Effective January 1, 2025: New York State Paid Prenatal Leave

New York State is the first state ever to mandate paid prenatal leave entitlement.  Beginning January 1, 2025, New York State employers will be required to provide up to 20 hours of paid leave in a 52-week period for pregnant employees to attend prenatal medical appointments and procedures.   The leave is in addition to employees’ existing […]

New York State Paid Family Leave Contribution Rate and Benefits to Increase in 2025

The New York State Department of Financial Services has announced changes to the employee contribution rate and benefit amounts under the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“NY PFL”) for 2025.  Effective January 1, 2025, the contribution rate will be 0.388% of an employee’s gross wages per pay period, for a maximum annual contribution of […]

President Biden Enacts the SECURE Act 2.0

senior couple looking at laptop in their living room

The “SECURE Act 2.0” was signed into law by President Biden and is effective immediately. The new legislation includes almost 100 different changes that are linked to retirement plans. Following is a brief summary of some of the changes that may affect your company’s retirement plans. Effective Immediately Child Birth/Adoption Expenses. The optional repayment period […]

President Biden Signs the Respect for Marriage Act

couple putting on ring during marriage ceremony

On December 13, 2022, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act. The act specifically repeals the federal Defense of Marriage Act from the 1990s and prohibits states from denying “full faith and credit” to any marriage between two individuals based on sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. The act includes a section stating that it […]

New Legislation Expands New York State Paid Family Leave

sisters holding hands

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that expands New York State’s Paid Family Leave legislation to allow caring for siblings. Paid Family Leave has been in effect since 2018 and is employee-paid insurance that provides paid time off to care for a newborn, bond with adopted or foster children, care for a family member with […]

New York Employees Entitled To Three Hours of Paid Time Off To Vote

As part of the New York State Enacted Budget for fiscal year 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that new legislation has been established that mandates three hours of paid time off for all New York employees to vote on Election Day. Effective immediately, the New York Election Law § 3-110 provides, as follows: A registered […]

New York Paid Family Leave Changes in 2019

As you are aware, effective January 1, 2018 New York State enacted New York Paid Family Leave (PFL). As part of the implementation, PFL benefits are phased in over a four-year period. 2019 will mark year two of the implementation and PFL benefits will be significantly enhanced. Beginning January 1, 2019, the number of weeks […]

IRS Issues Private Letter Ruling on Student Loan Benefit Under 401(k) Plan

Submitted by Ali Law Group PC on August 28, 2018 Recently, employer Abbott Labs announced the introduction of a proposed program which would amend its defined contribution plan to include a student loan benefit for its employees. The program would allow for employer-provided student loan repayment benefits offered through Abbott Labs’ 401(k) plan. On Friday, August […]

Final Rule Expands Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance

Submitted by Ali Law Group PC on August 5, 2018 On August 1, 2018, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury issued a final rule which expands access to short-term, limited-duration insurance coverage. The rule extends short-term health insurance plans from three months to one year, with renewal options to extend coverage to […]

The Affordable Care Act’s 2018 PCORI Fees

Submitted by Ali Law Group PC on May 22, 2018 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a fee on health insurers and plan sponsors of self-insured group health plans to help fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Specifically, the PCORI fee assists in funding research that evaluates and compares health outcomes, clinical effectiveness, and […]