What’s Coming Up / USA
What’s changing for employers in the USA.
45 rule changes, deadlines, events and dates for the USA, checked against official sources and updated every Monday.
Updated Monday, October 19, 2026
Type
45 items
Already in effect or under way
5 itemsChanges that have started and still need action.
- 24Sep ’26Gallup: only 1 in 5 employees fully trust leaders with their workplace dataIn a survey of 22,573 U.S. workers in May 2026, 20% trust leaders 'a great deal' to use employee data responsibly, 59% believe their employer collects activity data such…
- 22Sep ’26APA Work in America 2026: job insecurity and work-related mental health harm risingIn the American Psychological Association's survey of 2,009 U.S. workers, 32% fear losing their job within weeks or months (up from 26% in 2025), and 37% say their work…
- 9Sep ’26Gallup: frequent AI users more likely to fear losing their jobsGallup Panel data (nearly 30,000 worker observations, 2023 to Q1 2026) show frequent AI users are about twice as likely as infrequent users to report acute fear of job…
- 25Aug ’26Business Group on Health: 9.2% health cost trend and cancer as top cost driverLarge employers (127 surveyed, covering 8.7 million U.S. people) project a median 9.2% health cost increase for 2027 (8% after plan changes). 70% name cancer as their…
- 11Aug ’26New York Fed: credit card debt and delinquencies stay highU.S. household debt reached $18.8 trillion in Q2 2026, with credit card balances up $54 billion over the year to $1.26 trillion.
November 2026
6 items- 1NovNational Family Caregivers MonthA national month recognizing family caregivers, led in part by Caregiver Action Network, which launches its 2026 campaign Oct 19.
- 13NovBusiness Group on Health Best Employers: Excellence in Health & Well-being 2027Business Group on Health's award recognizes employers' health and well-being strategies, with optional Mental Health, Health Inclusion and Global Health & Well-being…
- 13NovBusiness Group on Health Best Employers: Excellence in Health Care Value 2027Business Group on Health's companion award recognizes employers that improve the value of their health care benefits.
- 15NovSHRM All Things Work 2026SHRM's fall event for HR leaders, held alongside SHRM BLUEPRINT, the Skills Accelerator and the Linkage Leadership Institute in Nashville.
- 18NovIFMA World Workplace 2026IFMA's flagship facility management conference and expo for workplace and facilities leaders.
- 19NovGreat American SmokeoutThe American Cancer Society's annual day encouraging people who smoke to quit, or make a plan to quit.
December 2026
2 items- 3DecNSC Green Cross for Safety awards 2027The National Safety Council's awards honor organizations and people in three categories: Safety Advocate, Safety Excellence and Safety Innovation.
- 15DecSHRM HR-X Live! 2027: call for presentations closesSHRM's flagship annual conference, formerly the SHRM Annual Conference, is now called SHRM HR-X Live! and runs June 27-30, 2027, in Chicago.
January 2027
15 items- 1Jan2027 HSA, HDHP, excepted-benefit HRA and direct primary care limitsHSA contribution limits rise to $4,500 (self-only) and $9,000 (family).
- 1JanCalifornia lets employees name a 'designated person' for bereavement leaveSB 1149 lets an employee designate one person per 12-month period whose death qualifies for California's up to five days of job-protected bereavement leave, in addition…
- 1JanCalifornia limits AI workplace surveillance and requires AI disclosure in layoff noticesAB 1883 bars workplace surveillance tools that use facial, gait or emotion recognition or collect neural data.
- 1JanCalifornia minimum wage rises to $17.40; exempt salary floor rises to $72,384The statewide minimum wage rises to $17.40 an hour, which lifts the minimum annual salary for most exempt employees to $72,384.
- 1JanCalifornia privacy rules on AI in employment decisions: compliance deadlineBusinesses covered by the CCPA that already use automated decisionmaking technology (ADMT) for significant decisions such as hiring, promotion, pay or discipline must…
- 1JanColorado's rewritten AI law takes effect for employment decisionsSB 26-189, signed May 14, 2026, replaced Colorado's original AI Act with narrower rules.
- 1JanFinal Roth catch-up rules apply to 401(k) and similar plansFinal SECURE 2.0 regulations require catch-up contributions by employees whose prior-year FICA wages exceeded the threshold ($145,000, indexed for inflation) to be made…
- 1JanIRS to announce 2027 401(k) and IRA limitsMilliman projects the 401(k) deferral limit will rise to $25,500 (from $24,500), the age-50 catch-up to $8,500 and the ages 60-63 catch-up to $11,750.
