THOMAS & COMPANY – EMPLOYMENT AND WAGE VERIFICATION FORWARDING REMINDER
Thomas & Company provides the most comprehensive and inclusive Employment and Wage Verification service, including processing of many common government agency forms. However, there are certain requests that we are unable to accommodate given the information/documentation available to our team.
As the new year begins, we typically experience a substantial rise in forwarding volume. This surge is largely attributed to employees seeking assistance with matters outside our scope of support, such as W2s, physical paystubs, and HR-related benefits or PTO inquiries. To ensure the efficiency of our services and to prevent any confusion, it is essential to clarify the boundaries of our support capabilities and direct employees to the appropriate channels for their specific needs.
To mitigate the influx of misdirected inquiries, we request your team proactively communicate with your employees about the correct channels for their specific questions. This can be achieved through internal memos, email notifications, or company newsletters. For anyone with an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, we recommend incorporating information about the appropriate channels for W2, paystub, and HR-related inquiries into the IVR menus. This helps employees receive immediate guidance on where to direct their questions, reducing the likelihood of misdirected calls and emails.
By ensuring that employees are aware of the correct channels for their inquiries, we can significantly reduce the volume of unnecessary forwarding requests. This allows your employees to get the assistance they need as quickly as possible and our team to focus on providing timely and effective support for issues within our scope of assistance.
Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please reach out to a member of your client services team.
FLORIDA – 2025 TAX RATES, TAXABLE WAGE BASE ANNOUNCED
Tax rates for Florida employers were announced, and will remain the same in 2025, ranging from 0.1% to 5.4%. The new employer rate will also remain steady, at 2.7%.
The taxable wage base will remain at $7,000.
INDIANA – BILL TO REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT DURATION PROPOSED
Proposed Senate Bill 123 may reduce unemployment benefit duration for claimants, if passed. The Bill reduces benefits from 26 weeks to 14 weeks with a 2 week extension if individuals are making progress in approved job training and are actively seeking work.
Thomas & Company will continue to monitor this bill as it makes its way through the legislative process.
NEVADA – 2025 TAX RATES ANNOUNCED
Tax rates for Nevada employers were announced, ranging from 0.25% to 5.40%. The new employer rate will remain at 2.95%.
WASHINGTON – BILL WOULD OFFER UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO IMMIGRANTS NOT UNAUTHORIZED TO WORK
Washington State Senator Rebecca Saldana is reintroducing a bill during the new legislative session that would help immigrants in the state without legal authorization access unemployment benefits.
The bill calls for a standalone program for workers who do not qualify for traditional unemployment benefits due to their immigration status and claims would be processed through a third-party administrative system. According to Saldana, this would lower expenses, protect workers’ identities, and prevent employer liability for hiring immigrants without legal immigration status.
Thomas & Company will continue to monitor this bill as it makes its way through the legislative process.
WASHINGTON – REINTRODUCED BILL WOULD OFFER UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO STRIKING WORKERS
Senate Bill 5041, which died in last year’s legislative session, is being revitalized this session. The Bill would provide striking workers with conditional access to unemployment benefits. Striking workers would be eligible to apply for benefits approximately two weeks after the start of the strike.
If passed and signed by the Governor, Washington would join New Jersey and New York in allowing striking workers access to unemployment.
