When you are managing your veterinary practice, you have a lot on your plate, and you may not have time or the ability to deal with every HR-related question. However, missing out on the answers to critical questions can cost you in a big way, and may unintentionally cause you to make a major mistake. As such, you need to constantly be on top of questions related to payrolls and timekeeping.
One of the more common questions is this: What is Holiday Pay? How can holiday pay impact your payroll, and how can you account for it? Fortunately, there are easy answers to this potentially complicated question.
What is Holiday Pay?
Holiday pay is a payment to employees that occurs on a day that the practice observes as a holiday. Employees normally would not be scheduled to work on the holiday, yet exceptions do come up where an employee may end up getting scheduled to work on that holiday. , In these cases employees are typically paid a premium, or a holiday rate, on top of the hours that they worked for the day.. This can get confusing for payroll providers.
While holiday pay is based on the rate that you choose, and it is not legally required, we find that the majority of practices do offer holiday pay as a benefit for employees Some practices provide holiday pay based on the employee’s regular rate of pay while .others may pay their employees time and a half for each hour of holiday pay. The amount that you pay isn’t as important as logging that you are paying employees “Holiday Pay”. Your payroll provider will need this information to make sure that they pay your employees accurately.
Recommended Reading
Holiday Pay Questions Answered for Dentists, Optometrists, and Veterinarians
Does the Law Say Anything About Holiday Pay?
There are no federal laws requirements for Holiday Pay. While there is no obligation to offer it per federal law, exceptions do exist in states like Maryland and Rhode island, so be sure to double check your state’s laws on this., You also may want to consider offering holiday pay since this benefit is typically an industry standard as a way of thanking hard-working employees or acknowledging that employees deserve some sort of compensation for “forced” days off.
In general, holiday pay is not a requirement for practices, and they have the flexibility to decide what days (if any) to observe and/or pay holiday pay. As mentioned above, practices should ensure they confirm there aren’t any other specific requirements based on their state’s rules.
Recommended Reading
2022 Paid Holidays: What You Need to Know for your Dental, Optometry, or Medical Practice
Which Holidays are Actually Government Official?
According to the Federal Government, the following are official government holidays:
- New Year’s Day (January 1).
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Third Monday in January).
- Washington’s Birthday (Third Monday in February).
- Memorial Day (Last Monday in May).
- Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19).
- Independence Day (July 4).
- Labor Day (First Monday in September).
- Columbus Day (Second Monday in October).
- Veterans Day (November 11).
- Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November).
- Christmas Day (December 25).
That being said, most practices observe the following:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
.png)
In some states, certain days may be state holidays. For example, some states declare Election Day to be a formal holiday. As such, you should make sure you consult with outside experts — like HR for Health — to make sure that you have an accurate list of all holidays within your state.
Develop Holiday Pay Strategies in Your Veterinary Practice
The most important thing to remember is that communication is absolutely critical. The topic of holiday pay can be confusing: After all, you probably found this page by Googling “What is Holiday Pay?” Remember, if you are confused, your employees will be too. As such, establish clear communication on the policy and how holiday pay is handled in your employee handbook.
If you need a handbook designed, HR for Health can help. We can help you create a handbook that incorporates holiday pay policy and that is customized to meet your needs.
You should also specifically write out which holidays you will offer Holiday Pay for and make sure that you update this list regularly. Remember, HR for Health can help you update your handbook for all the latest federal, state, and local regulations, and there is no additional charge for revisions.
You should also determine how you will handle holiday pay when an employee is on a leave of absence (will you still provide the holiday pay or not) and stick to that process for other employees moving forward. This should also be noted in your handbook.
Recommended Reading
Best Practices For When You Revise Your Employee Handbook
What You Need To Know About Holiday Pay for Veterinarians
.png)
“What is Holiday Pay” is a very fair and popular question. Holiday Pay isn’t required, but it may be a good idea. Whatever you decide in terms of Holiday Pay, make sure you consistently apply your Holiday Pay policies to all employees. Communicate what those policies are clear, and list them in your employee handbook in order to protect your practice and make sure that you can avoid any disputes or conflicts over the issue.
How HR for Health Can Help
By now, you should know what Holiday Pay is. Clearly, it can be confusing, but experts like HR for Health can help you manage these difficulties. Our timekeeping system can be a big asset to your practice, and we also have an array of other programs and features that can assist you.
Looking for more information? Contact HR for Health today, and set up a free, fifteen-minute, non-obligation call.
Our software can easily accommodate holiday pay at the rate of your choosing, making it easy to track and accurately compensate at the time of your payroll run.
