DT1_0948Federal tax reform at the beginning of the year produced many questions and concerns at the state and local level. These were addressed during the 36th Annual Congress workshop “State and Local Payroll: Key Developments and Research Tools” Friday morning.

Presented by Laura Lough, Esq., APA’s Director of Publications, and Lia Coniglio, Esq., APA’s Manager of State Payroll Information Resources, the workshop updated attendees on key state and local payroll developments for the year, along with basic research tips and tools.

“One major topic is the impact of federal tax reform on the states, including IRS conformity, changes to state withholding tables, state employee withholding allowance certificates, and state tax reform,” Coniglio said.

The workshop also covered topics such as paid sick leave and paid family leave, wage and hour laws (including fair scheduling laws), paycards, garnishments, and child support. The purpose of the workshop was to ease attendees’ fears that state and local payroll compliance is intimidating or can seem unmanageable.

“State and local payroll compliance doesn’t have to be mission impossible with the right tools and resources,” Coniglio said. “We provided information on the latest state and local trends and updates and also information on how to use the internet and social media to research and track changes.”