From karen.park at state.or.us Mon Nov 8 16:14:35 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 16:14:35 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] OSSSA 218 E-Updates Message-ID: <4CD821D7.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> Good afternoon, Please check out the training opportunities and miscellaneous IRS & SSA News below. Education Opportunities Starting Off Right: What New 501(c)(3) Organizations Need to Know - Nov 18, 2010 IRS Recordkeeping - December 1, 2010 Tax Talk Today - 2010 Individual Tax Law Update: Changes in a Complex and Uncertain Time - January 11, 2011 Informational Social Security Update - October 2010 IRS Exempt Organization Update - October 29, 2010 Starting Off Right: What New 501(c)(3) Organizations Need to Know This free webinar is a fast-paced overview by two IRS Exempt Organizations tax veterans on what new tax-exempts need to do (and what they will want to avoid) to follow IRS rules and keep their tax status in good standing in years to come. This 45-minute session will be held Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. EST. If you are a newly formed 501(c)(3) organization or an organization that wants a refresher, register today and start off right. Presented by the Internal Revenue Service Recordkeeping Date: December 1, 2010 Cost: FREE Location: The convenience of your home or office This IRS phone forum is for: ? Tax professionals Attorneys Payroll professionals Industry partners Small businesses Learn about: Necessity of books and records Definition of books and records Specific types of records needed Maintenance of books and records Basic examination procedures IRS examination expectations Earn Certificate of Completion/CPE credit Enrolled agents receive one CPE credit for a minimum 50-minute participation from the start of the forum. Tax professionals may receive a Certificate of Completion that can be used to request a Continuing Professional Education credit if the phone forum meets your organization?s or state?s CPE requirements. To receive credit, register individually and use your PIN. Call in using your individual phone line so your attendance can be verified Look for your Certificate of Completion by e-mail approximately one week after the forum. If you have met all requirements, you will receive your certificate automatically; there?s no need to follow up. If you and others in your office do not require a certificate, please have only one person register on the group?s behalf and use a speaker phone to dial in. This will maximize the number of lines available for other participants and help reduce costs. Sign up now for the event of your choice Select the time that works best for you Note: Time zones shown are Standard (or Daylight Saving) time. December 1, 2010 CONFERENCE ACCESS CODEEASTERNCENTRALMOUNTAINPACIFIC 10860410 a.m.9 a.m.8 a.m.7 a.m. 8866461 p.m.Noon11 a.m.10 a.m. 1166004 p.m.3 p.m.2 p.m.1 p.m. Register at: www.attevent.com/. Reservations are limited, so register early. You will receive a personal identification number to join the conference. If you have never registered with AT&T for a prior phone forum, you will first need to click on create a profile. If you require special accommodations (for example, Braille, large print or interpreter services) please contact Brian Finn at: nationalphoneforum at irs.gov/. We will e-mail presentation materials the day before the forum. If you do not receive this e-mail by noon the day before the event, please e-mail us at: nationalphoneforum at irs.gov to request the materials. Dial in on December 1, 2010 Toll free: 1-800-683-4564 ** NOTE: DIFFERENT CALL IN PHONE NUMBER ** Toll: 1-913-312-2904 ** NOTE: PHONE NUMBER CHANGE ** Dial in at least five to ten minutes before the scheduled time. Those who are first to arrive will be assured participation; when all lines are busy, you will be unable to join the session. Enter your access code, then the pound (#) sign. Enter your PIN, then the pound (#) sign. The participant?s line will be placed on hold until the conference begins. A question and answer period be included during the presentation. However, due to the public nature of the call, we will not be able to address specific client issues. Have questions about the event or problems registering? E-mail us at: nationalphoneforum at irs.gov/. Archived recordings of this event and others can be found on our IRS Video Portal. Please be aware that this event will not be immediately available, but will be posted as soon as the files are available. Can't see this email? Click here to view as a webpage. Tax Talk Today Viewers, Don?t miss the first in the 8-program webcast series, January 11, 2011 titled: 2010 Individual Tax Law Update: Changes in a Complex and Uncertain Time HEAR from IRS officials, including David R. Williams, the newly appointed lead of the Return Preparer Office inside the IRS, and notable tax industry panelists listed below. EARN CPE credits for watching the program live, archived or listening to the podcast. Purchase credits now Please forward this email on to your colleagues who would be interested. SUBMIT questions in advance of and during the program. Take advantage of this opportunity to hear from and interact with IRS experts and tax professionals, like yourselves, and earn CPE Credits. The January webcast panelists include: David R. Williams, the newly appointed lead of Return Preparer Office for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); David Mellem, EA, Partner, Ashwaubenon Tax Professionals, Green Bay, WI; Dave Windish, Esq., LL.M. (Tax) and Technical Tax Consultant to Tax Analysts and Life Events Editor at Tax.com; G. Michelle Ferreira, Esq., Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP, San Francisco, CA; IRS Forms and Publication Division panelist (invited), and Tax Talk Today?s Les Witmer, a communications consultant and 23-year veteran of the IRS, will moderate. CPE Pre-Season offer Save $60 on 15-Credit package by purchasing today! Offer expires 12/31/10. Don't wait. Subscribe now. Collaborating with Tax Talk Today on content are two of the most highly respected sources of credible and reliable information in the tax industry, the NAEA (National Association of Enrolled Agents); and Tax Analysts and Tax.com. View the 2011 Program Schedule Tax Talk Today? ? The Tax Show for the Tax Pro is produced by Tax Talk Today, Inc. Copyright ? 2010 Tax Talk Today, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The distinctive Tax Talk Today logo is a U.S. registered service mark of Tax Talk Today, Inc. ____________________________________________________________ To be removed from this mailing list, please click here to unsubscribe Or write to: Tax Talk Today, Inc. 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 146, Bethesda Md 20817 October 2010 Previous Issues In This Issue: Turning 65? Apply Online for Medicare New Rules Put Disability Applications on the Fast Track Website Serves Wounded Warriors New Teleservice Center in Tennessee Coming in 2011: New Celebrity Spokesman and Great New Ads Turning 65? Apply Online for Medicare Baby boomers approaching age 65 need to keep Medicare eligibility in mind. People already receiving Social Security retirement benefits are automatically enrolled in Medicare at 65. But as many older workers delay their retirement beyond age 65, they?ll need to apply for Medicare to ensure they?re covered. To learn about the Medicare program, visit www.Medicare.gov. Applying online for Medicare is fast and easy ? it takes as little as 10 minutes! Going online means there?s no need for an appointment or a trip to a local Social Security office. To apply online for Medicare, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly. New Rules Put Disability Applications on the Fast Track In October, Social Security published new rules that will further reduce the time it takes to decide applications for disability benefits from people with the most severe disabilities. These new rules, which take effect November 12, will help the agency process all cases more efficiently as they will give medical and psychological consultants more time to work on complex cases where their expertise is most needed. Learn more by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/fast-track-disability-process-pr.htm. Read the final rules, 20 CFR Parts 404 and 416, in the Federal Register at www.regulations.gov (Back to Top) Website Serves Wounded Warriors On