KEY EMPLOYEE

A valuable employee with a major ownership and plays a vital role in the decision-making of the company. These people are usually highly compensated and may receive special benefits as an incentive. Absence of key employees is highly unfavorable to the company or organization they belong, which can lead to huge losses.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) used this term for an employee who has more than 5% business ownership and/or more than 1% business ownership. Also, its annual compensation is greater than a specific amount or is an officer with compensation more than a certain amount. Other IRS and government rules have various definitions of "key employee" for different purposes.