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20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1041–404.1059

19 sections in range

§404.1041. Wages.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1041

(a)
The term wages means remuneration paid to you as an employee for employment unless specifically excluded. Wages are counted in determining your entitlement to retirement, survivors', and disability insurance benefits.
(b)
If you are paid wages, it is not important what they are called. Salaries, fees, bonuses and commissions on sales or on insurance premiums are wages if they are remuneration paid for employment.
(c)
The way in which you are paid is unimportant. Wages may be paid on the basis of piecework or a percentage of the profits. Wages may be paid on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. (See § 404.1056 for special rules for agricultural labor.)
(d)
Your wages can be in any form. You can be paid in cash or something other than cash, for example, in goods or clothing. (See paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section for kinds of employment where cash payments alone are considered wages and § 404.1043(b) concerning the value of meals and lodging as wages.) If your employer pays you cash for your meals and lodging on a regular basis as part of your employment, these payments may be considered wages. Payments other than cash may be counted as wages on the basis of the fair value of the items when paid.
(e)
In certain kinds of employment, cash payments alone count as wages. These types of employment are agricultural labor, domestic services, and services not in the course of the employer's trade or business.
(f)
To count as wages, payments for services performed by home workers who are employees as described in § 404.1008(d) must be in cash and must amount to $100 or more in a calendar year. Once this cash pay test is met, all remuneration paid, whether in cash or kind, is also wages.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990]

§404.1042. Wages when paid and received.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1042

(a)
In general. Wages are received by an employee at the time they are paid by the employer to the employee. Wages are paid by an employer at the time that they are actually or constructively paid unless they are deemed to be paid later (as described in paragraph (c)(3) of this section).
(b)
Constructive payment. Wages are constructively paid when they are credited to the account of, or set aside for, an employee so that they may be drawn upon by the employee at any time although not then actually received. To be a payment—
(1)
The wages must be credited to or set aside for the employee and must be made available without restriction so that they may be drawn upon at any time; or
(2)
The employer must intend to pay or to set aside or credit, and have the ability to pay wages when due to the employee, and failure of the employer to credit or set aside the wages is due to clerical error or mistake in the mechanics of payment, and because of the clerical error or mistake the wages are not actually available at that time.
(c)
Deemed payment.
(1)
The first $100 of cash paid, either actually or constructively, by an employer to an employee in a calendar year is considered paid at the time that the amount of the cash payment totals $100 for the year in the case of pay for—
(i)
Work not in the course of the employer's trade or business (non-business work);
(ii)
Work by certain home workers; and
(iii)
Work for an organization exempt from income tax under section 501 of the Code.
(2)
We also apply this rule to domestic work in a private home of the employer, except see § 404.1057(a)(1) for the applicable dollar amount.
(3)
Cash of less than $150 that an employer pays to an employee in a calendar year, either actually or constructively, for agricultural labor is considered paid at the earliest of—
(i)
The time in the calendar year that the employee's pay totals $150; or
(ii)
The 20th day of the calendar year on which the employee works for cash pay computed on a time basis.
(4)
If an employer pays cash to an employee for two or more of the kinds of work referred to in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, we apply the provisions of this paragraph to the pay for each kind of work.
(d)
Employee tax deductions. We consider employee tax deductions under section 3101 of the Code to be part of the employee's wages and consider them to be paid at the time of the deduction. We consider other deductions from wages to be wages paid at the time of the deduction. It is immaterial that the deductions are required or permitted by an act of Congress or the law of any State.
(e)
Tips.
(1)
Tips received by an employee in the course of employment, that are considered to be wages, are deemed to be paid at the time the employee reports the tips to the employer in a written statement as provided under section 6053(a) of the Code. Tips that are not reported are deemed to be paid to the employee at the time they are received by the employee.
(2)
We consider tips to be received in the course of employment whether they are received by the employee from the employer or from another person. Only tips employees receive and keep for themselves are considered to be the employees' pay. If employees split tips, each employee who receives part of the tip receives tips in the course of employment.
(f)
Payments under nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Amounts that an employee is entitled to receive under nonqualified deferred compensation plans (plans that do not qualify for special tax treatment under the Code) are creditable as wages for Social Security purposes at the later of the following times:
(1)
When the services are performed; or
(2)
When there is no longer a substantial risk of forfeiture (as defined in section 83 of the Code) of the employee's rights to the deferred compensation.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990; 61 FR 38366, July 24, 1996]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990; 61 FR 38366, July 24, 1996]

