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How are Companies Now Treating Employee Moving Expenses for Tax Purposes?

| April 27, 2018

Employee Moving ExpensesThe passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in late 2017 and its almost immediate effective date of 1 January 2018 took many in the mobility industry by surprise. One key change, the repeal of the employee moving expenses deduction, left many companies wondering about the tax treatment of three common relocation benefits that historically have been tax deductible for transferees:

• Household Goods Shipment (including pet and automobile shipments)
• Household Goods Storage Expenses
• Final Move Expenses Read More

U.S. Immigration Law: Where Are We Now and What’s to Come?

| April 4, 2018

TRC Global Mobility is sponsoring an upcoming Worldwide ERC Learning Zone webinar on April 10, 2018, presented by Envoy Global. Here is a sneak preview of some of the findings contained in Envoy’s Immigration Trends 2018 report. Click Here to Register for the Webinar.

tax reformAccording to Envoy’s Immigration Trends 2018 Report, 70 percent of employers say sourcing foreign national employees is very or extremely important to their talent acquisition strategy, yet 85 percent of employers say the current U.S. immigration system has had an impact in the hiring and retention of global talent into their organizations.

It’s clear that immigration continues to be an area of focus among employers and the U.S. government. Last year brought forward changes in policy, practice and rhetoric, and, unsurprisingly, the outlook for 2018 is similar, with even tougher restrictions being proposed.

Here are some of the potential changes that may be implemented in 2018. Read More

International Relocation Assignments and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

| March 22, 2018

International tax job cuts - scissors with hands and rescue floatThe passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has had far-reaching effects within the domestic sector of the global mobility industry, however, international employee relocations have been impacted as well.  All of the benefits that are affected from a domestic perspective will have the same implications on international moves if those benefits are included in an international relocation package. For example, household goods shipments and final move benefits are typically included in both international and domestic employee mobility packages.  As of 1 January 2018, both of these benefits have been deemed as taxable, with no distinction between the benefits being administered domestically or internationally.  It will be up to companies on an individual basis to determine if they are going to consider grossing up the taxes for both of these benefits going forward. Read More

Relocation Benefits Tax Changes: Key Issues to be Aware of When Completing 2017 Federal Taxes

| March 1, 2018

Relocation Benefits Tax ChangesWith the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, there are key changes to the tax treatment of several common relocation benefits. Whether you are an employee moving domestically or globally or an employer who relocates employees, it is important to be aware of these changes as we head into tax season.

We outline these changes below and offer TRC’s recommendations on how to treat these benefits going forward. Read More

LABOR 2030: The Collision of Demographics, Automation and Inequality

| February 19, 2018

employee mobility white paperA new white paper from Bain & Company explores some dramatic changes that will affect talent management and the employee mobility function. A brief excerpt follows.

Demographics, automation and inequality have the potential to dramatically reshape our world in the 2020s and beyond. Our analysis shows that the collision of these forces could trigger economic disruption far greater than we have experienced over the past 60 years. The aim of this report by Bain’s Macro Trends Group is to detail how the impact of aging populations, the adoption of new automation technologies and rising inequality will likely combine to give rise to new business risks and opportunities. These gathering forces already pose challenges for businesses and investors. In the next decade, they will combine to create an economic climate of increasing extremes but may also trigger a decade-plus investment boom. Read More

Steve Townsend, CRP, GMS-T Awarded the Saul Gresky Award by the North Texas Relocation Professionals

| February 8, 2018

– Recognizing relocation industry contributions –

steveMILWAUKEE, Wis. – February 8, 2018 – TRC Global Mobility, Inc. (TRC) is pleased to announce that Steve Townsend, CRP, GMS-T, Vice President, Business Development at TRC, was awarded the Saul Gresky Award by the North Texas Relocation Professionals (NTRP).

NTRP presents the award annually to one corporate or relocation service professional who: Read More

United Van Lines’ National Movers Study Shows Americans Continue to Move West and South

| January 30, 2018

So where are Americans moving these days, and why are they moving there? United Van Lines’ recently released 41st Annual National Movers Study holds a few surprises. The study tracks United customers’ state-to-state migration patterns during the previous year.

According to the study, Americans are moving westward, flocking to the Mountain and Pacific West, while the Northeast and Midwest continue to lose residents. In 2017, more residents moved out of Illinois than any other state with 63 percent of moves being outbound. Surprisingly, Vermont had the highest percentage of inbound migration in 2017 with nearly 68 percent of moves to and from the state being inbound Read More

Lump Sum Policy Best Practices: Pros & Cons of Supplemental Lump Sums

| January 14, 2018

supplemental lump sumsAs the name suggests, companies offer supplemental lump sums to cover part of an employee’s relocation costs, not all of them. About one-third of TRC’s clients utilize the supplemental lump sum to cover benefits such as the home finding trip, temporary living and the final move. Companies usually tailor supplemental lump sums to each employee’s move, often by pricing accommodations through preferred providers and including pre-determined amounts for mileage and meals.

According to the Atlas World Group 2017 Corporate Relocation Survey, 50% of companies are using a supplemental lump sum to cover temporary accommodation costs, up from 38% – 43% in years 2011 through 2014. In its 2017 Workforce Mobility Benchmark Report, Runzheimer noted that nearly 50% of the organizations they surveyed manage home finding expenses via a supplemental lump sum. Read More

Lump Sum Policy Best Practices: Pros & Cons of a Core/Flex Program

| December 27, 2017

lump sum policyWhen discussing lump sum policy, the core/flex policy is an attempt to provide greater flexibility and a better employee relocation experience for the employee while allowing the employer to meet global mobility objectives and contain costs. A perennial complaint of transferring employees is that relocation policies include benefits the employee neither wants nor needs, but do not include alternative benefits that better meet the employees’ needs.

These benefits go unused, which saves the employer money but can leave the employees feeling like their needs have gone unmet. Occasionally, relocating employees ask to trade undesired benefits for ones that are more relevant (e.g. an extension of temporary housing instead of spouse counseling). Most employers view these request as exceptions to policy and deny them.

With a core/flex program, companies often choose to retain a tiered methodology, with tiers typically differentiated by job grade or homeowner/renter status. There is also a trend to have a dedicated “executive” tier for higher-level employees. Within each policy tier, there are specifically defined (core) benefits. Companies determine which core benefits to include by analyzing historical benefits usage data. The core benefits do not have a monetary cap or limit, but employees must use them exactly as defined in the policy. Read More

Managed Lump Sum Program: Pros and Cons to Consider

| December 22, 2017

managed lump sumA managed lump sum policy is similar to a traditional fixed lump sum except the company specifically defines the benefits covered by the lump sum in its policy guidelines. These benefits are sometimes presented as menu items, allowing the employee to choose benefits that best suit his or her needs. Other companies calculate the lump sum based on the benefits they intend to provide. Either way, the company typically provides relocation counseling (either in house or through a third-party provider) to help the employee use the funds most effectively. Unlike the traditional fixed, any unused funds revert back to the company. The company calculates the managed lump sum amount using the same methods as the traditional fixed, sometimes with the assistance of a third-party data provider.

Pros of a Managed Lump Sum Program

This model allows companies to track benefit usage and spend much more reliably than the traditional fixed. This closer control will also help the company to manage costs better with a vetted network of relocation service partners to ensure optimum pricing and quality. From a tax perspective, the employer can make direct vendor payments, allowing it to treat each of the components individually as taxable or non-taxable.  Read More

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