January 2017

Everyone who has spent time on the open seas knows that the ocean can be a brutal and unforgiving place. For people who make their living on the open water, it is important that they have some form of safety net that will provide compensation if they are injured on the job. This is called maintenance and cure payments. These payments are meant to cover a variety of costs including daily living experience (called maintenance) and financial assistance for medical bills (called cure). Ideally, these payments would continue until they are fit to return to their work. Many companies will offer advances on employee payments while they are injured in addition to the maintenance; however, this has a few problems that people should be aware of when people are recovering from injuries.

Tax Law Regarding These Payments Can Get Confusing

Anyone who is receiving maintenance and cure payments should understand that they do not typically have to make tax payments on funding categorized as maintenance. The advances that many employers offer is a different story. If the employer categorizes these advances as wages, they are seen as a paycheck that is being paid while the worker is injured. Like any other wages, these advances are subject to taxation. If an employee has a choice regarding whether or not they receive these advances of wages or maintenance, they should always select to receive the advances as maintenance. This way, they owe fewer taxes at the end of the year.

How Advances Might Impact a Legal Battle

Most people would assume that employers providing wages to employees while they are injured and recovering is an altruistic gesture. Most of the time, this is true; however, there are some cases when employees and employers wind up in a legal battle regarding maintenance payments, cure payments, or other legal issues related to the job. The employer can point towards the advance payments as a sign that they were trying to do the right thing. This can score favor with the judge and potentially swing the legal case in their favor. An experienced defense attorney might have a way around this; however, this is still something that employees should be aware of.

How do Advance Payments Impact Potential Settlement Awards?

Sometimes, an employee is injured on the job as a result of a lack of oversight on the end of the employer. While an employee might be receiving advances, they might also be seeking a larger settlement due to a mistake on the employer’s end. If a settlement is awarded, the amount awarded is often decreased by the amount of the advance payments. Again, employees should make sure that these payments are categorized as maintenance payments instead of advance payments. This way, the settlement award isn’t reduced by the payments.

If your custody hearing is coming up, you’re probably nervous. Custody hearings involve the people that are the most important to us, our children. With so much at stake, it’s important to enter your custody hearing with as much preparation as possible. Here are some things to remember as your court day approaches:

First, make sure you’re doing everything you need to do to make your best case. You need to make sure that you never miss a scheduled parenting time and that you arrive on time to exchange the children. Don’t spend your time arguing with your co-parent because the other parent might use this against you in court. Keep all interactions with your co-parent business like and professional. Keep records of interactions with the other parent, such as text messages or emails.

As court approaches, make sure the children are not late for school or absent on your parenting days without a doctor’s note. Make sure the children attend their scheduled doctor’s appointments, including any counseling. Refrain from using alcohol during your parenting time and never use illegal drugs. At the Law Offices of Piazza, Simmons & Grant, they give clients honest and direct instructions as to how to present their case in the best possible light.

Second, if you’re working with an attorney, be sure you follow his or her instructions for your case. If they ask you to make notes for them about the case, make sure you do this as soon as you’re able to do so. If they ask you to help them gather pieces of information or read over documents that they file in court on your behalf, make sure you do what they ask. This helps your attorney help you.

Third, put together things that you need for the big court day. Don’t wait until the day of court to find a nice outfit to wear or try a new hairstyle. Make sure that your clothes are ready the night before court. For court, you need a pad of paper and something to write with. You need to be able to take notes and give notes to your attorney during your court hearing. Pack tissues and a power bar or cough drops in case you need them. The court might call your case first or they might call it last on a busy court day with many cases, so it’s important to plan for either eventuality.

It’s also important to make other arrangements for important matters that happen on the day you have court. If you have children to care for, you need to make arrangements for their care. You might need to make sure that you have the day off from work. Whatever you need to do to plan, take care of it before the big day so that you have less to stress out about. Also, make sure you have the numbers of the court and your attorney on hand so that you can make contact if the worst should happen and you face an emergency on your scheduled day in court.

