Happy Spring to all WMAC-APA members and guests,

I would like to welcome each of you to our April Chapter meeting.

It is hard to believe that spring has arrived, although if you look at our cars covered in pollen and the allergy issues everyone seems to be dealing with, you can be assured it has arrived. With summer just around the corner, I want to make sure you have some of the upcoming payroll events on your calendar.

Here are some of the dates you need to remember for 2012: • The WMAC-APA Spring Community Outreach effort will be at Falls Church Clock Tower Thrift Shop on Saturday, April 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at 2860 Annandale Road, Falls Church, Va. We need up to 10 volunteers to help us. Please come and join us and give back to your community. • WMAC-APA next chapter meeting will be held on June 21. Our presenter will be the Virginia Department of Taxation. The topic is “Payroll Reporting Compliance under the Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.” Registration is open. • Classes for 2012 WMAC CPP/FPC will be held from June 9, 2012 to September 15, 2012. The class meets Saturday mornings from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. WMAC Study Group Cost - Registration will temporarily reserve a seat but only payment of funds will secure a seat for the class. Seats are limited, and the class fills up quickly. • The Virginia Statewide for 2012 will be located at the Westin Hotel in Richmond Va., Oct. 11-12. The theme for this year is “Payroll Professionals Night at the Oscars.” Registration is now open, Early Bird Registration fee $225.00 (member) $275.00 (non-member) ends August 24.

We recently had a “Cram for the Exam” seminar on Saturday, March 31 to help those studying for the exam get any questions answered they might have had and to give others attending a refresher on key topics pertinent to both the exam and our everyday job. This one day seminar was a great success according to the feedback we received from those who attended. We are looking to possibly do this a couple times a year to give our members an added benefit who can’t always attend the chapter meetings. If you have any ideas on seminar topics please send me an email or come talk with me.

Please don’t forget to go into the website and keep your profile updated. We want to make sure you are informed and can join us at all the functions in 2012.

Thank you all for your continued participation and support.

Linda Dailey
2012 WMAC-APA President

By:  Anna Grabowska

For more important information on payroll legislation and regulations, go to the WMAC-APA website. The legislative updates can be found online at http://wmac-apa.org/content.php?page=Legislative_Updates. (Note: you must be logged in to see this page.) In addition to this Government Liaison Report, please check out the BNA Payroll Administration Guide Newsletters distributed at the chapter meeting. You can get more information on subscribing to BNA’s Payroll Administration Guide Newsletter at http://www.bna.com/products/hr/pylw.htm.

Federal Updates Congress passes Tax Relief Act of 2012 Congress has passed resolution to extend the Tax Relief Act of 2012 to the end of the year. The act allows Social Security Tax portion of the Employee taxes to remain at 4.2%. Do remember that the employer portion of the Social Security Tax will remain at 6.2%. The IRS has reissued the 2012 W’2 and W’3 to reflect the SSA tax changes.

The act also extends and revises unemployment benefits under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. The program is a four tiered benefit payable program, which will end at the end of 2012 unless otherwise extended.

IRS releases 941 and Monthly filing requirements It’s the end of the quarter 941 deadlines coming up for the 1st quarter of 2012. IRS has released the 2012 forms and made them available on the main page. Keep in mind that the form has been restructured and renumbered (mostly lines 6, 10, 11, 16-19). Also IRS has released a memorandum on monthly and special deposits (www.irs.gov/pub/foia/ig/sbse/sbse_05-1211-090.pdf ). The memorandum states that effective January 1st 2012 the monthly and special deposit rules are obsolete and should no longer be used. Employers must now file the form 941. Notification from IRS should have been received by any monthly filing employer. Read the release for more information or contact the IRS if there are any questions on your filing frequency status.

E-Verify Self check is now available. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced availability of the E-Verify Self Check. Potential Employees can check their employment eligibility status on their system for free. The system is available in English and Spanish and allows the employees to access their federal records and receive any guidance on how to correct potential record discrepancies before they are hired.

