Payroll Arkansas, Unique Aspects of Arkansas Payroll Law and Practice

By Dave Powell
The Arkansas State Agency that oversees the collection and reporting of State income taxes deducted from payroll checks is: Department of Finance and Administration Revenue Division P.O. Box 9941 Little Rock, AR 72203-9941 501-682-2212 www.state.ar.us/dfa/taxes/wh_tax/index.html Arkansas requires that you use Arkansas form "AR4EC, Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate" instead of a Federal W-4 Form for Arkansas State Income Tax Withholding. Not all states allow salary reductions made under Section 125 cafeteria plans or 401(k) to be treated in the same manner as the IRS code allows. In Arkansas cafeteria plans: are not taxable for income tax calculation; are not taxable for unemployment insurance purposes. 401(k) plan deferrals are: not taxable for income taxes; are taxable for unemployment purposes. In Arkansas supplemental wages are taxed at a 7% flat rate. You may file your Arkansas State W-2s by magnetic media if you choose to. The Arkansas State Unemployment Insurance Agency is: Employment Security Department P.O. Box 2981 Little Rock, AR 72203-2981 501-682-3274 www.state.ar.us/esd/ The State of Arkansas taxable wage base for unemployment purposes is wages up to $10000.00. Arkansas requires Magnetic media reporting of quarterly wage reporting if the employer has at least 250 employees that they are reporting that quarter. Unemployment records must be retained in Arkansas for a minimum period of five years. This information generally includes: name; social security number; dates of hire, rehire and termination; wages by period; payroll pay periods and pay dates; date and circumstances of termination. The Arkansas State Agency charged with enforcing the state wage and hour laws is: Department of Labor 10421 West Markham Little Rock, AR 72205 501-682-4500 www.ark.org/labor State minimum wage in the State of Arkansas for non-FLSA employers is $5.15 per hour. Arkansas State Law covering paying overtime in a non-FLSA covered employer is still one and 1/2 times regular rate after 40-hour week. Arkansas State new hire reporting requirements are that every employer must report every new hire and rehire. The employer must report the federally required elements of:

Employee's name
Employee's address
Employee's social security number
Employer's name
Employers address
Employer's Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
This information must be reported within 20 days of the hiring or rehiring. The information can be sent as a W4 or equivalent by mail, fax or electronically. There is a no penalty for a late report in Arkansas. The Arkansas new hire reporting agency can be reached at 800-259-2095 or on the web at www.ar-newhire.com . Arkansas does not allow compulsory direct deposit. Any employee can opt out in writing and request a check Arkansas has no State Wage and Hour Law provisions concerning pay stub information. In Arkansas employees must be paid at least semi-monthly; monthly for FLSA-exempt employees at larger companies earning at least $25,000.00 annually. Arkansas payroll law requires that involuntarily terminated employees must be paid their final pay within 7 working days and that for voluntarily terminated employees there is no provision. Escheat laws in Arkansas require that unclaimed wages be paid over to the state after one year. The employer is further required in Arkansas to keep a record of the wages abandoned and turned over to the state for a period of ten years. Arkansas payroll law mandates no more than 50% of minimum wage may be used as a tip credit. In the Arkansas payroll law there is no provision covering required rest or meal periods. Arkansas law provides that record retention of wage and hour records period is at least three years. The Arkansas agency charged with enforcing Child Support Orders and laws is: Office of Child Support Enforcement 400 E. Capitol P.O. Box 8133 Little Rock, AR 72203 501-682-8398 www.accessarkansas.org/dfa/childsupport/employer.html Arkansas has the following provisions for child support deductions:
When to start Withholding? 14 days after order is mailed
When to send Payment? Payday.
When to send Termination Notice? Immediaetly
Maximum Administrative Fee? $2.50 per pay period
Withholding Limits? Federal Rules under CCPA.
Please note that this article is not updated for changes that can and will happen from time to time.