These three steps can help ease your worries and help you prepare for a smooth day in court. Planning and preparation can make the big day less stressful. Take the time to make your best case by doing the things you need to do ahead of your court date. Remember not to lose your cool when interacting with your co-parent. With these tips, you can arrive at court prepared and ready to focus on the children that matter so much to you.

Setting up a business in Canada can be quite the ambitious pursuit, but it is a great country for such a pursuit.  There are many laws in Canada that are designed to encourage entrepreneurialsm, committed to encouraging people to starting a new business and employing their fellow citizens. It is a strategy that holds society together.

Of course, operating that monavocat Canada business is not quite as fantastical.  If you want to run your business properly and effectively, you need to have a grip on the many laws that ensure all businesses are running legally and in the best interests of all people.  As such, here are a few basic regulations you should know as you are getting started. You can learn more as you go, but these should help you to start and operate your business at the very basic level.

HIRING and PAYROLL

Most businesses require that you hire at least a few employees. Maybe you can manage much of the operations yourself at first but eventually you will need someone to help you delegate some of the responsibilities as you begin to expand.  And when you begin to hire people, you will need to understand how to pay your people and track your payroll, including information on:

• employment insurance premiums
• personal income tax
• Canadian pension plans

To manage a payroll you will need to:

• open payroll account numbers for each employee, at your bank
• get key, payroll-related information for each of your staff members
• calculate and pay according to associated deductions
• keep accurate, long term records

SAFETY and INSURANCE

The Canadian government also requires that employers register their staff with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) within 10 days of hire.  The WSIB is dedicated to reducing the likelihood of work-related injuries, illness, and fatalities.  Benefits of WSIB registration can include:

• assisting employees who have recovered from illness or injury back to work
• insurance which covers the cost of lost earnings from such an injury
• no-fault liability insurance
• protection from potential work-related law suits
• accident prevention
• safety training

EMPLOYER HEALTH TAXES

In addition, all employers must also pay the Employer Health Tax to all employees who:

• are employed at the employer’s permanent establishment, or
• are attached, in some way, to this permanent address, or
• work at another address but are paid through the financial department which is located at or via the permanent address

Hiring an attorney would prove beneficial in a number of cases. However, you would be required to hire a competent and experienced attorney. It would not be wrong to suggest that an attorney has comprehensive understanding and knowledge in the field of law as compared to any other person. They would be more appropriate in handling your case, rather than you handling your case independently. In event of your social security disability being denied, you should hire a SSI attorney immediately. The SSI Attorney would be your best bet for presenting your case in an appropriate manner before the administrative law judge.

Need for hiring SSI attorney

One or the major reasons for social security disability claims to be denied has been inability of the claimants to prepare the case before the hearing. It would not be wrong to suggest that hiring a SSI attorney would be imperative for appropriate handling of your case. The disability attorney would prepare your case prudently and present it in a suitable manner before the administrative law judge. However, merely hiring of a disability lawyer to present your case in a prepared manner would not ensure success of your claim. Nonetheless, you would have your case being presented in a prepared manner.

When should you contact the SSI attorney?

It would be pertinent to mention here that more than seventy percent of the claims made for social security disability face rejections. Claimants who handle their cases independently might not be able to provide enough medical evidence for substantiating their disability. As a result, their claim is declined. Hiring a disability attorney would increase your chances of success, as they would prepare the case in the best possible manner. In case, when you should hire the SSI attorney, it should be done at the earliest. You should not wait for your claim to be declined and then hire an attorney for reconsidering the case. It should be done as and when you have suffered injury that disabled you to earn in future.

What help does SSI attorney provide

The SSI attorney would help you in presenting your case in an appropriate manner before the judge. The attorney would be well equipped with the legal stipulations and regulations for preparing and presenting your case in the best possible manner. In event of your SSDI claim being rejected on a relevant ground, the SSI attorney would peruse your denial notice. They would also guide you on the chances of winning the case, whether they are strong or slim.