December 1 is an often-missed deadline for employers.  Did you know that one of the requirements in the IRS regulations is for every employer to remind their employees to review their W-4 status on or before December 1 of each year.

The W-4 is the document that controls federal and state withholding from employee pay and is the document from which most of the information (name, address, social security number) printed on W-2s is taken.  This is a good time to remind employees to review and verify the information on their W-4.  It is important that the name used on the W-4 matches the name on the employee's social security card in order to ensure proper credit for wages earned with the Social Security Administration.

The good news is that the IRS actually provides help for employees trying to calculate their optimal withholding amount.  The worksheet with the W-4 can seem intimidating to many employees (and it does require a certain amount of patience to work through), but the IRS website (www.irs.gov/individuals) also offers a "withholding calculator" that the employee may use to calculate whether his current withholding status is appropriate.

Marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, home purchase or refinancing, retirement, or having a spouse return to work are all events which would trigger the need to adjust a W-4 status.   Give your employees a reminder by simply including a message on the paystub, via e-mail or with a company-wide written memo, and you're in compliance with this IRS requirement.