The new Form I-9 document (expiration date March 31, 2016) used to verify the identity and work authorization of all new hires includes an optional entry line for employees to provide their email addresses. The voluntary electronic verification program, E-Verify, which can be used in addition to, but not replace the Form I-9 process, has a new data field that asks for the employee’s email address. When the employee provides an email address on Form I-9, employers who use E-Verify are required to enter it into E-Verify. In the event of an information mismatch, E-Verify will now send e-mail notifications to those employees. This new email notification does not replace the current process. Employers are still required to notify employees of the mismatch and their right to contest.
Effective Sept. 9, E-Verify has combined the Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC) Notice and Referral Letter into the new Further Action Notice, which appears when an employee receives a TNC. The employer must select the language of the notice (English or Spanish), print and give the notice to the employee. The Further Action Notice explains the reason for the TNC and the employee’s right to contest it.
If the employee decides to contest the TNC, the employer must print and issue the new Referral Date Confirmation Notice that informs the employee of the date by which they must initiate contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Social Security Administration (SSA) to begin resolving the TNC. For employees who have provided email addresses, E-Verify will also provide an e-mail notice informing the employee of the date by which contact must be initiated with DHS or SSA to resolve the TNC.
When first accessing E-Verify after Sept. 9, 2013, E-Verify users must complete a short tutorial and knowledge check about these changes.
The Home Builders Association of Greenville are your neighbors and community leaders providing education and support for building industry professionals. We create jobs, encourage homeownership, and promote responsible growth throughout the upstate of South Carolina.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Remembering September 11
It has been 12 years since terrorists hijacked four airliners and launched an unprecedented attack on America. Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in one morning. Please join your HBA staff today in remembering those who lost their lives, and the families they left behind. Click here for a timeline of events on September 11, 2001.
Monday, September 9, 2013
GSA Business: South Carolina tied for second among states for business development
According to Area Development, a magazine specializing in site selection and facility planning, South Carolina and Georgia are ranked second in the country of top states for conducting business. Texas ranks first. Click here to read more at GSA Business.
NAHB: proposed 20 percent down rule eliminated
NAHB and home buyers across the land, six federal regulatory agencies on Aug. 28 released a revised proposed rule to implement the credit risk retention provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. The proposed rule would eliminate a 20 percent downpayment requirement and other onerous underwriting criteria that NAHB opposed. In an official statement, NAHB Chairman Rick Judson said that “this proposed, updated rule is a positive step toward ensuring that creditworthy home buyers have a better chance at securing affordable mortgage loans.” The agencies will seek public comment for 60 days (NAHB will weigh in) before holding a final vote on the new rule
Frequently Asked Questions about the Affordable Care Act
UPDATE (September 9, 2013):
Any employer with at least one employee and $500,000 in annual revenue must notify all employeess by letter about the Affordable Care Act's health-care exchanges. Failure to comply may result in fines up to $1,000 per day. Click on the links below for important information about this requirement for employers.
About the Affordable Care Act
Originally scheduled for Jan. 1, 2014, the Employer Shared Responsibility provisions of the Affordable Care Act will now go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. The White House announced the one-year postponement on July 2, 2013. Your HBA fought for this delay to give businesses more time to adjust to the new rules. In a letter to the Treasury Department, NAHB said "the employer community needs additional time to properly analyze their workforce and negotiate their plan designs. This is especially true for the small business community, which often lacks access to the human resources staff and technology available to larger businesses." The delay will provide employers additional time to plan and to adapt their employee health coverage policies to meet the still-to-be determined requirements of the law. The final rules regarding implementation have yet to be published, and it may be six months or more before the new rules are promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Frequently Asked Questions:
Which employers are subject to the shared responsibility provisions?
All employers who employ at least 50 full-time employees, or who employ an equivalent combination amounting to 50 full-time positions of full- and part-time employees, are subject to the shared responsibility provisions.
