Jennifer Weiss
Verified
As seen in:
Barron's,
MarketWatch,
Apple Podcasts,
MSN,
MSN Singapore,
The Wall Street Journal,
NBC News,
New York Post,
Dow Jones Newswires,
Lexology,
Mondaq,
HR Morning
and
Video maker, journalist and writer. Sr. video producer at @MarketWatch and @Barronsonline. Past: @NBCNews, @WSJ, @AFP. Insta: jenniferaweiss
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Jennifer Weiss
|
Also available on ScienceDirect
By Jennifer Weiss Verified, Patrick R. Pfau, Grace Everitt, Zahra Iftikhar, Deepak Gopal, Anurag Soni, Mark Benson, Grace Everitt
|
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
Verified
IRS Publication 15 Provides Recap of OBBBA Tax Provisions Original
The IRS summarized several tax provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in the 2026 version of Publication 15. Publication 15 is called the Employer’s Tax Guide — or sometimes, Circular E. Of special interest to Payroll pros, the IRS provided info in the publication on withholding from qualified tips and qualified overtime compensation. Under the OBBBA, employees can deduct up to $25,000 of qualified tips on their federal income tax returns through tax year 2028.
Oregon Updates Paid Family Leave Contribution
Why do we need your credit card for a free trial? We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period. This prevents any interruption of content access. Your card will not be charged at any point during your 21 day free trial and you may cancel at any time during your free trial.
Who Makes Call about FLSA Exempt Status? Latest from DOL Original
If someone qualifies as exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), is an exempt classification mandatory? The Department of Labor (DOL) recently confirmed that an exempt classification isn’t a must, even if an employer is able to check all the boxes for exemption under the FLSA. Furthermore, in cases where an employee would prefer to be classified as exempt, an exempt status still isn’t required.
Overtime Pay Should Have Included Bonuses: Here's Why
A new opinion letter looked at whether one company needed to add bonuses into its overtime calculations under federal law. The answer from the Department of Labor (DOL)? Yes. That meant the company dropped the ball and had to either change its bonus plan or revise its method of calculating overtime. Here’s a recap of what the DOL said in its January 5, 2026, opinion letter. The employer, operating in the waste management industry, paid its drivers a base wage of $12 per hour.
IRS: OBBBA Tips and Overtime Reporting Relief for TY 2025 Original
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s (OBBBA’s) requirement to report overtime and tips to the IRS starting with tax year 2025 was heavy lifting. After all, the legislation passed in July 2025, leaving employers with little prep time before tax year 2025 Forms 1099 and Forms W-2 were due. Worse, the law contained limited guidance on how to do the calculations, which was especially tricky given the retroactive component. But now, the IRS has granted relief. Here are the details.
Overtime & Joint Employment Clarity: New DOL Opinion Letter Original
Is your company a joint employer, subject to trickier overtime compliance issues? If you don’t ask that question, employees might do it for you. Case in point: An employee recently contacted the Department of Labor (DOL), asking for guidance on whether a restaurant and members-only club, both of which employed her, were complying with the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Specifically, she wanted to know if the DOL considered the two entities to be joint employers.
IRS Explains When Roth Catch-Up Contributions Are Required
Ever since the Secure 2.0 Act laid out changes for workplace retirement plans, employers have been waiting for final regs from the IRS. Now, the regs are here. The 2022 law established new requirements, impacting 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans that allow participants who are age 50 or older to make catch-up contributions. Specifically, the Secure 2.0 Act said catch-up contributions made by participants who exceed a certain wage threshold will need to be designated as after-tax Roth contributions.
Reimbursement: FY 2026 Per Diem Rates Announced by GSA Original
Employers that don’t want to require employees to turn in receipts for business travel reimbursement can rely on per diem rates. The General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a notice regarding its fiscal year 2026 per diem rates for business travel. Employers can use these rates to reimburse employees for expenses incurred when traveling within the continental United States (CONUS). Here’s what GSA said about travel occurring between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026.
