Category: Employee Benefits
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2019 in employee benefits: by the numbers
These are the numbers we commonly use in planning this year’s tax free employee benefits: 401(k) pre-tax contribution limits = $19,000 401(k) catch-up contribution limit = $6,000 IRA contribution limits = $6,000 Annual Health Savings Account contribution limit for individuals = $3,500 Health Savings Account contribution limit for family coverage = $7,000 High Deductible Health…
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Simplify the business of life
This blog title is a slogan used by the world’s most popular personal and small business software maker. For my purposes as an adviser, I’m using it here to refer to the accounting for essential financial transactions between an employer and employee: payroll, taxes and employee benefits. Small businesses have wide latitude in some areas of…
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Three changes to small business health plans for 2019
Small business employers who choose to offer health benefits to employees will find more options available in 2019 under rules proposed late last year for adaptation this year. The IRS and Treasury Department clarified that employers who meet other conditions will be allowed to offer reimbursement of individual health insurance on a tax-free basis. These…
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Small business payroll fees for 2019
I’m sending this email message to my smallest business payroll clients: In planning for 2019 services, I’ve noticed that payroll processing fees have risen sharply for me. This seems to be an industry trend apparently related to spreading out the cost of state and local tax compliance issues for some companies but doesn’t otherwise affect…
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2019 Tax Saving Checklist for Attorneys
Forecast 2019 taxes now based on 2018 year-to-date results. (If you don’t have 2018 YTD then we really need to talk). Use a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) for tax-free payments of out-of-pocket expenses Use a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) for insurance assistance Add a Health Savings Account (HSA) for long term health…
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US Supreme Court’s Mount Lemmon Fire District case impact on small business employee benefits
The US Supreme Court decision issued last week in the case of Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido et at. appears to have employee benefit implication to some small business. In general, federal employment laws and specifically employee benefit laws, include applicability provisions that often exempt small business employers or modify the compliance requirements. This case…
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Turn employee health expenses into tax savings
Small business employers who do not offer an employee health plan are missing out on valuable tax savings. These small firms may be understandably nervous about offering employee health benefits. Less than half of small firms even try. We’ve heard about high costs of medical care and health insurance that rise year after year. This cab be…
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The Other 95%
comments on the future of financial services for middle income Americans based on experiences through OnlineAdviser
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Reasons for an employer to improve employee benefits
Most of my employee benefit comments focus on effects to the employee. This post briefly lists some of the advantages to the employer. Shows that the employer is ‘in tune’ with employees’ lives. Helps to attract and retain good employees. Employees making decisions on employment offers often overweight the importance of employee benefit issues vs.…
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20 Simple and Inexpensive Things You Can Do to Improve Your Firm’s Employee Benefit Plan
There are likely plenty of easy ways to make your employee benefit plan dollars go further: Host an occasional, informal and voluntary on-site meeting where employees can ask an independent adviser questions about their benefits. Host occasional, informal and voluntary on-site educational programs so employees understand the link between benefit plans, taxes and their overall…