• Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (GMT -10:00)
• Alaska Daylight Time (GMT -08:00)
• Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -07:00)
• Mountain Standard Time (GMT -07:00)
• Mountain Daylight Time (GMT -06:00)
• Central Daylight Time (GMT -05:00)

Undoubtedly, payroll is a critical process for any organization. The pay cycle in the United States of America refers to the period for which an organization pays its employees, and this can vary depending on the pay frequency that the organization chooses to adopt. The payroll system in America is tricky to maneuver, but with Neeyamos global payroll software, it could be a comfortable click of a button for you.

State laws vary concerning the timing of payment after a pay period ends and payment in light of holidays and weekends, as well as requiring specific paydays. 
The majority of states require payment of wages semimonthly; however, some states allow for monthly payment of wages, while other states require weekly payment. 

A 13th-month salary is not required 

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. This rate applies to covered nonexempt workers. The minimum wage for employees who receive tips is $2.13 per hour. The amount of tips plus the $2.13 must reach at least $7.25 per hour.

Working Hours 

General 

In the US, a full-time employee is typically engaged for a 40-hour workweek. Part-time employees are classified as employees who work less than 30 hours a week. In addition, part-time employees are not entitled to medical benefits. 

Overtime 

Nonexempt hourly employees must be paid one-and-a-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Employers are not required to pay overtime for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest, unless overtime is worked on such days. 

FLSA provides an exemption from both minimum wage and overtime pay for employees employed as bona fide executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees. They should also meet the minimum salary threshold to qualify as exempt. 

A few states require that employers provide employees with a day of rest each week and/or compensate them at a premium rate for work performed on the seventh consecutive day of work  

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to maintain records for a period of at least three years. Records to compute pay, which include time cards, work and time schedules and records of additions to or reductions from wages, must be kept for two years. 

New Hire Forms 

Complete the following forms in USA Staffing Onboarding.  

• Appointment Affidavit (SF-61) 

• Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) 

• Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) 

Submit online after you have attended the virtual orientation 

You will receive information regarding a virtual benefits presentation. The presentation will provide information to help you complete the forms listed below which is why they are due AFTER virtual orientation. Refer to the due dates listed in the system for each of the forms. 

• Health Benefits Election Form (SF-2809) 

• Life Insurance Election (FEGLI) (SF-2817) 

• Thrift Savings Plan Enrollment (TSP-1) 

• TSP Catch-Up Contribution (TSP-1-C) (if applicable) 

Note: Beneficiary forms may have been assigned to you via the Onboarding system. You may complete the forms electronically; however, the system will prompt you to print the forms so that you may submit them in hard copy to the NIH Benefits office. Beneficiary forms can only be accepted via hard copy. 

Onboarding Documents:

Submit online after you have attended the virtual orientation 

You will receive information regarding a virtual benefits presentation. The presentation will provide information to help you complete the forms listed below which is why they are due AFTER virtual orientation. Refer to the due dates listed in the system for each of the forms. 

• Health Benefits Election Form (SF-2809) 

• Life Insurance Election (FEGLI) (SF-2817) 

• Thrift Savings Plan Enrollment (TSP-1) 

• TSP Catch-Up Contribution (TSP-1-C) (if applicable) 
  
  Note: Beneficiary forms may have been assigned to you via the Onboarding system. You may complete the forms electronically; however, the system will prompt you to print the forms so that you may submit them in hard copy to the NIH Benefits office. Beneficiary forms can only be accepted via hard copy. 

An employee probationary period is organized at the discretion of an employer and undertaken at the start of a new employment agreement. They can last anywhere from 3 months to 6 months in length. It is not unusual, though, to see see shorter or longer periods. 

There are 13 holidays in USA:

• January 1 - New Year's Day 
• January 2 - New Year's Day (substitute) 
• January 16 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day 
• February 20 - Presidents' Day 
• May 29 - Memorial Day 
• June 19 - Juneteenth 
• July 4 - Independence Day 
• September 4 - Labor Day 
• October 9 - Columbus Day 
• November 10 - Veterans Day (substitute) 
• November 11 - Veterans Day 
• November 23 - Thanksgiving Day 
• December 25 - Christmas Day  

Public Holidays 

There are ten federal holidays in the United States, and there are 9 US Stock Exchange holidays that are observed annually. 

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to pay their employees for time not worked, such as holidays. The same is true in the vast majority of states. These benefits are generally a matter of contract between the employer and the employee.

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year or for certain family and medical reasons (maternity leave, serious illnesses, or if the employee needs to care for a spouse or child). Employers are required to maintain the employees’ health benefits during their leave and keep their jobs open. 

Employees are eligible for leave if they have worked for their employer at least 12 months, at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Whether an employee has worked the minimum 1,250 hours of service is determined according to the Fair Labor Standards Act principles for determining compensable hours or work. 

Many states will have additional Family, Medical, Maternity, and parental leave that will either work concurrently with FMLA leave or in addition. 

Falls under the FMLA.

In general, there is no statutory requirement to pay employees for time off for vacations or holidays. 

When dismissing a worker, the employer has a responsibility to ensure federal, state, and city ordinances are followed when off-boarding an employee. Some jurisdictions will impose a penalty if the following items are not processed as per the jurisdictions’ timeframe, including providing the employee a termination/unemployment notice, processing final pay, and ensuring a worker’s COBRA (benefit) information is processed. 

Employees are employed ‘at will’ and U.S. law does not require a formal notice period to terminate an individual employee. Therefore, either party can terminate the employment relationship with no notice. 

In mass dismissal cases the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) must be followed and employers must give 60 days’ notice to impacted employees. There are a number of states that have their own provisions for mass layoffs that go above the federal requirement.

There is no requirement for severance pay, and it is a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee. Employers who choose to offer severance would need to have the provisions within the employee’s contract and agreed upon by both parties. Some employers choose to offer severance based on their employee’s length of service, as example.

To obtain a temporary US work visa, employers must file a petition with USCIS, which must be approved. There are various types of visas available, including H-1B for specialized college degree applicants, H-1B1 for Chile and Singapore citizens, H-2A for temporary agriculture work, H-2B for temporary non-agricultural work, L for intercompany transfers, and E-1 for employment-based immigrant visas. The process must be repeated if an employer changes employers. 

Noncitizens seeking employment in the US can use employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa classifications. Temporary workers can work with a prospective employer filing a USCIS petition. Permanent workers can seek an employment-based immigrant visa based on skills, education, and work experience.  

When making personnel decisions -- including hiring, retention, promotion, and reassignment -- employers sometimes want to consider the backgrounds of applicants and employees. Except for certain restrictions related to medical and genetic information, it is not illegal for an employer to ask questions about an applicant or employee’s background or to require a background check. However the employer cannot conduct background checks or use the information obtained in a manner that denies equal employment opportunity to anyone on a protected basis, by intent or by unlawful disparate impact.