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Health Insurance

Track health insurance costs and employee benefits

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13 min read

The Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction: How Section 162(l) Beats Itemizing

Section 162(l) lets sole proprietors, partners, and more-than-2% S-corp shareholders deduct health, dental, vision, LTC, and Medicare premiums above the line on Schedule 1, line 17 — bypassing the 7.5%-of-AGI floor that gates itemized medical deductions. Form 7206 enforces three limits — earned income, subsidized-coverage months, and PTC coordination — and S-corp owners must include premiums in W-2 Box 1 (not Box 3 or 5) to preserve the deduction.

Mike Thrift

tax-deductionsself-employmenthealth-insurance
14 min read

Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction Under Section 162(l): The Above-the-Line Write-Off That Beats Itemizing for Sole Proprietors and S-Corp Owners

Section 162(l) lets sole proprietors, partners, and more-than-2% S-corp shareholders deduct 100% of medical, dental, vision, and long-term care premiums above the line on Schedule 1, Line 17—if they clear the earned-income cap, the spouse-employer rule, and the W-2 reporting choreography on Form 7206.

Mike Thrift

taxtax-deductionsself-employment
13 min read

ACA Forms 1094-C and 1095-C: The 2026 Compliance Playbook for Applicable Large Employers

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.

Mike Thrift

compliancetax-compliancepayroll
13 min read

PCORI Fee 2026: Self-Insured Plans, HRAs, and Form 720 by July 31

For plan years ending in 2025, self-insured plan sponsors and HRA employers must file Form 720 by July 31, 2026 and pay $3.84 per covered life ($3.47 for plan years ending before October 1, 2025). This guide covers who owes the fee, the three approved methods to calculate average covered lives, why HRAs count employees only, and the common Form 720 filing mistakes that trigger IRS notices.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancetax-deadlineshealth-insurance
12 min read

QSEHRA vs. ICHRA in 2026: How Small Employers Without a Group Plan Can Reimburse Workers for Individual Health Insurance—Tax-Free

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.

Mike Thrift

health-insurancesmall-businessemployee-benefits
10 min read

Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction: A Complete Guide

Self-employed filers can deduct 100% of qualifying health insurance premiums above-the-line via Form 7206 and Schedule 1 line 17, provided the business is profitable and neither spouse had access to subsidized employer coverage. The guide covers S corporation W-2 requirements, ACA marketplace subsidy circular calculations, age-based long-term care caps, and the five most common errors that trigger IRS disallowance.

Mike Thrift

tax-deductionsself-employmenthealth-insurance
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