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28 August 2015 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com A YEAR IN THE LIFE: PAYROLL ACCOUNTANT 1 Are Employee Files Up to Date? In general, there are three separate types of employee fles to create and ma i nt a i n: a n I-9 Fi le, Person nel Files, and Medical Files. It's best to assume all this information is conf- dential, so keep these fles in a secure location. Only people with a com- pelling business reason should have access to these fles. For a list of what should be included in each fle see: Small Business H R Basics ( w w w. z a n e b e n e f i t s . c o m / b l o g /s m a l l - business-hr-basics ). 2 Do You Have an Employee Handbook? The employee handbook explains your company's policies and proce- d u r e s , a nd c om mu n ic a t e s y ou r expectations to employees. It also helps protect your business in the e v e nt of a d i s p ut e . For a l i s t of e mploye e h a nd book ba s ic s , s e e Small Business H R Basics ( w w w. z a n e b e n e f i t s . c o m / b l o g /s m a l l - business-hr-basics ). 3 Have You Posted the Required Notices? Tere are various required state and federal workplace notices to post at you r busi ness. T here a re severa l online vendors who, for a minimal cost, will provide state and federal required notices to post. You can a l s o v i s i t t h e S m a l l B u s i n e s s A d m i n i s t r at ion ( w w w. sba .gov/ c ontent/wor k pl ac e -pos ter s ) for more information. 4 Are You Paying at Least Minimum Wage? Te minimum wage is the minimum hourly wage an employer can pay an employee for work . T he c u r rent federa l m i n i mu m wage is $7. 25/ hour, however many states, counties, and cities have established their own minimum wage laws. See this list of m i n i mu m w a ge b y s t at e ( w w w. zanebenefts.com/blog/minimum- wage-rates-for-2015-by-state ). 5 Are You Verifying Employment Status? It is illegal to hire an individual who is illegally residing in the countr y. As such, each individual 's identity and employment eligibility must be verifed in order to be hired. Tis is done by completing an I-9 form that is prov ided by t he Un ited States Citizenship and Immigration Ser- vices (USCIS). 6 Are Your Interviews Lawful? Hiring is an exciting par t of your c om p a ny. A s s u c h , b e s u r e y ou understand what questions to ask - and not to ask. For instance, did you know that you cannot ask questions that reveal a person's race, gender, religion, marital status, disabilities, e t h n ic b a c k g r o u nd , c o u nt r y o f origin, or age? Have your questions pla n ned out to ensu re you don't accidentally venture into one of the questions that are illegal to ask. 7 Are Your Health Benefts Compliant? Most sma l l and micro businesses c a n not a f ford t rad it iona l hea lt h insurance. Instead, they reimburse employees for their personal health i nsu ra nce pol icies. W het her you ofer traditional health insurance or a reimbursement arrangement, there are important compliance changes with health reform. Make sure your health plan complies. Read more: Compliance Rules f or P r e m i u m R e i m b u r s e me nt Pl a n s (w w w.z a nebenef it s .com/ education/premium-reimbursement- arrangements-compliance) 8 Are You Up to Speed with Employees' Rights? Even if your small business doesn't have union employees, all employees have cer ta in r ights under federa l laws. K now what these rights are so that you don't violate them. Tey can be fou nd on t he Depa r t ment of Labor website. ( w w w.dol.gov/opa/ aboutdol/lawsprog/htm ) Tese eight questions will get you s t a r te d w it h a s se s si ng you r H R compliance. W hat additional ques- tions do you have about HR compli- a nc e? C he c k w i t h y o u r p a y r o l l advisor who can help you with your HR compliance questions. How to Tell If a Small Business is Compliant with HR Law By Christina Merhar A s a small business owner or advisor, you don't have a lot of time to spend on Human Resources. At the same time, you need to ensure that employees are taken care of and that you are compliant with various HR rules and regulations. Where to start? Here are eight basic questions to assess if your business is HR compliant. Connect to ADP ® At ADP, we're all about connections — connecting accounting professionals like you to the right resources and opportunities to support your frm's objectives: • Give your clients access to big-business payroll and HR solutions by referring them to ADP • Generate more revenue and simplify payroll processing with our customized platform for accountants • Discover other segments to invest in or retire sooner by selling your client payroll base to ADP When you partner with ADP, you also connect to integrated HR products, retirement and more — everything your clients need to help protect and grow their business. For more information, visit adp.com/accountant or call 1-855-408-3751. The ADP logo and ADP are registered trademarks of ADP, LLC. Copyright © 2014 ADP, LLC. HR. Payroll. Benefts.