A First Look at Treasury's Occupations List Original
The Treasury Department released a list of occupations that businesses will need if their employees or independent contractors receive tips. The official proposed list is slated to appear in the Federal Register by October 2, 2025. But the Treasury has provided a first look at “occupations that customarily and regularly received tips on or before December 31, 2024,” as required by the no-tax-on-tips provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
IRS Reveals Plan to Update Form W-4 for 2026: Here's a Recap Original
The 2026 Form W-4 will look different from this year’s form if the IRS finalizes the early release draft it unveiled this summer. Some, but not all, of the updates are the result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The W-4 isn’t the only form getting a fresh look due to the OBBBA: The IRS recently released plans to revise Form W-2 as well. Here’s a summary of the changes that you and employees may see on next year’s W-4.
TY 2026 W-2: IRS Proposes New Box 12 Codes, Box 14 Tweak Original
The IRS has issued a draft of the tax year 2026 Form W-2, incorporating the reporting requirements of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). It’s important to note: The IRS hasn’t finalized the changes yet, and they don’t apply to tax year 2025 forms. With that said, here’s a look at the TY 2026 W-2 as it now stands. The OBBBA, which became law in July 2025, requires employers to provide details about certain compensation employees receive.
IRS: No Last-Minute Changes to 2025 Form W-2 Due to OBBBA
The IRS announced it isn’t planning late-in the-game changes to tax year 2025 Forms W-2 and other payroll forms, such as the 941. That’s the case even though the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) says employees can take deductions on their personal income tax returns, starting with tax year 2025 returns. The deduction is for qualified overtime compensation and/or tips. The maximum deduction amount in both cases is $12,500 for individuals and $25,000 for joint filers.
Uncashed Check? IRS Ruling on Retirement Plan Distributions Original
The IRS has explained how to handle taxes if a retirement plan participant doesn’t cash a distribution check and another check is issued. When a company’s retirement plan administrator issues a distribution check to a participant, federal income tax must be withheld and remitted to the Treasury Department. Plus, the retirement plan information must be reported to the IRS on Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc.
IRS Announces ACA Numbers Needed for Health Plans in 2026 Original
The IRS has released two revenue procedures, containing info employers need to ensure Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance next year. The new numbers are pertinent as employers are researching health insurance plans and gearing up for open enrollment. As in the past, under the ACA, minimum essential coverage must be affordable and must provide minimum value to full-time employees. Here are the latest details from the IRS for plan years starting in 2026.
Check These Minimum Wage Updates, Effective July 1, 2025
Mid-year minimum wage changes can catch you by surprise, so it’s important to ensure that your payroll system is current. When it comes to compliance, minimum wage is just one of many areas where you’ll find differences among states, with other areas including unemployment insurance taxable wage bases, pay transparency and child support withholding. Minimum wage rate changes that don’t kick in January 1 typically have an effective date of July 1 — although not always.
No Tax on Overtime: W-2 Reporting Changes Likely Coming
As the One Big Beautiful Bill Act moves forward in Congress, it’s looking more likely that overtime pay won’t be subject to tax. Of course, nothing has been finalized yet, but legislators have provided some details worth noting. On June 16, 2025, the Senate Finance Committee released legislative text, intended for inclusion in the Senate’s version of the budget reconciliation bill.
2026 Social Security Taxable Wage Base Projected to Increase
What’s the maximum you’ll pay per employee in Social Security tax next year? The taxable wage base estimate has been released. According to the intermediate projection issued in a June 2025 report, the Social Security taxable wage base next year will be $183,600. That’d be a $7,500 increase from the current number of $176,100. At the 6.2% rate, the maximum Payroll would withhold from each employee’s wages for Social Security tax would reach $11,383.20.
