State/Federal Final Paycheck Mandates For Terminated Employees To Mitigate Legal Risks

Webinar Background & Agenda :

Whether an employee resigns, get fired or furloughed, the latest laws regarding final pay vary from state to state in 2024. Mismanagement of an employee’s final paycheck is one of the top reasons employers are sued. Processing a terminating employee’s paycheck correctly is a landmine infested area of state and federal wage and hour laws specially considering that the withholding or taxation may change even for this one payment! Therefore, many questions need to be answered before that final check can be processed. Paying a terminated employee is not just distributing final paycheck, but properly handling any tax, severance or other benefits, then integrating these payments with compliance regulations under COBRA or the Stimulus Act.

Here are some examples:

• If the employee is terminating voluntarily rather than involuntarily, would that change the date the payment would be due?
• If the employee is now deceased would that change the taxation of their final check?
• What if the employee owes vacation pay, can I take that back?
• What must be done if the terminating employee has a child support deduction?
• The terminating employee has not returned tools, equipment, or uniforms. How does that affect the final paycheck?

To ensure compliance payroll professionals must know the answers to all the questions that might arise when processing an employee’s final paycheck.

Areas covered in this webinar:

• 2024 federal and state wage and hour laws that affect termination payments
• State-by-state review of when and how to pay final paycheck in 2024
• Accrued vacation when it must be paid state-by-state review
• Proper handling of deceased employee payments
• State-by-state review for recouping negative vacation balance and overpayments from the employee’s final paycheck
• Deducting for missing or unreturned tools, company property, or uniforms
• Processing child support, tax levies, and creditor garnishments from the final paycheck in 2024
• A brief discussion of the effects fringe benefits can have on final paychecks including stock options and deferred compensation
• Year end and record retention concerns  

Ask your questions & get expert advice directly from the speaker during the informative Q/A session at the end of the webinar session.

Instructor Profile: Dayna Reum is currently the Senior Director of Payroll and HRIS at a major medical center in Chicago.  Dayna has been heavily involved in the payroll field over 17 years.  Starting as a payroll clerk at a small Tucson company, Dayna moved on to be a Payroll Team Leader at Honeywell Inc.  During Dayna’s time at Honeywell she obtained her FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification) through the American Payroll Association.  She also received several merit awards for Customer Service and Acquisitions and Divestitures. Dayna is no stranger to teaching she has taught at the Metro Phoenix American Payroll Association meetings and at the Arizona State Payroll Conference.  Topics including Payroll Basics, Global/Cultural Awareness, Immigration Basics for the Payroll Professional, Multi-State and Local Taxation and Quality Control for Payroll, International and Canadian payroll.   Dayna has her CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) through the APA.  She also serves on the National American Payroll Association on the National Strategic Leadership Task Force, Government Affairs Task Force (PA Local tax subcommittee).  Dayna has received a Citation of Merit for her service along with being a Gold Pin member of the APA.  Besides her payroll accomplishments Dayna is certified in HR hiring and firing practices and is a Six-Sigma Greenbelt.