The Termination Meeting Checklist: Final Pay, COBRA Notices, and Property Return
US termination checklist: meet your state's final-pay deadline, send COBRA notices within 44 days, get OWBPA releases right and collect property same day.
#health-insurance
Health Insurance
Track health insurance costs and employee benefits
FSA Open Enrollment: The $680 Carryover vs. the 2.5-Month Grace Period
IRS rules let your health FSA carry over $680 or offer a 2.5-month grace period — never both. The run-out deadline decides what you actually keep.
IRS Letter 12C: Why Your Return Is On Hold and How to Respond in 20 Days
IRS Letter 12C is a processing hold, not an audit — fax or mail the requested forms within 20 days and skip Form 1040-X; refunds follow in 6–8 weeks.
Starting Your HDHP in December? How the HSA Last-Month Rule Lets You Contribute the Full Year
Covered by an HDHP on Dec. 1? The IRS last-month rule allows a full-year HSA contribution — but fail the 13-month testing period and owe tax plus 10%.
Hiring Your Spouse: How a Bona Fide Salary Unlocks Retirement Savings, Health Coverage, and Bigger Deductions
A spouse on W-2 payroll can fund a second solo 401(k) and pretax health coverage — if the IRS sees real work, market pay, and payroll records.
No Federal Mandate, Five State Ones: Health Insurance Penalties in CA, MA, NJ, RI, and D.C.
No federal penalty ($0), but CA, MA, NJ, RI, and D.C. still charge $300–$4,908 per person — plus separate state employer filings.
QSEHRA for Small Employers: Reimburse Employee Health Premiums Tax-Free Without a Group Plan
A QSEHRA lets employers under 50 FTEs reimburse individual health premiums tax-free — up to $6,450 self-only in 2026, with the IRS 90-day notice filed.
Hiring Your Spouse for a Section 105 HRA: Deducting Family Medical Bills
A one-employee Section 105 HRA lets a sole proprietor deduct the family's medical spend — premiums included — against income and self-employment tax.
Got a 1099-SA for Your HSA? What the Distribution Codes Mean, How Form 8889 Reports Withdrawals, and When the 20% Penalty Hits
Your 1099-SA Box 1 total isn't a tax bill: Form 8889 nets it against qualified medical expenses, and nonmedical withdrawals under age 65 draw the extra 20%.
Open Enrollment 2026: The Small Employer's Checklist for Notices, Limits, and Deadlines
ACA affordability hits a record 9.96% for 2026 plan years and the Medicare Part D notice is due before October 15 — the small employer's full checklist.
The December 31 Filing Most Small Health Plans Forget: A Gag Clause Attestation Guide
Every U.S. group health plan owes a gag clause attestation in HIOS by December 31. Carriers file for insured plans; self-funded sponsors file themselves.
"Wig" Gets Denied, "Cranial Prosthesis" Gets Paid: Bookkeeping for Custom Wig Makers and Medical Hair Studios
Custom wig studios can bill medical clients under HCPCS code A9282 as a cranial prosthesis instead of a cosmetic wig sale — with insurance-ready invoices, physician prescriptions that unlock sales-tax exemptions, IRS Publication 502 deductions for clients, and separate books for cosmetic and medical revenue.