Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), individuals are required to have health insurance while applicable large employers (ALEs) are required to offer health benefits to their full-time employees. Reporting is required by employers with 50 or more full-time (or full-time equivalent) employees, insurers, or sponsors of self-funded health plans, on health coverage […]
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What You Need to Know about Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
A dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA) is a pre-tax benefit account used to pay for eligible dependent care services. The IRS determines which expenses are eligible for reimbursement and these expenses are defined by Internal Revenue Code §129 and the employer’s plan. Eligible DCFSA expenses include: adult day care center, before/after school programs, child […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // May 2017
May was an active month in the employee benefits world. On May 4, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill titled the “American Health Care Act of 2017” (AHCA) to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its Employer Shared Responsibility affordability percentage […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // April 2017
In April, government agencies ramped up their activities by issuing a final rule, updating guidance, and announcing increased Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) enforcement. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated its webpage that summarizes employer shared responsibilities payments and their calculation. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for […]
Read moreIRS Updates
IRS Updates Health Coverage Affordability Calculation for Individuals for 2018 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Revenue Procedure 2017-36, adjusting the calculation determining whether an individual can afford employer-sponsored health coverage, which affects whether the individual would be eligible for a premium tax credit on the public health exchanges. This could affect employers who are […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // March 2017
In March, the employee benefits world watched as the House Speaker unveiled a proposal to replace parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The AHCA bill was withdrawn from consideration by the full House on March 24 because it appeared that there would not be […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // January 2017
January was a significant month in the employee benefits world because the new U.S. administration issued an Executive Order announcing its intent to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, January was a relatively inactive month for new laws and administrative rulemaking because the new administration placed a freeze on rulemaking until […]
Read moreIRS Memo on Fixed Indemnity Health Plan Benefits Tax Treatment
On January 20, 2017, the IRS released a Memorandum on the tax treatment of benefits paid by fixed indemnity health plans that addresses two questions: Are payments to an employee under an employer-provided fixed indemnity health plan excludible from the employee’s income under Internal Revenue Code §105? Are payments to an employee under an employer-provided […]
Read more21st Century Cures Act
On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act into law. The Cures Act has numerous components, but employers should be aware of the impact the Act will have on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, as well as provisions that will impact how small employers can use health reimbursement […]
Read moreIRS warns of fake Affordable Care Act forms
The IRS has recently warned that fraudsters have been sending fake tax bills on what purports to be an Affordable Care Act notice CP2000. In addition to alerting employees about this particular scam, you may want to use this opportunity to start reminding employees about other tax-related fraud as tax season approaches, particularly about W-2 […]
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