Compliance guides and resources

Tax nexus refers to the connection between a business and a taxing jurisdiction that triggers compliance obligations. In California, nexus determines whether your company must register, file, and pay taxes in the state. Understanding California nexus is critical for any employer expanding operations, hiring remote workers, or selling to customers in the Golden State. California uses multiple tests to establish nexus—and each type operates independently. You might owe sales tax without owing income tax, or trigger employment obligations without hitting sales thresholds. This California sales tax guide walks you through the different nexus types, current thresholds, and what each means for your business.

Remote work vs telework might sound like the same thing. Many employers use the terms interchangeably, and in casual conversation, that’s fine. But when you’re managing a distributed workforce across multiple states, the distinction actually matters. Each arrangement creates different expectations around office attendance, location flexibility, and—most importantly for growing companies—compliance obligations. This guide breaks down the difference between remote work and telework, explains the pros and cons of each model, and shows how the right approach to workforce management can keep your team productive and your company compliant.

What state is home to over two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, half of US public companies, and the beachside amusement park Funland? The answer, of course, is Delaware. While Delaware’s corporate law is famously friendly to large public corporations, banks, and credit card companies, incorporating in Delaware can also be a good choice for small or early-stage businesses—particularly those that plan to seek investor funding.

Conventional wisdom says that only death and taxes are certain. But while taxes may be certain, they aren’t always easy to understand. For multi-state business owners, that means determining what you owe (and where you owe it) can be complicated. Consider this following brain-teaser: A Wisconsin-based DTC pickle company grows cucumbers outside of Milwaukee, pickles them on site, and ships them to individual consumers all over the country. As the business grows, it retains the help of a New Jersey-based marketing professional and a fulfillment consultant in Michigan.

Every Delaware corporation must file its Delaware annual report and franchise tax by March 1 each year. Miss this deadline, and you’re facing penalties, interest, and too many headaches to count. Continued non-payment can even void your corporate charter entirely, stripping your business of legal standing. But there’s good news in all of this—these requirements are actually pretty straightforward once you understand them. That’s why we’re breaking down everything you need to know about Delaware’s franchise tax and annual report obligations today, including which entity type owes what, how to calculate your tax using both methods, and how to file without overpaying.

Managing payroll for remote employees across state lines can get complicated fast. Take the “convenience of the employer” rule, it’s an election that can complicate your payroll but might make the most sense for your business. In a nutshell, if a remote employee works from home for your convenience rather than theirs, you can choose to treat their work location as your office for payroll purposes. Pass the COE test, and you can skip registering for unemployment taxes in the employee’s home state.

If you run a business partnership, you’ve probably asked yourself: what is a 1065? IRS Form 1065, U.S. Return of Partnership Income, is the cornerstone of federal tax reporting for partnerships. Unlike corporations that file and pay their own taxes, partnerships are “pass-through” entities. This means partnership income, losses, deductions, and credits flow through to individual partners and get reported on their personal income tax returns.

A hostile work environment can quietly drain your organization. Lawsuits grab headlines, but the real damage often starts earlier—morale drops, turnover climbs, and your best employees leave before you know there’s a problem. Hostile working environment examples aren’t always obvious. Sometimes it’s a pattern of offensive jokes in a Slack channel. Other times it’s a manager who dismisses every complaint about harassment or discrimination. This guide covers what qualifies, common examples to recognize, signs to watch for, and how the right systems help you build a healthier workplace.

Your insurance carrier says 20 hours qualifies employees for coverage. The ACA compliance guidelines use 30 hours as the full-time threshold. Your employee handbook mentions 25 hours. Now you’re staring at three different definitions for the same workforce, wondering which one actually matters when questions about benefits eligibility arise. The answer is all of them. But none of them provides a complete picture. Understanding how many hours is part time becomes critical when you’re managing payroll, taxes, and employee benefits across multiple jurisdictions. Unlike full-time employment standards, part-time work doesn’t have a universal federal definition. That makes classification decisions entirely yours to manage, along with the compliance consequences that follow. This guide breaks down how many hours is part time under various regulations, what thresholds trigger benefits requirements, and how to set defensible policies that work across multiple states.

Understanding the rules for 1099 employees versus W-2 workers matters if you run a business or manage a team. Often called independent contractors or freelancers, 1099 employees make up a significant chunk of today’s workforce. How you classify workers affects everything from tax obligations to benefits to legal responsibilities. Get it wrong, and employee misclassification can create serious legal and financial problems.