Employers must be able to correctly determine who qualifies as an employee or independent contractor and the Department of Labor has published a final rule on January 10, 2024, to help employers make this distinction. In addition, a compliance guide is available for small employers.

The final rule provides six factors that businesses should consider when determining the workers status. These factors are:
(1) opportunity for profit or loss depending on managerial skill;
(2) investments by the worker and the potential employer;
(3) degree of permanence of the work relationship;
(4) nature and degree of control;
(5) extent to which the work performed is an integral part of the potential employer’s business; and
(6) skill and initiative.
 
No one factor or subset of factors determines if a worker is an employee or independent contractor. Rather, all the circumstances of the relationship should be examined. For a copy of the guidelines or more information, send your request to [email protected]
 

Beginning January 8, 2024, Texas employers must post a Reporting Workplace Violence notice in English and Spanish in a conspicuous place that is convenient to all employees as required by House Bill 915, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session (2023), and 40 Texas Administrative Code § 800.600.  If you need help ordering a new poster or would like an electronic copy of a Reporting Workplace Violence poster, send your request to [email protected] ​

Did you know that through the Social Security Verification Service, you can verify up to 10 names and SSNs (per screen) online and receive immediate results? This option is ideal to verify new hires and to ensure the accuracy of the data for W-2 reports. Reasons on why verifying SSN’s would be beneficial include;

• Correct names and SSNs on W-2 wage reports are the keys to the successful processing of your annual wage report submission.
• Saves processing costs and reduces the number of W-2c's.
• Allows Social Security to give the proper credit to your employees' earnings record, which will be important information in determining their Social Security benefits in the future.

While the service is available to all employers, it can only be used to verify current or former employees and only for wage reporting (Form W-2) purposes. To learn more, go to The Social Security Number Verification Service (ssa.gov)