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Hiring
Financial considerations when hiring employees or contractors
Payday Super Is Live: What Australian Small Business Employers Must Do Now
Australia's Payday Super reform, effective 1 July 2026, requires employers to remit superannuation guarantee contributions within 7 business days of payday, replacing the old quarterly deadline and late-payment offset with a stacked penalty regime that adds GIC interest, up to a 60% administrative uplift, and fund-choice loading.
Independent Contractor Misclassification: Why One Parking-Spot Company Paid $6 Million and What the 2026 DOL Rules Mean for Your Hiring
Contractor misclassification can cost over $100,000 per worker. Learn how the 2026 DOL rules tighten classification requirements and why industries from delivery services to healthcare tech are facing major reclassification lawsuits.
Kentucky HB 185: How the New Occupational License Predetermination Law Affects Small Business Hiring
Kentucky's HB 185, in effect statewide since July 15, 2026, lets applicants with a conviction history request a binding predetermination from a licensing board before paying for training, and bars boards from treating any felony as automatically disqualifying — a change that directly affects the labor pool for small businesses hiring cosmetologists, HVAC techs, real estate agents, and other licensed trades.
H-1B $100,000 Fee Struck Down: What the First Circuit Ruling Means for Small Employers
On July 24, 2026 the First Circuit denied a stay of the Massachusetts district court's vacatur of the $100,000 H-1B supplemental fee, so the charge is not currently being collected while the government's appeal proceeds — but the ruling isn't final and could reverse.
Your Payroll Provider Now Wants to Handle Your State Registrations Too — Here's Why That Matters
Gusto's acquisition of compliance-automation platform Mosey signals that multi-state registration is becoming a payroll-provider feature. Small businesses under 50 employees spend about $14,700 per employee per year on regulatory compliance, and a first hire in a new state triggers foreign qualification, withholding and SUTA accounts, workers' comp, and new-hire reporting — each with its own agency, deadline, and penalties.
Pay Transparency Laws in 2026: A State-by-State Guide for Small Businesses
As of 2026, roughly 20 states plus Washington D.C. require salary-range disclosure in job postings, and the laws apply based on where a remote job could be performed — not where the employer is based. Employee-count thresholds range from 1 to 50+, and penalties run from $250 per violation in Illinois to $25,000 in Massachusetts. Here is what small businesses must disclose, how to handle "Remote — US" listings, and a six-step compliance checklist.
Should Your Small Business Use a PEO? Co-Employment, Costs, and Liability Explained
A PEO enters a co-employment arrangement that shares payroll tax and compliance liability with your business — pricing runs $40-160 per employee per month or 2-12% of payroll, and IRS CPEO certification determines whether the PEO fully absorbs federal tax liability.
Colorado Rewrote Its AI Hiring Law: What Employers Must Do Before January 1, 2027
Colorado repealed SB 24-205 and replaced it with SB 26-189, which regulates automated decision-making technology (ADMT) in hiring starting January 1, 2027. Employers over 40 employees must give pre-use notice, provide a 30-day adverse-action explanation with human review, and retain records for three years — enforced only by the Attorney General, with penalties up to $20,000 per violation.
The 150-Hour Rule Is Cracking: What New State CPA Pathways Mean for Small Businesses
Roughly 42 U.S. states have passed or are advancing laws replacing the CPA 150-hour education rule with 120 hours plus experience — Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, Utah, and Iowa lead in 2026. Here's how the accountant shortage, new licensure pathways, and fractured license mobility affect who small businesses can hire.
Pay Transparency Laws Reach 20 Jurisdictions in 2026: A Remote Hiring Compliance Guide
Virginia's pay transparency law took effect July 1, 2026, and Maine's LD 54 follows on July 29, bringing active U.S. pay transparency jurisdictions to 20. Because the rules attach to where a remote candidate could work — not where your company is headquartered — a remote posting without a good-faith salary range can violate laws in states where you have no office. Here's what changed, why remote postings trigger multi-state obligations, and a practical compliance checklist.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI): What It Covers, What It Costs, and Who Needs It
EPLI covers wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims that general liability policies explicitly exclude. With defense costs averaging $120,000–$160,000 per claim and a median premium around $2,665 a year, here is how any business with employees should weigh the coverage.
New Jersey's ABC Test: What the Final Independent Contractor Rule Means Before October 1, 2026
New Jersey's finalized ABC test regulations take effect October 1, 2026. Here's what each of the three prongs requires, what changed in the NJDOL's final rule, the penalties for misclassification — up to $1,000 per worker, 200% liquidated damages, and stop-work orders — and how to audit your 1099 contractor relationships before enforcement begins.