November 11, we honor our Nation?s veterans for their service to America. What better time than now to tell your clients about the many benefits and the wealth of information Social Security has available for veterans and military personnel? In September, the agency published final rules about the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax (HEART) Act. The HEART Act does the following: Treats most cash military compensation as earned income for SSI purposes, which generally provides a higher benefit to the service member as a result of the SSI program's more favorable consideration of earned income; Excludes certain State annuity payments to disabled, blind, or aged veterans from countable income and resources used to determine SSI eligibility; and Excludes any cash or in-kind payments provided by AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps from countable income. Social Security makes it easy to get information about benefits for wounded warriors. The place to go is www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwarriors. (Back to Top) New Teleservice Center in Tennessee This week, Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, joined Congressman John Tanner and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the agency?s newest teleservice center in Jackson, Tenn. ? the first call center opened by Social Security in more than a decade. When completed, it will create almost 200 new jobs for residents in the Jackson area. ?The new Jackson call center will help us further improve service to the millions of Americans who call our toll-free number,? Commissioner Astrue said. Social Security is working closely with the General Services Administration to speed the process for building the new facility. The Jackson call center is expected to open by late 2011. For more information about our toll-free 800 number services, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/services.htm. (Back to Top) Coming in 2011: New Celebrity Spokesman and Great New Ads We are pleased to announce George Takei is teaming up with Patty Duke for a series of new public service announcements promoting Social Security?s website and online services. Look for these super spots in 2011. Until then, tell your clients to boldly go where many have gone before: www.socialsecurity.gov Subscribe to Social Security Update today and you'll always be in the know when it comes to Social Security news. All we need is your e-mail address. Subscribe here. (Back to Top) Privacy Policy | Website Policies & Other Important Information | Site Map EO Update October 29,2010 Useful Links: IRS.gov Charities and Nonprofits Homepage EO FAQs EO Forms and Publications EO Newsletter Life Cycle Upcoming Events: EO Calendar of Events IRS Resources Compliance & Enforcement Contact My Local Office e-file Forms & Pubs Frequently Asked Questions News Taxpayer Advocacy Where to File Issue Number: 2010-25 Inside This Issue Filing Relief in Disaster Areas IRS Seeks Applicants for TE/GE Advisory Committee Small Business Health Care Tax Credit FAQs Revised Publication 557 Now Available Register Now for Phoenix Workshops for Small and Mid-Size 501(c)(3) Organizations (December 7 - 9) Medical Resident FICA Refund Program Form W-2: Reporting of Health Care Coverage Optional for 2011 IRS Reminds Tax Preparers to Renew PTIN 1. Filing Relief in Disaster Areas For most organizations, the one-time filing relief program for small tax-exempt organizations that failed to file for three consecutive years expired on October 15. However, eligible small organizations that are located in a Presidentially declared disaster area have additional time to participate in the one-time filing relief program and avoid revocation. The IRS frequently postpones filing deadlines for individuals, tax-exempt organizations and other entities in declared disaster areas. For example, the IRS has postponed the due dates for numerous filings by organizations and individuals in designated counties in North Carolina affected by the September 27, 2010 storms and flooding until November 26, 2010. This postponement of the due date also applies to Forms 990-N and 990-EZ filings made under the one-time relief program. For information on the latest disaster declarations and the ending date of the postponement period for each, see IRS.gov. Back to Top 2. IRS Seeks Applicants for TE/GE Advisory Committee The IRS is seeking applications for vacancies on the Advisory Committee on Tax-Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). The ACT provides the IRS with regular input from representatives of the TE/GE community on IRS policies and procedures. Vacancies are currently available for representatives from the following customer segments: Exempt organizations (2) Employee Plans (2) Tax Exempt Bonds (1) Indian Tribal Governments (2) Federal, State, and Local Governments (3) A notice published in the October 28 Federal Register contains more information about the ACT and the application process. Back to Top 3. Small Business Health Care Tax Credit FAQs The IRS has posted additional FAQs on how eligible small business and exempt organizations can claim the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. A tax-exempt employer described in Code section 501(c) that is exempt from tax under Code section 501(a) claims the refundable credit by filing a Form 990-T with an attached Form 8941 showing the calculation of the claimed credit. A tax-exempt employer is not eligible to claim the credit unless it is an organization described in Code section 501(c) that is exempt from tax under Code section 501(a). For more information on the Small Business Health Care Credit and FAQs visit IRS.gov. Back to Top 4. Revised Publication 557 Now Available An updated Publication 557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization, is now available. Back to Top 5. Register Now for Phoenix Workshops for Small and Mid-Size Exempt Organizations (December 7- 9) Don't miss out on the last Exempt Organizations workshops of 2010! On December 7-9, the IRS will present our popular workshops for Small and Mid-Sized 501(c)(3) Organizations in Phoenix, AZ in collaboration with the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University. Each one-day workshop, presented by experienced Exempt Organizations specialists, will explain what 501(c)(3) organizations must do to keep their tax-exempt status and comply with tax obligations. The workshop is designed for administrators or volunteers who are responsible for an organization's tax compliance as well as those interested in careers in the nonprofit sector. Go to our Calendar of Events for additional information and to register. Back to Top 6. Medical Resident FICA Refund Program In March 2010, the IRS announced that it would honor medical resident FICA claims based on the student exception for tax periods ending before April 1, 2005, when new regulations went into effect. The IRS has recently posted additional FAQs to clarify whether a resident, former resident or employer filed a timely claim and may be eligible for a refund under the program. Back to Top 7. Form W-2: Reporting of Health Care Coverage Optional for 2011 Notice 2010-69 provides that reporting the cost of coverage under an employer-sponsored group health plan on Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, will not be mandatory for Forms W-2 issued for 2011. The IRS has determined that this relief is necessary to provide employers the time they need to make changes to their payroll systems or procedures in preparation for compliance with the new reporting requirement. The IRS will publish guidance on the new requirement. The IRS also announced the release of the draft Form W-2 for 2011. Back to Top 8. IRS Reminds Tax Preparers to Renew PTIN The Internal Revenue Service announced that it has begun notifying about 1 million tax return preparers to remind them that they must renew their Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTIN) if they are still paid preparers. Use of the PTIN will be required on all federal returns prepared by paid tax return preparers starting January 1. Tax return preparers can register immediately using a new PTIN sign-up system available through www.IRS.gov/taxpros. Preparers will need to create an account, complete the PTIN application and pay a $64.25 fee before getting their PTINs. Back to Top If you have a technical or procedural question relating to Exempt Organizations, visit the Charities and Nonprofits homepage on the IRS.gov Web site. If you have a specific question about exempt organizations, call EO Customer Account Services at 1-877-829-5500. Subscribe to EO Update. This message was distributed automatically from the mailing list eo-update. Please Do Not Reply To This Message. