Employee Benefits Report – January 2022
Pre–Tax Flexible Benefits — The Pros and Cons of Cafeteria Plans
A cafeteria plan, also known as a Section 125 plan, is a way for employers to provide multiple benefits while lowering taxes for themselves and their employees. Read on for details.
How to Avoid the Legal Pitfalls of Telecommuting
Are you an employer who started letting employees work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Read on for details.
What to Expect for Retirement Savings Plans in 2022
With a new year often comes new rules. Here’s what the federal government has planned for retirement savings plans in 2022. Read on for details.
No Single Benefit Interests Every Age Group
Look around a typical workplace and you’re likely to see four generations of employees — Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, Millennials and Generation Zers.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – December 2021
How the Pandemic Is Making Employer-Sponsored Life Insurance More Attractive
COVID-19 has driven up mortality rates, so it’s no surprise that life insurance companies are taking note. Read on for details.
How to Make Annuities Work with 401(k)s
The SECURE Act has made embedding annuities in 401(k)s more appealing to employees and safer for employers.
Read on for details.
Voluntary Benefits That Could Move the Needle for Employees in 2022
An increasing number of employees view health and other benefits among their top three reasons for job satisfaction, according to studies by Ameritas Life Insurance Corp.
Read on for details.
How to Legally Use Premium Discounts to Encourage Vaccinations
Three federal agencies have issued guidance indicating that employers may legally offer a reduced health benefit premium to employees who are vaccinated for COVID-19.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – November 2021
Impact on Business of Growing Interest in Paid Family and Medical Leave
There’s growing state and federal government interest in ensuring employees have access to paid family and medical leave. Read on for details.
Ways to “Carve-Out” Group Health Plan Savings
Employers who self-insure their group health care benefits may find that carve-outs will help keep their premiums lower. Read on for details.
COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate Raises Questions for Employers and Legal Scholars
Reaction to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 mandate requiring most federal and private sector employees to get tested or vaccinated against COVID-19 ranges from supportive to defiant.
Read on for details.
Telehealth Education: Good for Employees’ Health
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how useful telehealth services can be, employers may wish to encourage employees to try this money-and time-saving option. Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – October 2021
How to Determine When Protections Apply to ADA and COVID “Long Haulers”
COVID-19 survivors who suffer long-term health challenges might qualify for protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Read on for details.
Make Sure Voluntary Insurance Plans Are Really Voluntary
A voluntary plan that turns out not to be voluntary can also be a complicated maze of paperwork for an employer.
Read on for details.
Is It Possible to Save Too Much for Retirement?
While some employees aren’t saving enough for retirement, some save too much in their plans and pay the price in penalties. Read on for details.
Using Health Insurance Discounts to Fight Vaccination Hesitancy
The lure of lower health insurance premiums is enticing some employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – September 2021
6 Ways to Help Deal with Labor Shortages
As the economy recovers from the pandemic there are more jobs than workers. Read on for details.
Should Your Business Be Looking into Vision Insurance?
Vision disorders cost U.S. businesses an estimated $8 billion annual in lost productivity. Read on for details.
12 Federal Laws Most Employee Health Plans Must Comply With
The following is a list of federal laws that employers must follow, in addition to the Affordable Care Act, in most cases regardless of their size. Read on for details.
Paid Leave Expands During Pandemic, But Employees Fear Repercussions
During the pandemic many employees expressed the need for paid time off (PTO) — and employers responded, according to the Hartford’s latest Future of Benefits Study 2021.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – August 2021
How to Help Employees Set Up an Emergency Cash Reserve
The pandemic made it clear that many employees need a way to access funds in an emergency. Here’s how to make it easier for them in the future. Read on for details.
Best Practices for Administering Intermittent FMLA Leave
Handling FMLA leave can get complicated. Read on for details.
Are You Responsible for Employee Identity Theft?
The answer is yes, which is why it’s important to practice good cyber risk management. Read on for details.
Why Do Health Care Premiums Increase?
Is there anything you can do about it?
