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2021 Last-Minute Year-End Medical Plan Strategies

Written by nevegroup on . Posted in Blog.

All small-business owners with one to 49 employees should have a medical plan for their business.

Sure, it’s true that with 49 or fewer employees, the tax law does not require you to have a plan, but you should.

Most of the tax rules that apply to medical plans are straightforward when you have 49 or fewer employees.

Here are six opportunities for you to consider:

  1. Make sure to claim the federal tax credit equal to 100 percent of required (2020) and voluntary (2021) emergency sick leave and emergency family leave payments. It’s likely that you made payments that qualify for the credits.
  2. If you have a Section 105 plan in place and you have not been reimbursing expenses monthly, do a reimbursement now to get your 2021 deductions, and then put yourself on a monthly reimbursement schedule in 2022.
  3. If you want to implement a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA), but have not yet done so, make sure to get that done properly now. You are late, so you could suffer that $50-per-employee penalty should your lateness be found out.
  4. But if you are thinking of the QSEHRA and want to help your employees with more money and flexibility, be sure to consider the Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA). It’s got more advantages.
  5. If you operate your business as an S corporation and you want an above-the-line tax deduction for the cost of your health insurance, you need the S corporation to (a) pay for or reimburse you for the health insurance, and (b) put it on your W-2. Make sure that the reimbursement happens before December 31 and that you have the reimbursement set up to show on the W-2.

6. Claim the tax credit for the group health insurance you give your employees. If you provide your employees with group health insurance, see whether your pay structure and number of employees put you in a position to claim a 50 percent tax credit for some or all of the monies you paid for health insurance in 2021 and possibly in prior years.