Getting To Grips With The Minimum Wage

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Getting To Grips With The Minimum Wage
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• The minimum wage laws of the Federal Fair Labor
  Standards Act (FLSA) must of course be complied
  with by every U.S. business. Here is some useful
  information if youre thinking about taking on
  employees in your business, and need to know a
  bit more about the minimum wage.
• What is the current minimum wage?
• The federal minimum wage is currently at 7.25
  per hour, and hasnt changed since July of 2009.

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• However, not every state follows this, and in
  those states where the minimum wage rate is
  higher than that of the state, employers are
  required to pay their workers that higher amount.
  Of the 50 states, around 30 of those have minimum
  wage rates that are higher than that of the
  state.
• Who is entitled to receive minimum wage?
• The minimum wage applies to two types of workers
  classed under 'Enterprise Coverage' and
  'Individual Coverage'.

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• Enterprise Coverage applies to businesses with at
  least two employees, and that make more than
  500,000 per annum. This type of coverage can
  also be applied to hospitals, those businesses
  that give nursing care for residents, schools and
  government agencies.
• Individual Coverage is applied to those who work
  in any form of interstate commerce, such as
  companies making or sending products out of
  state, or those who provide caretaker services in
  buildings used for interstate commerce.

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• What are the conditions to be met for minimum
  wage to apply?
• Employers must pay their workers the minimum wage
  for the duration of their time spent on the
  business premises, while they are on duty or are
  present at a prescribed workplace. That said,
  there may be other circumstances in which minimum
  wage payments must be made to employees, such as
• Waiting time
• One example might be of a fireman who is paid
  while waiting for a call out

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• On-call time
• Sometimes employees are required to wait at site
  and be on call in case they are needed to perform
  a duty described in their job description.
• Rest and meal breaks
• Meal breaks are generally not covered by minimum
  wage, although they may be under circumstances
  such as the employee remaining at their desk or
  continuing to carry out work related duties while
  on their meal break.Rest periods of 20 minutes or
  less are covered.

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• Sleep time
• If your staff members are employed on a 24 hours
  roster, then this applies to them.
• Lectures, meetings and training time
• Provided the worker has permission to attend
  these venues for work related purposes, minimum
  wage applies.
• Travel time
• There are several categories of travel time that
  apply for employees, such as home to work, but
  its best to check the FLSA requirements

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• to make sure that you pay your workers
  appropriately.
• How important is it to understand minimum wage
  laws?
• If you want your business to conform to minimum
  wage requirements, and avoid costly penalties or
  lawsuits from disgruntled employees, then its
  imperative that you do your best to get to grips
  with minimum wage laws. If you are struggling or
  are concerned that your business may not be
  conforming, then its best to engage the services
  of a professional company who can better advise
  you. There are many reputable companies offering
  such advice and guidance, and paying them could
  be a lot less costly than going it alone and
  getting it wrong.

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• Try to keep clear and accurate records to help
  avoid penalties
• As an employer, you are required by law to keep
  records as proof of the fact that your workers
  have been receiving at least the minimum wage.
  Some details that must be kept about each staff
  member, include the hours they have worked and
  the wage that they received.
• Should you be requested to provide proof of this,
  it is your responsibility as the employer, to do
  so, and records must be kept for a minimum of
  three years from the pay period in question.

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• Apollo Payroll is one of the premier small
  business payroll services companies in Miami and
  Coral Gables. Apollo Payroll is dedicated to
  delivering expert advice, responsive service, and
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  to ensure the success and growth of the business
  that we serve. Our services include comprehensive
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  check and employee timekeeping services in Miami.