1. "Wages" includes the following.

   1. (1) Payments for Personal Services. All payments by the hour, by the job, piece rate, salary, or commission are wages.

   2. (2) Meals, Lodging, and Other Payments in Kind. Meals, lodging, or payments in kind that are furnished to promote good will, to attract prospective workers, or as part of payment for services are wages except as provided in Section R994-208-103. The value of these payments in kind shall be determined as follows:

      1. (a) if a cash value for payments in kind is agreed upon in a contract, the amount agreed upon shall be considered the value of the payments in kind provided the value equals or exceeds the cash value prevailing under similar conditions in the locality; or
      2. (b) if a cash value for payments in kind is not agreed upon, the Department will determine the value on the basis of the cash value prevailing under similar conditions in the locality.

   3. (3) Tips and Gratuities.

      1. (a) Tips or gratuities accounted for by the worker to the employer are wages whether paid directly to the worker by the customer or by the employer.
      2. (b) If a worker's only payment for services is tips or tips are used to supplement the worker's regular wages to meet the applicable federal or state minimum wage laws, the Department will determine the worker's wages. However, the wages will not be less than the applicable federal or state minimum wage.
      3. (c) Wages include any allocated tips calculated by the employer.
   4. (4) Payment for Services of Worker with Equipment. When a worker is hired with equipment, the fair value of the payment for the worker's services, as distinguished from an allowance for use of equipment, if specified in the contract of hire, will be considered "wages." The Department will determine the worker's wages based on the prevailing wages for similar work under comparable conditions if the contract of hire does not specify the worker's wages, or the value of wages agreed upon in the contract of hire is not a fair value.
   5. (5) Vacation Pay. Vacation payments made by the employer during the employment relationship or upon termination of employment are wages.

   6. (6) Sick Pay.

      1. (a) Sick payments made by the employer during the employment relationship or upon termination of employment are wages.
      2. (b) Sick pay is not wages if paid after the end of six calendar months following the calendar month the employee last worked for the employer.
      3. (c) Sick pay, if paid by a third party such as an insurance company, is not wages reportable by the employer unless the third party notifies the employer of the sick pay payments. If the third party does not notify the employer of the sick pay payments, the third party is liable for the unemployment contributions due on these payments. These provisions regarding sick pay are established to comply with the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) provisions. For reference, see Internal Revenue Code Section 3306(b).

   7. (7) Bonuses and Gifts.

      1. (a) Bonuses or gifts to employees are wages unless the value is so small that it would be unreasonable for the employer to account for it. The value of benefits such as store discounts, discounts at company cafeterias, and company picnics are not wages.
      2. (b) The value of gifts such as a turkey, ham, or other item of nominal value at Christmas or other holidays are not wages. However, gifts of cash, gift certificates, or similar items that can easily be exchanged for cash, are wages.
   8. (8) Stock Payments. Payments of stock for services performed are wages. The value of the stock is its cash value when it is transferred to the employee.

   9. (9) Stock Options. Non-statutory stock options, also known as non-qualified stock options, are the only stock options with wage implications.

      1. (a) Non-qualified stock options are defined by the Internal Revenue Service as those that do not meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code to qualify as incentive stock options or employee stock purchase plan options.
      2. (b) A worker may receive an option as payment for services. The granting of the option is not wages.
      3. (c) A worker exercises an option when the worker takes an action to buy the stock.
      4. (d) The difference between the exercise price, the value of stock when the option is issued, and the fair market value of the stock when exercised is called the spread. The amount of a positive spread when the option is exercised is wages.
   10. (10) Contributions to Deferred Compensation Plans. Contributions by either the employer or the worker to deferred compensation plans including 401(k) plans are wages. For reference, see Section 3306(r) of the Internal Revenue Code.

   11. (11) Residual Payments. Performers in the television, radio, and motion picture industry may receive additional payments, termed "residuals" by the industry as a result of the re-use of a recording or the re-showing of a film or television production. Residuals are deferred compensation and are wages if the performer was an employee at the time of the original performance.

       1. (a) Residual payments are reportable by the employer in the quarter they are paid.
       2. (b) Residual payments are reportable by the claimant only for the weeks in which the service was originally performed.
       3. (c) Since residual payments are reportable as wages by the employer and the claimant, they can be used to establish a monetary base for future unemployment benefits. These wages can be used to purge a disqualification under the Act only if the original work was performed after the disqualification.

KEY: unemployment compensation, wages

Date of Last Change: October 4, 2022

Notice of Continuation: March 22, 2023

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 35A-4-208