COVID-19 Update August 25, 2020

If you haven’t heard, two named storms have entered the Gulf of Mexico at one time – Marco and Laura. Tropical Storm Marco made landfall last night and continues to weaken with unfavorable upper-level winds. Hurricane Laura has continued to grow in intensity and is expected to arrive on Thursday, so evacuations are underway from Houston to Lake Charles. The team at Delta is taking things one day at a time, remaining open for the time being. We have created this survival guide with links to useful toolkits and resources for your safety.

Still nothing new to report from DC in regards to pandemic or stimulus legislation, but SHRM has created a list of 5 steps to take when an employee gets COVID-19.

Additionally, we’ve received several questions about the memorandum for deferring Social Security taxes, so we wanted to clarify things by sharing a statement released by the president of our NAPEO association, Pat Cleary: “ A common theme throughout the business community in response to this memorandum is the concern that employers will be responsible for the repayment of the payroll tax deferral. Federal tax law and IRS regulations make it clear that the employer is liable for unpaid payroll taxes – stated clearly on this IRS webpage.” Our association has joined with most CPA firms and all business associations for clarity on this subject.  Our position at Delta is to opt-out of allowing employees to participate if they are eligible until this liability portion has been cleared up.

Furthermore, the Department of Labor has provided some new guidance on tracking telecommuters’ work hours. If you have anyone still working remotely, you should provide a reporting procedure for unscheduled time. If you’re wondering how much time an employer is required to give employees under the FFCRA, the Florida United Business Association (FUBA) has published some FAQs relating to the allowances. Lastly, as businesses slowly reopen, many employers are considering offering hazard premiums for workers with greater risk of exposure during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Please stay safe and let us know if we could be of assistance!