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support at govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Internal Revenue Service ? 1111 Constitution Ave. N.W. ? Washington DC 20535 ? 800-439-1420 e-News for Tax Professionals Oct. 29, 2010 Useful Links: IRS.gov Tax Professionals Home Forms & Publications Stakeholders Partners' Headliners Key Messages IMRS Tax Hints Tax Talk Today Disaster Relief Draft Tax Forms Internal Revenue Bulletins Upcoming Events Seminars, Workshops, Conferences, and Other Practitioner Activities By State: Nationwide Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Back to top Issue Number: 2010-45 Inside This Issue IRS Notifying Return Preparers on PTIN Renewals IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman's Keynote Speech to the AICPA Fall Tax Meeting IRS Seeks Applications for Advisory Committee for the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division Reminder: Tanning Tax Due Nov. 1 Technical Guidance FY 2011 SB/SE Tax Professionals Survey Begins Nov. 3 1. IRS Notifying Return Preparers on PTIN Renewals The IRS began notifying about 1 million tax return preparers to remind them that they must renew their Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTIN) if they are still paid preparers. Use of the PTIN will be required on all federal returns prepared by paid tax return preparers starting Jan. 1. See IR-2010-106 for more. Also check out: Newly archived webinar demonstrating PTIN sign up. Brief Youtube overview. Or follow us on www.twitter.com/irstaxpros Back to top 2. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman's Keynote Speech to the AICPA Fall Tax Meeting In his keynote remarks, Commissioner Shulman describes the paid tax return preparer initiative among other things. Back to top 3. IRS Seeks Applications for Advisory Committee for the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division The IRS seeks applications for vacancies on the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). See IR-2010-109 for more. Back to top 4. Reminder: Tanning Tax Due Nov. 1 For businesses that provide tanning services, the first payment of the new 10-percent tanning tax is due Monday, Nov. 1. The payment is made along with Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return. The tax went into effect on July 1. Providers of indoor tanning services collect the tax at the time the purchaser pays for the tanning services. The provider then pays these amounts to the government, quarterly, along with IRS Form 720. For details, see these questions and answers. Back to top 5. Technical Guidance Revenue Procedure 2010-41: (1) describes the procedures foreign persons and U.S. citizens without a social security number due to conscientious religious objection must follow to obtain a preparer tax identification number (PTIN) and (2) provides temporary relief during the 2011 filing season for these individuals who experience delay in obtaining PTINs. Back to top 6. FY 2011 SB/SE Tax Professionals Survey Begins Nov. 3 The IRS will begin conducting its annual telephone survey of tax professionals starting Nov. 3 and running through January, 2011. Completing the survey is strictly voluntary, and all individual responses will remain anonymous to the IRS. The interviewers from PMR will not ask for any personal or financial information, including Social Security or Employer Identification Numbers, or banking, or credit card information. Back to top Thank you for subscribing to e-News for Tax Professionals an IRS e-mail service. If you have a specific concern about your client's tax situation, call the IRS Practitioner Priority Service 1-866-860-4259. This message was distributed automatically from the mailing list e-News for Tax Professionals. Please Do Not Reply To This Message To subscribe to or unsubscribe from another list, please go to the e-News Subscriptions page on the IRS Web site. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support at govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Internal Revenue Service ? 1111 Constitution Ave. N.W. ? Washington DC 20535 ? 800-439-1420 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 29814 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 1053 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 26710 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Tue Nov 9 12:25:05 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2010 12:25:05 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Fwd: IRS Employee Plans In-Reply-To: <1288982125177.1252907236.27044398.bulletin.tomcat5@prod-batch1.visi.gdi> References: <1288982125177.1252907236.27044398.bulletin.tomcat5@prod-batch1.visi.gdi> Message-ID: <4CD93DA0.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> FYI Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. >>> "Internal Revenue Service (IRS)" 11/5/2010 11:35 AM >>> Employee Plans News November 5, 2010 Useful Links: Information for Benefits Practitioner Information for Plan Participant/Employee Information for Plan Sponsor/Employer Examination/Enforcement Determinations Correcting Plan Errors Benefits Conference Calendar Upcoming Educational Events Contact Us: e-mail Your Retirement Plan Questions e-Mail Your Retirement Plan Comments IRS Resources Compliance & Enforcement Contact My Local Office e-file Forms & Pubs Frequently Asked Questions News Taxpayer Advocacy Where to File Issue Number: 2010-10 Thank you for subscribing to the Employee Plans News. In this edition of the Employee Plans News: Form 5558 Requests for Extension That May Have Been Inadvertently Denied Form 5500-EZ Mailing Address Fiscal Year 2011 Work Plan Hybrid Defined Benefit Plans - Final and Proposed Regulations Hybrid Plans Phone Forum (November 23, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. EST) PTIN - Additional Information IRS Seeks Members for ACT Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee Report To read the November 5, 2010 Edition, please visit the Employee Plans News page in the Retirement Plans Community section of the IRS.gov Web site. If you have a technical or procedural question relating to retirement plans, please visit the EP Customer Account Services page in the Retirement section of the IRS.gov Web site. If you have a specific concern about your retirement plan, call EP CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES at 1-877-829-5500. If you know someone who might want to subscribe to this mailing list, please forward this message to them so they can subscribe. This message was distributed automatically from the mailing list Employee Plans News. Please Do Not Reply To This Message. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support at govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Internal Revenue Service ? 1111 Constitution Ave. N.W. ? Washington DC 20535 ? 800-439-1420 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 26710 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Tue Nov 16 06:46:12 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:46:12 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Fwd: Today's GAO Reports - November 10, 2010 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4CE228B3.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> FYI Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Webmaster Subject: Today's GAO Reports - November 10, 2010 Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:43:45 -0500 Size: 4157 URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Webmaster Subject: Today's GAO Reports - November 15, 2010 Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:23:37 -0500 Size: 5782 URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Tue Nov 16 06:36:26 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:36:26 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Fwd: IRS Headliners and Event Updates In-Reply-To: <9687ABA174F26649B8F916101422A5BF066A7BAE@FRS0010CP3MB02.ds.irsnet.gov> References: <9687ABA174F26649B8F916101422A5BF066A7BAE@FRS0010CP3MB02.ds.irsnet.gov> Message-ID: <4CE22669.