Paid a Big Bonus! But Is Child Support Withholding Required? Original
Should you withhold child support from a bonus or other lump-sum payment you’re about to make to an employee? You’ll be able to get an answer to that question from your state child support agency more quickly than in the past. That’s thanks to technology changes the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) has planned. The OCSS recently provided details on a major software release it has scheduled. Release 25-02 will impact several systems, including lump-sum reporting.
Can Your Retirement Plan's Investment Menu Include Crypto? Original
The Dept. of Labor (DOL) is once again taking a neutral approach about offering a certain investment option to retirement plan participants: crypto. During the Biden administration, the DOL issued Compliance Assistance Release 2022-01, warning 401(k) plan fiduciaries against cryptocurrencies. Plan fiduciaries should use “extreme care” before adding a cryptocurrency option to a 401(k) plan’s investment menu for plan participants, the DOL said in the 2022 release.
Court Calls ACA Reg 'Void,' Orders $200K ESRP Refund for Biz Original
While the IRS can assess penalties under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it can’t issue the certifications required beforehand, a court has ruled. Those certifications must come from the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a federal district court in Texas. After all, the ACA assigned the job of certification to HHS and didn’t provide for delegation – despite the fact that HHS finalized a rule in 2013 turning over the task to the IRS.
Federal Tax Bill Passes in House: 6 Changes in the Works
The House has passed federal legislation, the “big, beautiful bill,” aimed at providing tax cuts that will have an immediate impact. In the early-morning hours of May 22, 2025, the tax and spending legislation cleared the House with a 215-214 vote. Now the bill heads to the Senate. HR 1 — officially referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — would extend and/or modify some provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017.
Overtime Rule: Latest Update on Paying Exempt Employees Original
The rollercoaster ride continues as federal regulators reevaluate the current overtime rule and what it means to meet the salary level test. In 2024, the Biden administration’s Dept. of Labor (DOL) finalized a rule that aimed to dramatically increase the salary threshold for exempt employees. But the rule met with strong resistance from business groups and other stakeholders who took legal action against it.
Here Are the Changes You'll See Original
In April 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released an updated version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Shortly thereafter, E-Verify and E-Verify+, which also fall under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), underwent minor changes as well. Here are the details. The most recent version of Form I-9 has an edition date of January 20, 2025, and an expiration date of May 31, 2027.
OPTIMIZING COMMUNICATION AND STREAMLINING SEDATION PLAN FOR ERCPS: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT APPROACH TO TRANSITION FROM ANESTHESIA-GUIDED TO MODERATE SEDATION AMIDST LIMITED ANESTHESIA RESOURCES AND STAFFING CONSTRAINTS
Total number of ERCP procedures performed by five advanced endoscopists in 2023 and January–October 2024, stratified by sedation type: GA, MAC, and MCS. The cumulative percentages and after-hours procedures are provided for both years. Statistically significant differences in cumulative and after-hours distributions were observed (p = 0.0047 and p < 0.0001, respectively).
New Veterans Law Makes USERRA Compliance More Crucial Original
Employers should be aware the federal law that protects veterans and service members has been amended by a new law, making the stakes higher. The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act was enacted early in 2025. As a result, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994 changed. Here are the details.
Here's a Quick Rundown of What's New Original
After more than a year, the IRS has made changes to Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information, and Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation. While changes used to occur annually, now the forms are “continuous use,” meaning the IRS revises them only when needed. The same goes for the instructions. Here’s a look at the latest versions, released in April 2025, and how they differ from the previous versions, released in January 2024.
Higher Penalty Amounts If IRS Finds Problems With Your W-2s Original
Learning that a Form W-2 contains errors is bad enough, but being assessed a penalty by the IRS is even worse. Errors can show up in many ways. For example, employers might enter incorrect information, such as the amount of income tax withheld, or not include all the required data on the forms. Or employers might fail to file the forms by the IRS due date — and that can lead to penalties, too. Bear in mind, any penalties apply on a per-return basis. Here are the latest amounts released by the IRS.
