How Applicable Large Employers file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C for the 2025 reporting year. Covers the March 2 and March 31, 2026 deadlines, the post-2024 furnishing-on-request rule, the 2026 penalty amounts ($3,340 and $5,010 per employee), the new 90-day Letter 226-J response window, and the Line 14/16 coding errors that most often trigger IRS audits.
ERISA Section 409 imposes personal liability on 401(k) plan fiduciaries, and the corporate veil does not shield small business owners. This guide explains the prudent-expert standard, the Tibble v. Edison duty to monitor, and how hiring a Section 3(38) investment manager shifts investment discretion — and most related liability — away from the plan sponsor.
Section 127 lets employers reimburse up to $5,250 per employee per year for tuition, books, or student loan principal and interest with no payroll or income tax. OBBBA made the student loan provision permanent in July 2025 and begins indexing the cap to inflation in 2027 — here is how a small business sets up a compliant plan.
A practical guide to Section 132 fringe benefits — working condition, de minimis, employee discounts, no-additional-cost services, the 2026 $340/month transportation limits, and achievement award rules — covering which perks qualify as tax-free, the cash-equivalent trap, and how to document everything so the program survives an IRS payroll audit.
Trump Accounts are a new tax-deferred children's savings vehicle created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Children born 2025–2028 receive a one-time $1,000 federal seed, families can contribute up to $5,000 per year, and employers can add $2,500 tax-free per employee — but the deposit requires filing Form 4547.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the Section 45S paid family and medical leave credit permanent, lowered the eligibility threshold to six months, and added a premium-based method that lets small employers claim 12.5%–25% of PFML insurance premiums even when no leave is taken.
For 2026, QSEHRA caps tax-free reimbursements at $6,450 self-only and $13,100 family for employers under 50 FTEs, while ICHRA has no IRS cap and lets any-size employer vary contributions across 11 federal employee classes—provided the 9.96% affordability test, MEC requirement, and 90-day notice are all met.
A funding-model guide for small employers comparing fully-insured, level-funded, and self-funded group health plans, with the math on stop-loss coverage, ERISA fiduciary exposure, Form 5500 filings, and when each model actually saves money.
Section 1042 of the IRC lets a C-corporation owner selling shares to an ESOP defer federal capital gains tax indefinitely — and potentially eliminate it through step-up at death. This guide covers the five qualifying conditions, what counts as Qualified Replacement Property, the floating-rate-note diversification strategy, and the trade-offs founders should weigh against a strategic sale.
Section 409A lets companies defer executive pay above 401(k) limits, but a single misstep triggers immediate taxation on every vested dollar plus a 20% federal penalty and premium interest. Here is how NQDC plans, rabbi trusts, and the six permissible distribution triggers actually work.
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