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> FYI Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. >>> "Marshall KayDel D" 11/15/2010 3:38 PM >>> Dear Business Organization: Here are the latest IRS News Releases and Headliners to distribute to your small business members. I hope that the information will be helpful and we encourage publication in your association's magazines, newsletters, email distributions and/or website. Below are summaries and links to the most recent headliners and news releases your members might be interested in. The title and summary are designed to give you a brief overview of the article's content -- the link to the full article is at the end of each summary. I encourage you to use any or all of these in newsletters or emails to your members, or on your web site. Since many of you are non-profit organizations and may have contact with new non-profits, I also wanted to let you know that there will be a webinar this week (Nov 18) for new tax exempt organizations ? it is free ? here is the description and link to register: Starting Off Right: What New 501(c)(3) Organizations Need to Know This free webinar is a fast-paced overview by two IRS Exempt Organizations tax veterans on what new tax-exempts need to do (and what they will want to avoid) to follow IRS rules and keep their tax status in good standing in years to come. This 45-minute session will be held Nov. 18 at 11 AM PT. If you are a newly formed 501(c)(3) organization or an organization that wants a refresher, register today and start off right. If you haven't already done so, please make a note of my change in address and phone numbers below. Due to the Federal Building remodel, the IRS will be in the location below for the next 3 or 4 years. For the next month or so, I may not be available. If you need immediate assistance with anything while I am gone, please contact , Donna Wagner, my Management Assistant in Seattle at 206-220-5590 for referrals to my local colleagues; either John Blakeman or Brian Wozniak, whomever is available to help you. If someone else in your organization is a more appropriate contact point for these types of emails, please let me know. And if you do not want to receive future emails like this one, please reply and request your name be removed. KayDel KayDel Marshall Senior Stakeholder Liaison Small Business & Self-Employed C/L/D 100 S.W. Main Street, Suite 1200 Portland, Oregon 97204 503-415-7141 Phone 503-415-7217 Fax E-Mail: KayDel.Marshall at irs.gov ID #1000843166 Upcoming Events: "Employer Survival Guide" November 18, 4:00-7:00 p.m. The Small Business Legal Clinic is putting on a seminar entitled "Employer Survival Guide". This seminar is perfect for everyone--whether you haven't yet hired your first employee or have hired your 100th, this seminar will provide a concise overview of key employment issues to consider. A special thank you to Renee Starr (of Renee E. Starr, LLC) and Cathy Tavares (Oregon Dept. of Revenue) for agreeing to put on the seminar, and to NedSpace for sponsoring it!! Please RSVP Becka Martinez Griffin rcmg at lclark.edu 503-768-6940 Tax Planning for the Small Business Thursday, November 18th 5:30-7:30pm Good tax planning is one of the keys to being profitable as a business owner. Learn how your business income and expenses impact your tax return. In this class, you will learn what you need to know about home office, depreciation, auto expenses, etc, as well as the information you need to keep track of. Note: This class is most helpful when taken in conjunction with the January 11th Session: ?Filing the Small Business Tax Return?. Taking both classes is recommended, but not required. Click here to sign up online. Social Media Marketing Monday November 29th, 6-9pm Join Tome Howe for a step-by-step setup guide on how to get new customers and increase revenue with smart use of social media marketing sites, including: LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Podcasts, Flickr, Blogs, Biznik, and other social media sites. Click here to sign up online. Free IRS Phone Forum -- Recordkeeping http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=166814,00.html#1 Dec 1 ? three times to choose from: 7am, 10 am or 1 pm Pacific Time. Learn about why specific books and records are needed, how to maintain good books and records, basic examination procedures and IRS examination expectations. This IRS phone forum is for tax professionals, attorneys, payroll professionals, industry organizations and small businesses. Register at AT&T TeleConference Services. Reservations are limited, so register early. You will receive a personal identification number to join the conference. If you have never registered with AT&T for a prior phone forum, you will first need to click on create a profile. We will e-mail presentation materials the day before the forum. If you do not receive this e-mail by noon the day before the event, please e-mail us at nationalphoneforum at irs.gov to request the materials. January 25, 2011 - Oregon Small Business Forum The next Scheduled Oregon Small Business Forum has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 25, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. to Noon at the Oregon Association for Minority Entrepreneurs offices at 4134 N. Vancouver, Portland, Oregon. The Focus Area Topic selected by participants for the next forum is "Marketing Your Business - What's Hot/What's Not and How to Reach your Targeted Customers to Increase Sales" There are several great speakers on the marketing topic offering great information to disseminate to those small businesses you serve in order to enhance the success of small business in Oregon. IRS Updates & News Releases: Expanded Recovery Act Tax Credits Help Homeowners Winterize their Homes, Save Energy; Check Tax Credit Certification Before You Buy, IRS Advises http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=231327,00.html Homeowners making energy-saving improvements this fall can cut their winter heating bills and lower their 2010 tax bill as well. Last year?s Recovery Act expanded two home energy tax credits: the nonbusiness energy property credit and the residential energy efficient property credit. The nonbusiness energy property credit equals 30% of what a homeowner spends on eligible energy-saving improvements, up to a maximum tax credit of $1,500 for the combined 2009 and 2010 tax years. The cost of certain high-efficiency heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters and stoves that burn biomass all qualify, along with labor costs for installing these items. In addition, the cost of energy-efficient windows and skylights, energy-efficient doors, qualifying insulation and certain roofs also qualify for the credit, though the cost of installing these items does not count. Homeowners going green should also check out a second tax credit designed to spur investment in alternative energy equipment. The residential energy efficient property credit equals 30% of what a homeowner spends on qualifying property such as solar electric systems, solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, wind turbines, and fuel cell property. Generally, labor costs are included when figuring this credit. Also, except for fuel cell property, no cap exists on the amount of credit available. IRS YouTube Video: Energy Credits ? It?s Not Too Late: English | Spanish | ASL Nearly 70 Percent of Taxpayers Used IRS e-file in 2010 http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=231381,00.html Nearly 99 million individuals filed their federal income tax returns electronically during 2010, a 3% increase in the IRS e-file rate. Of the 141.5 million returns filed so far this year, almost 70% were filed electronically. Each year, more taxpayers chose to e-file their tax returns. Last year, nearly 95 million taxpayers or 67% used e-file. In the past decade, the number of individual tax returns e-filed has increased by 145%. The overall number of individual tax returns increased only by 8%. IRS e-file is no longer is the exception; now it is the norm. Taxpayers who prepare their own tax returns using home computers continued to set the pace for e-file. This year, more than 35% of e-filers prepared and filed their returns themselves. IRS Announces 2011 VITA Grant Recipients http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=231340,00.html The Internal Revenue Service has awarded more than $11 million in matching grants to support its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Under