The Equal Pay Act, Explained: What Small Employers Owe Workers in Substantially Equal Jobs
The Equal Pay Act requires equal pay for substantially equal work — intent is irrelevant. The four-part test, the four defenses, and a six-step payroll audit.
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Financial considerations when hiring employees or contractors
The FLSA Duties Tests, Explained: How the Executive, Administrative, Professional, Computer, and Outside Sales Exemptions Work — Plus the Salary Basis Rule That Disqualifies Hourly Managers
A salary above $35,568 doesn't make a worker exempt — FLSA duties tests and the salary basis rule decide, and titles count for nothing.
Controller vs. CFO: Which Finance Hire Your Business Actually Needs First
A controller fixes the books; a CFO turns them into strategy. Hire the controller first unless your books are already clean.
Outsourced Bookkeeping vs. In-House vs. Fractional CFO: What a $1M–$5M Business Really Pays
A $1M–$5M business pays $300–$1,500 a month for outsourced bookkeeping, ~$6,000 fully loaded in-house, or $3,000–$8,000 for a fractional CFO.
RVUs Explained for Practice Owners: How Work Relative Value Units Set Physician Pay, Staffing, and Your Fee Schedule
A relative value unit prices each service your practice bills: physician work plus practice expense plus malpractice, times Medicare's $33.40 conversion factor.
Who Decides Employee vs. Contractor? How Form SS-8 Determinations Work and Why Workers File Form 8919
Form SS-8 lets either side ask the IRS to rule whether a worker is an employee; misclassified workers then pay only their 7.65% share via Form 8919.
California's AB 2477 Lets Pest Control Trainees Work Under Supervision While Their License Is Pending
California AB 2477 lets pest-control trainees spray outdoors under supervision for 60 days from January 2028 — after 80 hours of documented training.
Just Hired Your First Employee? What New-Employer SUTA Rates Cost in 2026
New-employer SUTA rates run 1–4% on 2026 wage bases from $7,000 to $78,200 — pay on time to keep the 5.4% FUTA credit.
Hire Your Kids and Pay Less Tax: FICA and FUTA Exemptions, the Standard-Deduction Pay Target, and the Records That Survive an Audit
A parent's sole proprietorship can pay a child up to $16,100 in 2026 wages federal-tax-free — no FICA under 18, no FUTA under 21.
An Employee Owes Child Support? Your Small-Business Guide to Income Withholding Orders, Medical Support Notices, and New-Hire Reporting
Federal law caps child-support withholding at 50–65% of disposable earnings — withhold, remit to the SDU in 7 days, and enroll the child.
Small Business Saturday 2026 Playbook: How Independent Retailers and Restaurants Win on November 28
Small Business Saturday 2026 falls November 28. Stock gifts early, staff up, and push gift cards to turn one day into 15% of annual revenue.
Can You Run a Credit Check on Job Applicants? State Bans and FCRA Rules for Small Employers
Eleven US states now bar most employer credit checks. Where they stay legal, the FCRA requires written disclosure, consent and adverse action notices.