A full-time employee position is defined as 30 hours per week. Employers with less than 50 full-time employees are not subject to the shared responsibility provisions.
Will subcontractors be counted as employees?
No. Independent contractors are not employees, and are not to be considered in the determination of the 50 full-time employee threshold.
Are employers required to offer their employees health insurance?
No, but large employers (50 employees or more) who do not offer health insurance coverage to their full-time employees will likely be subject to the shared responsibility penalty. To avoid the penalty, these employers must offer health insurance coverage to substantially all full-time employees (95% or more), but not part-time employees.
What is an Employer Shared Responsibility penalty?
It is a non-deductible excise tax that will be imposed after Jan. 1, 2015 on employers who do not offer affordable health care insurance with minimum coverage levels to full-time employees, and when at least one of their full-time employees receives a tax credit for purchasing coverage through an Affordable Insurance Exchange.
If one of my full-time employees declines my offered health insurance, and purchases coverage through an Affordable Insurance Exchange, will I be subject to the employer shared responsibility tax?
No. As long as you offer qualifying affordable health insurance, you will not be subject to the tax penalty.
What is the amount of the tax for employers who do not offer health insurance?
The tax payment (or penalty) is $2,000 for each full-time employee, minus 30 employees. An example: the calculation for 50 full-time employees would be 50-30 = 20 x $2,000 = a penalty of $40,000).
What qualifies as an affordable health care plan with minimum coverage levels?
Under safe harbor provisions, offered health insurance coverage is affordable if the cost to the employee does not exceed 9.5% of the yearly wages paid to the employee by the employer. The minimum coverage level is met by offering a group health plan or group health insurance coverage that is either:
A plan fails to provide "minimum value" if it pays for less than 60% of covered health care expenses. A minimum value calculator will be made available by both the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist employers in their calculations.
Is the health insurance plan that I currently offer to my full-time employees sufficient to avoid payment of the employer shared responsibility tax?
Most health insurance plans that existed on March 23, 2010 are eligible for grandfathered status, provided that the plan is not subsequently changed to:
The IRS Question and Answer page will be an excellent resource once it has been updated. NAHB will monitor the progress of the proposed regulations, and will add information to this FAQ when it becomes available concerning the implementation of the Affordable Care Act components. We will also post a more definitive FAQ when the final regulations are published.
View the NAHB-submitted comments on the act, and the additional comments made by NAHB as a member of the Coalition to Promote Independent Entrepreneurs.
Any employer with at least one employee and $500,000 in annual revenue must notify all employeess by letter about the Affordable Care Act's health-care exchanges. Failure to comply may result in fines up to $1,000 per day. Click on the links below for important information about this requirement for employers.
- Technical Release at the Department of Labor
- Model notice to employees from employers who offer health insurance
- Model notice to employees from employer who do not offer health insurance
About the Affordable Care Act
Originally scheduled for Jan. 1, 2014, the Employer Shared Responsibility provisions of the Affordable Care Act will now go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. The White House announced the one-year postponement on July 2, 2013. Your HBA fought for this delay to give businesses more time to adjust to the new rules. In a letter to the Treasury Department, NAHB said "the employer community needs additional time to properly analyze their workforce and negotiate their plan designs. This is especially true for the small business community, which often lacks access to the human resources staff and technology available to larger businesses." The delay will provide employers additional time to plan and to adapt their employee health coverage policies to meet the still-to-be determined requirements of the law. The final rules regarding implementation have yet to be published, and it may be six months or more before the new rules are promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Frequently Asked Questions:
Which employers are subject to the shared responsibility provisions?
All employers who employ at least 50 full-time employees, or who employ an equivalent combination amounting to 50 full-time positions of full- and part-time employees, are subject to the shared responsibility provisions.
A full-time employee position is defined as 30 hours per week. Employers with less than 50 full-time employees are not subject to the shared responsibility provisions.
Will subcontractors be counted as employees?