the VITA Grant Program, the IRS awarded matching grants to 177 organizations that will offer free tax preparation services during the 2011 filing season at locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. VITA partners are organizations that provide free federal tax return preparation and electronic filing to low and moderate income individuals. For tax year 2010, individuals and families with an adjusted gross income of $49,000 or lower are eligible for assistance. View the list of 2011 Grant Recipients. IRS Begins Notifying Tax Return Preparers on PTIN Renewals http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=229602,00.html The Internal Revenue Service has begun notifying about 1 million tax return preparers to remind them that they must renew their Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTIN) if they are still paid preparers. Use of the PTIN will be required on all federal returns prepared by paid tax return preparers starting Jan. 1. Tax return preparers can register immediately using a new PTIN sign-up system available through www.IRS.gov/taxpros. Preparers will need to create an account, complete the PTIN application and pay a $64.25 fee before getting their PTINs. The PTIN requirement is one of the main provisions in a new oversight program to help regulate the tax preparation industry. Anyone paid to prepare all or substantially all of any federal tax return or claim for refund must have a PTIN. The requirement applies to all tax return preparers, including those who are enrolled agents, certified public accountants and attorneys. IRS YouTube Videos: PTIN: Preparer Tax Identification Number: English; Message for Tax Preparers: English | Spanish | ASL IRS Announces Pension Plan Limitations for 2011 http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=229975,00.html The Internal Revenue Service has announced cost of living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2011. In general, these limits will either remain unchanged, or the inflation adjustments for 2011 will be small. See the full article for details. Recent Articles from e-News for Small Businesses Looking for a retirement plan? The IRS Retirement Plans Navigator can help small business owners choose a suitable plan, maintain the plan and correct common plan errors. Electronic accounting records provide significant advantages Headliner Volume 303, IRS Begins Accepting Taxpayer Records in Electronic Format, is now available on IRS.gov. Starting off right: webinar for 501(c)(3) organizations A free Nov. 18 webinar offers an overview of what tax-exempt organizations need to do (and what to avoid) to follow IRS rules and keep their tax status in good standing. New free electronic mail service for payroll providers Sign-up for the new e-News for Payroll Providers to get information about legislative changes, new employment tax procedures and other information specifically affecting federal payroll tax returns. Now showing in the video archive The Sept. 29 IRS Live webinar, Collecting Employer Taxes on Tips, is now available on the IRS Video Portal. IR-2010-107, Commissioner of Internal Revenue Douglas H. Shulman's Keynote Speech Before the AICPA Fall Tax Meeting Subscribe to e-News for Small Businesses If you would like to receive e-News for Small Businesses, please visit this link to subscribe: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/content/0,,id=154826,00.html Recommend e-News for Small Businesses If you already receive e-News for Small Businesses, you can share it with a business acquaintance, colleague or employee. Just forward this link to them to view a sample edition and subscribe. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Tue Nov 16 16:11:29 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:11:29 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Fwd: New Edition of IRS Pub. 963 Available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4CE2AD30.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> FYI....check it out! Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. >>> Maryann Motza 11/16/2010 3:37 PM >>> Fellow State Social Security Administrators and Staff: The IRS has posted the latest edition of the Federal-State Reference Guide (IRS Pub. 963) on its website. It can be accessed at: http://www.irs.gov/govt/fslg/content/0,,id=117706,00.html. That Guide is a key resource for State Administrators, the IRS, SSA, and state and local government public employers and their legal and financial advisors. The Guide is a principal resource that can be used to help ensure compliance with the myriad federal laws and regulations that govern state and local governments' Social Security and Medicare coverage and benefits, FICA and employment tax obligations, and public pension system requirements. I recommend that you and the public employers in your states "bookmark" this Guide so you can refer to it whenever you have a question and concern. If you have any questions about the Guide or problems accessing it, please feel free to contact me. Thanks. Maryann Maryann Motza, PhD NCSSSA President (2010-2011) State Social Security Administrator Public Employees' Social Security Program Colorado Department of Labor and Employment 633 17th Street, Suite 700 Denver, CO 80202-3660 Telephone: (303) 318-8061 FAX: (303) 318-8069 E-mail: maryann.motza at state.co.us Website: http://pess.cdle.state.co.us -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NCSSSA e-list" group. To post to this group, send email to ncsssa at googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to ncsssa+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/ncsssa?hl=en. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Tue Nov 16 16:20:49 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:20:49 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Pub 963 Message-ID: <4CE2AF60.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> For those of you having difficulty with the link try this...... http://www.irs.gov/govt/fslg/content/0,,id=117706,00.html The period sometimes gets in the way! Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Mon Nov 22 06:45:07 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 06:45:07 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] FYI - GAO Report on Social Security Reform: Raising the Retirement Ages Would Have Implications for Older Workers and SSA Disability Rolls Message-ID: <4CEA1171.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> About GAO | Contact GAO | E-mail Updates | Share/Save page Advanced Search | Search Only Legal DecisionsReports & TestimoniesLegal DecisionsComptroller GeneralTopic CollectionsCareersFraudNet/Reporting FraudMultimedia Social Security Reform: Raising the Retirement Ages Would Have Implications for Older Workers and SSA Disability Rolls GAO-11-125 November 18, 2010 Full Report (PDF, 65 pages) Summary Life expectancy has increased over the last several decades, and by 2050 persons age 65 or older will account for more than 20 percent of the total U.S. population, up from about 13 percent in 2000. Without significant changes in retirement decisions, these improvements in longevity are expected to lengthen the average number of years that Americans spend in retirement and contribute to the expected long-term revenue shortfall in the trust funds for Social Security's Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) programs (collectively knows as OASDI). The 2010 report from the Social Security Board of Trustees projects that the trust funds' assets will be exhausted by 2037. In light of the long-term trust fund solvency issues and increased longevity, many have suggested changing the earliest eligibility age (EEA) at which workers first qualify for retirement benefits, the full retirement age (FRA) at which they receive full benefits, or both. By reducing monthly benefits for those taking early benefits or delaying eligibility, raising the retirement ages could create an incentive for workers to delay retirement, thus earning more income and possibly saving more for retirement. However, raising the retirement ages would likely increase the number of workers applying for and receiving DI benefits. More DI applications and beneficiaries would reduce some of the financial savings for the combined OASI and DI trust funds and increase the Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability caseload, which already faces a serious backlog. In this context, Congress asked us to address issues related to the potential impact of raising the EEA or FRA on the DI program and on older workers--in general, workers in their sixties, but in particular those approaching age 62, just prior to becoming eligible for retirement benefits. This report answers the following questions: 1) What do the health, occupational, and demographic characteristics of those near retirement age indicate about the potential for these individuals to continue working at older ages? 2) What is known about the effect a change in Social Security's EEA and FRA could have on retirement and disability benefits and applications for disability? 