§404.1043. Facilities or privileges—meals and lodging.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1043

(a)
Excluding the value of employer provided facilities or privileges from employee gross income prior to January 1, 1985.
(1)
Generally, the facilities or privileges that an employer furnished an employee prior to January 1, 1985 are not wages if the facilities or privileges—
(i)
Were of relatively small value; and
(ii)
Were offered or furnished by the employer merely as a means of promoting the health, good will, contentment, or efficiency of the employees.
(2)
The term facilities or privileges for the period prior to January 1, 1985 is intended to include such items as entertainment, medical services, and so-called courtesy discounts on purchases.
(b)
Meals and lodging. The value of the meals and lodging furnished to an employee by an employer for reasons of the employer's convenience is not wages if—
(1)
The meals are provided at the employer's place of business; and
(2)
The employee, in the case of lodging, is required to accept lodging on the employer's business premises as a condition of employment.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[52 FR 29662, Aug. 11, 1987]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[52 FR 29662, Aug. 11, 1987]

§404.1044. Vacation pay.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1044

We consider your salary while on vacation, or a vacation allowance paid by your employer, to be wages.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

§404.1045. Employee expenses.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1045

Amounts that your employer pays you specifically—either as advances or reimbursements—for traveling or for other ordinary and necessary expenses incurred, or reasonably expected to be incurred, in your employer's business are not wages. The employer must identify these travel and other expenses either by making a separate payment or by specifically stating the separate amounts if both wages and expense allowances are combined in a single payment.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

§404.1046. Pay for work by certain members of religious orders.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1046

(a)
If you are a member of a religious order who has taken a vow of poverty (§ 404.1023), and the order has elected Social Security coverage under section 3121(r) of the Code, your wages are figured in a special way. Your wages, for Social Security purposes, are the fair market value of any board, lodging, clothing, and other items of value furnished to you by the order, or furnished to the order on your behalf by another organization or person under an agreement with the order. See paragraph (b) of this section if you perform services for a third party. The order must report at least $100 a month for each active member. If the fair market value of items furnished to all members of a religious order does not vary significantly, the order may consider all members to have a uniform wage.
(b)
If you perform services for a third party, the following rules apply:
(1)
If you perform services for another agency of the supervising church or an associated institution, any amounts paid based on such services, whether paid directly to you or to the order, do not count on wages. Only wages figured under (a) above, are counted.
(2)
If you perform services in a secular setting as an employee of a third party not affiliated or associated with the supervising church or an associated institution, any amounts paid based on such services, whether paid directly to you or to the order, count as wages paid to you by the third party. These wages are in addition to any wages counted under paragraph (a) of this section.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990; 55 FR 17530, Apr. 25, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990; 55 FR 17530, Apr. 25, 1990]

§404.1047. Annual wage limitation.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1047

Payments made by an employer to you as an employee in a calendar year that are more than the annual wage limitation are not wages. The annual wage limitation is:
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[52 FR 8249, Mar. 17, 1987, as amended at 57 FR 44098, Sept. 24, 1992]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[52 FR 8249, Mar. 17, 1987, as amended at 57 FR 44098, Sept. 24, 1992]

§404.1048. Contribution and benefit base after 1992.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1048

