Legal Information for Large and Small Business Owners
Employees
What are my Employer Obligations for Employees in New York?
Apr 22nd
First you should “Determine Whether Your New York Business has Employees or Independent Contractors” by reading that post or consulting with a corporate attorney. If your New York business hires employees, then the following would apply.
Workers’ Compensation. The New York State Workers’ Compensation Law (“NYWCL”) requires qualifying businesses must obtain workers’ compensation insurance before putting employees to work. This insurance covers your company for employees’ personal injuries incurred in the course of employment and deaths resulting from such injuries.
Disability Benefits. The New York Disability Benefits Law (NY DBL) is a special section of the NYWCL that protects workers from non-occupational injury or sickness. If your company employs one or more employees (in covered employment) for 30 days in any calendar year, then you are subject to this law and must get protection, generally in the form of insurance, from a company authorized to write accident and health insurance in New York State, or from the New York State Insurance Fund.
Unemployment Insurance. When you start your business in New York and hire employees, you must register the New York State Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance Division to determine whether or not you are liable for unemployment insurance in New York State, and if so you can register as an employer online.
Posting Notices. Your New York business must post and maintain, in a conspicuous place, a printed notices stating that the company has: (i) complied with all the rules and regulations governing workers’ compensation, and (ii) secured the payment of compensation to your employees and their dependents as provided under the NYWCL. You can get these printed notices from your insurance carrier. Alternatively, New York State and Federal posting requirements can be found at the New York State Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition, there may be special permits and/or licenses that need to be posted depending on the nature of your company’s business.
Federal Unemployment Tax. Your company is subject to federal unemployment tax if, during the current or prior year, you paid wages of $1,500 or more during any calendar quarter in the current calendar year or any calendar quarter in the preceding calendar year; or employed at least one person for some part of one day for any 20 weeks during the current or preceding calendar year. Your company will have to file with the Internal Revenue Service Form 940 and should read the instructions for “Form 940 Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return.”
Social Security. As an employer, your New York business must file an application for an employer’s identification number on IRS Form SS-4. Your New York business can apply and obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) online (sometimes it is easier to use the toll-free number).
Immigration. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 states that all employers are required to verify employment eligibility of new employees. The law obligates all employers, including New York businesses, to process Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9.
Internal Revenue Service’s “Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center” is an excellent site that provides links to information on employment taxes, wage reporting requirements, employer identification number (EIN) and other items of interest to New York businesses with employees.
Of course, it is best to discuss the above Employer Obligations for Employees in New York with a New York Business Attorney (or corporate attorney).
Negotiating the Terms of the Deal — Buying or Selling an LLC or Small Business In New York
Mar 28th
After you have found your target New York business to acquire, you (and/or your corporate attorney) have to negotiate the terms of the business purchase transaction. In this article I will outline some of the typical terms of a term sheet for the purchase of a small business and some of the things you need to consider.
As I mentioned in “Buying a Small Business in New York”, you need to put together a “term sheet” (also known as a “LOI,” “letter of intent,” “MOU,” or a “memorandum of understanding”). This can be done as you and your corporate attorney are conducting your due diligence on the target business.
The term sheet should consist of the broad basic terms of the deal. As that the stock purchase agreement or asset purchase agreement will be drafted from the term sheet, you need to be as specific as possible with respect to contingencies to closing, offsets to the purchase price and other obligations (it will be hard to convince the seller to agree to terms in the resulting agreement differing from the deal points already agreed upon in a term sheet). The term sheet, will set forth the parties’ mutual understanding of the terms of the small business purchase.
Having a term sheet serves purposes in addition to acting as the blue print of the business deal from which to draft the stock purchase agreement or asset purchase agreement.
The business purchase term sheet communicates to the seller that you are serious about purchasing the small business. Depending on how the term sheet is drafted, while you may have an “out” to walk away from the business acquisition, it shows that you are committed to culminate the purchase;
It can lock the seller into looking for other purchasers of the small business; and
The term sheet helps flesh out the major issues that often arise in a business purchase and sale, so to avoid surprise roadblocks that may pop up along the way to closing;
Here is a list of typical terms and other issues to be addressed in a term sheet to buy a business:
1. The Names and Contact Information for all parties that are involved in the purchase transaction — buyer, seller, buyer’s corporate attorney, seller’s company attorney, names of any business brokers involved in the deal, and the names of the financial advisors and/or accountants. If any of the parties are not individuals, you should have the full entity’s legal information (including state of incorporation, officer’s names and contact information, etc.)