3) What policy options might help mitigate the effects of increased retirement ages on those who may not be able to work longer? (1) While general improvements in longevity, health, and workplace conditions over recent decades suggest that most workers would be capable of working to a later retirement age, many older workers would face health or physical challenges that could prevent them from working longer. According to our analysis of preretirement age individuals using the HRS, about one-quarter of age 60-61 workers--those just prior to early retirement eligibility and most likely to be impacted by a change in retirement age--from 1998 to 2008 reported a work-limiting health condition, and about two-thirds of those who work report having a job that is physically demanding. Disability rates increase with age, suggesting that workers postponing retirement would face increasing likelihood of becoming disabled. Even healthy older workers may have trouble staying in the labor force longer as those that lose their jobs are less likely than younger workers to get rehired. (2) Raising the EEA or FRA could increase the number of applications to and beneficiaries of DI and other assistance programs, as well as change retirement benefits. Raising the EEA would postpone eligibility for retirement benefits and could cause some older individuals with work-limiting health conditions to apply for DI instead of waiting to claim retirement. Raising the FRA reduces retirement benefits for individuals who retire early, and could create a financial incentive to apply for DI benefits, which are not reduced. A few researchers have begun to study the effects of the prior increase in the FRA, and two studies conclude that the increase has led to more DI applications. SSA actuaries estimate that raising the FRA further would increase the number of DI beneficiaries. With respect to the OASDI trust funds, the actuaries project that raising the FRA would improve solvency, but raising the EEA alone would worsen solvency. (3) Experts we interviewed indicated that modifications to the DI program and policy changes that provide alternative income support for low-income workers or employment support could help older workers who are unable to work, do not qualify for DI benefits, and are unable to receive enough support from existing programs. While existing programs like unemployment insurance and workers' compensation could provide some support for older workers, they are generally of limited duration and not everyone may qualify. Some proposals to support older workers include modifying the DI program, such as by allowing determinations of "partial disability" similar to how the Veterans Administration determines disability. According to SSA, however, this would be a major change, and SSA would expend significant resources in making such modifications to the DI program. Other proposals include options for income support in the absence of DI, such as setting different EEA's for workers based upon lifetime earnings, with lower earners having an earlier eligibility age; however, this policy may not specifically target workers who experience a disabling condition. Raising the EEA would likely have larger effects than a comparable rise in the FRA on retirement decisions, DI applications and awards, and on vulnerable older workers because it would remove the age-62 early retirement option, as opposed to lowering benefits for all early retirees. Changes in the retirement age could conceivably improve retirement security for able-bodied workers if they cause them to work longer and save more for retirement, but it could worsen security for those unable to do so. While policy options exist to mitigate the impact on affected workers, doing so will likely require expanding programs and increase benefit costs. Finding the balance between worker protections and costs will likely be challenging. Related SearchesRelated terms:Aid for the disabled Disabilities Disability benefits Disability insurance Elderly persons Eligibility determinations Employees with disabilities Employment of the disabled Financial analysis Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Program Older workers Persons with disabilities Policy evaluation Program evaluation Retirement age Retirement benefits Social security benefits Social Security Disability Insurance Program Social Security Program Home Reports and Testimonies Browse By Date Browse By Topic Browse By Agency Past Week's Reports & Testimonies Comptroller General Biography Presentations Testimonies Submit a Speech Request CG Forums and Roundtables Legal Decisions Comptroller General Decisions and Opinions Bid Protests Principles of Federal Appropriations Law (Red Book) Appropriations Law Resources Antideficiency Act Reports Contract Appeals Boards Federal Vacancies Act Reports Congressional Review Act Reports About GAO Location Our Workforce Products and Services History Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Privacy & Other Site Policies No Fear Act Information Topic Collections Fraudnet/Reporting Fraud E-mail Updates Contact GAOCareers Apply for Jobs Career Paths at GAO We Offer Great Benefits Learn About Our Student and Executive Programs Our Diversity Statement Need Help? Multimedia Podcast Gallery Video Gallery Featured Content GAO High Risk & Other Major Government Challenges Following the Money: GAO's Oversight of the Recovery Act Haiti Earthquake: GAO Reports on Past Disasters Help Health Care Advisory Committees Site Map Accountability Integrity Reliability -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 9104 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 9104 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Mon Nov 22 07:36:24 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 07:36:24 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] This weeks work schedule Message-ID: <4CEA1D77.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> Good morning, Due to the Thanksgiving holiday this week I will be in the office today and tomorrow only. Have a wonderful and safe holiday! Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Mon Nov 22 08:20:01 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:20:01 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Fwd: Changes to Cafeteria Plans: What You Need to Know to Prepare Nov.19, Webinar In-Reply-To: <20101118094247.CDE672671933D@mail.netcontentinc.net> References: <20101118094247.CDE672671933D@mail.netcontentinc.net> Message-ID: <4CEA27B0.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> Good morning, For those of you who deal with Cafeteria Plans I'm sending this as an FYI. >>> "Newswatch" 11/18/2010 1:42 AM >>> Advertisement Changes to Cafeteria Plans: What You Need to Know to Prepare Sponsored by Lorman Education Services Friday, November 19, 2010 Time: 1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT) Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 BENEFITS The IRS recently issued new rules which replaced portions of the old regulations. These new rules are exciting but require you to review and act on your old documents. The information provided in this audio conference will assist you in decisions for the upcoming plan year and how to prepare for the changes. AGENDA Summary of Proposed Regulations Reimbursing Individual Medical Insurance and Cautions New Hires Have 30 Days to Enroll Does This Apply to Annual Late Enrollees? Automatic or Evergreen Elections Changing Your Plan Documents and Sample Wording Understanding the Claim Substantiation Rules When Are These Rules Effective? Employees With HSAs Arent Required to Follow Change of Status Rules Employers Can Limit Health FSA Participation to Only Those in the Medical Plan New Nondiscrimination Rules and a Safe Harbor for Premium-only