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – July 2021
SECURE Act 401(k) Plan Changes
Impact Employer Responsibilities
Employers who sponsor 401(k) plans must ensure they are in compliance. Read on for details.
How to Stay in Compliance with the
Latest Immigration Laws
Even if you are fairly certain you hire only U.S. citizens, several new laws were added in 2021 that you will need to follow. Read on for details.
New COVID-19 Obligations Added
to Group Health Plans
Even as the country is regaining a sense of normalcy following the pandemic, the federal government has strengthened group health plans obligations for COVID-19 coverage. Read on for details.
Unemployment Tax Rate Increases Expected
The Biden Administration’s decision to extend unemployment benefits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may significantly increase employers’ unemployment benefit tax costs for years to come.Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – June 2021
Additional 2021 Tax Year Benefits Now Available for Employees with Dependents
The $1.9-trillion stimulus package known as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes major changes to the longstanding federal-income-tax child and dependent care credit.
Read on for details.
What if an Employee Refuses to Get Vaccinated?
You can fire employees who refuse to get vaccinated. Read on for details.
Alternatives to the Traditional 401(k)
One of the most popular group retirement plans is a 401(k). There are other options — such as PEPs, 403(b) and ESOPs — that might be a better fit for your company. Read on for details.
Have Proof Will Travel
Business travel came to a grinding halt for many employees after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns started in the spring of 2020.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – May 2021
COBRA and DCAP Recipients Get Help from $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan Act
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes significant, temporary COBRA and DCAP changes. Read on for details.
Does an ESOP Make Sense for Your Company?
Looking for ways to supplement your company’s 401(k) retirement plan? Want to reward employees who helped build your business? Looking for ways to facilitate succession planning?
Read on for details.
How Carve-Outs Lower Health Plan Costs
Employers who self-fund or level fund their health coverage benefits can lower their costs by working with third-party contractors to manage aspects of their plan using a practice called carve-outs. Read on for details.
IRS Waives Taxes on Donated PTO
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has special rules for leave-sharing during natural disasters.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – April 2021
Federal Government Allows 401(k) Distributions for Birth or Adoption
Your employees can use their 401(k) savings to help with the costs of a qualified birth or adoption. Read on for details.
Individual vs. Group Long-Term Care Coverage for Employees
Considering whether to offer long-term care insurance to employees? How does group long-term compare to individual long-term insurance? Read on for details.
HealthCare Options for Unemployed Workers
How President Biden’s executive orders could affect health care coverage and the way we address the pandemic. Read on for details.
COVID-19: Do You Have Liability?
Lawmakers are looking into legislation to shield employers against unreasonable liability due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – March 2021
New Federal Guidance for Requiring COVID Vaccinations
With some exceptions, you may legally require your employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination as long as the disease is a threat to the workplace.
Read on for details.
How to Know When Health Insurance Will Cover an Oral Procedure
How to know when an oral procedure is actually a medical procedure and not dental.
Read on for details.
More States Are Embracing Employer-Sponsored IRAs
Americans younger than 59½ will have a second chance to take money from their retirement accounts without paying a tax penalty — if they meet a new condition.
Read on for details.
401(k) Withdrawal Penalties Suspended Again
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allowed people affected by the coronavirus to withdraw or borrow up to $100,000 from their 401(k), Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) or similar account without a 10 percent penalty until the end of 2020.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – February 2021
New Hospital Cost Transparency Rule Now in Effect
New federal rules promise to make it easier for consumers to know the true costs of a hospital service or item, as well as the in- and out-of-network costs of health insurance benefit plans.
Read on for details.
The Safe Way for Employees to Roll Over a 401(k) to an IRA
To avoid pitfalls employees should talk to a financial advisor before making changes to retirement accounts. Read on for details.
Legal Services Benefits — During the Pandemic and Beyond
70 percent of full-time U.S. workers experienced some kind of “legal life event” in the past year. Of these, 20 percent said they were less productive at work, and one-third took time off work to deal with legal needs. Read on for details.
More Identity Scams Target Employers and Employees
Identity fraud is on the rise and two scams employers should be aware of relate to tax returns and unemployment claims.
Read on for details.