New Guidelines for Written Notices of Wages and Payday

Make sure you follow New York State Department of Labor Division of Labor Standards New Guidelines for Written Notice of Wages and Payday effective April 9, 2011. Use Armao, Costa & Ricciardi CPA's guidelines to make sure that all new hires are onboarded properly and that you provide your current employees with information required by law. Be informed and stay compliant.

Goverment Cheat Sheet

As a small business owner, there’s a lot to keep track of.  Federal and NYS depository rules, sales tax requirements, labor related issues and health care reform are only a few.   I’ve always wanted a cheat sheet that to keep in my back pocket, so to speak, for quick reference.  What’s the number for IRS assistance for a corporation?  It’s on there.  The phone number for NYC business customer assistance?  On there.  Gift tax exclusion?  Got it.  Limits on pension plans?  That’s on there too.   Do you wish you had one of these as well?   Wish granted; Armao, Costa & Ricciardi, CPAs puts together such a list each year and this year they were nice enough to share their list with Basso On Business and our online community.

Just click the link below and hit the print button for your must have phone numbers and important updates.  Enjoy!

http://acrcpa.com/pdf/Quick%20Reference%20Guide%202011.pdf

Do You Ping.fm?

I was speaking at a Chamber of Commerce recently, and asked the business owners in attendance to raise their hands if they utilized social media at their organization. About half the hands in the room went up. When I asked who actively used both Facebook and Twitter, only a smattering of hands went up. I found it surprising that while half the business owners in attendance used social media to a certain extent, only one profile was actively maintained and updated.

I started to think about why this could be the case and thought about how our usage of social media evolved. At my organization, we find both tools very important in getting out our message. We have thousands of followers on Twitter who may not follow us on Facebook, or vice versa, and it’s important our message is heard by everyone. We also use LinkedIn, and we want to make sure we reach out to our followers on that platform as well. When trying to simply our messaging on these platforms, we discovered a simple and easy to use website that connected all three for us, Ping.fm. Ping.fm connects all three platforms and with a click of a button, allows us to spread the word instantly. Sure, there are a few pitfalls such as the character limit for Twitter when you want to attach a link. Normally you have to shorten the link yourself. However with Ping.fm this is an easy to fix; just make sure your actual message text is within the character limit (leaving a few for the link) and any link you add will be automatically shortened to fit. Another added feature is a unique Ping.fm email address that is created with your profile. Simply send this email a message (limited to your 140 Twitter characters) and Ping.fm will post the message for you. Easy posting on the go!

So, the next time you update your Facebook and decide there’s no time to post to Twitter or the next time you tweet, just remember that there was an easier way to hit all your platforms at once and think about giving it a try.

For Middle Class Tax Relief Act and Social Security Tax Changes

http://liadvantage.com/ClientSetupForms/PayrollToolsResources/tabid/503/Default.aspx

For NYS min. wage requirement changes for the Hospitality Industry and NYS Guidelines for Written Notice of Rates of Pay and Regular Payday

2010 Tax Relief Act Tax Provisions Overview

As business owner, it's important to stay informed of changes that may affect your business, especially when it comes to changes in the tax laws. The recently enacted "Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010" is a comprehensive tax package that includes, among various other changes, an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for two years, estate tax relief, a two-year "patch" of the alternative minimum tax (AMT), and a including a two-percentage-point reduction in the Social Security payroll tax for workers. The bill also creates major new incentives for business and consumer spending in 2011, such as new incentives to invest in machinery and equipment, and a host of retroactively revived and extended tax breaks for individuals and businesses.

To get a more complete picture of the 2010 Tax Relief Act check out the reader-friendly overview that Armao, Costa & Ricciardi, CPA’s, put together on their website here. Make sure to speak to your CPA to ensure you are taking full advantage of all that these changes have to offer you and your business.