Plans Daycare Participants Can Claim Money After Termination Impact of Federal Health Care Reform WHO SHOULD ATTEND This audio conference is designed for human resources and benefits managers, attorneys, controllers, CFOs finance directors, payroll managers, presidents, vice presidents, business owners and managers FACULTY Brian L. Anderson, J.D., LL.M., DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C. Teresa Cutler, CFCI, Employee Benefits Corporation Brian L. Anderson, J.D., LL.M. With Dewitt Ross & Stevens S.C. Practices in the areas of employee benefits and ERISA, business law, corporate and partnership law, nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, tax law, estate planning, arbitrage rebate and real estate Chairperson of the law firms Employee Benefits Practice Group Assists employers and employees with 401(k) plans, pension plans, employee stock ownership plans, 403(b) tax-sheltered annuities, 457 and nonqualified deferred-compensation plans, stock options, phantom stock plans, health and welfare plans, and 125 cafeteria plans Chaired the Great Lakes Area TE/GE Council, a liaison group between the IRS and practitioners One of six employee benefits professionals originally appointed by the IRS to its Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities Wrote chapter six, Employee Benefits, in A Guide for Wisconsin Nonprofit Organizations Named to the top lawyers list published by Madison Magazine, designated a Wisconsin Super Lawyer by Law & Politics magazine and included in several editions of The Best Lawyers in America Chair of the Federal Taxation Committee of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants LL.M. degree in taxation, New York University; J.D. degree, University of Wisconsin Law School; and B.A. degree in English and German, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Can be contacted at 608-252-9343 or bla at dewittross.com Teresa Cutler, CFCI Compliance director at Employee Benefits Corporation in Middleton, Wisconsin Employee Benefits Corporation is a third-party administrator assisting employers with the administration of Section 125 cafeteria plans, Health Reimbursement Arrangements and COBRA, and various state continuation administration National speaker on cafeteria plans, HRA and COBRA administration requirements Active member of the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation with a focus on education Active member of The Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards, participating in the committee to determine eligible expenses for IIAS Received the Certified in Flexible Compensation Instructor designation from the ECFC Can be contacted at 608-831-8445, ext. 108, or teresa.cutler at ebcflex.com TELECONFERENCE OVERVIEW * 90-minute seminar (Travel-Free) delivered over the phone and internet. * Unlimited listeners per connection - bring the entire department. * 10-minute Q&A session with the experts. * A professionally prepared reference manual. * Continuing education credits available for most teleconferences CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS AIPB CLE (Please check the "Detailed Credit Information" page for states that have already been approved) CPE HR Certification Institute HRPD PACE Sponsored by Lorman Education Services Click here for the "Detailed Credit Information" page. REGISTER Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 (Not available outside the US or Canada) Upcoming Teleconferences Curbing FMLA Abuse: How to Manage Manipulative Employees Nov. 22, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 Learn More Curbing FMLA Abuse: How to Manage Manipulative Employees Nov. 30, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 Learn More Handling Unclaimed (Abandoned) Wages: Prepare Now for Compliance Crackdown Nov. 30, 2010 Registration: $219.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $308.00 Learn More Seven Steps to Help HR and Managers Create Bulletproof Documentation Nov. 30, 2010 Registration: $249.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $338.00 Learn More Dodd-Frank: How Will it Change the Way Private Fund Managers Do Business? Dec. 1, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $219.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $319.00 Learn More Telecommuting: Should You? Shouldn't You? How Do You Make it Happen? Dec. 2, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $289.00 Learn More The ROI of an Effective Employee Wellness System Dec. 3, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD: $289.00 Learn More How to Successfully Use Social Media for Hiring and Retention Dec. 9, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $289.00 Learn More "Hot Button" Issues for Employers Under the Americans With Disabilities Act Dec. 14, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $289.00 Learn More The Ten Commandments of an ERISA Fiduciary Dec. 21, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $219.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $319.00 Learn More SPREAD THE NEWS Please forward this invitation to colleagues who may benefit from participating. This message is sent to you by HRNewswatch Newswatch ? 3212 West End Ave. ? Suite 500 ? Nashville ? TN ? 37203 This email was sent to: karen.park at state.or.us by Newswatch. Click here to Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/xxx Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 2906 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Mon Nov 22 09:05:20 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:05:20 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Please disregard - it has already happened. - Fwd: Changes to Cafeteria Plans: What You Need to Know to Prepare Nov.19, Webinar Message-ID: <4CEA324F.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> Good morning, For those of you who deal with Cafeteria Plans I'm sending this as an FYI. >>> "Newswatch" 11/18/2010 1:42 AM >>> Advertisement Changes to Cafeteria Plans: What You Need to Know to Prepare Sponsored by Lorman Education Services Friday, November 19, 2010 Time: 1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT) Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 BENEFITS The IRS recently issued new rules which replaced portions of the old regulations. These new rules are exciting but require you to review and act on your old documents. The information provided in this audio conference will assist you in decisions for the upcoming plan year and how to prepare for the changes. AGENDA Summary of Proposed Regulations Reimbursing Individual Medical Insurance and Cautions New Hires Have 30 Days to Enroll Does This Apply to Annual Late Enrollees? Automatic or Evergreen Elections Changing Your Plan Documents and Sample Wording Understanding the Claim Substantiation Rules When Are These Rules Effective? Employees With HSAs Arent Required to Follow Change of Status Rules Employers Can Limit Health FSA Participation to Only Those in the Medical Plan New Nondiscrimination Rules and a Safe Harbor for Premium-only Plans Daycare Participants Can Claim Money After Termination Impact of Federal Health Care Reform WHO SHOULD ATTEND This audio conference is designed for human resources and benefits managers, attorneys, controllers, CFOs finance directors, payroll managers, presidents, vice presidents, business owners and managers FACULTY Brian L. Anderson, J.D., LL.M., DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C. Teresa Cutler, CFCI, Employee Benefits Corporation Brian L. Anderson, J.D., LL.M. With Dewitt Ross & Stevens S.C. Practices in the areas of employee benefits and ERISA, business law, corporate and partnership law, nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, tax law, estate planning, arbitrage rebate and real estate Chairperson of the law firms Employee Benefits Practice Group Assists employers and employees with 401(k) plans, pension plans, employee stock ownership plans, 403(b) tax-sheltered annuities, 457 and nonqualified deferred-compensation plans, stock options, phantom stock plans, health and welfare plans, and 125 cafeteria plans Chaired the Great Lakes Area TE/GE Council, a liaison group between the IRS and practitioners One of six employee benefits professionals originally appointed by the IRS to its Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities Wrote chapter six, Employee Benefits, in A Guide for Wisconsin Nonprofit Organizations Named to the