ASME Introduces New and Improved Mentoring Program

ASME Introduces New and Improved Mentoring Program ASME Introduces New and Improved Mentoring Program ASME Introduces New and Improved Mentoring ProgramAug. 19, 2019 The Society recently launched an updated version of the ASME Mentoring Program, an online member benefit that has been matching experienced engineers with early career engineers and students in need of professional and technical advice for the past five years.The new and improved ASME Mentoring Program site includes a number of new features that make becoming an engineering mentor - or being connected with a skilled mentor to help get your budding career on the right track - a simpler and more pleasant experience than ever before.New features on the site include a single-sign-on function that allows bentzers to sign in with their ASME user name and password milestones to help users keep track of their mentoring progress online and a mentoring dashboard that stores each users profile, match information and milestone settings in one central location. The program now also features an expanded document library containing material to enrich the mentor-mentee partnership as well as a messaging center and note section that mentoring partners can use to send e-mails directly to each other.To learn how the program works and how to participate in the ASME Mentoring Program, view the new step-by-step instruction video on ASME.org. To sign up as a mentor or a mentee, visit http//asme.mywisdomshare.com/user to get started.

A Guide to Understanding What Makes Up Payroll Taxes

A Guide to Understanding What Makes Up Payroll TaxesA Guide to Understanding What Makes Up Payroll TaxesOnce you hire staff, you must start paying payroll taxes for each new employee you take on. Payroll taxes include federal income, Social Security and Medicare. Depending on where your business is, this may also include state and city taxes. Before paying taxes, all businesses must acquire a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the US government. Once a business has an EIN, they can file payroll taxes with the government. Employers are required to withhold the full amount of federal income tax. Employers are also required to withhold half of the Social Security tax and half of the Medicare tax from each employees paycheck, and pay the remaining half of Social Security and Medicare taxes themselves. What Factors Make Up Payroll Taxes Federal Income Tax To figure out federal taxes, employers should have employees fill out a mandatory IRS W-4 form. This form is used to figure out federal taxes, and state and city taxes where applicable. To calculate total federal tax, use the employees W-4, Employers Tax Guide and Supplemental Employers Tax Guide. Social Security Tax Social Security tax makes up one half of FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act). The tax rate for Social Security during 2018 was 6.2 percent of each employees salary, with the employer paying a matching amount. Both the employer and employee are only responsible for a limited amount of Social Security tax. This amount is paid for anything earned up to a wage base of $128,400 for the year 2018. Medicare Tax The other half of FICA is Medicare. Employers must withhold 1.45 percent of each employees salary for the Medicare tax. Also, employers must pay a matching amount. Unemployment Tax In addition to the payroll taxes listed above, employers must pay an unemployment tax for each individual that works at the company. This is called State and Federal Unemployment Taxes (SUTA and FUT A). The tax rate for FUTA is 6.0percent, and its applied to the first $7,000 paid in wages to each employee during the year. Employers who pay their SUTA on a timely basis receive an offset credit of up to 5.4 percent. SUTA taxes vary by state. State Income Tax Depending on the state where a business is located, employers and employees may be required to pay state income tax. Taxes vary by state. City and County Income Tax Though there arent many cities or counties with an income tax, a few, like New York City, do have this tax. Check with the local government to see if there is an applicable local tax. Penalties for Non-Payment of Payroll Taxes The requirement to submit payroll taxes is enforced by a system of strict penalty assessments. Companies receive an automatic penalty from 2 percent to 10 percent for not paying federal payroll taxes properly and promptly, and state and city taxing entities assess similar penalties. A business will also receive additional penalties for n ot filing monthly, and quarterly payroll tax returns, and forgetting to submit a W-2 form for each new employee could cost $50 per form that wasnt filed promptly. The IRS enforces a much more severe penalty for companies that dont submit their withholding and social security tax fund payments as required. The IRS will charge a penalty of up to 100 percent of the unpaid amount to any company or individual, such as a corporate executive in charge of making sure the payments take place.

Top U.S. Cities for Tech Hiring in 2018

Top U.S. Cities for Tech Hiring in 2018Top U.S. Cities for Tech Hiring in 2018 Top U.S. Cities for Tech Hiring in 201821% of CIOs nationwide say they plan to add full-time technology professionals to their teams in the first half of 2018.Percentage of CIOs who plan to expand their technology teams in the next six monthsTop 12 Cities*1. San Diego 29%2. Atlanta 26%3. New York 26%4. Austin 25%5. Charlotte 25%6. Minneapolis 25%7. Philadelphia 24%8. Des Moines 23%9. Miami 23%10. Cleveland 22%11. Phoenix 22%12. Salt Lake City 22%Other cities included in survey13. Chicago 21%14. San Francisco 21%15. Washington, D.C. 21%16. Cincinnati 20%17. Detroit 20%18. Raleigh 20%19. Dallas 19%20. Houston 19%21. St. Louis 19%22. Boston 18%23. Indianapolis 18%24. Denver 17%25. Los Angeles 15%26. Seattle 15%Source Robert Half Technology survey of more than 2,600 CIOs at companies in 26 major U.S. markets. *Cities with percentages above the national average of CIOs hiring for their teams in the fir st half of 2018 (21%). 2017 Robert Half Technology. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.