2. Purchase Price and Other Consideration – Will this be a cash deal, or a combination of cash and other real or personal property, stock, or intellectual property?
3. Payment Terms. If a cash deal, will it be paid in a lump sum, or paid in installments? If in installments, will it be tied to profitability, or other contingencies? If seller financed, at what interest rate and term? If financed by a third party, is the deal contingent on obtaining that financing? Will there be a downpayment?
4. Collateral (or security) for the Purchase Price. If the business is being sold with seller financing, the seller may want collateral for your promise to pay back the loan. Perhaps the security interest pledged will be the stock of the company, some or all of the business property or business assets, or some other real or personal property that you own. Of course, if you fail to make the financing payments, the seller will want to then be able to foreclose or repossess the collateral that is being pledged against the seller financing.
5. Structure of the Deal. Will it be an Asset Purchase or Stock Purchase?
Assuming that the business target is a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), you can structure the purchase in one of two ways — either it will be a stock purchase or an asset purchase. There are advantages to both, and both may have significant tax implications. You should structure the transaction after obtaining advise from your financial advisor or accountant.
From a legal perspective a stock sale is quite different from an asset sale. In a stock sale transaction, you are buying all of the stock of the company — so the company’s assets, liabilities, goodwill, contracts, intellectual property, real property stays with the company (assuming that there are no prohibitions of or conditions to transfer contained in any of of the documents relating to same). In a stock purchase, you are buying the company entity “lock, stock and barrel.” That also means you may be buying the company’s headaches as well (like lawsuits, and other contractual obligations). So when you buy the stock of the company, you and your corporate attorney should conduct intensive due diligence into the business’ history, contracts, minute books, financial reports and records.
In an asset purchase, you are cherry-picking and buying the plum assets that you need for your own business (or even a division of the seller’s business). In an asset sale (or asset purchase) the company’s liabilities and other headaches stay with the seller. You can buy all or substantially all of the assets of a business in New York, with little risk that you will be held responsible for the debts and obligations of the business incurred prior to the purchase of the business by you.
6. Transfer Issues. Whether the business is being sold as a stock sale or as an asset sale, you have to be concerned about whether there are restrictions to transferring the assets of the business. When conducting due diligence, you (with the help of your corporate attorney) should determine which assets may need prior consent for the transfer (like business space leases, major contracts with customers or vendors, or bank loans or credit agreements). Depending on how the restriction is worded in the respective contract, a mere transfer of any stock or a controlling interest of the ownership of the business stock, may trigger the obligation to obtain consent.
7. Covenant not to Compete. Generally, how successful the the business you are buying was in the past was a result of the management and ownership of the business. So you might want to consider keeping those employees on after you buy the business for continuity purposes and have them enter into employment agreements or consulting agreements with you. Of course, if you have the expertise to run the business from day 1, then you may want to “buy” the benefit of having the prior management and prior business owners from competing with your newly purchased business. You would want to enter into an agreement with covenants not to compete (sometimes referred to as a “non-compete agreement” or “forfeiture for competition agreement”), to prevent the sellers from immediately soliciting their old customers or competing with you. Under New York law, covenants not to compete (or “non-compete agreement” or “forfeiture for competition agreement”) are valid as long as they are reasonable in duration and scope.
8. Non-binding Nature of the Term Sheet. As I discussed in “Buying a Small Business in New York”, you should consider having a “non-binding” term sheet (e.g., there should be contingencies when you can walk away from the deal without liability). But note, the term sheet should be drafted properly so that certain provisions of the term sheet should be binding, like the provisions regarding limitation of liability and confidentiality, among others (you don’t want the seller to sue you nor disclose your confidential information like financial information).
9. Post-Closing Seller Obligations or Buyer Obligations that Continue after the Sale of the Business. As discussed above, there might be times that you want the seller to continue to provide consulting services to the business after the sale of the business. Maybe you decided to close the deal before all of the non-material consents were obtained or prior to when the applicable taxed needed to be prepared and filed. Any post-closing obligation that need to be written in the stock purchase agreement or asset purchase agreement should be included in the term sheet.