Car Buying Tips And Lemon Law Tips

By Ron King
Car Buying Tips And Lemon Law Tips. Car Buying Secrets � Salesmen are more willing to haggle prices to close the deal when in the holiday season, as most people are too busy to think about buying a car at that time. � Another time that is the best for getting a good deal is the period from July to October. Dealerships are trying to get rid of their inventory to make way for the new year models. � Do some research online, and get some quotes � optimally along with some good rebates or incentives. Print out your results from the lowest quotes and bring it with you to your local dealer. Showing them the lower quotes might compel them to give you a better deal. If not, shop around some more. � Visit FightingChance.com � This site has great advice, as well as incentives and rebate offers. You may be able to save thousands of dollars on your car purchase. � A good tactic is to bring a copy of your credit score with you to the dealership. It can lower your interest rates on your car loan. � Be suspicious of any 'bait and switch' tactics, such as some odd change that occurred after you initially discussed the car with the dealer. Some unscrupulous dealers will use your preference for a particular car as leverage in convincing you to stay with your choice; although, unfortunately there has been some 'unforseen' change in the price or deal you originally discussed. Stick to your guns and remind them that is not what was agreed. If they don't back down,or at least give you a concession, then it is up to you if you want to accept the difference. � A rule of thumb is to never wait until your car is broken down and you are desperate � not only are you not thinking as clearly at a time like that, but the salesman may sense your desperation and take advantage of you. On such a major decision, try to force yourself to take action when you realize your car has issues, but while it is still running. � Do your research before going in and subjecting yourself to high-pressure tactics. Don't fall for any deals where you are required to make an on the spot decision. This is a big commitment and you need to be on top of the game.

The 7 Unfailing Laws of Successful Relationships

By Tony de Bree
Most think that relationships exist to make them happy. When they find that special person, they believe that love will naturally grow. But in relationships we encounter everything, challenges, joy, fulfillment, loss. Yet, despite all training in life, we seldom learn about the knitty gritty of relationships, how to build the relationship in a way that brings out the best in all. To start this process, there are 7 simple laws we can learn and use. These laws will act as guideposts, helping us to choose wisely and to avoid costly mistakes. Law #1 - There is never a lack of relationships. Relationships are abundantly available wherever you are. Many live with the idea that love is scarce -there's not enough to go around and that they must cling to whatever comes their way. This idea can cause them to get involved with the wrong person, or stay in a relationship that is toxic for them. It is crucial to realize that relationships are plentiful. (If you don�t have one, it is because you are keeping it away). It is never necessary to cling to someone out of fear of being alone. Law # 2 Know Who You Are And What You Really Want Many enter relationships hoping that it will give them a life, or make them feel better about themselves. They may want their partner to take care of them, or give them the approval they�ve been denied. But it is of the utmost importance to know and respect who you are, to enjoy your own company and be aware of your own values and goals. Otherwise, you can lost in a relationship, become a pawn in someone else�s world.. A healthy relationship is an expression of two people, both equally valuable. In this kind of relationship you discover all you have to offer and how to offer it. Law #3 Don't Keep Choosing The Wrong Person For You Some find, to their amazement, that they choose the same partner, over and over again. Relationships patterns repeat as well. This is called the repetition compulsion. It is the unconscious need to repeat a situation over and over until we master it or it turns out the way we want it to. This compulsion keeps some people stuck in a bind. If you are caught in this, see what this pattern is doing for you. Actively choose different places to go and individuals who are different from those you usually meet. Become stronger than the pattern. Turn you life around. Law #4 - Enjoy Honest Communication Without the ability to say No, we cannot say Yes. Don't pretend to be someone you're not to make another happy. Don't give up that which is meaningful to you for the sake of a friendship. The bedrock of all happy relationships is mutual respect and acceptance and open, honest, communication. Ask for what is important to you. Find out what is really going on for your partner. When a person really feels listened to and accepted they feel loved. Law #5 Don�t Try To Change Or Fix Other Person Let everyone be who they are, including yourself. So many of us are obsessed with changing or fixing everyone. This is not friendship, but manipulation. . Many believe that if the person cared enough, they would certainly change for them. This is not so. Changing another is not your job. Find out who the person you are with really is. If someone feels accepted, they can change themselves, if they want to. Law # 6- Know Difference Between Real and Counterfeit Love. Feeling happy, high, excited or attached to a person, feeling possessive or dependent is not love. It's infatuation, ego thrills or dependency, usually based upon fantasy. Inevitably, fantasies fade. People then feel that the love is over. It is not over, it�s just been a form of counterfeit love. We must learn the difference between real and counterfeit love, between love and fantasy. Counterfeit love always involves struggle and pain. Real love never does. Real love is a verb. It is not based simply upon feelings, which come and go, but actions. It is important to learn "to"do love". Do love and you will be loved. in return. Law #7 - See the Best In Others - And In Yourself. What we see in others, we bring out in them. If we focus upon their negative points (and let them know about them), you can be certain the negativity will increase. When we focus upon what is good in that person and let them know, this brings out the best. The better a person then feels about themselves, the less need they have for negativity. Often it can just fall away on its own. Law #7 1/2- The Master Law When They Come We Welcome, When They Go We Do Not Pursue Understand that each relationship lasts for a certain time. You've come together to learn from one another, to share, enjoy and often move along. This is not rejection, but growth and change. Change is natural and inevitable. Don't see it as failure. Don't see it as loss. Don't try to control when time comes to go. Realize that if the person is supposed to be with you longer, they will return on their own. The greatest art of relationships is to know how to let go. When someone new comes welcome them, when it's time to let go, thank the person for all you've received from them and let go. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------cc/author/2005

