#compliance
Compliance
Navigate regulatory compliance and maintain audit-ready financial records
The $2,965 Question: Budgeting for USCIS's Latest Premium Processing Fee Hike
Effective March 1, 2026, USCIS raised the premium processing fee for H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN, and E-3 petitions from $2,805 to $2,965 — a 5.72% CPI-indexed increase that recurs every two years. Full fee table for Forms I-129, I-140, I-539, and I-765, plus how small employers can budget for total sponsorship costs of $6,770–$9,770 per hire.
USDA's "Product of USA" Label Rule Is Now Enforceable: What Small Meat, Poultry, and Egg Sellers Must Document
Since January 1, 2026, USDA's FSIS requires any "Product of USA" claim on meat, poultry, or eggs to mean born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the U.S. — and sellers must produce origin, traceability, and attestation records within 24 hours of an inspector's request.
Virginia's SB 170: No Severance, No Noncompete — What Employers Must Do Before July 1, 2026
Virginia's SB 170, signed April 13, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, makes noncompetes unenforceable when an employee is terminated without cause and receives no severance — for every income level, with penalties up to $10,000 per violation. Here's what employers must change in agreements, budgets, and books.
West Virginia's New Cottage Food Permit: How SB 44 Lets Home Producers Sell Pickled, Fermented, and Refrigerated Foods
West Virginia's Senate Bill 44, effective June 12, 2026, created a potentially hazardous cottage food vendor permit that lets home producers legally sell pickled and fermented vegetables, acidified salsas and hot sauces, kombucha, and refrigerated items like custards and cream pies. The permit requires a kitchen inspection, food safety training, a WVDA permit, and water testing for kitchens on private wells, while raw meat, poultry, seafood, and Grade A dairy remain prohibited under both cottage food tiers.
AI Training Is Fair Use, But Piracy Isn't: What Two Landmark Copyright Rulings Mean for Your Business
Bartz v. Anthropic ended in a $1.5 billion settlement — roughly $3,000 per pirated book — while holding that AI training on lawfully acquired books is fair use; Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence went the other way. Here's what both rulings mean for small businesses using AI tools, plus a contract due-diligence checklist.
Can You Reclassify an Exempt Professional as Non-Exempt? DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-1 Says Yes
DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-1 (January 5, 2026) confirms employers may voluntarily classify an overtime-exempt learned professional as non-exempt, because non-exempt status is the FLSA default. Here's what the letter says, the three-prong exemption test under 29 CFR § 541.301, and a practical reclassification checklist for small businesses.
DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-3: Why Mandatory Roll Call Counts as Hours Worked — and How Section 7(b) Changes the Overtime Math
In January 2026, the DOL's Wage and Hour Division ruled in Opinion Letter FLSA2026-3 that a mandatory 15-minute pre-shift roll call under a collective bargaining agreement is compensable hours worked — but a properly structured FLSA Section 7(b)(1) or 7(b)(2) exemption can absorb that time at straight-time pay instead of an overtime premium. Here's how the thresholds work and what the math looks like for a 20-person dispatch center.
Do Quarterly Bonuses Require Overtime Recalculation? DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-6 Explains the Exception
DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-6 (May 28, 2026) confirms that a quarterly bonus paid as a fixed percentage of total earnings — straight-time plus overtime — satisfies FLSA overtime requirements under 29 CFR § 778.210 with no workweek-by-workweek recalculation. Here are the four conditions the exception depends on and a compliance checklist for small businesses.
FASB Settles How to Account for Factored Receivables Billed Before the Work Is Done: ASU 2025-12 Issue 20 and ASC 860
FASB's ASU 2025-12 (Issue 20) clarifies that receivables recognized before performance is complete — annual SaaS billed upfront, retainers, construction progress billings — fall under ASC 860's transfer rules when sold or factored, not ASC 470 debt guidance by default. The fix takes effect for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026, with issue-by-issue early adoption, and sale treatment still requires passing the true-sale test.
FTC Bans Air AI From Selling Business Opportunities: What the $18M AI-Washing Case Means for Buyers
The FTC's March 2026 settlement permanently bans Air AI and its owners from marketing business opportunities after buyers lost up to $250,000 on exaggerated AI earnings claims. Here's what the $18 million judgment covers, how the Business Opportunity Rule's seven-day disclosure and Earnings Claim Statement protect buyers, and a practical checklist for vetting any AI-powered business pitch.
Georgia's Dignity and Pay Act: What the End of Subminimum Wage Means for Employers of Disabled Workers
Georgia's Dignity and Pay Act requires Section 14(c) certificate holders to pay workers with disabilities at least half the federal minimum wage ($3.63/hour) starting July 1, 2026, and bans subminimum wages entirely after June 30, 2027. What certificate holders — sheltered workshops, community rehabilitation programs, and nonprofits — need to model in payroll budgets, grant contracts, and job costing before both wage steps hit.
Sale Barn Bookkeeping: How Livestock Auctions Must Handle Custodial Trust Accounts Under the Packers and Stockyards Act
Livestock auction markets are federal fiduciaries under the Packers and Stockyards Act — custodial accounts must be funded by the next business day, reimbursed in full within seven days, and reconciled monthly. This guide covers the chart of accounts a sale barn needs, how the required surety bond is calculated from sale volume, and why Beef Checkoff and brand-inspection fees must stay out of revenue.