Which is Better – An Asset Purchase or a Stock Purchase of a Company? From first impressions, you might think an asset purchase is more advantageous. Generally, buyers prefer an asset purchase for reasons of tax deductibility and cherry-picking the favorite assets (without being saddled with the liabilities). However, in a stock purchase you can buy the business as a going concern with minimal interference of the business (and sellers prefer to sell the entire business with all its blemishes and liabilities). Of course, the bottom line will be price (an asset purchase will probably be more expensive than buying the stock of a company).
If you are considering a buying a small business in New York, make sure to check with your accountant and/or tax adviser and a New York Business Lawyer. There may be important tax and other legal consequences to consider before making the decision.
How Do I Determine Whether my New York Business has Employees or Independent Contractors?
Mar 24th
It is critical that you, the business owner, perhaps with the help of your corporate attorney, correctly determine whether the individuals providing services are employees or independent contractors. For the most part, the employer must withhold income taxes, withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, and pay unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. A company does not have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors.
The person performing the services may be an independent contractor, an employee (common-law employee), a statutory employee, or a statutory non-employee. This all depends on the facts and circumstances at hand. Facts that provide evidence of the degree of control and independence fall into three categories: Behavioral Control, Financial Control, and Type of Relationship, which can be determined by answering:
1. Does the company control or have the right to control what the worker does and how the worker does his or her job?
2. Are the business aspects of the worker’s job controlled by the employer/contractor (including, among other things, how worker is paid, whether expenses are reimbursed, who provides tools/supplies, etc.)?
3. Are there written contracts or employee type benefits (i.e. pension plan, insurance, vacation pay, etc.)? Will the relationship continue and is the work performed a key aspect of the business?
A New York company needs to evaluate all of these factors in order to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. Some factors may indicate that the worker is an employee, while other factors indicate that the worker is an independent contractor. Unfortunately, there is clear line that “makes” the worker an employee or an independent contractor, and no one factor stands alone in making this determination.
If you have questions or need help in Determining Whether Your New York Business has Employees or Independent Contractors, it is best to discuss your concerns with a New York Business Attorney.
Your Company Should Have a Nondisclosure Agreement (Confidentiality Agreement) with its Employees
Mar 22nd
A Non-Disclosure Agreement (also known as an NDA or confidentiality agreement) is meant to protect a business from its employees misusing valuable proprietary information. Often it is a good idea to have a confidentiality agreement in place with each of your employees (regardless of position). For instance, your receptionist and salesperson might have access to your customer lists, which your company would deem confidential.
You should not use a “form” NDA that you download from the internet or obtained from another business. Your NDA should be customized for the facts and opportunity at hand and more importantly, for your particular business. It is important to keep in mind that your company’s confidentiality which is designed for the purpose of a “business-to-business” transaction (where both corporate parties disclose confidential information to each other) won’t suffice for the employer-employee relationship. You should consult a New York Business Lawyer (or corporate attorney) to prepare your company’s employee confidentiality agreement.
Your employee non-disclosure agreement should be specific as to what is considered “confidential information” and also include things that the employee ought to reasonably know is confidential. You should also include company trade secrets (see “When Do You Need a Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA)?” for more discussion about Trade Secrets).
Your corporate attorney should set forth for what purposes the employee can use the confidential information and how he or she can use the confidential information (may not be removed from the offices, no reverse engineering, no copying, etc.). Of course, you need to have provisions specifying what the employee must do with the confidential information when his or her employment ends.
Your company lawyer needs to add “teeth” to the NDA stating that employee indemnifies the company for any breach and that the company may resort to any remedy at law or in equity to enforce its rights in the proprietary information (this means the employee could be sued for monetary damages as well as enjoined from using the information).
Of course, depending on what your business does, an employee confidentiality agreement may be part of a more encompassing agreement that includes provisions limiting the competitive activities of an employee when he or she leaves your company (sometimes referred to as a “non-compete agreement” or “forfeiture for competition agreement”) and requiring the employee to disclose prior inventions (and promise to either not include the prior invention in what they create for your company and/or grant your company a royalty free license to otherwise use the prior inventions).
