GTN Global Mobility Tax Blog - News and Notes

GTN’s 2022 Top 10 Mobility Tax Resources

Written by Eric Loff, CPA | October 07, 2022

As pandemic-era restrictions have lifted, there is little doubt that 2022 has been an exciting, return-to-almost-normal year for the world of global mobility. Companies are embracing this new normal, and employees are increasingly on the move as mobile work picks up momentum and businesses resume corporate travel. In fact, according to our Future of Mobility Survey conducted earlier this year, over 95% of companies have some sort of mobile workforce—be it remote workers, hybrid workers, commuters, or business travelers. And with this uptick in mobile workforces comes an increase in tax and compliance risks that companies must consider.

To keep your mobility program running smoothly, our team of experts have created an abundance of mobility tax resources for your use. Here are the top 10 most popular resources from 2022 to date. Whether you have an established mobility program, are considering new international growth, or have seen an uptick in your remote workforce, there’s a resource in this list for you.


How to Build a Business Case for Remote Work and Business Travel Services

As remote work requests continue to roll in and the future of work is one that embraces a mobile workforce, C-suite executives are pushing to offer remote work as a valuable incentive to retain and attract talent. While a drive to offer this employee incentive has already realized advantages for companies, it has also come with many challenges and compliance requirements that need to be addressed.

To assist with solving these challenges, mobility program managers often turn to their external vendors for various technologies and solutions that can both mitigate risks and manage compliance requirements for the company and employees. However, selling these solutions internally is often just one more challenge a mobility program manager may need to overcome.

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Communicating Tax Matters to Your Mobile and Remote Employees

For many people, taxes are already intimidating, time consuming, and confusing enough before adding in the intricacies of dealing with multiple taxing jurisdictions. When employees are working outside of their Home location, delivering timely communications can go a long way in managing risks and providing an exceptional employee experience—helping you retain top talent and providing essential duty of care to your workforce. In this article, we outline key items you should be discussing with your remote workers, business travelers, and/or international transferees or assignees.

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5 Questions to Ask Yourself to Ensure You're Working with the Right Mobility Tax Provider

It’s not unusual for a company with a small or mid-sized mobility program to feel like they are “a small fish in a big pond.” That’s because they often are. Large firms providing mobility tax services tend to prioritize their largest clients, which often means clients with smaller programs don’t receive the timely and proactive attention they need to successfully manage their mobile workforce on a daily basis. This article will help you answer crucial questions related to your program and allow you to determine if you really are a small fish in too large of a pond.

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Compliance Checklist for a Remote Workforce

There can be significant tax compliance considerations for companies that have plans to allow employees to work remotely. To guide you and your company in determining the next steps to address potential issues, we have prepared a comprehensive remote workforce 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
  • Determine the next steps for your company’s remote workforce plans

Download checklist

Tips for a Post-Tax Season Review of your Mobility Program

After the chaos of another US tax busy season passes, it’s an opportune time to reflect on your mobility program with a post-tax season check-up. Taking time to review the past busy season will allow you and your mobility tax provider to discover ways to enhance the employee experience, highlight areas of risk and outline necessary actions, and understand areas of frustration so you can strategize possible improvements.

To guide you through this review, we’ve created a checklist that includes key considerations and tips for a successful and rewarding post-tax season assessment that will ready you for next tax season.

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6 Questions to Consider If Your Mobile Employees Have Equity Income

The provision of long-term incentives, such as stock options and other equity compensation, to employees who work in multiple locations has always been challenging. Because not all jurisdictions treat equity income in the same manner for tax purposes, companies often face uncertainties when trying to understand their reporting and withholding obligations. At the same time, mobile employees can face complex tax filings and even double taxation. To make sure the employer and employee understand the tax implications and to avoid future complications, it is important to understand how such income will be treated in all locations an employee is working.

Before offering equity awards (i.e., stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock, and employee stock purchase plans) to a mobile workforce, your company should consider the following questions...

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3 Steps to Take When Expanding Globally for the First Time

Imagine this: you are sitting at your desk working to finalize the weekly status update. In walks the president of the company and says, “To increase our business, we are expanding operations overseas. I would like to send Jane Smith to Germany for three years. How soon can you make this happen?”

We’ll bet the questions that race through your mind are the same as every other HR manager tasked with sending employees internationally for the first time:

  • Where do I start?
  • What do I need to consider?
  • What processes need to be in place?

In many organizations, the leap to having a globally mobile population starts in a similar fashion. So, what are the basic steps required to administer and support globally mobile individuals? This article highlights some of the issues facing HR and mobility teams and presents actionable ideas that can be implemented to help.

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Duty of Care and Steps to Take to Protect Your Remote Employees – a Global Tax Perspective

As the future of work continues to evolve, providing a “positive employee experience” is top of mind for companies. While some organizations have gone back to in-office working arrangements, many have retained a full or partial remote workforce culture. These businesses see the provision of a flexible workplace as critical to not only retaining key employees, but also in recruiting top talent to fill essential job duties.

And while this incentive is a benefit for the employee and employer, there are important duty of care responsibilities that need to be considered when you have a remote workforce. In this article, we outline duty of care considerations for a remote workforce, highlight areas of tax risk for remote workers, and provide a framework for moving forward in developing an appropriate remote workforce policy for your organization.

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5 Key Steps to Managing the Tax Risks of your Business Traveler Program

For many companies, the new workforce norm has shifted to virtual and remote employees. However, for several businesses, there remains a need to have employees working in-person on multiple projects across the country or around the world. Business travel, while still not up to pre-pandemic levels, is making its way back as a standard way of working.

Understanding and actively managing the tax risks of short-term business travelers can greatly reduce costs and a variety of risks for both your organization and business travelers. Therefore, developing a structure to oversee this area is imperative.

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Infographic: Four Steps to Managing Mobile Equity Challenges

Equity income is an important part of the compensation and talent management strategy for many companies. Providing equity income to employees can assist in attracting new talent as well as in motivating and retaining current employees. However, the same characteristics that make equity income such a valuable part of a compensation strategy could also lead to tax compliance challenges for both the employee and the employer. This is especially true when the equity income is provided to mobile employees who work in multiple domestic or international locations.

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Whether you are new to the world of mobility tax, or an experienced mobility expert, the GTN blog is your resource center packed with informative news, notes, and articles to keep you up to date with trends in the mobility tax space. Subscribe to our blog to receive strategies on simplifying your mobility program and ensuring your company remains compliant.

Looking for assistance with your mobility program? Connect with our team if you’re in need of a more in-depth consultation. We’ll cover your organizational goals as it relates to mobility tax, the current challenges you’re facing, and what potential solutions could be implemented to remedy your specific needs.