Employment Law

Are you paying attention to employment law requirements? If you aren't, you should be. Not only are you required to follow specific regulations concerning employment law, but you are also required to notify your employees of their employment law rights by placing an employment law poster in a conspicuous place in your business where your employees will be likely to see it, such as an employee break room. There are eight basic Federal employment laws that you should be aware of and understand.

The first of these is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This employment law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin and sex. In addition, sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and sexual harassment is also prohibited under this employment law.

Next, there is the Civil Rights Act of 1966. This employment law prohibits discrimination based on race or ethnic origin.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits employers from paying different wages to men and women that perform essentially the same work under similar working conditions.

Most employers have heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but do not understand how this employment law can impact them. This law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin or citizenship of persons who are authorized to work in the United States.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, also known as ADEA, prohibits discrimination against individuals who are age 40 or above.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination against minorities based on poor credit ratings.

The Bankruptcy Act prohibits discrimination against anyone who has declared bankruptcy.

In addition to these employment laws, you are also subject to the following employment laws.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act provides specific regulations regarding the safety and health conditions of employers and employees in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories

FMLA, the Family Medical Leave Act, allows employees to take unpaid leave from their jobs under specific conditions.

Under the Employee Polygraph Protection Act Labor Law, private employers are not allowed to use lie detector tests for either pre-employment screenings or during the course of employment.

FLSA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, provides for minimum wage and overtime pay standards as well as recordkeeping and child labor standards in private as well as public employment.

Beyond the major Federal employment laws, you will also need to make sure that you are in compliance with state employment law as well. Each state may provide for employment laws in addition to the federal employment laws mentioned above. For example, California employment law covers several areas such as unemployment labor law insurance, temporary services or leasing labor law and state disability labor law.

About The Author

Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com

Self-Employment Tax

Who must may self-employment tax? If you are self-employed, you will be responsible for self-employment tax. For the purpose of determining self-employment tax, you are self-employed if you are a sole proprietor, an independent contractor, a member of a partnership, or are otherwise in business for yourself. As a self-employed individual you will have a Schedule C to attach to your Form 1040, and self-employment tax is computed on Form 1040, Schedule SE. Individuals must pay self-employment tax is they have net earnings of $400 or more. They are several sources of net earnings that are used when figuring your self-employment tax liability. In most cases, net earnings include net profit from a farm or nonfarm business. If you operate more than one business, your net earnings from self-employment are the combined net earnings from all your businesses. If you have a loss in one business, it reduces the income from another. Self-employment tax is the self-employed individual's contribution to social security and Medicare taxes. The only difference between the employee and the self-employed is the employee's social security and Medicare taxes are paid half by the employee and half by the employer. When an individual is self-employed, he/she is responsible for the entire amount.

There are alternative methods that can be used for figuring liability of self-employment tax. The Farm Optional Method and the NonFarm Optional Method may qualify an individual to claim a larger Earned Income Credit or Child Tax Credit. They may also, however, increase your self-employment tax liability.

The maximum amount of earnings subject to self-employment tax is currently $87,000.00 and when figuring your adjusted gross income on Form 1040, you may deduct up to one-half of your self-employment tax liability. If you are member of the ministry or clergy you may request an exemption from self-employment tax from the IRS.

In summary, if you are self-employed, have net earnings of $400 or more, and file a tax return, you will be subject to self-employment tax. To learn more about individual liabilities, exemptions, and alternative tax methods, please visit the online site for IRS Forms and Publications at www.IRS.gov . Topic 554, Publication 517 and 533 will provide more detailed and situation specific information.

About The Author

Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com

Background Checks – Quintessential In Today’s World Of Employment

A background check is essentially a verification procedure. It is a method of investigating the past of an individual and his achievements and failures for the purpose of recruitment. This helps the employer to judge the validity of information furnished by the prospective employee.

Any company must go through a proper and systematic background checking before making a hiring decision. Background checks have proved to be more beneficial and effective in comparison to personal interviews and information provided by resumes and Reference Letters.

Background checks are organized methods of investigation, where the company follows a particular course of action by conducting a research work as par requirement disregarding additional unnecessary details. The requirement of screening by Federal or Sate Law has become necessary in most professional specifications.

Background check becomes more crucial and indispensable when an employer has to select the best among several potential applicants. A correct detection, results in the gift of a worthy employee. In the United States, the Brandy Bill requires criminal background checks for purchasing handguns from licensed firearm dealers. Restricted weaponry items like machine guns and other explosives, suppressors and huge quantities of precursor chemicals and secret weapons permit also requires a thorough criminal background check.

Background checks are also compulsory for those in positions of honor, greater responsibility and security. These include trucking, ports of entry and airline transportation.

Background reports consist a variety of information beginning with the certification of an applicant’s Social Security number to a complete variety of specifications of the employee’s past accounts and connections. Some of the significant information generally included in background checks is public records formed by government agencies.

The Credentials of Background Checks

• Driving Records
• Social Security Number
• Cases Of Bankruptcy
• Property Ownership
• Former Employers
• Vehicle Registration
• Education Records
• Character References
• Military Records
• Personal testimonials
• Credit Records
• Court Records
• Neighbor Interview
• State Licensing Records
• Past Records Of Imprisonment And Confinement
• Criminal Records
• Worker’s Compensation
• Medical Documents
• Drug Test Documents
• Sex Offender Lists

These above-mentioned details regarding an individual are enough to give the concern an idea of the several traits and characteristics of an eligible candidate. In short, background check can easily be termed as eligibility test to judge the legal worthiness of a candidate regarding a particular professional placement.

About The Author

Finance and Business expert James Warden regularly submits articles for both personal and business interests. More info can be found at: http://trabecca.com.