Education Blog
Fringe Benefits – Tax Changes for 2018
Employers who offer fringe benefits like transportation reimbursement and meals to their employees are familiar with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Publication 15-B – Employer’s Guide to Fringe Benefits, which offers guidance on the tax treatment of such employee benefits. The IRS recently released an updated version of Publication 15-B for 2018, incorporating tax law changes…
Read MoreMaking Your Day Easier
At Consolidated Insurance, our belief has always been that we best serve our clients as not just a broker, but as a partner in helping their businesses better manage their risk. To that end, we’re proud to re-introduce MyWave Connect, a time-saving online resource that puts clients in control of customized compliance information and much…
Read MoreTaken for a Ride: What to Know as a Ride-Sharing Passenger
In a recent post we addressed the changing picture of liability coverage for those working as drivers for ride-sharing service like Uber and Lyft (if you missed it, read it here). But what are the risks to passengers of these wildly popular services? The first thing to understand is that in many cases individual states…
Read MoreEmployment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)
In recent posts, we’ve focused on preventing workplace harassment claims and on addressing harassment claims when they do occur. The reality of today’s business climate is that claims regarding sexual and other types of workplace harassment are more frequent than ever. And that’s just the beginning: firms are increasingly vulnerable to litigation on a range…
Read MoreNew Employer Tax Credit for Paid Family & Medical Leave
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law in December of last year creates a new business tax credit for employers that provide paid family and medical leave to employees. Here’s what you need to know: The tax credit is temporary and applies to tax years 2018 and 2019 The credit is equal to…
Read MoreWhat You Need, When You Need It
It’s happened to every business … you’re working after hours, and you really need a certificate of insurance to wrap up the paperwork and bring in a new client. But your insurance broker is closed. Or an employee needs a new Auto ID card on a weekend, and all you can do is add it…
Read MoreBeing Uber-Careful: Who’s Responsible?
Few businesses have had the widespread impact of the ride-sharing industry. Marrying the GPS and mapping function on every smartphone with a platform for payment, companies like Uber and Lyft are responsible for declines of up to 30 percent in taxi usage. Most agree that the convenience of ride-sharing has reduced incidences of driving while…
Read MoreInvestigating Sexual Harassment Claims in the Workplace
In a recent post, we discussed strategies for preventing harassment claims in the workplace (if you missed it, read it here). While that information covered a variety of situations, sexual harassment has been a primary focus for businesses in this current climate. What should you do if it’s too late to prevent a claim and…
Read MoreMaryland Enacts Paid Sick and Safe Leave
On January 12, the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of paid sick and safe leave legislation and the Healthy Working Families Act became law. Normally, legislation takes effect 30 days after a veto-override vote, meaning the law would take effect on February 11, but emergency legislation has been introduced that…
Read MoreCellcontrol: An Easy Solution for a Serious Problem
You probably don’t need statistics to tell you that distracted driving is a huge problem. Take a glance at other drivers and you’ll almost always find someone looking down at his or her phone instead of watching the road. For many, “distracted driving” translates to “teens texting.” And while it is a huge problem with…
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