(a)
General. The contribution and benefit base after 1992 is figured under the formula described in paragraph (b) of this section in any calendar year in which there is an automatic cost-of-living increase in old-age, survivors, and disability insurance benefits. For purposes of this section, the calendar year in which the contribution and benefit base is figured is called the determination year. The base figured in the determination year applies to wages paid after (and taxable years beginning after) the determination year.
(b)
Formula for figuring the contribution and benefit base. For wages paid after (and taxable years beginning after) the determination year, the contribution and benefit base is the larger of—
(1)
The contribution and benefit base in effect for the determination year; or
(2)
The amount determined by—
(i)
Multiplying the contribution and benefit base in effect for the determination year by the ratio of—
(A)
The average of the total wages (as described in paragraph (c) of this section) reported to the Secretary of the Treasury for the calendar year before the determination year to
(B)
The average of the total wages reported to the Secretary of the Treasury for the calendar year before the most recent calendar year in which an increase in the contribution and benefit base was enacted or a determination under this section resulting in an increase of the base was made; and
(ii)
Rounding the result of the multiplication, if not a multiple of $300, to—
(A)
The nearest multiple of $300; or
(B)
The next higher multiple of $300 if the result is a multiple of $150.
(c)
Average of the total wages. The average of the total wages means the amount equal to all remuneration reported as wages on Form W-2 to the Internal Revenue Service for all employees for income tax purposes plus contributions to certain deferred compensation plans described in section 209(k) of the Social Security Act (also reported on Form W-2), divided by the number of wage earners. If both distributions from and contributions to any such deferred compensation plan are reported on Form W-2, we will include only the contributions in the calculation of the average of the total wages. The reported remuneration and deferred compensation contributions include earnings from work not covered under social security and earnings from work covered under social security that are more than the annual wage limitation described in § 404.1047.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990; 57 FR 1382, Jan. 14, 1992]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 55 FR 7309, Mar. 1, 1990; 57 FR 1382, Jan. 14, 1992]

§404.1049. Payments under an employer plan or system.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1049

(a)
Payments to, or on behalf of, you or any of your dependents under your employer's plan or system are excluded from wages if made because of your or your dependents'—
(1)
Medical or hospitalization expenses connected with sickness or accident disability; or
(2)
Death, except that the exclusion does not apply to payments for group-term life insurance to the extent that the payments are includible in the gross income of the employee under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, effective with respect to group-term life insurance coverage in effect after 1987 for employees whose employment, for the employer (or successor of that employer) providing the insurance coverage, does not end prior to 1989. Such payments are wages, however, if they are for coverage for an employee who was separated from employment prior to January 1, 1989, if the payments are for any period for which the employee is reemployed by the employer (or successor of that employer) after the date of separation.
(b)
Payments to you or your dependents under your employer's plan at or after the termination of your employment relationship because of your death or retirement for disability are excluded from wages.
(c)
Payments made after 1983 to you or your dependents under your employer's plan at or after the termination of your employment relationship because of retirement after reaching an age specified in the plan or in a pension plan of the employer are not excluded from wages unless—
(1)
The payments are to or from a trust or annuity plan of your employer as described in § 404.1052; or
(2)
An agreement to retire was in effect on March 24, 1983, between you and your employer and the payments made after 1983 under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan (see § 404.1042(f)) are based on services performed for your employer before 1984.
(d)
The plan or system established by the employer must provide for the employees generally or for a class or classes of employees. The plan or system may also provide for these employees' dependents. Payments under a plan or system established only for your dependents are not excluded from wages. The plan or system established by the employer can provide for payments on account of one or more of the items in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.
(e)
For purposes of this section, your dependents include your husband or wife, children, and any other members of your immediate family.
(f)
It does not make any difference that the benefit payments are considered in arriving at the amount of your pay or are required by the employment agreement.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 50 FR 1832, Jan. 14, 1985; 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990; 55 FR 17530, Apr. 25, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 50 FR 1832, Jan. 14, 1985; 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990; 55 FR 17530, Apr. 25, 1990]

§404.1050. Retirement payments.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1050

Payments made after 1983 to you (including any amount paid by an employer for insurance or annuities) on account of your retirement for age are not excluded from wages unless—
(a)
The payments are to or from a trust or annuity plan of your employer as described in § 404.1052; or
(b)
The payments satisfy the requirements described in § 404.1049(c)(2).
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

§404.1051. Payments on account of sickness or accident disability, or related medical or hospitalization expenses.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1051

