With a state as large and diverse as California, it appeals to businesses. However, the state’s unique employment law requirements can pose challenges to employers new to the state. The following are some action items...more
The State of California recently updated two pamphlets that must be provided to new hires. The California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Workers Compensation updated its “Time of Hire” Pamphlet. Employers...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Collaborations with athletes, actors, and singers have always been a great way for companies to grow their brand recognition and create profitable products. With the Super Bowl (and, of course, its famed...more
What does the recent OTA ruling tell you about a California tax audit? What can we learn from the results of an investigation by the Office of Tax Appeals (OTA) into the practices of a California tax agency? Why do you need...more
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released the 2024 Voluntary Plan Employee Contribution and Benefit Rate. Employers with employees located in California are generally required to withhold and send...more
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released the Voluntary Plan Employee Contribution and Benefit Rates for 2023. Employers with employees located in California are generally required to withhold and...more
The EDD is aggressively pursuing unemployment tax audits aimed at evaluating potential independent contractor misclassification. Presumably due to the overwhelming financial burden the pandemic imposed, the EDD is pursuing...more
On September 29, 2022, California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1601, which requires an employer of customer service employees in a call center to comply with the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (Cal/WARN)...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation that will expand CalSavers, the state’s IRA-based retirement program, to cover virtually all California employers that do not sponsor their own qualified retirement...more
In 2020, California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1731, which created an alternative process for employers to submit and be approved for work-sharing plan programs. Previously some employees would be eligible for unemployment...more
California’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) program, which is administered by the Employment Development Department (EDD) provides eligible employees with up to 8 weeks of wage replacement benefits when an employee is off work for...more
Recently, the Biden administration announced plans for a federal paid family leave program – something that has been available to California employees for over a decade. California’s Paid Family Leave (“PFL”) program,...more
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released the Voluntary Plan Employee Contribution and Benefit Rates for 2021. Employers are required to withhold and send state disability contributions to the...more
Final Post in a Three-Post Series Regarding Recent Regulatory Action by FinCEN - On September 29, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) published a request for comment on existing regulations regarding...more
Signed into law on September 28, 2020, AB 1731 moves California’s work sharing program into the 21st century by mandating an online application process and specific deadlines for delivering claim forms. Work sharing is an...more
On September 28, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1731 (“AB 1731”), which creates an alternative process for employers to submit and be approved for work-sharing plan programs. Previously some employees would be...more
As we have previously reported, California law utilizes the “ABC” test to determine if workers are employees or independent contractors for purposes of the Labor Code, the Unemployment Insurance Code, and the wage orders of...more
As many states progress through different phases of reopening, companies are preparing for their employees to return to work. Employers are also noting, however, that some states are seeing COVID-19 cases surge....more
As California proceeds through the stages of reopening businesses in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, the California state legislature is considering various bills to lighten the load for employers as they attempt to recover...more
The current crisis caused by COVID-19 will leave its mark on history in many ways, not the least of which will be an economy turned on its head. Since the pandemic established its foothold in the U.S., there have been nearly...more
On April 9, 2020, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury (the “Secretary”) and the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) issued Notice 2020-23 (the “Notice”), which extends the deadline for performance of a long list...more
California's Unemployment Insurance (UI) program pays benefits to individuals who have become unemployed or partially unemployed and who meet the program's eligibility requirements. The eligibility requirements include that...more
The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service offered relief from federal tax return filing and tax payment deadlines to certain taxpayers under Notices 2020-17 and -18. Such federal extension of time to file l...more
As employers navigate the economic impacts of COVID-19, they may consider participating in the Employment Development Department’s (“EDD”) Work Sharing Unemployment Insurance Program (“WSP”) as an alternative to employee...more
Updated on 3/26/20 - In order to combat the adverse economic effects in which many individuals and businesses are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the federal government and the State of California will...more