"The current forms are more streamlined than their predecessors, require less time to fill out, and are able to be completed remotely via an electronic signature feature."  MORE >>

"Senate Bill 616 expanded the state's existing paid sick leave mandate to require employers to provide higher caps of paid sick time. The amendment increases the annual amount of CA paid sick leave from 3 days/24 hours to 5 days/40 hours. The accrual cap has increased from 48 hours to 80 hours. This applies whether an employer chooses to accrue or frontload paid sick leave."  MORE >>

"[D]on’t end your resolutions with HIPAA ... Consider ERISA’s fiduciary duties, which may require plan sponsors to implement cybersecurity measures for health and welfare plans that aren’t subject to HIPAA, and to review the cybersecurity practices of all ERISA plan service providers. The FTC may require additional cybersecurity measures, particularly for mobile technologies and other digital solutions ... Beware of embedded tracking technologies[.]"  MORE >>

"On Dec. 18, the FTC and the Justice Department released new guidelines, effectively increasing scrutiny of efforts to further market concentration with the intent of making competition more fulsome.... If a merger might result in more than a 30 percent market share, or if a newly vertically integrated company would gain control of 50 percent of a related market, then that triggers this increased scrutiny[.]"  MORE >>

"Due to IRS administrative issues involving the EFAST2 system, the IRS is postponing electronic filing of Form 5558 through EFAST2 until Jan. 1, 2025. Plan sponsors and administrators should continue to use a paper Form 5558 to request a one-time extension of time to file a Form 5500 series or Form 8955-SSA (up to 2½ months after the normal due date for Form 5500s or Form 8955-SSA)."  MORE >>