(a)
We do not include as wages any payment that an employer makes to you, or on your behalf, on account of your sickness or accident disability, or related medical or hospitalization expenses, if the payment is made more than 6 consecutive calendar months following the last calendar month in which you worked for that employer. Payments made during the 6 consecutive months are included as wages.
(b)
The exclusion in paragraph (a) of this section also applies to any such payment made by a third party (such as an insurance company). However, if you contributed to your employer's sick pay plan, that portion of the third party payments attributable to your contribution is not wages.
(c)
Payments of medical or hospitalization expenses connected with sickness or accident disability are excluded from wages beginning with the first payment only if made under a plan or system of your employer as explained in § 404.1049(a)(1).
(d)
Payments under a worker's compensation law are not wages.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

§404.1052. Payments from or to certain tax-exempt trusts or payments under or into certain annuity plans.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1052

(a)
We do not include as wages any payment made—
(1)
Into a tax-exempt trust or annuity plan by your employer on behalf of you or your beneficiary; or
(2)
From a tax-exempt trust or under an annuity plan to, or on behalf of, you or your beneficiary.
(b)
The trust must be exempt from tax under sections 401 and 501(a) of the Code, and the annuity plan must be a plan described in section 403(a) of the Code when payment is made.
(c)
The exclusion does not apply to payments to an employee of the trust for work done as an employee of the trust.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

§404.1053. “Qualified benefits” under a cafeteria plan.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1053

We do not include as wages any qualified benefits under a cafeteria plan as described in section 125 of the Code if such payment would not be treated as wages without regard to such plan and it is reasonable to believe that (if section 125 applied for purposes of this section) section 125 would not treat any wages as constructively received. This includes any qualified benefit made to you, or on your behalf, pursuant to a salary reduction agreement between you and your employer. The Internal Revenue Service decides whether any plan is a cafeteria plan under section 125 of the Code and whether any benefit under the plan is a qualified benefit.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

§404.1054. Payments by an employer of employee's tax or employee's contribution under State law.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1054

(a)
We exclude as wages any payment by an employer (described in paragraph (b) of this section) that is not deducted from the employee's salary (or for which reimbursement is not made by the employee) of either—
(1)
The tax imposed by section 3101 of the Code (employee's share of Social Security tax); or
(2)
Any payment required from an employee under a State unemployment compensation law.
(b)
The payments described in paragraph (a) of this section are not included as wages only if they are made by an employer on behalf of an employee employed in—
(1)
Domestic service in the private home of the employer; or
(2)
Agricultural labor.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

§404.1055. Payments for agricultural labor.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1055

(a)
When cash payments are not wages. We do not include as wages your cash payments in a calendar year after 1987 from an employer for agricultural labor (see § 404.1056) if your employer's total expenditures for agricultural labor are less than $2500 in that year and your employer paid you less than $150 cash remuneration in that year for your agricultural labor.
(b)
Exclusions for noncash payments and payments for seasonal agricultural labor.
(1)
Noncash payments for agricultural labor are not wages.
(2)
Your cash payments in a calendar year from an employer for agricultural labor are not wages, irrespective of your employer's total annual expenditures for agricultural labor, if you are a hand harvest laborer (i.e., seasonal agricultural labor), and—
(i)
Your employer paid you less than $150 in that year;
(ii)
You are paid on a piece rate basis in an operation which has been, and is customarily and generally recognized in the region of employment as paying on a piece rate basis;
(iii)
You commute daily from your permanent residence to the farm on which you are so employed; and,
(iv)
You were employed in agriculture less than 13 weeks during the previous calendar year.
(c)
When cash-pay is creditable as wages.
(1)
If you receive cash pay from an employer for services which are agricultural labor and for services which are not agricultural labor, we count only the amounts paid for agricultural labor in determining whether cash payments equal or exceed $150. If the amounts paid are less than $150, we count only those amounts paid for agricultural labor in determining if the $2500 expenditure test is met.
(2)
The amount of cash pay for agricultural labor that is creditable to an individual is based on cash paid in a calendar year rather than on amounts earned during a calendar year.
(3)
If you receive cash pay for agricultural labor in any one calendar year from more than one employer, we apply the $150 cash-pay test and $2,500 total expenditures test to each employer.
(d)
Application of the $150 cash-pay and 20-day tests prior to 1988.
(1)
For the time period prior to 1988, we apply either the $150 a year cash-pay test or the 20-day test. Cash payments are wages if you receive $150 or more from an employer for agricultural labor or under the 20-day test if you perform agricultural labor for which cash pay is computed on a time basis on 20 or more days during a calendar year. For purposes of the 20-day test, the amount of the cash pay is immaterial, and it is immaterial whether you also receive payments other than cash or payments that are not computed on a time basis. If cash paid to you for agricultural labor is computed on a time basis, the payments are not wages unless they are paid in a calendar year in which either the 20-day test or the $150 cash-pay test is met.
(2)
[Reserved]
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[57 FR 59914, Dec. 17, 1992, as amended at 61 FR 38367, July 24, 1996; 70 FR 41955, July 21, 2005]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[57 FR 59914, Dec. 17, 1992, as amended at 61 FR 38367, July 24, 1996; 70 FR 41955, July 21, 2005]