Lastly, like protecting trade secrets, it is not enough to merely have non-disclosure agreements (confidentiality agreements) in place — your company needs to implement policies and procedures to maintain the secrecy of your company’s confidential information.
I recommend that you consult with a New York Business Lawyer to prepare your company’s employee confidentiality agreement, “non-compete agreement” or “forfeiture for competition agreement” to help ensure the best ways to protect your company’s confidential information and competitive edge.
What Steps Should I Take in Applying for Disability Benefits?
Jan 5th
1. Consider consulting with a disability benefits attorney as the first step in process. Remember, you are bound by whatever you say in your application and what the doctors say in their letters once they are submitted, so you want to make sure everything is submitted completely, carefully and truthfully. It is prudent to consult an attorney as early as possible. Disability benefit application forms are drafted in favor and for the benefit of the insurance company, not the employee applicant. These forms often contain landmines for unwary. Employee’s answers that are not carefully crafted, can ruin the entire disability benefit claim. Professional help is highly recommended.
2. In addition to the form that your medical doctors complete, it is advisable to have them write a narrative report describing your disability. Your doctor should address the following:
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your relevant medical history;
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confirm your diagnosis;
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explain your disease or injury;
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give an opinion as to whether you are totally disabled (this should be tied into how total disability is defined in your plan, i.e. your job or any job);
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explain why you cannot do your job and how your specific symptoms prevent work;
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cite objective evidence in support of disability (test results, X-Ray, MRI’s, etc); and of course,
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a statement of your prognosis.
3. Obtain from your local library or from reputable internet sources, like www.webmd.com, information about your illness and how it can be disabling (especially if if you have a rare illness). Insurance companies don’t necessarily know details of each type of illness. It helps to educate the insurance company. Articles written by prestigious doctors and institutions can be helpful.
Beware of Disability Insurance Policy Traps When Applying for Disability Benefits
Jan 3rd
As noted in the prior post, “How Do I Apply For Disability Benefits?”, you need to familiarize yourself with your employer’s disability plan document and the SPD of the plan. The following definitions are very important, and if you are not careful when making your disability insurance claim, you could shoot yourself in the foot (no pun intended). Of course, if you have any questions, you should consult with a disability benefits attorney.
Definition of “Disability” – To be eligible for benefits, you must be totally disabled within the meaning of the definition in the plan. Common definitions are: “Own Occupation,” “Any Occupation by Reason of Education,” “Training and Experience,” and perhaps some combination definition. The definition is extremely important in determining the value of the benefit award.
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“Own Occupation” Definition – This, from an employee perspective, is the best definition. Under this definition an employee is deemed “totally disabled” if he or she is unable to perform the material duties of his or her “own” or “regular” occupation. This means his or her occupation as performed in his or her local economy, it does not mean your his or her job at his or her company. Thus, it must be shown that your symptoms prevent you from performing your occupation as it would be commonly performed at not only your employer, but at any other similar employer.
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“Any Occupation by Education, Training and Experience” Definition – under this definition an employee is deemed “totally disabled” if he or she is unable to perform the material duties of any occupation to which he or she is qualified by reason of education, training or experience. To satisfy this definition, the employee has to show not only that he or she cannot do his or her regular job, but that he or she cannot do any other job to which he or she is qualified. This threshold is harder to satisfy than the “Own Occupation” definition because the employee must show that it cannot perform any other jobs for which he or she is qualified before the employee is deemed disabled.
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Combination Definition – Generally, most disability insurance policies today use a combination “hybrid” definition that changes after two years. For instance, during the first two years following disability, the employee will be considered totally disabled if he or she is unable to perform the material duties of his or her “own” or “regular” occupation. Following this two year period, the definition of disability usually changes to to a definition of that of “Any Occupation by Education, Training and Experience” (which means the employee’s claim will be re-reviewed by the insurance company after 2 years, and the employee will be required to submit proof to overcome the new threshold in order to continue receiving benefits).
Time limits set forth in the disability plans must be strictly followed. Check your disability benefit policy and SPD carefully to see when a “Notice of Claim” and a “Proof of Claim” must be submitted. There are also time limits within which an internal appeal has to be submitted in the event disability benefits are denied (generally, most plans permit only 180 days to submit an appeal, so if you receive a denial of benefits, you must act quickly). Lastly, your disability benefit plan will more than likely set forth a time limit as to when a lawsuit must be filed.
