On January 20, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor issued new guidance on the State’s COVID-19 leave law, which requires that employers provide up to fourteen days of job-protected leave to eligible employees who are...more
On December 27, 2020, the latest of several COVID-19 relief packages became law, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “New Law”). One of the most notable benefits-related provisions in the New Law...more
On December 9, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued Notice 2020-86 which provides guidance relating to certain changes to the safe harbor rules that apply to 401(k) plans made by the Setting Every Community Up...more
As part of our series of continuing updates on different aspects of The Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”) and related legislation that may impact (or provide opportunities...more
The Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”), made sweeping changes to retirement plan rules. As part of our ongoing efforts to summarize key provisions of the SECURE Act that may...more
In April 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law new paid sick/safe leave requirements for all New York State employers (the “State Law”). We provided a summary of the State Law in our previous client alert. On...more
Signed into law on December 20, 2019 as part of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, The Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”), made sweeping changes to retirement...more
The Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”), made sweeping changes to retirement plan rules. As described in our prior alert, certain provisions took effect immediately and were...more
As we mentioned in an earlier post, New York recently enacted a permanent sick leave policy requiring all employers in New York State, regardless of size, to provide sick leave to their employees. Although employers are not...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued revised regulations regarding the availability of paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). These...more
The IRS recently issued IRS Notice 2020-50 (“Notice 2020-50”) which provides guidance for retirement plan sponsors and administrators, as well as to individuals, relating to the application of coronavirus-related...more
COVID-19 has made traditional notarization, where the notary is in the same physical location as the signatory, a potentially hazardous and often undesirable requirement. Many states have reacted to this by permitting remote...more
The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) recently issued Notice 2020-29 and Notice 2020-33 which allow employers to provide various new types of relief to employees participating in Section 125 cafeteria plans (including flexible...more
On April 29, 2020, the Employee Benefit Security Administration (“EBSA”) of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01 (“Notice 2020-01”), in response to the COVID-19 outbreak which was declared a...more
On April 28, 2020, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of the Treasury (the “Agencies”) signed a joint notification of relief, which was...more
On April 23, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued new guidance clarifying that employers may conduct mandatory testing of employees for COVID-19 before they enter the workplace so long as the...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing widespread shutdown of workplaces around the country continues (and for New Yorkers is expected to continue through at least May 15), government agencies have been busy issuing guidance...more
Over the past few weeks, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has provided relief to taxpayers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, by extending the deadline for payment and filing of individual income tax returns from April...more
Effective January 1, 2021, the majority of workers in New York will receive paid sick leave. On April 2, 2020, as part of New York’s budget approval process, the New York legislature and Governor Cuomo enacted a permanent...more
The New York State Court of Appeals recently issued a decision in a closely-watched case that helps to clarify the landscape regarding independent contractors and employees in the gig economy.
In In the Matter of the Claim...more
As employees begin requesting leave under the recently-passed New York legislation providing COVID-19-related sick leave (the “New York Act”) and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “FFCRA”), employers should...more
On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act” or the “Act”), a $2 trillion COVID-19 relief and stimulus package that offers extraordinary financial...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R. 748), known as the CARES Act, was enacted today. This legislation contains several important provisions for employers and plan administrators regarding their...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R. 748), known as the CARES Act, became law on March 27, 2020. This summary is the second part of our discussion of certain of the provisions of the CARES Act that can...more
As employers navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 public health crisis, many have been forced to consider difficult decisions about laying off and furloughing employees, or otherwise reducing employee work hours. In...more