- 1JanMaryland paid family and medical leave (FAMLI) contributions beginMaryland's FAMLI program starts collecting 0.90% of wages (up to the Social Security wage base), which employers with 15 or more employees may split 50/50 with workers.
- 1JanMassachusetts PFML contribution split moves between family and medical leaveThe total rate stays at 0.88% for employers with 25 or more covered workers, but the required employer share moves to family leave (0.70% total; employer pays at least…
- 1JanNew York Paid Family Leave 2027 contribution rateEmployee contributions for 2027 are 0.452% of wages, capped at $451.81 a year, and the maximum weekly benefit stays at 67% of the state average weekly wage.
- 1JanNew York minimum wage stays at $17 / $16 in 2027New York's scheduled inflation increase is skipped for 2027 because an 'off-ramp' condition was met, so the minimum wage stays at $17.00 in New York City, Long Island…
- 1JanNew York retailers with 500+ in-state workers must provide silent panic buttonsUnder the Retail Worker Safety Act, retail employers with 500 or more retail employees in New York State must give workers a silent response button to call for immediate…
- 1JanSocial Security wage base rises to $192,300; benefits rise 3.6%The maximum earnings subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax rise to $192,300 in 2027 (from $184,500), and Social Security benefits increase 3.6% starting in January.
- 1JanWashington minimum wage rises to $17.73Washington's statewide minimum wage rises to $17.73 an hour for most workers.
February 2027
6 items- 1FebAmerican Heart Month and National Wear Red Day®February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association's National Wear Red Day® falls on the first Friday of the month.
- 1FebFirst W-2s with new overtime, tips and Trump account codes due to employeesThe 2026 Form W-2 adds Box 12 codes for qualified overtime pay (TT), cash tips (TP) and employer contributions to Trump accounts (TA).
- 1FebMassachusetts EEO-1 workforce data report due to the stateEmployers with 100 or more Massachusetts employees that file EEO-1 reports with the EEOC must also file them with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth under…
- 2FebIFEBP Health Benefits Conference & Expo (HBCE) 2027The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans' health benefits event for benefits, wellness, employee health, absence management and workers' comp professionals.
- 5FebFortune Best Workplaces regional lists (Bay Area, Texas, New York, Chicago)Great Place To Work, a company that sells employee surveys and certification, uses its survey results to build Fortune's regional Best Workplaces lists, which publish…
- 22FebNational Eating Disorders Awareness WeekThe National Eating Disorders Association's annual awareness week; the 2027 theme and resources will be posted before Feb 22.
March 2027
2 items- 1MarNew York City heat protections for outdoor workers: city guidance dueMayor Mamdani's Executive Order 17 directs city agencies to develop heat protections for more than 1.4 million outdoor workers, including contractors and gig workers…
- 31MarSHRM LEAP Employment Law Conference 2027SHRM's employment law and compliance conference for HR leaders.
April 2027
6 items- 2AprPEOPLE Companies that Care 2027Great Place To Work and PEOPLE magazine's list recognizes companies that show care for their employees and communities, based on Great Place To Work survey data.
- 5AprAmerica Saves Week (during Financial Literacy Month)America Saves Week encourages people to set savings goals and build emergency funds, and it falls during April's Financial Literacy Month.
- 25AprWorldatWork Total Rewards 2027 (TR27)WorldatWork's annual conference for total rewards, compensation and benefits leaders.
- 27AprIFMA Facility Fusion 2027IFMA's spring conference for facility and workplace managers.
- 28AprBusiness Group on Health 2027 Annual ConferenceBusiness Group on Health's annual meeting for large-employer health, benefits and wellbeing leaders, where the 2027 Best Employers winners are announced.
- 28AprWorkers' Memorial DayA day to remember workers killed or injured on the job.
On the horizon
3 itemsBigger changes later in 2027 and beyond, to plan for now.
- 12May ’27California pay data reports due, with higher penalties for repeat failuresPrivate employers with 100 or more employees, or 100 or more workers hired through labor contractors, must file annual pay data reports with the Civil Rights Department.
- 1Jul ’27California 'No Robo Bosses Act' restrictions on AI discipline and firingSB 947 bars California employers from relying solely on an automated decision system to discipline or fire workers.
- 3Jul ’27Maryland FAMLI employee notice deadline ahead of 2028 benefitsMaryland employers must notify employees about FAMLI leave and benefits by July 3, 2027, and paid leave benefits become available no later than January 3, 2028.
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