IRS Boosts Mileage Rate, Makes Other Updates for 2026
IRS has released 2026 mileage rates and other updates impacting employees who drive personal vehicles for work or employer-provided vehicles. First, IRS said in a recent notice that the business standard mileage rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents per mile. That’s a 2.5-cent increase over the 2025 mileage rate of 70 cents per mile.
IRS Reveals Higher Retirement Plan Limits for 2026 Original
The IRS recently announced changes to retirement plan numbers for next year, putting your year-end prep in high gear. The 401(k) plan salary deferral limit will bump up to $24,500 (currently $23,500). How about the salary deferral limit for 403(b) plans and most 457 retirement plans? They’ll also see that increase to $24,500. Meanwhile, employees age 50 or older can opt to make 401(k), 403(b) and 457 retirement plan catch-up contributions of up to $8,000 – the max is $7,500 in the current year.
New Fringe Benefit Numbers, Other IRS Changes for 2026
The amounts you can exclude from an employee’s gross income for certain fringe benefits will increase for 2026, IRS announced. As you know, fringe benefits are generally subject to income tax withholding as well as Social Security and Medicare taxes, unless they meet IRS requirements for exclusion from income. And for many fringe benefits, the dollar amounts change each year based on the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Revenue Procedure 2025-32 contains those dollar amounts.
How this 34-year-old went from working in retail to owning her own restaurant
Continue reading More for You Continue reading More for You
SSA Bumps Up Social Security Taxable Wage Base For 2026
Time to update your systems: SSA has announced the 2026 Social Security taxable wage base. Next year’s number will increase to $184,500 – that’s $8,400 more than the current amount of $176,100. So, the official projection released earlier this year ($183,600) was slightly low, although not too far off. The Social Security tax, as set by Congress, will remain 6.2% for employees and employers. That means if an employee earns $184,500 (or more) next year, you’ll withhold $11,439.
How this 34-year-old went from working in retail to owning her own restaurant
Store and/or access information on a device Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
This 34-year-old supersized her salary with her third career
Continue reading More for You Continue reading More for You
This 34-year-old supersized her salary with her third career
Store and/or access information on a device Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Treasury Regulations Finalized Under FIRPTA Regarding Domestically Controlled REITs
Go-To Guide: New regulations narrow FIRPTA exemption for domestically controlled REITs Controversial proposed look-through rule for domestic C corporations is retained, but softened Upstream entities are characterized as either "look-through persons" or "non-look-through persons" Important 10-year transition relief added Under U.S. tax law, gains recognized by foreign persons and entities upon the disposition of investments in certain U.S. assets (e.g., corporate stock and securities) are...
Treasury Regulations Finalized Under FIRPTA Regarding Domestically Controlled REITs
Go-To Guide: New regulations narrow FIRPTA exemption for domestically controlled REITs Controversial proposed look-through rule for domestic C corporations is retained, but softened Upstream entities are characterized as either “look-through persons” or “non-look-through persons” Important 10-year transition relief added Under U.S. tax law, gains recognized by foreign persons and entities upon the disposition of investments in certain U.S. assets (e.g., corporate stock and securities) are...
Employee or Independent Contractor? DOL Proposes New Rule
Who’s an employee and who’s an independent contractor? When making that determination for wage and hour compliance, businesses may soon have fewer restrictions. That’s because the Department of Labor (DOL) recently released a proposed rule on classifying workers, and it’s a return to a more business-friendly approach. If the proposed rule is finalized, the 2024 final rule would be rescinded, and the 2021 final rule would be revived with a few modifications.
Reduction in Breast Cancer Death With Adjuvant Chemotherapy Among US Women According to Race, Ethnicity, and the 21-Gene Recurrence Score
Background The Oncotype 21-gene breast recurrence score (RS) is the most commonly ordered multigene breast cancer biomarker in the United States,1 and the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Breast Cancer base its recommendations on the RS for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)–positive, HER2-negative tumors (henceforth referred to as ER-positive) that do not have axillary lymph node metastases.2 The 21-gene RS was developed as a predictive biomarker because...