top lawyers list published by Madison Magazine, designated a Wisconsin Super Lawyer by Law & Politics magazine and included in several editions of The Best Lawyers in America Chair of the Federal Taxation Committee of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants LL.M. degree in taxation, New York University; J.D. degree, University of Wisconsin Law School; and B.A. degree in English and German, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Can be contacted at 608-252-9343 or bla at dewittross.com Teresa Cutler, CFCI Compliance director at Employee Benefits Corporation in Middleton, Wisconsin Employee Benefits Corporation is a third-party administrator assisting employers with the administration of Section 125 cafeteria plans, Health Reimbursement Arrangements and COBRA, and various state continuation administration National speaker on cafeteria plans, HRA and COBRA administration requirements Active member of the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation with a focus on education Active member of The Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards, participating in the committee to determine eligible expenses for IIAS Received the Certified in Flexible Compensation Instructor designation from the ECFC Can be contacted at 608-831-8445, ext. 108, or teresa.cutler at ebcflex.com TELECONFERENCE OVERVIEW * 90-minute seminar (Travel-Free) delivered over the phone and internet. * Unlimited listeners per connection - bring the entire department. * 10-minute Q&A session with the experts. * A professionally prepared reference manual. * Continuing education credits available for most teleconferences CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS AIPB CLE (Please check the "Detailed Credit Information" page for states that have already been approved) CPE HR Certification Institute HRPD PACE Sponsored by Lorman Education Services Click here for the "Detailed Credit Information" page. REGISTER Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 (Not available outside the US or Canada) Upcoming Teleconferences Curbing FMLA Abuse: How to Manage Manipulative Employees Nov. 22, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 Learn More Curbing FMLA Abuse: How to Manage Manipulative Employees Nov. 30, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $199.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $268.00 Learn More Handling Unclaimed (Abandoned) Wages: Prepare Now for Compliance Crackdown Nov. 30, 2010 Registration: $219.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $308.00 Learn More Seven Steps to Help HR and Managers Create Bulletproof Documentation Nov. 30, 2010 Registration: $249.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $338.00 Learn More Dodd-Frank: How Will it Change the Way Private Fund Managers Do Business? Dec. 1, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $219.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $319.00 Learn More Telecommuting: Should You? Shouldn't You? How Do You Make it Happen? Dec. 2, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $289.00 Learn More The ROI of an Effective Employee Wellness System Dec. 3, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD: $289.00 Learn More How to Successfully Use Social Media for Hiring and Retention Dec. 9, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $289.00 Learn More "Hot Button" Issues for Employers Under the Americans With Disabilities Act Dec. 14, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $198.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $289.00 Learn More The Ten Commandments of an ERISA Fiduciary Dec. 21, 2010 Registration - Session Only: $219.00 Registration - Session Plus CD Recording: $319.00 Learn More SPREAD THE NEWS Please forward this invitation to colleagues who may benefit from participating. This message is sent to you by HRNewswatch Newswatch ? 3212 West End Ave. ? Suite 500 ? Nashville ? TN ? 37203 This email was sent to: karen.park at state.or.us by Newswatch. Click here to Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/xxx Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 2906 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Tue Nov 23 11:16:14 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:16:14 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Today's GAO Reports - November 23, 2010 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4CEBA27C.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> FYI Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. >>> Webmaster 11/23/2010 9:18 AM >>> The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released the following report: Report 1. Information Technology: HUD Needs to Better Define Commitments and Disclose Risks for Modernization Projects in Future Expenditure Plans. GAO-11-72, November 23. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-72 Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1172high.pdf You'll find the most up-to-date listing of Reports and Testimonies at http://www.gao.gov. Help with viewing PDF files is available from the "Help" section of http://www.gao.gov. Check the information in the section titled, "Help with Reading Portable Document Format Files" if you have difficulty. Subscribe to this or other E-mail updates about GAO products at the "E-mail Updates" section of http://www.gao.gov. Remove yourself from this mailing list by sending an E-mail message to: listserv at listserv.gao.gov with the message: unsubscribe daybook in the message body. Information on ordering printed copies at: http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm Members of the press may request copies from the Office of Public Affairs, 202-512-4800. =========================================================== This list is produced by the Government Accountability Office to provide daily information about GAO Reports and Testimonies. Visit GAO on the web at http://www.gao.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: From karen.park at state.or.us Mon Nov 29 06:36:07 2010 From: karen.park at state.or.us (Karen PARK) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:36:07 -0800 Subject: [OSSSA218] Fwd: Social Security Administration W-2 News Update In-Reply-To: <1290629023782.1234577703.1772281372.bulletin.tomcat5@prod-batch2.visi.gdi> References: <1290629023782.1234577703.1772281372.bulletin.tomcat5@prod-batch2.visi.gdi> Message-ID: <4CF349CA.4CA4.0094.3@PERS.STATE.OR.US> Happy Monday! Karen Park Oregon State Social Security Coordinator Oregon PERS 503 603-7633 karen.park at state.or.us SL2 Please note my office hours are Monday thru Thursday 6 am to 4:30 pm CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: All information in this email, including attachments, is approved solely for delivery to and authorized use by intended recipients. Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this message and/or any of its attachments by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient of this message or an authorized assistant to an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. >>> Social Security Administration 11/24/2010 12:03 PM >>> Welcome to W-2 News, the electronic newsletter for employers who submit W-2s to Social Security. You can view the newsletter online at: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/w2news/ Issue 2010-01 November 24, 2010 Inside this issue: Dates to Remember Changes for Tax Year 2010 Business Services Online Password Reminders Avoid Getting a Busy Signal Social Security Number Verification Service W-2/W-3 W-2c/W-3c Social Security Number Randomization Contact the Experts Customer Service Please do not respond to this message. W-2 News is an "announce only" newsletter. For more information on reporting employee wages to Social Security visit our website at www.socialsecurity.gov/employer. If you have wage reporting questions or problems, contact Social Security at 1-800-772-6270, Monday - Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, or email us at employerinfo at ssa.gov Questions for SSA? Contact Us STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | Help GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf of the Social Security Administration ? 408 St. Peter Street Suite 600 ? St. Paul, MN 55102 ? 1-800-439-1420 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5253 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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