On January 31, 2024, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury issued Internal Revenue Circular Letter No. 24-01 (CL IR 24-01) announcing the applicable 2024 limits for Puerto Rico qualified retirement plans. Pursuant to...more
On November 13, 2023, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi signed Act No. 129-2023, increasing the duration of maternity leave for government employees. The new Act amends various laws that regulate this leave in the public...more
On May 11, 2023, Puerto Rico Governor Hon. Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order No. 2023-012 (“EO 2023-012” or “EO”), through which he declared the end of the state of emergency caused by COVID-19. Governor Pierluisi...more
The Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury recently issued Internal Revenue Circular Letter No. 23-01 (CL IR 23-01) announcing the applicable 2023 limits for Puerto Rico qualified retirement plans. Pursuant to Section...more
On September 17, 2022, Puerto Rico Governor Hon. Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order No. OE-2022-045, declaring a state of emergency due to the passing of Hurricane Fiona through the Island. Likewise, on September 21,...more
The Puerto Rico Department of Health (PR DOH) has issued new Guidelines for Case Investigation and Contact Tracing for COVID-19 (Guidelines). These provide updates to previously issued quarantine and isolation guidelines....more
With COVID-19 positivity rates falling below 3.4%, on March 7, 2022, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order 2022-019 (EO), drastically changing previously issued COVID-19 measures and guidelines by...more
On January 28, 2022, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi issued three additional executive orders in connection to COVID-19. These executive orders span a wide range of sectors, from travelers to private-sector employers and...more
1/31/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Puerto Rico ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Traveling Employee ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On January 14, 2022, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury issued Internal Revenue Circular Letter No. 22-01 (CL IR 22-01) announcing the applicable 2022 limits for Puerto Rico qualified retirement plans. ...more
Under the authority delegated by the different executive orders currently in effect, on January 4, 2022, the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PR DOH) updated its Protocol for COVID-19 Case Management in the Workplace...more
Given the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Omicron variant, the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PR DOH) implemented, through an amendment to the Case Investigation and Contact Tracing Guidelines...more
Given the recent increase in COVID-19 positivity rates in Puerto Rico, on Thursday, August 5, 2021, Governor Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order No. 2020-062, adopting new vaccination measures for different sectors. ...more
8/11/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Puerto Rico ,
Tourism ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On November 16, 2020, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (“PR DOL”) issued Circular Letter No. 2020-05, discussing considerations for private sector employers when requesting an exemption from paying the...more
On August 7, 2020, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Hon. Wanda Vázquez Garced, signed into law the “Act to Prohibit and Prevent Workplace Harassment in Puerto Rico,” previously known as House Bill No. 306....more
To combat exposure to COVID-19, Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced issued Executive Order EO-2020-023 on March 15, 2020, ordering an island-wide lockdown and curfew. The restrictions have been extended several times....more
On April 9, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Puerto Rico Governor Hon. Wanda Vázquez-Garced signed into law House Bill No. 2428 (“Bill No. 2428”), now Act No. 37-2020, to amend the Puerto Rico Minimum Salary,...more
On March 30, 2020, following the recommendations of the Medical Task Force convened to address the COVID-19 pandemic, Puerto Rico Governor Hon. Wanda Vazquez-Garced issued two additional executive orders to help contain the...more
On March 23, 2020, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources issued Opinion No. 2020-02 (Opinion 2020-02) discussing provisions applicable to both exempt and non-exempt private-sector employees...more
In light of the State of Emergency declared by Puerto Rico Governor Hon. Wanda Vázquez-Garced, and the closing of most government agencies as a result of Executive Order 2020-023, several employment-related agencies have...more
To help limit the spread of COVID-19, governments have implemented strict and serious measures on social distancing, population curfews and even total lockdowns. In Puerto Rico, Governor Hon. Wanda Vázquez-Garced issued a...more
On March 14, 2020, new Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources Regulations to administer the Equal Pay Program will come into effect. The Regulations were enacted pursuant to Act. No. 16 of March 8, 2017, as...more
3/10/2020
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Regulations ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Puerto Rico ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
On February 20, 2020, the Puerto Rico Treasury Department (PR Treasury) issued Internal Revenue Circular Letter No. 20-08 (CC RI 20-08) granting employers temporary income tax exemptions over payments and certain benefits...more
On February 20, 2020, the Puerto Rico Treasury Department (PR Treasury) issued Internal Revenue Circular Letter Number 20-09 (CC RI 20-09) to provide special rules and procedures applicable to distributions from qualified...more
2/24/2020
/ Distribution Rules ,
Earthquakes ,
Employee Benefits ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Natural Disasters ,
Puerto Rico ,
Qualified Retirement Plans ,
Retirement Plan ,
Tax Planning ,
Withholding Requirements