§404.1056. Explanation of agricultural labor.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1056

(a)
What is agricultural labor.
(1)
If you work on a farm as an employee of any person, you are doing agricultural labor if your work has to do with—
(i)
Cultivating the soil;
(ii)
Raising, shearing, feeding, caring for, training or managing livestock, bees, poultry, fur-bearing animals or wildlife; or
(iii)
Raising or harvesting any other agricultural or horticultural commodity.
(2)
If you work on a farm as an employee of any person in connection with the production or harvesting of maple sap, the raising or harvesting of mushrooms, or the hatching of poultry, you are doing agricultural labor. If you work in the processing of maple sap into maple syrup or maple sugar you are not doing agricultural labor even though you work on a farm. Work in a mushroom cave or poultry hatchery is agricultural labor only if the cave or hatchery is operated as part of a farm.
(3)
If you work as an employee of the owner, tenant, or other operator of a farm, you are doing agricultural labor if most of your work is done on a farm and is involved with—
(i)
The operation, management, conservation, improvement, or maintenance of the farm or its tools or equipment (this may include work by carpenters, painters, mechanics, farm supervisors, irrigation engineers, bookkeepers, and other skilled or semiskilled workers); or
(ii)
Salvaging timber or clearing the land of brush and other debris left by a hurricane.
(4)
You are doing agricultural labor no matter for whom or where you work, if your work involves—
(i)
Cotton ginning;
(ii)
Operating or maintaining ditches, canals, reservoirs, or waterways, if they are used only for supplying and storing water for farm purposes and are not owned or operated for profit; or
(iii)
Producing or harvesting crude gum (oleoresin) from living trees or processing the crude gum into gum spirits of turpentine and gum resin (if the processing is done by the original producer).
(5)
Your work as an employee in the handling, planting, drying, packing, packaging, processing, freezing, grading, storing, or delivering to storage, to a market or to a carrier for transportation to market, of any agricultural or horticultural commodity is agricultural labor if—
(i)
You work for a farm operator or a group of farm operators (other than a cooperative organization);
(ii)
Your work involves the commodity in its raw or unmanufactured state; and
(iii)
The operator produced most of the commodity you work with during the period for which you are paid, or if you work for a group of operators, all of the commodity you work with during the pay period is produced by that group.
(6)
If you do nonbusiness work, it is agricultural labor if you do the work on a farm operated for a profit. A farm is not operated for profit if the employer primarily uses it as a residence or for personal or family recreation or pleasure. (See § 404.1058(a) for an explanation of nonbusiness work.)
(7)
The term farm operator means an owner, tenant, or other person, in possession of and operating a farm.
(8)
Work is not agricultural labor if it is done in the employ of a cooperative organization, which includes corporations, joint-stock companies, and associations treated as corporations under the Code. Any unincorporated group of operators is considered to be a cooperative organization if more than 20 operators are in the group at any time during the calendar year in which the work is done.
(9)
Processing work which changes the commodity from its raw or natural state is not agricultural labor. An example of this is the extraction of juices from fruits or vegetables. However, work in the cutting and drying of fruits or vegetables does not change the commodity from its raw or natural state and can be agricultural labor.
(10)
The term commodity means a single agricultural or horticultural product. For example, all apples are a commodity, while apples and oranges are two commodities.
(11)
Work connected with the commercial canning or freezing of a commodity is not agricultural labor nor is work done after the delivery of the commodity to a terminal market for distribution for consumption.
(b)
What is a farm. For purposes of social security coverage, farm includes a stock, dairy, poultry, fruit, fur-bearing animal, or truck farm, plantation, ranch, nursery, range or orchard. A farm also includes a greenhouse or other similar structure used mostly for raising agricultural or horticultural products. A greenhouse or other similar structure used mostly for other purposes such as display, storage, making wreaths and bouquets is not a farm.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980. Redesignated at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990, as amended at 61 FR 38367, July 24, 1996; 70 FR 41955, July 21, 2005]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980. Redesignated at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990, as amended at 61 FR 38367, July 24, 1996; 70 FR 41955, July 21, 2005]

