From 2be9b7a0be3b4924c3c88250f0d5337b89df5a6e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Harold Anderson Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2024 12:34:59 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Update worker pay article with information on employer taxes and worker's compensation insurance --- src/content/post/0068-worker-pay.md | 2 ++ 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+) diff --git a/src/content/post/0068-worker-pay.md b/src/content/post/0068-worker-pay.md index 399f340..529c2c2 100644 --- a/src/content/post/0068-worker-pay.md +++ b/src/content/post/0068-worker-pay.md @@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ Maybe they don't have any money, and they figure they are building equity in the **What About Volunteers?** There is no such concept as a volunteer for a for-profit entity. Volunteering for a company is illegal. The law says that workers shall be paid a minimum wage if the employer _suffers or permits_ them to work for the company. This means that if you need help at a trade show, and you ask your daughter and her boyfriend to help you man the booth, you need to pay them. It is not cool to not pay workers. +**But they are getting Equity!** The law wants to make sure employees get a minimum amount of cash compensation. Equity does not count towards the minimum wage. + **Paying Yourself and Your Partner** There are numerous exceptions to the law, and I could not possibly go through them all. But if you have just started a business, and you have less than $500,000 in revenue, you are just selling in your own state, and it is only you and your partner, the Federal law probably exempts you from paying wages. You can read about that in the first link I posted. However, your city or state may require you to pay wages to yourself and your partner even in this case. So to be on the safe side, and to be respectful, always pay at least the minimum wage required by your city, state, and the Federal government. **What about overtime?** If employees work more than 40 hours per week, the excess is considered _overtime_ and must be compensated at 150% of the normal rate. If you would like to avoid paying overtime, that is a possibility. For certain types of higher-level workers, you can pay them a minimum salary [increasing to $58,656 per year on January 1, 2025](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20240423-0), and they will become _exempt_ from overtime wages. You may have heard the term _Exempt Employee._ That's what that means.