legal risks. If When the economy is unstable, employers are faced with difficult decisions around staffing, pay and benefits. Omnizant - View site in new window, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN), Understanding New Yorks Statutes of Limitations, New York Employers Paying Biweekly Hit with Wage Class Actions, Overtime Pay Mandate for Six-Figure Earners to Spur Litigation, Signs that Someone Is Sexually Harassing a Co-Worker, Why Telling Your Co-worker Isnt the Best Choice to Report Sexual Harassment, Signs that Someone Is the Victim of Sexual Harassment, Common Wage & Hour Complaints In The Personal Service Industry, Payment Disputes in the Restaurant Industry, New Jersey Franchise Owner Settles Disability Discrimination Lawsuit With EEOC, New Federal Protections For Pregnant Workers, When Jokes at Work Become Sexual Harassment, When Gift Giving At Work Becomes Sexual Harassment, Replacement of broken equipment or dishes, Expenses related to business transaction errors, Costs associated with settling disputes with customers, An employer deducts expenses from the employees wage and the expense was for the benefit of the employer, The employer fails to reimburse his or her employee for those expenses. Attorneys Labor Law A to Z Wrongful Termination Wage & Hour Discrimination Workers' Comp Locations Call or Message Us 24/7 877-783-6926 Required Field 24/7 Help: 1-(877)-SUE-MY-BOSS Before you call us: With been paid as wages. Baker McKenzies global Employment & Compensation team of over 700 lawyers in 45 countries has been ranked Band 1 by Chambers Global for Employment law for 12 consecutive years. count as taxable income. (a) General rule. 0000004273 00000 n There is a certain expectation that if an employee uses their own money on the business's behalf, they should get reimbursed. There are several states that require employers to reimburse for all necessary business-related expenses, including California, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, New York and the District of Columbia (for more information, see SHRM's Multi-state Law Comparison Tool). 0000003372 00000 n It follows that if employers allow their employees to opt to use their personal cell phone, instead of a company-issued cell phone, that they should be reimbursed a reasonable percentage of their phone bill for work-related calls or other data usage for using texts or the internet for work purposes. Employers pay all of the advances, reimbursements, and charges for employees business expenses. maintained. In the Netherlands, the National Institute for Family Finance Information has determined that workplace expenses average two euros ($2.40) per worker per day, according to Reuters. The IRS has different reporting requirements "If they don't reimburse, it's as if employees took a salary cut. Ann 260.3. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not explicitly address the need for employers to reimburse employees for work-related expenses. 162 0 obj <> endobj Under these policies, many employers are paying anywhere from $30 to $50 per month toward employee cell phone bills. Employers should take proactive steps and revise policies on employee reimbursements now to avoid class action litigation down the line. for non-profit, educational, and government users. The employee fails to But they must also be mindful that the more requirements they put in place for minimum home office standardssuch as minimum WiFi bandwidth, a room with a door to ensure confidentiality of calls, locking filing cabinetsthe more likely an expense incurred in complying with those standards is to be considered necessary. Or allowances in a reasonable amount of time your career growth by a! These expenses, claims for damages, and charges for employees business.... 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