Elimination Periods. Generally, your long term disability plans sets forth an elimination period (the waiting period before an employee is eligible for benefits under the plan). For the most part, an elimination period is either 90 or 180 days, which means that if an employee becomes disabled on March 1, he or she would become eligible for disability benefits only 90 (or 180, as the case may be) days later, provided he or she remains disabled. Note, that in most cases, if the employee recovers benefits due to his or her disability during the elimination period, the employee will not be eligible for any benefits under the long term disability insurance plan.
Offset Provisions. Most disability plans provide for offsets for certain “other income,” Which means that any awarded monthly benefit will be reduced by the employee’s other income (such as social security disability income benefits, workers compensation benefits, retirement benefits, money received from a third-party lawsuit, benefits paid under a personal insurance policy, and income earned while disabled from your job). Many disability insurance insurers require a disabled employee to apply for these other benefits.
Mental and Nervous Limitations. Many disability plans impose a 2-year limitation on benefits for mental and nervous disorder disability (which means that the benefits end after 2 years even if you remain totally disabled). It is in the disability insurer’s interest to characterize your otherwise physical disability as a mental and nervous disability (for instance, an insurer will try to characterize the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (a physical disability) as the symptoms of depression (a mental disability). You and your disability benefits lawyer should beware of this trap. If you are physically disabled and are also depressed as a result of being disabled, you need to make sure your doctor clearly indicates so in his diagnosis and any letters that you are depressed secondarily and as a result of your physical disability. The insurer will likely impose the 2-year limitation on your benefits if your depression is listed merely as a second reason for your disability, instead of as a result of your disability.
Partial Disability. Even if you are only only partially disabled, your disability plan may provide benefits. In most cases, a plan might consider you partially disabled if you can do your job on a part-time basis or if you can work at a full-time job (other than your own) at less pay (benefits are calculated on a formula, but always less than if you were totally disabled).
If you are uncertain how to go about filing for disability benefits are believe you were wrongly denied benefits, you need to act swiftly as that time is of the essence. You should contact a disability benefits attorney if you have any questions. It is prudent to consult a lawyer as early as possible. Disability benefit application forms are drafted in favor and for the benefit of the insurance company, not the employee applicant. These forms often contain landmines for unwary. Employee’s answers that are not carefully crafted, can ruin the entire disability benefit claim. Professional help is highly recommended.
How Do I Apply For Disability Benefits?
Jan 2nd
Briefly, these are the steps you should take before applying for disability benefits – you should review materials that can be obtained from your employer. These may include:
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Your employee handbook which summarizes the disability benefits (if any) provided by your employer and how to apply for them.
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The disability plan document (usually an insurance policy) sets forth your rights and obligations for disability benefits.
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The summary plan description (“SPD”) which summarizes your rights and also specifies information concerning the administration of the disability benefits plan (like the amount and duration of benefits, waiting periods, application deadlines, limitations on coverage, the type of proof required, and the definition of what a “disability” is for purposes of eligibility). By law the plan administrator must provide these to you within 30 days of your written request..
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Copies of all relevant application forms. These need to be reviewed and completed carefully. Incomplete or misleading answers could result in a denial of the claim or delay in obtaining benefits. Feel free to add additional pages to the application – incomplete information (like failing to list all of your symptoms) will benefit the insurance company.
Consult Your Doctors. In order to apply for disability benefits, you have to establish that you are disabled. Your disability plan will require your doctor to complete forms and will ask their opinion as to whether you are disabled. Get copies of all of your medical records (including physician treatment notes, hospital records, and test results (blood tests, X-Rays, MRI’s, CAT scans, etc.). This way you are sure to have all of the documents that support your disability claim.
You should consider consulting first with a disability benefits lawyer, and when you do, you should bring copies of all of your medical records and your disability application forms, before you file for benefits. It is prudent to consult an attorney as early as possible. Disability benefit application forms are drafted in favor and for the benefit of the insurance company, not the employee applicant. These forms often contain landmines for unwary. Employee’s answers that are not carefully crafted, can ruin the entire disability benefit claim. Professional help is highly recommended.
How Can I Get Disability Benefits?
Jan 2nd
