Recent legislation has amended Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 62 § 1(c) to conform to Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 132(f) for taxable years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2022. Consequently, Massachusetts has adopted the federal monthly exclusion amounts for employer-provided parking, transit pass and commuter highway vehicle transportation benefits for the 2022 tax year and beyond.

This notice Is to remind you to please complete your Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form filing online via MassTaxConnect before Dec. 15, 2022.  Massachusetts law requires certain employers to file an annual HIRD form, which contains information about employer-sponsored health benefits offerings.

It is almost time for the Massachusetts HIRD filing. Massachusetts law requires employers to file a HIRD form on an annual basis containing information about employer sponsored insurance.

The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has announced the 2023 contribution rates for the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program.

Massachusetts has enacted House Bill 4554 that expressly prohibits discrimination against individuals based on traits associated with race, such as hair texture, hair type, hair length and protective hairstyles. House Bill 4554 takes effect Oct. 24, 2022.

On April 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Reuter v. The City of Methuen that discharged employees must be paid all wages due to the employee including accrued unused vacation time or the employer is liable for treble damages. 

The Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance has announced that employers require to provide COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave will end March 15, 2022. The leave requirement is expiring on that date because the COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Fund, which reimburses employers for providing the leave, is nearing its limit for disbursements. Otherwise, the requirement would have remained in effect until April 1, 2022.  

Boston has announced that certain employers will be required to verify employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Covered employers must check proof of vaccination and post a notice about the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

Reminder! Please remember to complete your HIRD form filing online via MassTaxConnect before December 15, 2021. 

Massachusetts enacted legislation (House Bill 4127) that extends the requirement to provide employees COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave. The leave requirement will expire when the $75 million fund is exhausted or April 1, 2022, whichever occurs first. Employers that provide the leave may request reimbursement from the state's COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Fund. The requirement was set to end on September 30, 2021 prior to the extension. Employees may also now use leave to care for a family member who obtains the COVID-19 vaccine. Below we summarize the existing requirements.