DOH Healthcare Worker Bonus (HWB) Webinar

DOH held a Webinar earlier today on the Healthcare Worker Bonus (“HWB”).  The webinar provided a general overview of the HWB Home Page, including the following topics of interest:

• Eligibility and requirements
• Account Registration Process
• Vesting Periods
• Uploading process
• Frequently Asked Questions

DOH has also clarified a number of tax question’s that members have raised to NYSHFA:

• Employers will be reimbursed for payroll and FICA taxes in their remittance
• Employers are not required to match 401(k) or other retirement accounts for the bonus payments under the HWB statute
• Bonuses are excluded from New York State and local income tax (i.e., City of New York)
  • There is no state withholding requirement for employers. Employers should coordinate with their payroll vendors to remove state/local taxes for the bonus program.
  • The legislation and DOH guidance released to date notes that federal taxes and other State taxes (such as NJ or CT income taxes) are not exempted from the bonus payment.

DOH should be updating the HWB Home Page Health Care Worker Bonus Program (ny.gov)  to include this morning’s webinar by COB today. Members should continue to monitor the website to access the webinar and related slide deck.

NYSHFA will provide member updates on the HWB as further information is released.

NYSHFA/NYSCAL CONTACTS:

Carl J. Pucci
Chief Financial Officer
518-462-4800 x36

Linda O’Connell
Coordinator, NYSCAL Member Support
518-462-4800, X13