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.
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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.
PEO Brokers Offer Free Help: How They Get Paid and What to Ask
Most PEO brokers are paid by the PEO you pick, not by you — a commission that can vary by provider. Here are the compensation, network, and CPEO questions to ask before signing, and when going direct is faster.
Still Funding Your HSA After 65? How Medicare's Six-Month Lookback Turns Legal Contributions Into Excess Contributions
Enrolling in Medicare Part A after age 65 backdates coverage up to six months, turning HSA contributions made during that window into excess contributions subject to a 6% yearly excise tax. This guide covers the 2026 prorated limits, the Form 5329 penalty, how to withdraw the excess before the filing deadline, and the six-months-ahead shutdown plan.
IRMAA for Business Owners: The Two-Year Lookback, the 2026 Medicare Brackets, and the SSA-44 Appeal
Medicare's IRMAA surcharge sets your 2026 Part B and Part D premiums from your 2024 tax return, and crossing a bracket by one dollar triggers the full tier — up to roughly $14,000 a year above standard premiums for a couple. Here is how business sales, Roth conversions and RMDs trigger it, the 2026 thresholds, and how to file Form SSA-44 after retirement or another qualifying life-changing event.
Small-Group Health Insurance Premiums Could Rise 14% in 2027: A Budget Playbook for Employers
Insurers have filed a median 14% small-group premium increase for 2027, following an 11% rise for 2026, while Mercer projects employer health costs up 8.2% per employee even after cost controls. This guide explains what is driving the increases, how to model the renewal in per-employee-per-month terms, and five levers (competitive bids, level-funded and ICHRA/CHOICE comparisons, plan redesign, defined contributions, and early communication) that can shrink the hit before open enrollment.
Your Employee Just Got Deployment Orders: What USERRA Requires of You, Even If They're Your Only Employee
USERRA covers every US employer with no headcount minimum. When an employee is called to military service, you must reemploy them promptly at the "escalator" position they would have reached, continue health coverage for up to 24 months, credit seniority and pension benefits as if they never left, and honor return deadlines of 14 or 90 days depending on service length. This guide lays out the five reemployment conditions, the anti-discrimination rules, what federal law does not require, and a before-during-after bookkeeping checklist for small employers.
The $120,000 Fertility Benefit: How to Account for America's Newest Standalone Employee Benefit
A proposed federal rule would let employers offer fertility coverage as a standalone excepted benefit — like dental or vision — capped at a combined $120,000 lifetime maximum per participant and covered beneficiaries, for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2027. Here is how the fully insured and self-funded options differ on the books, and the ledger accounts, payroll deduction codes and accumulator reports to set up before the first enrollment.