The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released updated 2012 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) amounts, an updated Notice of Withholding, and a new Notice 797. Individuals will now qualify for EITC on their 2011 tax return if they: ►earned under $43,998 and have three or more qualifying children ($49,078 if married filing jointly); ►earned under $40,964 and have two qualifying...

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor has released its 2012 minimum wage poster. Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the Colorado minimum wage rate will increase from $7.36 per hour to $7.64 per hour. The tipped minimum wage will also increase from $4.34 per hour to $4.62 per hour. Pursuant to the inflation adjustment requirement of Article XVIII, Section 15, of the...

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has updated two notices: the "Discrimination and Harassment in Employment are Prohibited by Law" notice and the "Family Care and Medical Leave (CFRA Leave) and Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL)" notice. According to the agency, the phrase "gender, gender identity, and gender expression" has been...

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the Washington state minimum wage rate will increase from $8.67 per hour to $9.04 per hour. Washington currently has the highest state minimum wage in the nation and will after the hike as well. Washington's minimum wage is adjusted each year for inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price (CPI) Index for the past 12 months. The wage rate for workers ages 14 and...

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Wage and Hour Unit, has released a new minimum wage notice for 2012. Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the minimum wage will increase from $7.35 per hour to $7.65 per hour. The minimum wage is subject to a cost-of-living adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as calculated in August. According to the agency, the minimum wage poster is not...

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has released a new poster required for all New Jersey employers entitled "Employer Obligation to Maintain and Report Records." According to the agency, employers must keep records of each employee regarding reporting and recordkeeping requirements under state wage laws, benefit laws, including Unemployment Compensation,...

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries has updated and released its Minimum Wage notice for 2012. Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the minimum wage rate will increase from $8.50 per hour to $8.80 per hour. The 30-cent increase mirrors a 3.77 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since August 2010. Ballot Measure 25, enacted by Oregon voters in 2002, requires a minimum wage...

The Vermont Department of Labor has updated and released its Minimum Wage notice for 2012. Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the minimum wage rate will increase from $8.15 per hour to $8.46 per hour. The basic wage rate for service or tipped employees will also increase from $3.95 per hour with a maximum tip credit of $4.20 per hour to $4.10 per hour with a maximum tip credit of $4.36 per hour....

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the Arizona minimum wage will increase from $7.35 per hour to $7.65 per hour. The Arizona Minimum Wage Act does not apply to persons who are employed by a parent or a sibling, persons who are employed as babysitters in private homes on a casual basis, persons who are employed by the state of Arizona or the U.S. government, and any person employed in a small business...

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has released a new Minimum Wage poster for 2012. Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the Florida minimum wage rate will increase from $7.31 per hour to $7.67 per hour. The minimum wage for tipped employees will also increase from $4.29 per hour to $4.65 per hour. The wage rates were determined by an annual calculation based on the state's consumer price...

The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance and Labor has updated the state's "Minimum Wage" notice. Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the Ohio minimum wage rate for non-tipped employees will increase from $7.40 per hour to $7.70 per hour. The minimum wage rate for tipped employees (plus tips) will also increase from $3.70 per hour to $3.85 per hour. Employees whose...

The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities has updated the state's "Discrimination is Illegal" notice. According to the agency,  "gender identity or expression" has now been added to the list of protected classes under Employment, Housing and Public Accommodations, and Credit Transactions. Other changes include the term "intellectual...

The state of Oklahoma has updated its "Workers' Compensation Notice and Instruction to Employers and Employees" notice. Effective Aug. 26, 2011, employers must inform their employees that a claim for compensation for any accidental injury or death must be filed with the Workers' Compensation Court within two years from the date of the accidental injury or death. Any person...

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has released its final rule for the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) Employee Rights posting requirement. This will be published in the Federal Register on Aug. 30, 2011. This rule requires employers subject to the NLRA to post notices of employee rights under the NLRA. Subpart A of the rule sets out definitions; prescribes the size, form,...

The Industrial Commission of Arizona has updated the state's "Work Exposure to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Spinal Meningitis, or Tuberculosis (TB)" notice. According to the agency, certain classes of employees may more easily establish a claim related to MRSA, spinal meningitis or TB by reporting the details of the exposure to the employer no later than 30...