Law of Success: Part III

By: Sharif Khan
Welcome to the conclusion of this special three part series commemorating the 21st Century Edition of Napoleon Hill's landmark work, "Law of Success," which reveals 17 Principles of Success that can help take your career and life to the next level. These are proven principles based on Hill's 25 years of research personally studying the lives of over 500 of the world's greatest achievers.

Law of Success Part I and Part II covered the first 11 of these principles. (To read Part I and Part II, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3d3loq). Law of Success Part III will now conclude with the remaining 6 of these valuable, time-tested principles which can help you succeed in all areas of your life. Enjoy:

Principle # 12: Concentration

"Concentration is the act of focusing the mind on a given desire until ways and means for its realization have been worked out and successfully put into operation." - Napoleon Hill

In this age of mass communications, we are beginning to face a global epidemic of mass distraction that is becoming dangerous - and in some cases lethal. (The rising pedestrian and motor vehicle driver deaths due to the host of electronic distractions is just one sad example).

The Weapons of Mass Distraction available to us are just overwhelming: email, cell phones, pagers, text messaging, video games, GPS navigational systems, video games, DVD players, TV, web cams, blackberries, faxes, ipods, and the explosion of social networking sites, just to name a few. (When used intelligently these tools can be powerful, but when used ineffectively, they become what I call, "Weapons of Mass Distraction!"

For concentration to be effective, Hill maintains that it is vitally important to keep your mind focused on ONE subject until you've mastered it; to focus on ONE given problem until you've solved that problem.

What I find helps is starting a task with a burst of energy and enthusiasm which will provide the momentum to complete the task successfully. Just watch Olympic sprinters at the start of a race and you'll know what I mean.

Finally, in this age of sensory overload, some sensory deprivation might be in order. Hill recommends that you set some time everyday where you can enter a quiet place, close your eyes, and put your fingers in your ears, blocking all light and sound, and just repeat your chief aim and see yourself in full possession of the object of your aim.

Just practicing this simple technique everyday will help you concentrate on doing the important tasks that will eventually lead to a quantum breakthrough in your life.

Principle # 13: Cooperation

"Cooperation is the foundation of all successful leadership." - Napoleon Hill

According to Hill, there are two forms of cooperation: 1). The cooperation between a group alliance Master Mind (which was covered in my Law of Success Part I overview) to achieve a desired end, and 2). The cooperation between the conscious and subconscious minds to draw upon creative intelligence (a theme that continues throughout this overview).

Power is developed through organized effort. And for any organized effort to be successful, the harmonious cooperation of people focused on a singular purpose is required.

Harmony is the key. And it would serve you well to study the main personality types of people before forming a team so you can bring together people who compliment each other rather than compete with each other. ("What Type Am I" by Renee Baron is a good first book to understanding personality types).

One thing in the "Law of Success" that really struck me as very powerful was an important observation that Napoleon Hill made: "A great leader is one who understands how to create a "motivating objective" that will be accepted with enthusiasm by every member of [the] group...Most people will work harder for the attainment of an ideal than they will for money."

What is your company's or team's "motivating objective" or ideal? Figure that one out and the wings of cooperation will carry you and your team members to new heights!

Principle # 14: Profiting by Failure

"If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate." -Thomas Watson, Sr. Founder of IBM

Profiting from failure is an overdone topic in the field of personal development so I won't spend too much time on this principle. It's overdone for the very reason that there's much truth in the idea of people reaching higher levels of success by persevering and learning from failure instead of quitting. It's no accident that John D. Rockefeller felt that perseverance is the single most important quality to achieving success.

I've observed over the years that success comes to leaders in almost direct proportion to the amount of adversity and failures they've overcome and learned from in life.

That old cliché, 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try again' applies here. Of course, I'm not saying you necessarily keep on doing the same thing expecting the same results (another definition for insanity).

Seek counselors and mentors that you can trust to help evaluate the effectiveness of your plans. Explore the reasons that are limiting your success by asking them how they see you limiting yourself.

If your first plan to achieving your chief aim in life does not succeed, than change it! And keep on changing it until you've reached your target, just as an airplane makes thousands of adjustments and flight corrections before reaching its destination.

Principle # 15: Tolerance

"Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open."