No. Independent contractors are not employees, and are not to be considered in the determination of the 50 full-time employee threshold.
Are employers required to offer their employees health insurance?
No, but large employers (50 employees or more) who do not offer health insurance coverage to their full-time employees will likely be subject to the shared responsibility penalty. To avoid the penalty, these employers must offer health insurance coverage to substantially all full-time employees (95% or more), but not part-time employees.
What is an Employer Shared Responsibility penalty?
It is a non-deductible excise tax that will be imposed after Jan. 1, 2015 on employers who do not offer affordable health care insurance with minimum coverage levels to full-time employees, and when at least one of their full-time employees receives a tax credit for purchasing coverage through an Affordable Insurance Exchange.
If one of my full-time employees declines my offered health insurance, and purchases coverage through an Affordable Insurance Exchange, will I be subject to the employer shared responsibility tax?
No. As long as you offer qualifying affordable health insurance, you will not be subject to the tax penalty.
What is the amount of the tax for employers who do not offer health insurance?
The tax payment (or penalty) is $2,000 for each full-time employee, minus 30 employees. An example: the calculation for 50 full-time employees would be 50-30 = 20 x $2,000 = a penalty of $40,000).
What qualifies as an affordable health care plan with minimum coverage levels?
Under safe harbor provisions, offered health insurance coverage is affordable if the cost to the employee does not exceed 9.5% of the yearly wages paid to the employee by the employer. The minimum coverage level is met by offering a group health plan or group health insurance coverage that is either:
- A governmental plan
- Any other plan or coverage offered in the small or large group market within a state
- A grandfathered plan offered in the group market
A plan fails to provide "minimum value" if it pays for less than 60% of covered health care expenses. A minimum value calculator will be made available by both the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist employers in their calculations.
Is the health insurance plan that I currently offer to my full-time employees sufficient to avoid payment of the employer shared responsibility tax?
Most health insurance plans that existed on March 23, 2010 are eligible for grandfathered status, provided that the plan is not subsequently changed to:
- Significantly reduce benefits or coverage
- Raise co-insurance charges
- Significantly raise co-payment charges
- Significantly raise deductibles
- Significantly increase the employee’s share of the premium
- Decrease annual payment limits, or impose new limits
The IRS Question and Answer page will be an excellent resource once it has been updated. NAHB will monitor the progress of the proposed regulations, and will add information to this FAQ when it becomes available concerning the implementation of the Affordable Care Act components. We will also post a more definitive FAQ when the final regulations are published.
View the NAHB-submitted comments on the act, and the additional comments made by NAHB as a member of the Coalition to Promote Independent Entrepreneurs.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Volunteers Needed for the Upcoming Southern Home & Garden Show
Volunteers make your Home Builders Association’s programs and services
possible and the Southern Home and Garden Show, held September 27-29, is no exception! Our volunteers help us drive the parking
lot shuttles, assist exhibitors and volunteers at the Exhibitor
Registration and Will Call Desk, stock the Exhibitor Hospitality Lounge,
and visit and thank all of our exhibitors.
Volunteer opportunities are available Tuesday, September 24 to 29. To volunteer, sign up by clicking here.
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@hbaofgreenville.com or (864) 254-0133.
Volunteer opportunities are available Tuesday, September 24 to 29. To volunteer, sign up by clicking here.
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@hbaofgreenville.com or (864) 254-0133.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Survey: we would like your opinion
Your Home Builders Association of Greenville is developing an expansion of its annual awards program where we recognize members for their contributions to the association and the Home Building industry. The awards program, tentatively named "The Bridge Awards," will recognize excellence in Home Building, Remodeling, Sales and Marketing, and other elements of the industry.
We would like your opinion. Please take a short seven-question survey by clicking here. Your answers will help us better plan this new benefit of membership in your Home Builders Association.
We would like your opinion. Please take a short seven-question survey by clicking here. Your answers will help us better plan this new benefit of membership in your Home Builders Association.
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