Compliance guides and resources

When your company partners with a professional employer organization (PEO), it can enjoy many benefits, such as payroll management, human resources support, and compliance assistance. However, there may come a time when your business outgrows the need for a PEO, or you want to manage these functions in-house. Transitioning away from a PEO is a complex process, but with careful planning, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s what you need to know about planning your PEO transition, with a handy checklist to ensure a smooth exit strategy.

Running a business across multiple states can be challenging. One important responsibility is to appoint a registered agent for each state where your company operates. A registered agent is a person or company that receives legal documents and official correspondence on behalf of your business. Your agent is responsible for important or sensitive documents like tax forms, lawsuits, and government notices. Maintaining compliance can require some juggling, especially when managing multiple agents and keeping track of important paperwork.

In recent years, a growing number of states in the U.S. have implemented laws requiring private businesses to offer retirement savings plans to their employees. This has created a new set of responsibilities for businesses that don’t already have retirement options. Those that fail to comply with these new laws may face penalties. State-mandated retirement plans aim to address a retirement savings crisis in which millions of workers have no access to workplace retirement plans.

Starting a business is exciting, but as soon as you incorporate it, you must follow some critical steps to stay compliant. One of the most important things to do is understand your startup’s business tax obligations. It’s not the most thrilling part of running a company, but getting it right early on can save you headaches — and money — down the road. What corporate taxes does a newly incorporated startup have to worry about?

Elections are upon us and you may be wondering if your company is required to give its employees paid time off for voting. Like many other business compliance requirements, laws vary by state and even locality. The same is true for voting leave laws. While there is no federal law that requires organizations to provide time off for voting, many state and local jurisdictions require it. Sometimes this also includes providing time off to act as an election official at a voting poll.

Starting a business involves many moving parts, and if you’ve formed an LLC in Washington, one of those parts is filing an Initial Report. It might not be the most exciting step, but it’s a very important one. This report informs the state of who is responsible for running your business, where your company is based, and who will handle legal communications. Let’s review the Washington Initial Report, how to file it, and the fees involved.

One of your core responsibilities as a business owner is to comply with state regulations, including those regarding unclaimed funds. Unclaimed funds are assets like wages, refunds, or other forms of property that have been abandoned by their rightful owners. Every year, businesses must file an Ohio Annual Report of Unclaimed Funds to ensure that unclaimed property is returned to its rightful owners or remitted to the state for safekeeping.

The minimum hourly pay in Connecticut climbed to $15.69 as of Jan. 1, 2024, which comes on the heels of a minimum wage system that has already steadily risen in recent years. This rise is a component of a larger program related to the Employment Cost Index (ECI), which is intended to help earnings match everyday living expenses. Businesses have been especially affected by this systematic pay change. Knowing about these changes ahead of time can ensure you remain compliant with state regulations and control your labor costs.

If you’re responsible for managing payroll compliance at your company, the Department of Labor (DOL) has introduced a significant update you must be aware of. As of July 1, 2024, the Foreign Labor Certification (FLC) Data Center website, which has been the go-to resource for prevailing wage data, was replaced. From that date forward, all wage data has been available through the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) website. This shift impacts how businesses, especially those hiring foreign workers under programs like H-1B and H-2A visas, access critical wage data — but don’t worry.

Every local or international company doing business in California must satisfy compliance standards. Among these responsibilities is filing a biennial Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State, which ensures that an organization’s management and address are up to date. This guide will give you an in-depth overview of the Statement of Information needs for 2024, focusing on limited liability companies (LLCs) that must follow the biennial filing procedure.