A Few Important HR Reminders

Reminder: Accessing Your W-2

Employees who elected electronic delivery can usually access their W-2 through the payroll or HR system shortly after January 31.

If your employees did not choose electronic delivery, a paper W-2 will be provided. Depending on the company's election, paper copies may be mailed directly to the employer for distribution or sent directly to the employee at an additional cost, if prearranged.

For a clear explanation of the W-2 earnings and tax details, click to view your W-2 breakdown.

Why Paychecks Might Look Different, and Employees Owe More Taxes

Your employees may not have noticed that less tax has been deducted lately. That’s not a payroll glitch; it’s thanks to recent federal withholding changes. While this may result in higher take-home pay. All payroll systems use the IRS tax tables tied to W-4 and estimated income, so if your employees owe more money when they prepare their tax return, it is up to them alone to modify their W-4. It’s important for everyone to regularly review their W-4, especially if they experience life or income changes. Updates can help prevent surprises at tax time.

Questions? Confusion? panic? Email [email protected]

OSHA filing season is coming up

Companies that are required to post the OSHA Form 300A (the summary of work-related injuries and illnesses) must do so in February in a visible location. Companies must submit OSHA Form 300A data if their establishment meets one of the following criteria:

• 20-249 employees and is in an industry listed in Appendix A to Subpart E of 29 CFR Part 1904,

• 250 or more employees and is not in an industry listed in the Exempt Industries list in Appendix A to Subpart B of OSHA's recordkeeping regulation of 29 CFR Part 1904

Companies must also submit OSHA Form 300/301 data if their establishment(s) have 100 or more employees and are in an industry listed in Appendix B to Subpart E of 29 CFR Part 1904 (see above link).

If you would like Audax to assist, please ensure all accidents from last year are reported to us by the end of January so we can record them and assist your company in filing everything correctly. Workers' Comp Loss Runs include some claim numbers, dates, and financial information; additional information is needed, such as incident descriptions, specific injury type, time off from work, location, and what happened. A lot of that information can be found on “First Report of Injury” forms.

ACA Season Is Here

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires Applicable Large Employers (50+ full-time and full-time equivalent employees) to offer affordable health coverage and to report it on Forms 1094-B and 1095-C. This includes tracking part-time, seasonal, variable, and PRN employees to determine whether they average 30+ hours during your chosen lookback period and within your affordability. If they do, medical coverage must be offered to avoid penalties. This also helps the government ensure that employees who are not eligible do not receive tax subsidies they are not eligible for and must pay them back later with penalties.

While the deadline isn’t till March 2nd, most ACA providers have earlier deadlines to avoid additional processing fees. If you’re a Netchex client, you can manage all of this right from the ACA Dashboard, just don’t forget, ACA filings are due January 31st, otherwise they charge an $500 extra per week after that deadline. No snoozing on this one!

Something Is Coming…

Coming in 2026: a brand-new Audax HR Compliance Tool and ShareFile Portal, customized for you and designed to put the HR stuff you need in one simple, secure place.

Here’s what you’ll be able to do:

•  Access all your Audax-curated company documents

• Stay up to date with real-time law and regulation changes in your state

• Use new HR tools (the helpful kind, not the confusing kind)

• Complete fillable Audax reports for faster, smoother HR tasks

We’re aiming for an early 2026 launch, and over the coming weeks we’ll start sharing more details, and eventually give you access to explore it yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to review these important updates. Staying informed helps keep everything running smoothly for everyone. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help.