State Updates Washington and Maryland have legalized same sex marriage In Maryland, the law is under contest and the benefits that come with the law will not be in effect until all the legal challenges are completed. For Washington, effective June 7th, 2012 the law will be in effect as there are no legal challenges. Remember, although Washington has no income tax, the law may affect UI tax wages, i.e. health insurance benefits paid by an employer for same sex spouses do not have to be included in the employee’s gross income for UI purposes.

For our Spring Community Outreach effort, we have arranged for members to volunteer at the Falls Church Clock Tower Thrift Shop on Saturday, April 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (2860 Annandale Road, Falls Church, Va.). This should be a great opportunity to give back to the community. Our volunteer duties will include all or some of the following: sorting and organizing donated items as they come in; making sure that the shopping area is organized and neat, with items displayed in their proper places; and helping with price labeling and customer checkout as needed.

Thrift Shop is part of the Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS), a private, nonprofit community service organization whose mission is to help individuals and families toward greater independence and brighter futures. The Thrift Shop sells gently used merchandise for affordable prices. Funds raised from the Thrift Shop assist with a wide array of programs such as case management, safe housing, counseling, medical and dental access, child care and development, affordable loans, foster and respite care, and job training. Almost 33,000 individuals and families turn to NVFS for assistance each year.

Space is limited, and you must register to attend. Registration is on the WMAC website calendar of events. In order to participate NVFS also requires a completedVolunteer Participation Form (http://wmac-apa.org/downloads/nvfs_volunteer_registration_form__y12.pdf). Please bring it with you on the day of the event.

Thanks for your support and generosity! If you have any questions, contact community_outreach@wmac-apa.org.

By:  Barri Fullerton, CPP

In a word: worthwhile!

This fast-paced session held on March 31st was jam-packed with vital information. Calculators, pencils and brains got a workout as attendees immersed themselves in the Fair Labor Standards Act, taxable and non-taxable Benefits, Federal Taxes, Accounting, Garnishments and Payroll Systems.

For those studying to take the CPP exam, as well as current CPPs pursuing RCH credits, it was an excellent review of essential information. Participants were able to ask questions to clarify concepts, to solidify their Payroll knowledge, and maybe even learn something new.

Thanks go to Lori Brown, CPP, for the use of a first-class conference room at CACI and the support of her awesome staff. Thanks also to Khristie Andrus, Vice President of Justin Bradley, for sponsoring the event. And of course, thanks go to the instructors for the day: Eileen Buckley, CPP; Linda Dailey, CPP; Barri Fullerton, CPP; Mike Gatto, CPA; Katie Horvat, CPP; and Margaret Roark, CPP. Be sure to check the Gallery on the WMAC-APA website for photos of everyone’s smiles in spite of the information overload.

Each year the WMAC hosts a CPP/FPC Study Group. This year we are offering the Pick and Choose Sessions. You can choose to take the entire study group or you can choose to sign up only for the ones that you want to attend. This gives you the flexibility of customizing the class to meet your study needs. The entire class schedule is located on the Education Page under CPP/FPC Study Group Schedule. To select an individual class, go to the date on the calendar to register. All classes are taught from the 2012 Payroll Source. To order your book go to the American Payroll Association. More information can be found on the Education page of the WMAC website.

By: Carrie Louise Hovell, CPP

At our February chapter lunch meeting, ADP returned as our Platinum Sponsor. ADP was also a sponsor at the July 2011 meeting.

It’s due to ADP’s continuous support of the WMAC-APA that our chapter has been able to keep costs manageable. ADP has been a major supporter of our chapter and continues to be available when our chapter is in need.

By supporting the chapter lunch meeting, ADP was able to introduce new products and services they have to offer payroll professionals. For members who already use ADP, new products and services would add value to our payroll product.

For members who currently do not use ADP, it was an opportunity to see what ADP had to offer their company.

The WMAC-APA would like to thank ADP and Margaret Bacon for all their support.

Welcome!

Kevin Britt

Kim Cao

Thu Phuong Nguyen

Yvonne Stewart

Kathleen Webb

Rebecca Whitaker

Shawnda Yee

Thu Phuong Nguyen, CPP