- Lord Thomas Dewar

If we adopt a closed mind we stop acquiring knowledge. And natural law states that we are either growing or dying.

I don't like the word 'tolerance.' I much rather prefer embracing new ideas and having an insatiable curiosity for learning other people's customs, belief systems, and unique perspectives. I look at it as an adventure!

Finding ways to harness cultural differences within teams and organizations will be the new currency in an increasingly globalized economy.

Principle # 16: The Golden Rule

Napoleon Hill recognized that the frivolous use of power from the knowledge that is being shared with you will only backfire and be destructive to self and others. Selfish pursuit of your chief aim without regard for others will eventually come back to haunt you.

We reap what we sow. What goes around comes around. Therefore, the Golden Rule is: do unto others as you'd have done unto you. Before doing anything, ask yourself if it will benefit or hurt the person involved.

It's easy to be self-centered. To transcend self, think more of what the other person wants and feels before acting.

See the good in others. Catch people doing things right instead of always looking for the wrong. Kindness and justice toward others goes a long way in establishing successful business and personal relationships. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great."

Hill takes us deeper with the Golden Rule philosophy when he said, "think of others as you'd wish them to think of you." Live this philosophy and your life will be enriched in many unforeseen ways.

Principle # 17: The Universal Law of Cosmic Habitforce

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

The Universal Law of Cosmic Habitforce is that intangible, unseen force which is made tangible and visible in nature.

Just observe nature and you will experience Cosmic Habitforce in action.

When you fix in your mind a purpose consciousness focused on your chief aim in life through repetition of thoughts and deeds, Cosmic Habitforce will take over and carry it to its logical conclusion, just as an acorn seed will always produce an oak tree through proper care and nurturing.

It takes constant vigilance, determination, and willpower to maintain that purpose consciousness, but eventually Cosmic Habitforce will always bear fruit and your life will be richly rewarded.

In closing, I'd like to point out that at the beginning of every chapter in Napoleon Hill's "Law of Success" are the words: "You can do it if you believe you can!"

It's that simple. I'm not saying it's easy, but it really is that simple. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning."

Believe in yourself! Believe you can do it and move forward this day with faith and confidence. Many blessings to you along your journey.

I hope that you've benefited from reading this series and I'd like to encourage you to share these important principles with your friends, family, and associates. I'd also like to highly recommend getting a copy of Napoleon Hill's "Law of Success: 21st Century Edition" to add to your personal library. It's a life-changing book, and I mean that as no exaggeration. To get your copy, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2a2cuk


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About the Author:
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Sharif Khan ( http://www.sharifkhan.blogspot.com) is a copywriter, inspirational keynote speaker, and author of the leadership bestseller, "Psychology of the Hero Soul" ( http://www.HeroSoul.com). He also publishes his monthly HERO SOUL ezine offering valuable tips, lessons, and advice on success, leadership development, and personal growth. To contact Sharif Khan about his professional business writing services, call 416-417-1259.




Article Source: http://www.articleonlinedirectory.com

Law Enforcement Professionals Move Ahead With A Criminal Jus

By: Terry McDermott
The availability of online criminal justice degrees will contribute to maintaining safety and security at the local and the national level. The demand for law enforcement professionals has never been higher. At the same time, the demands on law enforcement professionals have never been more intense. A police officer with a desire to advance may be challenged to find the time and resources to attain the required academic credentials. Fortunately, a growing number of schools are now offering online criminal justice degrees.

Programs offering online criminal justice degrees are structured to educate participants about the scope and causes of criminal activity. Students will also be introduced to the structure and intricacies of the criminal justice system in the U.S. In addition, they will examine the court system along with the prevailing theories and practical techniques of law enforcement.

The anticipated growth in this area is evident based on the variety and levels of online criminal justice degrees that are being offered. Students can participate in criminal justice programs from the certificate level to the doctoral level. The flexibility and accessibility of these courses now make it possible for those desiring to enter the field of law enforcement to pursue this goal even if they are currently employed. Existing law enforcement professionals can continue to execute their duties while studying for undergraduate or graduate degrees.

I today's environment, the need for qualified experts in law enforcement is critical. The dangers are real but the opportunities for growth and valuable public service are extraordinary. Dedicated individuals with the proper attitude and a sincere desire to move ahead can advance their careers and help make everyone safer by earning a degree in criminal justice. Being able to do that online is a convenience worth considering.



About the Author

Terry McDermott is the administrator of the Lifelong Learning Center at http://www.lifelonglearningcenter.com, a website offering resources for online education in a variety of disciplines and professions.

Article Source: http://www.articleonlinedirectory.com



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