§404.1057. Domestic service in the employer's home.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1057

(a)
Payments for domestic service—
(1)
The applicable dollar threshold. We do not include as wages cash payments that an employer makes to you in any calendar year for domestic service in the employer's private home if the cash pay in that calendar year is less than the applicable dollar threshold. The threshold per employer is $1000 in calendar year 1995. In calendar years after 1995, this amount will be subject to adjustment in $100 increments based on the formula in section 215(a)(1)(B)(i) of the Act to reflect changes in wages in the economy. Non-cash payments for domestic service are not counted as wages.
(2)
How evaluation is made. We apply the applicable dollar threshold described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section based on when the payments are made to you rather than when the pay is earned. To count toward the applicable dollar threshold, payment must be made to you in cash (including checks or other forms of money). We apply the applicable dollar threshold only to services performed as a domestic employee. If an employer pays you for performing other work, the cash pay for the nondomestic work does not count toward the applicable dollar threshold domestic service pay required for the remuneration to count as wages.
(3)
More than one domestic employer. The applicable dollar threshold as explained in paragraph (a)(1) of this section applies to each employer when you perform domestic services for more than one employer in a calendar year. The wages paid by more than one employer for domestic services may not be combined to decide whether you have been paid the applicable dollar threshold or more in a calendar year. The standard applies to each employee when an employer has two or more domestic employees during a calendar year.
(4)
Rounding dollar amounts for reporting. For social security purposes, an employer has an option in the way he or she reports cash wages paid for domestic service in his or her private home. The employer may report the actual wages paid or may round the wages to the nearest dollar. For purposes of rounding to the nearest dollar the cents are disregarded unless it amounts to one-half dollar or more, in which case it will be raised to $1. If an employer uses this method to report a cash payment to you for domestic services in his or her private home in a calendar year, he or she must use the same method to report payments to other employees in that year for similar services.
(b)
What is domestic service. Domestic service is work of a household nature done by you in or about a private home of the employer. A private home is a fixed place of residence of a person or family. A separate dwelling unit maintained by a person in an apartment house, hotel, or other similar establishment may be a private home. If a house is used primarily for supplying board or lodging to the public as a business enterprise, it is not a private home. In general, services of a household nature in or about a private home include services performed by cooks, waiters, butlers, housekeepers, governesses, maids, valets, baby sitters, janitors, laundresses, furnacemen, caretakers, handymen, gardeners, footmen, grooms, and chauffeurs of automobiles for family use. Pay for these services does not come under this provision unless the services are performed in or about a private home of the employer. Pay for services not of a household nature, such as services performed as a private secretary, tutor, or librarian, even though performed in the employer's home, does not come under this provision.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980; 45 FR 25060, Apr. 14, 1980. Redesignated at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990, as amended at 61 FR 38367, July 24, 1996]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980; 45 FR 25060, Apr. 14, 1980. Redesignated at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990, as amended at 61 FR 38367, July 24, 1996]

§404.1058. Special situations.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1058

