Employer Requirements During Coronavirus Pandemic

As an employer, display the Department of Labor (DOL) poster regarding employee rights under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).  This must be posted in a prominent place in your office, accessible to all employees.  If some of your employees are not usually in the office, or are working from home, I would suggest emailing a copy to them and requesting confirmation of receipt. This should satisfy the requirements for notifying employees.

Poster: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/posters/FFCRA_Poster_WH1422_Non-Federal.pdf

Below are links to the Department of Labor and Treasury Department web pages related to the Coronavirus.  It would be advisable to check these often over the next several weeks to stay up-to-date on any future legislation, as well as any updates on implementing the various provisions of the FFCRA.  There is a lot we do not know yet because the details have not been developed or published, so stay tuned for more.

Link to Dept of Labor web page: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic

Link to Treasury Dept web page: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus

Our COVID-19 Response

The health and safety of our Ed Slovacek CPA team and clients in Brazos County is our top priority. With the COVID-19 virus having an increasing impact in our community, we want to let you know how our business is addressing this situation.

Currently, our offices are still open for appointments. To accommodate any concerns, we are following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and have:

• Increased the cleaning and sanitation of our offices
• Added additional alcohol-based sanitizer
• Informed our staff – if anyone is feeling ill, they need to stay home.

We are also here to serve you via the phone and using our online portal.

• All clients are encouraged to use our Portal to send us files and exchange documents online. You can access the portal via our website or https://portal.edslovacekcpa.com/Login
• Please call us at (979)846-4667 if you want to schedule a phone appointment.

We are committed to serving our clients with the care, and we are confident we are taking precautionary measures to promote the health and safety of our staff and clients. Please check with us on any changes in our work schedule and contact us if you have any questions.

Ed Slovacek CPA PLLC

1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 120

PO Box 3598

Bryan, Texas 77805-3598

(979)846-4667

www.edslovacekcpa.com

QuickBooks Online Payroll Subscription Changes

QuickBooks Online is changing their payroll subscription options.  If you are currently enrolled in Enhanced Payroll, this payroll subscription will be replaced with Payroll Core in March 2020.  Payroll Core functions differently than Enhanced Payroll.  Here are some affects you will notice when this change is implemented fully:

1. Paychecks cannot be edited, voided or deleted once they are created.
2. Once payroll has been set-up for the company, no changes can be made.  Changes are still allowed for employees (e.g. payrates).
3. Electronic payroll tax payments are made automatically by Intuit based on your depositor schedule.  You will no longer be able to pick the date of the payroll tax payment.
4. Payroll tax returns will be electronically filed automatically by Intuit.
5. If anything does need to be edited, voided, or deleted, a call will need to be made to QuickBooks Online Payroll Support.  Intuit may charge a fee for these support calls.

Intuit’s intent with these changes is to maintain the integrity of payroll data.  The unintended consequences of these changes take away the freedom to edit, correct, and customize payroll.  We expect some of the features and efficiencies you’ve come to expect and enjoy will be sorely missed.  We have communicated with Intuit the need for these features, and Intuit is considering making changes to accommodate this need.

In the meantime, we are exploring other payroll processing companies.  If you feel Payroll Core will not work for your company’s needs, please let us know.  We will be happy to work with you to find an appropriate solution.