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IRS Provides Guidance for Payroll Tax Deferrals and Credits

Client Alert

Delay of Payment of Payroll Taxes Penalty and Interest Relief

                Under the CARES Act, provision was made for the delay in the payment of the employer portion of the Social Security, Medicare, and Railroad Retirement taxes for wages accrued during the period beginning March 27, 2020 and ending December 31, 2020. Instead of being due on the regular due date for the employer to deposit the taxes, one-half of the employer portion of the taxes for that period would be due on December 31, 2021, and the remaining one-half on December 31, 2022. Employers and self- employed individuals are both eligible for this relief provided they have not had indebtedness forgiven under either Sections 1106 or 1109 of the CARES Act. 

                What was not addressed was the imposition of interest and penalty for failure to make timely deposits of payroll taxes. This was resolved in Notice 2020-22 which was released on March 31, 2020.  Provided the employer pays the amounts by the due dates (December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022), no penalty or interest will be imposed. However, this does not relieve the employer of making timely deposit of all employee withheld taxes and filing the quarterly Form 941.  

Advance Payment of Employer Credits Due to COVID-19

                On March 31, 2020, the IRS also released Form 7200, Advance Payment of Employer Credits Due to COVID-19. This form allows employers (but not self-employed individuals) who are eligible for tax credits for qualified sick and qualified family leave wages as well as the employee retention credit to request an advance payment of the credits that they will claim on the Form 941, 943, 944 series or Form CT-1. 

                This form may be filed for an advance payment of any credits that an employer anticipates receiving before the end of the month following that quarter.  Simply put, you must file this Form before you file the appropriate quarterly tax reporting form that you normally file.  It is important to remember not to file to request an advance payment for any anticipated credits if you have already reduced your deposits for those amounts. Of particular note is that Form 72 MUST be fax filed to (855) 248-0552.

Date Clarification for Payments Eligible for Qualified Sick and Qualified Family Leave Under FFCRA

                The IRS has also released Notice 2020-21 which states that the official dates between which wages earned (not paid) during the period April 1, 2020, and December 1, 2020, are those which are eligible for the credit. It was further stated in the FAQs on the IRS website that it is the date they are earned or accrued and not the date that the actual payment is made which is key. Therefore, the actual payment may occur in January 2021, but still be an eligible amount. 

For questions, or more information, please contact BMD Tax Member Priscilla Grant at pag@bmdllc.com or 330.253.5934.


The Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s Latest Batch of Rules: What Providers Should Know

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy released several new rules and proposed amendments to existing rules over the past month that will significantly impact pharmacy operations. Topics range from updates to the Terminal Distributor of Dangerous Drugs license to mobile clinics to mandatory rest breaks for pharmacists of outpatient pharmacies. A summary of the proposed changes is below, along with instructions for commenting on the rules. Your BMD healthcare attorney can help write comment letters and submit the comments on your behalf as well.

Employee or Independent Contractor? New Guidance Issued by the Department of Labor

On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-awaited final rule — effective March 11, 2024 — revising its prior interpretation of worker classifications under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The new final rule rescinds the standard previously established in 2021, in turn, shifting the analysis of whether a worker is an employee (versus an independent contractor) of a business from a more streamlined “economic reality” test to a more complex “totality of the circumstances” standard.

Increased Medicaid Rates to Take Effect This Month for Ohio Providers

As required by House Bill 33, Ohio’s 2024-2025 operating budget bill, reimbursement rates paid by the Ohio Department of Medicaid will increase for a wide range of providers starting on January 1, 2024.

Corporate Transparency Act Update

The Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), with an effective date of January 1, 2024, is set to impose strict reporting guidelines on business owners throughout the country. The following provides a brief update on two aspects of the CTA ahead of its effectiveness next week.

The Second Wave of UnitedHealthcare's Prior Authorization Cuts Started in November

In August 2023, UnitedHealthcare released its plan to eliminate roughly one-fifth of its then-current prior authorization requirements. The first round of prior authorization cuts took effect on September 1, 2023. In that round, UnitedHealthcare eliminated the necessity for some prior authorizations for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage, UnitedHealthcare commercial, UnitedHealthcare Oxford and UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange plan members. The second and final round of prior authorization cuts began on November 1, 2023. The November 2023 Prior Authorization Cuts apply to the same plans as well as community plans (i.e., Medicaid managed care plans).