(a)
Payments for service not in course of employer's trade or business (nonbusiness work) and payments to certain home workers—
(1)
The $100 standard. We do not include as wages cash pay of less than $100 paid to you in a calendar year by an employer for services not in the course of the employer's trade or business (nonbusiness work) and for services as a home worker as described in § 404.1008(d).
(2)
How evaluation is made.
(i)
We apply the $100 standard for a calendar year based on when the payments are made to you rather than when the pay is earned. To count toward the $100 amount, payment must be in cash (including checks or other forms of money). The $100 standard applies to each employer when you perform services not in the course of the employer's trade or business or as a homeworker for two or more employers.
(ii)
If the employer has two or more employees, the standard applies to each employee. In applying the $100 standard, we disregard cash payments for any other type of services you perform for the employer.
(iii)
The noncash payments an employer pays you for services not in the course of the employer's trade or business are not wages even if the employer has paid you cash wages of $100 or more in the calendar year for services of that type.
(iv)
Amounts paid to you as a home worker as described in § 404.1008(d) are not wages unless you are paid $100 or more in cash in a calendar year. If you meet this test, any noncash payments you receive for your services also count as wages.
(v)
Amounts paid to you as a home worker in a common-law employment relationship (see § 404.1007) count as wages regardless of amount or whether paid in cash or kind.
(3)
Definitions. The term services not in the course of the employer's trade or business (also called nonbusiness work) means services that do not promote or advance the trade or business of the employer. Services performed for a corporation do not come within this definition. A homeworker is described in § 404.1008(c).
(b)
Nonprofit, income-tax exempt organizations—
(1)
The $100 standard. We do not include as wages payments of less than $100 in a calendar year made by an employer that is an organization exempt from income tax under section 501 of the Code.
(2)
How evaluation is made. We apply the $100 standard for a calendar year based on when the payments are made to you rather than when the pay is earned. To figure the $100 amount, both cash and noncash payments are counted. The $100 standard applies to each employer where you render services for two or more nonprofit, income-tax exempt organizations during a calendar year. The $100 standard also applies to each of you where a nonprofit, income-tax exempt organization has two or more employees. In applying the standard, the tax-exempt status of the employer and not the nature or place of your services is controlling.
(c)
Payments to members of the uniformed services—
(1)
The standard. We include as the wages of a member of the uniformed services—
(i)
Basic pay, as explained in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, for performing the services described in paragraph (a)(1) of § 404.1019 of this subpart; or
(ii)
Compensation, as explained in paragraph (c)(4) of this section, for performing the services described in paragraph (a)(2) of § 404.1019 of this subpart.
(2)
Wages deemed paid. These following provisions apply to members of the uniformed services who perform services as described in paragraph (a)(1) of § 404.1019 of this subpart.
(i)
After 1977, a member of the uniformed services is considered to have been paid additional wages of $100 for each $300 of basic pay paid to the individual in a calendar year. The amount of additional wages deemed paid cannot be more than $1,200 for any calendar year. No wages may be deemed paid for units of basic pay which are less than $300.
(ii)
Before 1978, a member of the uniformed services is considered to have been paid additional wages of $300 for each calendar quarter after 1956 in which the individual is paid any amount of basic pay.
(3)
Basic pay. Basic pay means the monthly pay prescribed by 37 U.S.C. 203 (Pay and Allowances for the Uniformed Services) for a member of the uniformed services on active duty or on active duty for training.
(4)
Compensation. “Compensation” refers to the remuneration received for services as a member of a uniformed service, based on regulations issued by the Secretary concerned (as defined in 37 U.S.C. 101(5) under 37 U.S.C. 206(a), where such member is not entitled to the basic pay (as defined by paragraph (3) of this section).
(d)
Payments to volunteers and volunteer leaders in the Peace Corps. If you are a volunteer or volunteer leader under the provisions of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501ff), payments for your services are wages with the exception of amounts in excess of the amounts certified as payable under section 5(c) or 6(1) of the Peace Corps Act. Amounts certified under those sections are considered to have been paid to the individual at the time the service is performed. See § 404.1018(e) on coverage of these services.
(e)
Moving expenses. We do not include as wages amounts paid to, or on behalf of, an employee for moving expenses if it is reasonable to believe that a similar deduction is allowable under section 217 of the Code.
(f)
Payments by employer to survivor or estate of former employee. We do not include as wages any payment by an employer to a survivor or the estate of a former employee after the calendar year in which the employee died.
(g)
Payments to an employee who is entitled to disability insurance benefits. We do not include as wages any payments made by an employer to an employee if at the time such payment is made—
(1)
The employee is entitled to disability insurance benefits under the Act;
(2)
The employee's entitlement to such benefits began before the calendar year in which the employer's payment is made; and
(3)
The employee performed no work for the employer in the period in which the payments were paid by such employer (regardless of whether the employee worked in the period the payments were earned).
(h)
Tips.
(1)
We include as wages tips received by an employee if—
(i)
The tips are paid in cash; and
(ii)
The tips amount to $20 or more and are received in the course of employment by an employee in a calendar month.
(2)
Cash tips include checks and other forms of money. Tips received in a form other than cash, such as passes, tickets, or other goods are not wages. If an employee works for more than one employer in a calendar month, we apply the $20 tip test to work done for each employer.
(i)
Payments by employer under group legal services plan. We do not include as wages any contribution, payment, or service, provided by an employer under a qualified group legal services plan which is excludable from the gross income of an employee, or the employee's spouse or dependents, under section 120 of the Code.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 52 FR 29662, Aug. 11, 1987. Redesignated and amended at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990; 57 FR 59914, Dec. 17, 1992]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 52 FR 29662, Aug. 11, 1987. Redesignated and amended at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990; 57 FR 59914, Dec. 17, 1992]

