Author: Brian Lund
-
North Carolina homeowners who paid Dovenmuehle a fee to pay their mortgage by phone stand to get about $425 per fee automatically if a judge approves on November 5
Homeowners in North Carolina who paid Dovenmuehle Mortgage a fee to make a mortgage payment by phone are in line for about $425 per fee, with no claim form to file. Chief District Judge Catherine C. Eagles is scheduled to hold the final approval hearing on November 5, 2026, at 2 p.m. in Greensboro, and…
-
Trump’s pay plan gives civilian federal workers no raise in January 2027 unless Congress acts, while law enforcement personnel would get 3.8%
Civilian federal employees are headed for a pay freeze in January 2027, and it takes hold automatically if Congress does not set a different figure. In an Aug. 26, 2026 letter to Congress, President Donald Trump wrote that “base pay and locality pay for civilian Federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates.” The…
-
Social Security deposits landing in November pay the October benefit, because the agency pays each month’s check in the month after it is due
A Social Security deposit that arrives in November pays the October benefit, not November’s. The Social Security Administration pays each month’s benefit in the month after it is due, so the money landing next month closes out October. The rule is printed in the agency’s own booklet for people on retirement and survivors benefits, and…
-
Washington workers will pay more for paid family and medical leave in 2027, with employees covering most of a higher premium starting January 1
Washington’s paid family and medical leave premium goes up on January 1, 2027, and most of the increase lands on workers rather than employers. The state Employment Security Department announced on October 16 that the total premium rate will rise to 1.2% of wages, from 1.13% in 2026. Employees will carry 70.7% of that premium…
-
Washington now pays new unemployment claims up to $1,208 a week, up from $1,152
Washington State has raised the ceiling on weekly unemployment checks to $1,208, up $56 from $1,152, for new claims opened on or after July 5, 2026. The state Employment Security Department says the new rates run through June 2027. The floor also rose, to $383 a week from $366. The date a claim is opened…
-
New Jersey workers pay disability and family leave taxes on up to $177,100 of wages in 2027
New Jersey will collect temporary disability and family leave insurance contributions from workers on the first $177,100 of their wages in 2027, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This year the limit is $171,100, so the amount of pay that is taxed for these two programs grows by $6,000. For most…
-
New Jersey’s top temporary disability benefit rises to $1,158 a week in 2027
New Jersey workers who are out of work with an illness or injury that did not happen on the job can receive up to $1,158 a week from the state’s temporary disability insurance program in 2027. The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development lists that maximum for next year, against $1,119 in 2026. The…
-
New Jersey’s top weekly unemployment check rises to $937 in 2027 from $905
A laid-off New Jersey worker with high enough past earnings will be able to collect up to $937 a week in unemployment insurance in 2027, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The 2026 maximum is $905, so the ceiling rises $32 a week, or about 3.5 percent. The new number is…
-
Washington’s top paid leave benefit rises to $1,727 a week in 2027
Washington’s weekly paid family and medical leave payments will top out at $1,727 for claims filed on or after January 1, 2027, the state Employment Security Department says. That is $80 more than the $1,647 maximum that applies in 2026, a rise of about 4.9 percent. The minimum weekly payment stays at $100. The date…
-
The White House says up to ten million Obamacare enrollees can now open health savings accounts
The White House says a 2025 tax law opened health savings accounts to up to ten million people who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, often called Obamacare. The claim appears in a fact sheet released October 19, 2026 about women’s health. It credits the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which the fact…