Employees can be overpaid in even the most well-managed payroll department. Yes, it does happen when mistakes are made but it isn’t always the result of an error. Perhaps the employee received a sign-on bonus but did not stay for the required length of time. Or the employee was on advanced vacation but is now terminating before he or she has fully earned the time. No matter the reason, overpayments can and do happen and must be handled properly. The first questions that usually arise relate to IRS regulations. What is required if the overpayment occurred this year? But what if it occurred in a previous tax year, does that change the rules? Are the rules different for federal income tax than they are for social security or Medicare taxes? Recouping overpayments is also much more complex than just adhering to the IRS code! Wage and hour law compliance must also be honored when dealing with overpayments. Before the payroll department even needs to determine IRS requirements they must first determine if recouping the overpayment is even legal under the FLSA. Issues such as exempt employee status, minimum wage, and overtime rules for nonexempt employees must be considered when recovering overpayments from employees. And of course, the overpayment did not occur in a vacuum when it comes to state laws. Each individual state may have its own compliance issues involving wage and hour laws! Is there a time limit for recouping the overpayment in that state? Does the employee have to be notified in advance before the deductions can begin? Or does the state just say NO! to the whole process?
Areas covered:
Handling Overpayments under IRS and State Tax Codes:
Why a 1990 IRS Private Letter Ruling on handling overpayments applies today
Correcting overpayments in the same calendar tax year
Why asking for the gross is better than the net check for prior year overpayments
Correcting FICA taxes for a prior year's overpayment
Correcting FUTA/SUI taxes
Using Form W-2 or Form W-2c to report overpayments
Wage and Hour Laws and Their Impact on Recouping Overpayments:
The standards under the FLSA in terms of timeframe for recouping prior year overpayments
Is a written agreement for repayment always required under the FLSA
Collecting overpayments from exempt employees and its effect on salary basis compliance
Recouping overpayments and their effect on minimum wage and overtime requirements
Can employers treat advanced vacation payments as overpayments if an employee terminates
Where do the states stand on recouping overpayments?
Who Should Attend:
Payroll Executives/Managers/Administrators/Professionals/Practitioners/Entry Level Personnel
Human Resources Executives/Managers/Administrators
Accounting Personnel
Business Owners/Executive Officers/Operations and Departmental Managers
Lawmakers
Attorneys/Legal Professionals
Any individual or entity that must deal with the complexities and requirements of Payroll compliance issues.
Vicki Lambert
Vicki M. Lambert, CPP,
is President and Academic Director of The Payroll Advisor™, a firm
specializing in payroll education and training. The company offers a
payroll news service which keeps payroll professionals up-to-date on the
latest rules and regulations. With
over 35 years of hands-on experience in all facets of payroll functions
as well as over 20 years as a trainer and author, Ms. Lambert has
become the most sought-after and respected voice in the practice and
management of payroll issues. She has conducted open market training
seminars on payroll issues across the United States that have been
attended by executives and professionals from some of the most
prestigious firms in business today.
A
pioneer in electronic and online education, Ms. Lambert produces and
presents payroll related audio seminars, webinars and webcasts for
clients, APA chapters and business groups throughout the country. Ms.
Lambert is an adjunct faculty member at Brandman University in Southern
California and is the creator of and instructor for their Practical
Payroll Online program, which is approved for recertification hours by
the APA. She is also the Program Developer, Subject Matter Expert (SME),
and Facilitator for the Certificate in Payroll Practice and Management
Program offered by Cengage Learning / Ed2Go through hundreds of colleges
and universities across the country.