§404.1059. Deemed wages for certain individuals interned during World War II.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1059

(a)
In general. Persons who were interned during any period of time from December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946, by the United States Government at a place operated by the Government within the United States for the internment of United States citizens of Japanese ancestry are deemed to have been paid wages (in addition to wages actually paid) as provided in paragraph (c) of this section during any period after attaining age 18 while interned. This provision is effective for determining entitlement to, and the amount of, any monthly benefit for months after December 1972, for determining entitlement to, and the amount of, any lump-sum death payment in the case of a death after December 1972, and for establishing a period of disability.
(b)
Information needed to process deemed wages. Unless we have already made a determination on deemed wages for a period of internment of an individual, any person applying for a monthly benefit, a recalculation of benefits by reason of this section, or a lump-sum death payment, must submit certain information before the benefit or payment may be computed on the basis of deemed wages. This information is—
(1)
The place where the individual worked before internment;
(2)
The highest hourly wage before internment;
(3)
The place and date of internment;
(4)
Date of birth (if not previously furnished);
(5)
Whether or not another Federal benefit is being received based wholly or in part upon the period of internment; and
(6)
In the case of a woman, her maiden name.
(c)
Amount of deemed wages. The amount of wages which may be deemed is determined as follows:
(1)
Employed prior to internment. If the individual was employed before being interned, the deemed wages are the greater of—
(i)
The highest actual hourly rate of pay received for any employment before internment, multiplied by 40 for each full week during the period of internment; or
(ii)
The Federal minimum hourly rate in effect for the period of internment, multiplied by 40 for each full week during that period.
(2)
Self-employed or not employed prior to internment. If the individual was self-employed or was not employed before the period of internment, the deemed wages are the Federal minimum hourly rate in effect for that period, multiplied by 40 for each full week during the period.
(d)
When wages are not deemed. Wages are not deemed under this section—
(1)
For any period before the quarter in which the individual attained age 18; or
(2)
If a larger benefit is payable without the deemed wages; or
(3)
If a benefit based in whole or in part upon internment is determined by any agency of the United States to be payable under any other law of the United States or under a system set up by that agency. However, this exception does not apply in cases where the failure to receive deemed wages reduces the primary insurance amount by 50 cents or less.
(e)
Certification of internment. The certification concerning the internment is made by the Archivist of the United States or his or her representative. After the internment has been verified, wages are deemed to have been paid to the internee.
Notes, amendments, and revision history

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 52 FR 29662, Aug. 11, 1987. Redesignated at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]

Authority

Authority: Secs. 202(v), 205(a), 209, 210, 211, 229(a), 230, 231, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(v), 405(a), 409, 410, 411, 429(a), 430, 431, and 902(a)(5)) and 48 U.S.C.1801.

Source

Source: 45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Amendments

[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 52 FR 29662, Aug. 11, 1987. Redesignated at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990]