How this bartender built a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio
Your browser does not support the audio tag. This feature is powered by text-to-speech technology. Want to see it on more articles? Give your feedback below or email audiofeedback@marketwatch.com. Since Melanie Bajrovic left the bar industry and became a millionaire real estate investor, she’s usually in bed by 10 p.m. It’s a change after almost two decades working in bars, first in the kitchen, and later as a hostess, server and bartender, then a manager and finally, a bar owner.
How this former teacher went from $100,000 in debt to a $300,000 net worth
MONEY MATTERS Chris Lovell went from being more than $100,000 in debt to a six-figure net worth by “house hacking,” doing side hustles and moving into a higher paying career. The mother of two started her journey from negative to positive six figures when she was pregnant with her first child. She was a teacher in Los Angeles, and while she had a master’s degree, earned only about $30,000 a year.
How this former teacher went from $100,000 in debt to a $300,000 net worth
MONEY MATTERS Chris Lovell went from being more than $100,000 in debt to a six-figure net worth by “house hacking,” doing side hustles and moving into a higher paying career. The mother of two started her journey from negative to positive six figures when she was pregnant with her first child. She was a teacher in Los Angeles, and while she had a master’s degree, earned only about $30,000 a year.
How this former teacher went from $100,000 in debt to a $300,000 net worth
Chris Lovell went from being more than $100,000 in debt to a six-figure net worth by "house hacking," doing side hustles and moving into a higher paying career. The mother of two started her journey from negative to positive six figures when she was pregnant with her first child. She was a teacher in Los Angeles, and while she had a master's degree, earned only about $30,000 a year.
How this 25-year-old makes over $10,000 a month in passive income through real estate
Soli Cayetano's path to a real estate portfolio that makes her $10,000 to $12,000 in net income per month started in college. She got a job in office leasing at a commercial real estate firm as a sophomore. But in the spring of her senior year, in 2020, office leasing dried up because of the pandemic. As a commission-based employee, her income dwindled.
How this product manager increased her salary from $72,000 to $186,000 in 5 years
MONEY MATTERS Cinneah El-Amin embraced 9-5 work on her path to wealth. But she job-hopped, getting significant salary bumps along the way. She increased her base pay by more than $100,000 over 5 years working in financial services and tech, and earned additional money in bonuses. El-Amin was laid off from PayPal in February as part of a 7% cut to its workforce, becoming one of the now roughly 200,000 global tech-sector employees laid off since the start of the year.
How this product manager increased her salary from $72,000 to $186,000 in 5 years
Cinneah El-Amin embraced 9-5 work on her path to wealth. But she job-hopped, getting significant salary bumps along the way. She increased her base pay by more than $100,000 over 5 years working in financial services and tech, and earned additional money in bonuses. El-Amin was laid off from PayPal in February as part of a 7% cut to its workforce, becoming one of the now roughly 200,000 global tech-sector employees laid off since the start of the year.
How these gym instructors went from $50,000 in debt to being fiscally fit
MONEY MATTERS Samantha and Michael Bahil had about $50,000 of car and student debt between them when they took out a $20,000 loan for their wedding. After the wedding, they wanted to buy a house but had no idea how. So, they got serious about paying off their debt. Now the fitness instructors are homeowners, and debt-free aside from their mortgage. Samantha, 33, who goes by Sam, and Michael, 38, met at a Gold’s Gym in Albany, N.Y.’s capital district.
How these gym instructors went from $50,000 in debt to being fiscally fit
Samantha and Michael Bahil had about $50,000 of car and student debt between them when they took out a $20,000 loan for their wedding. After the wedding, they wanted to buy a house but had no idea how. So, they got serious about paying off their debt. Now the fitness instructors are homeowners, and debt-free aside from their mortgage. Samantha, 33, who goes by Sam, and Michael, 38, met at a Gold's Gym in Albany, N.Y.'s capital district.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Jennifer
Contact Jennifer, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack