People First Initiative - IR-2020-59, March 25, 2020

To help people facing the challenges of COVID-19 issues, the Internal Revenue Service announced today a sweeping series of steps to assist taxpayers by providing relief on a variety of issues ranging from easing payment guidelines to postponing c

ompliance actions.

Per IRS Commissioner, Chuck Rettig, “The new IRS People First Initiative provides immediate relief to help people facing uncertainty over taxes. We are temporarily adjusting our processes to help people and businesses during these uncertain times. We are facing this together, and we want to be part of the solution to improve the lives of all people in our country."

These new changes include a variety of issues ranging from postponing certain payments related to Installment Agreements and Offers in Compromise to delaying collection and limiting certain enforcement actions. Click here to learn more!

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law on March 18, 2020.

In the coming days and weeks, federal regulatory agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL) and Health and Human Services (HHS), will provide guidance on how to execute or implement the new requirements. In the meantime, employers and advisors must rely on a good faith interpretation of the act’s text.

We are sharing everything we know below and will not be able to answer follow up questions about the act until agency guidance has been released, which will take some time. We will update the HR Support Center when we have more information, and we encourage you to check there.

***UPDATED Mar 20, 2020***

Dear Clients and Subscribers:

We previously communicated our ongoing efforts to support you, our associates, and the community during the quickly developing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We want to reiterate that we consider the health and well-being of all of us extremely important. No value can be placed on health!

During this time we have been receiving and answering a storm of questions regarding a variety of issues. We are going to address a couple of the top questions here, and provide the most current information, answers, and links to additional resources (more informational posts will follow):

A new piece of legislation by Minnesota lawmakers puts unprecedented pressure on businesses to make sure that they’re providing accurate documentation of employee wages. As of Monday, July 1st, 2019 employers are required to provide employees notice at the start of their job laying out wage or salary amount and the benefits available. Employers must also provide additional information in their pay stubs and include allowances taken out for lodging, food, and other incidentals.

A recent change in Minneapolis work law could affect your business -- even if your business headquarters, facilities, or office(s) are not located inside the city.