Health care flexible spending accounts (HCFSAs) are a valued employee benefit, but create administrative and compliance responsibilities for employers and their third party administrators. Permitted changes to how HCFSAs operate made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic added to these responsibilities. This issue of the Benefit Minute summarizes current compliance considerations for HCFSAs.
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law. The $1.9 trillion stimulus law includes several welfare and fringe benefit plan provisions. The information outlined below is subject to clarification as the government agencies issue guidance to implement ARPA.
Employers that sponsor welfare benefit plans must provide a wide range of notices and disclosures to employees and plan participants. These notices are required by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This Benefit Minute […]
On October 2, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-76 which provides ACA reporting relief similar to what has been granted in prior years. There are strong indications in the Notice that this will be the last year the relief is given. The IRS had previously requested comments on the relief for furnishing the forms to […]
In response to the Trump Administration Executive Order regarding improving price and quality transparency in American health care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Treasury Department issued final and proposed regulations that impose transparency requirements on hospitals, health insurers, and group health plans as described below.
Generally, many fringe benefits provided to employees are excluded from taxable income. However, this favorable tax treatment is not available to an S corp shareholder who owns more than 2% of the stock of the corporation on any day of the corporation’s tax year (referred to as a 2% shareholder). Section 1372 of the Internal […]
This issue of the Benefit Minute summarizes nontaxable and taxable fringe benefits that are provided to employees by employers. It reflects changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Many of these items are described in IRS Publication 15-B, Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits. However, it’s important to understand the different types of […]
