While 2020 brought new challenges to the forefront for the global mobility industry, the world of cross-border business continued. Even though business travel was greatly reduced, large scale projects were put on hold, and the day-to-day tasks of a mobility manager shifted, there remained a need to stay on top of the ever-evolving rules and regulations of the global mobility landscape.
Our team of mobility tax professionals published several resources in 2020 meant to keep mobility teams updated on industry trends and regulations related to their mobile populations. In addition to our regularly updated blog, our team created a wealth of resources at your fingertips regarding mobility tax, global equity, and business travel—including on-demand webinars, online articles, and downloadable guides.
Below is a roundup of some of our top mobility tax resources from 2020.
Beyond the Cost Projection – Advanced Considerations for Budgeting and Accrual of Tax Equalized Assignment Costs
Good budgeting and accurate cost accruals start with the tax cost projection calculation. In one of our recent blog articles, 3 Approaches to Accounting for the Tax Costs of an International Assignment, we outlined the basic “nuts and bolts” for capturing assignment tax costs and the considerations that affect which accounting method to select. Now that the building blocks are in place and you are consistently doing cost projections and booking accruals for the tax costs, it is time to look beyond the basics into three areas that can make your accrual process more appropriate. Read more.
COVID-19 and the Impact on the Global Mobility Industry – Webinar
As COVID-19 continued to spread around the globe, the business of relocating employees as well as business travel in general was greatly affected. During this one-hour webinar, each of our speakers offered their perspective on how the pandemic could impact the mobility industry and shared their recommendations for how mobility managers can adapt to this new reality. Download recording.
Domestic Tax Issues to Consider for Work Anywhere Employees
One of the biggest initial considerations for a company allowing employees to work remotely is to determine if it will be on a temporary or permanent basis. For a temporary remote worker policy, the expectation is that things will return to somewhat “normal” conditions and most people will return to working onsite at a company office within six months to one year. For a permanent remote worker policy, the company will allow an individual to move to an entirely different location from where their company is located and there is no expectation of having the employee in the office on a regular basis. Read more.
Global Mobility Considerations for Mergers and Acquisitions
During a merger or acquisition, obtaining an understanding of the mobile employee population comes with many considerations including talent management, immigration, and tax. In our August 2020 newsletter, we provided an overview of the mobility tax considerations for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in three key areas: people, policy, and process. Read more.
Return to Work Strategies and Overcoming COVID-19 Related Challenges – Webinar
In this hour-long session, International SOS provided an update on the current state of domestic and international travel as well as best practices to keep everyone safe throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Then our panel of executives from various relocation management companies shared case studies and success stories from the pandemic as well as their return-to-work strategies. Download recording.
Solving Risk and Compliance Concerns for your Mobile Workforce
The risks and compliance requirements for short-term business travelers and their employers can oftentimes get overlooked—whether due to the number of days a person is traveling or the fact that a company simply doesn’t have the ability to properly track and report all business travel. However, just because you can’t address each situation doesn’t mean the risks and requirements disappear. To ensure both your business and your employees remain compliant, it is essential to have proper policies, processes, technology, and technical guidance in place. Read more.
Steps to Consider to Protect Your Employees from a Global Tax Perspective
Many companies understand the employee risks associated with more traditional forms of mobility, such as long-term assignments and permanent transfers. Here, they may provide tax and immigration support to make sure the employee remains compliant with Home and Host country legislation. But, in this new world of stay-at-home workers, what should companies consider in determining their level of employee support? In this article we consider how these changes to the workplace impact an employer’s duty of care, highlight areas of risk for remote workers, and provide a framework for moving forward in developing an appropriate “work anywhere” policy for your organization. Read more.
Sudden Business Disruption – Data Privacy and Security in the Global Mobility Landscape
With many employees now working remotely or working from home, is your organization ensuring the same level of data security that you would enforce if employees were working in a physical office location? The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major business disruption and forced many companies to shift their culture and move towards a new way of working. With that has come new procedures for business continuity and recovery planning that may not have been considered before. Read more.
What is Tax Equalization and How Does it Impact Your Mobile Employees and Your Company?
Tax equalization is a policy widely used by companies with mobile employees. At its core, tax equalization is a mechanism to ensure that an employee is neither better nor worse off financially, from a tax perspective, for having accepted an international assignment. However, there are many misconceptions about what exactly it means to be “tax equalized.” As one example, some companies will try to avoid the policy because they think it will automatically lead to high company costs and administration. Read more.
Work Anywhere Checklist for your Mobility Program
There can be significant tax compliance issues for companies that have plans to allow their employees to work remotely. To guide your company in determining the next steps to address those tax compliance issues, we have prepared a Work Anywhere Checklist. By completing this checklist, your company can understand the key issues that should be considered in preparing a work anywhere or remote worker policy, identify potential areas of tax compliance gaps that may need to be addressed, and determine the next steps for your company’s work anywhere plans. Download Checklist.
Our team regularly updates our blog with informative articles on trends in the mobility tax landscape and tips for ensuring your company is compliant. Subscribe to our blog, to stay updated on mobility tax issues. You can also contact our team if you’re looking for a more in-depth consultation on how your company can craft a tax-efficient global mobility policy.
