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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires health insurance issuers and self-insured plan sponsors to pay Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute fees (PCORI fees). The fees are reported and paid annually using IRS Form 720 (Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return). Issuers and plan sponsors are generally required to pay the PCORI fees annually by July 31 of…

Each year, more than 5,000 workers are killed on the job. Additionally, more than 3.6 million employees are seriously injured each year while at work. Because of this, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) holds a nationwide event each August called Safe and Sound Week, which promotes the importance of companies incorporating safety and…

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) outlines requirements regarding labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for hazardous workplace chemicals throughout the United States. To align its requirements with the United Nation’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), OSHA recently issued a proposed rule to update the…

On May 18, 2021, the IRS issued Notice 2021-31, a guidance document on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) subsidy for continuation health coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). The Notice discusses the background of the subsidy and includes 86 questions and answers (Q&As) about its application. The COBRA Subsidy…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. This update loosens the CDC’s mask-wearing recommendations for those fully vaccinated, allowing many outdoor activities without a mask. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose…

On April 9, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a fact sheet containing FAQs addressing changes for taxpayers who received advance payments of the 2020 premium tax credit (PTC) due to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Understanding how recent legislative changes for the PTC affect individuals, families and their 2020 tax return is…

The $1.9 trillion relief bill, known as the American Rescue Plan, has been signed into law by President Joe Biden. Highlights of the bill include extended unemployment benefits, direct checks to individuals and more. While some of the bill was changed during its time with Congress, it’s largely similar to the initial version passed by…

President Donald Trump recently signed into law an emergency stimulus package designed to deliver approximately $900 billion in COVID-19-related aid.The chart below provides an overview of the highlights of the new stimulus package, and how it compares to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law in March 2020. This will…

On Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law an emergency stimulus package designed to deliver approximately $900 billion in COVID-19-related aid. This bill was passed by Congress after months of negotiation, and was attached to a $1.4 trillion spending package that will keep the government open for the fiscal year. Notably, this…

The IRS has added or updated more than 80 answers to questions in its series of FAQs on “COVID-19-Related Tax Credits for Required Paid Leave Provided by Small and Midsize Businesses.” The changes affect questions in all 13 of the subtopics covered by the FAQs. Refundable tax credits are available to businesses for employee paid…