Aspen Highlights & Updates
Happy New Year from all of us at Aspen HR! As we embark on a new year, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your continued partnership. We deeply value the opportunity to support your business goals, and we remain committed to providing you with exceptional service and expert guidance. We wish you a prosperous 2025!
Aspen WSE Notice Update – Beginning in January 2025, Aspen is updating the Aspen Worksite Employee (WSE) Notice that new hires must sign at onboarding. The new notice will have an attached addendum with required state-specific language. If you would like to review the updated notice please contact your Aspen HR representative.
New Main Phone Number – Clients can now reach Aspen at (844) 408-3054 and our receptionists will personally answer and direct your calls. All calls to the former phone number will be forwarded to the appropriate contact. To reach an Aspen team member directly, you may dial (844) 408-3054 and their extension listed on their email signature.
New Service Offering!
State New Hire Documents – Aspen is excited to announce that beginning in January 2025, we’ve implemented a process to ensure compliance with state-specific requirements for new hire forms as Employees hired in certain states must complete additional forms as part of their onboarding process.
What types of forms are required? Forms vary by state but generally include, notices about employment rights, workplace policies, and wage disclosures. Aspen will ensure the packets are updated annually and as necessary.
What is the process? Beginning in January 2025, once a new hire is added to the iSolved onboarding, an automated email will be sent to a Client User and your HR representative directing them to follow a link to download and provide the required onboarding packet on the Aspen website to the new hire. The automated email includes a list of states that require additional forms to be presented at the time of hire. You may access the state-specific onboarding packets here: Aspen HR State New Hire Documents.
Additionally, during the onboarding process in iSolved, the new hire will acknowledge receipt of the forms. Once completed, you may upload any forms to the iSolved Employee Portal. Please reach out to your Aspen HR representative if you have any additional questions.
New Aspenites
Please join us in welcoming Patty Roberts, Controller, and Tiffany Royter, Senior Payroll Specialist, to the Aspen HR team!
HR and Legal Alerts!
Please refer to our December 2024 issue of the Aspenite for an overview of many new nationwide laws and regulations that become effective on January 1, 2025. Please contact your Aspen HR representative for a more detailed analysis of any particular update.
Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), BOI Reporting Blocked – A recent 5th Circuit Court of Appeals finding reinstated the injunction on BOI reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), so no action under the CTA is currently required. The 5th Circuit will hear arguments in late March, so stay tuned for further developments on the injunction. As a result, covered Companies will not need to comply with the January deadline.
Colorado Salary Threshold Increase – Colorado imposes a higher salary threshold for executive, administrative, and professional employees to qualify as exempt from overtime pay. For 2025, employees must make at least $1,086.25 per week ($56,485 annually) and at least the minimum wage for all hours worked in a workweek to qualify for the exemption. Under Colorado regulations, the threshold employees must be paid to be considered “highly compensated” has also increased. Now, highly compensated employees are those who earn at least $127,091 annually and $1,086.25 per week.
Colorado Restrictive Agreements – On January 21, 2025, the salary thresholds in Colorado will increase to $127,091 for non-compete agreements and $76,254.60 for non-solicit agreements. Please make sure that your noncompetes and non-solicits comply with the new requirements.
Delaware Paid Family Medical Leave Begin – Beginning on January 1, 2025, covered employers who are required to participate in this plan must begin assessing contribution rates against their employees’ covered wages. Employers that are covered by the mandate can require their employees to share in part of the cost of this program. iSolved has set up the contributions to be taken out for any covered employees.
Employers are legally responsible for 100% of the required contributions, but they may deduct up to half of the cost of the program from their employees’ paychecks. Contributions into and benefits from Delaware Paid Leave are based upon the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (“FICA”) wages that were earned inside the State of Delaware. Employers can require their employees to pay up to 0.4% of covered wages (or 0.16%, if the employer is only mandated to provide Parental Leave). In any year, “covered wages” are limited to the same maximum as is used for Social Security taxes.
- Employers with 1-9 covered employees are not required to provide PFML benefits
- Employers with 10-24 covered employees are required to provide Parental Leave only.
- Employers with 25 or more covered employees are required to provide all PFML coverages.
The actual program does not start offering leave and benefits until January 1, 2026. However, a Notice must be provided to Employees notifying them that payroll deductions will begin, which may be found here: Notice that Payroll Deductions for Delaware Paid Leave are Starting. If you are impacted, an HR representative will contact you directly.
Maine Paid Family Medical Leave Premiums Begin – While Maine’s new paid family and medical leave benefits won’t roll out until May 1, 2026, employers with at least one employee in the state must contribute to the program starting January 1, 2025. iSolved has set up the contributions to be taken out for any covered employees.
Employers with at least one Maine-based employee must begin payroll withholdings for their employees.
Employers with 15 or more employees will contribute 1 percent of wages and may deduct up to half of the contribution from the employees’ wages. Employers with less than 15 employees will contribute 0.5 percent of wages and may deduct the entire amount from the employees’ wages.
Employers will begin their first quarterly wage reporting and premium payments starting April 1st and due by April 30th, 2025. The online system for employers to register their business information, designate a payroll processor, file quarterly wage reports, and remit quarterly premium contributions released on January 6th. All employers must register for an account to begin wage reporting in April. If you are impacted, an HR representative will contact you directly.
New York Prenatal Care Leave – Beginning on January 1, 2025, New York employers must provide up to 20 hours of paid leave for pregnant employees to attend prenatal medical appointments and procedures. This is leave taken for healthcare services for an employee during their pregnancy, including physical exams, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and meeting with healthcare providers to talk about the pregnancy. This requirement is in addition to any paid sick leave required under state law. The state of New York released a series of FAQs. Some key FAQs are listed below:
- Who is covered by the Paid Prenatal Leave Law? All employees working for private-sector employers. Private-sector employers include persons, corporations, limited liability companies, or associations employing any individual in any occupation, industry, trade, business, or service, regardless of part-time status, and overtime exempt status.
- Does employer size matter? No, all private-sector employees are covered regardless of size.
- Is this leave time in addition to existing leave policies and the NYS Sick Leave Law? Yes, this is a new legal requirement that provides a separate benefit from other leave policies and laws. Employees are entitled to 20 hours of Paid Prenatal Leave in addition to any other available leave options. Paid Prenatal Leave is a stand-alone benefit available to employees seeking prenatal healthcare services. (Editors note: It is unclear how this leave interacts with unlimited PTO policies. As of right now, we recommend offering prenatal care separately from any PTO policy.)
- Do I have to pay this benefit out if my employee does not use it? No, if an employee separates from the employer, then the employer has no obligation to pay the employee for unused Paid Prenatal Leave hours.
Rhode Island Restrictive Covenants – Rhode Island does not allow non-compete agreements with employees who earn less than 250% of the federal poverty level.
Virginia Restrictive Covenants – Virginia does not allow non-competes with employees who earn less than the average weekly wage. Pursuant to Va. Code § 40.1-28.7:8, the term “low-wage employee” as applied to covenants not to compete has been calculated by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement to include all employees who earn an average of less than $1,463.10 per week. Any employer who enters into, enforces, or threatens to enforce a covenant not to compete with any low-wage employee as defined by the statute will be in violation of the statute, and subject to a suit for damages, attorneys’ fees, and liquidated damages, and civil monetary penalties assessed by the Commissioner.
Washington Restrictive Agreements – Starting on January 1, 2025, the salary thresholds for noncompetes in Washington will increase to $123,394.17 for employees and $308,485.43 for contractors. Please make sure that your noncompetes comply with the new requirements.
Have questions? Don’t hesitate to contact our team!
