President Obama has signed into law an extension through the end of the year of the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits, and the so-called “doc fix” to prevent Medicare physician reimbursement rates from plunging.

Congress passed legislation Friday extending the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits, and the “doc fix” for Medicare physician reimbursements through the remainder of the year.

House and Senate negotiators have released a conference committee report spelling out several of the provisions of the payroll tax cut extension legislation, which also extends unemployment benefits and the “doc fix” for Medicare reimbursements for physicians.

Lawmakers negotiating over the payroll tax cut extension said they have agreed on a deal to extend the 2 percentage point cut in Social Security and Medicare withholding taxes through the rest of the year, along with unemployment benefits and the “doc fix” to prevent Medicare reimbursements to physicians from being cut.

U.S. lawmakers reached a tentative deal on Tuesday on legislation aimed at boosting the economy by extending a payroll tax cut for 160 million workers through this year and continuing long-term jobless benefits, congressional aides said.

After months of wrangling, congressional leaders appear to be close to a deal on extending the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits, and the so-called “doc fix” for Medicare physician reimbursements through the end of the year.

Payroll processing company Payroll City has developed an interface module to help users transfer all of their payroll data with QuickBooks

KPMG LLP said Monday that it would offer tax offsets to its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender partners and employees for the additional federal and state tax costs they incur when they pay for the medical benefits of same-sex domestic partners.

The economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January and the unemployment rate dropped to a near three-year low of 8.3 percent, providing some measure of comfort for President Barack Obama who faces re-election in November.

Small business owners’ optimism about the economy held steady in January, according to payroll provider SurePayroll.

Small business-focused cloud accounting software developer Wave Accounting has released its first online payroll tool, Wave Payroll, initially targeted toward Canadian users, with a U.S. version planned for mid-2012.

Private sector employers added 170,000 jobs in January, according to the monthly national employment report from payroll giant ADP, which saw most of the gains in small and midsized businesses come in the service sector.

It was the heart of the college football Bowl Championship Series last month, when approximately 150 deans, faculty and administrators from prominent business schools gathered in New York for Ernst & Young's Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Roundtable.

The younger generation was a popular talking point during the recent Winning Is Everything conference in Las Vegas.

Payroll provider Paychex is offering a free federal and state tax practice sheet that accountants can pass along as a tax season gift to their clients, branded with the CPA practice’s own name.

Succession planning, recruiting, M&A and developing top talent and pricing pressures were among several front-burner issues that came to the forefront during a roundtable discussion by members of the Advisory Board.

Payroll and benefits outsourcing provider Paychex has acquired Icon Time Systems, an online and PC-based time and attendance products concern for small businesses.

CBIZ’s Small Business Employment Index increased sharply in December, the largest jump in two years.

The unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 8.5 percent, the lowest level since February 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, as employers added 200,000 jobs.

The private sector added 325,000 jobs in December, according to payroll giant ADP, the largest monthly gain since December 2010.