Is Simultaneous Sponsorship of an FSA, HRA, and HSA Possible? Read More
IRS Announces Expansion of Situations Permitting Corrections for HSA Contributions
Many businesses choose to set up healthcare to include a health savings account (HSA) for each participating employee. Employees and businesses can then make tax-advantaged contributions to this account. For the most part, once these contributions are made, an employer cannot reclaim the contributions, even if it was made incorrectly. However, the IRS has set apart some situations where corrections to HSA Read More
Two Recent HIPAA Breach Cases Highlight Importance of Compliant Business Associate Agreement
Companies that handle personal health information (PHI) that are subject to HIPAA rules often enter into business associate agreements. This includes companies handling electronic records for hospitals, transferring information to insurance companies, storing HIPAA data, and much more. All covered entities, including health plans, hospitals, and insurance companies, under HIPAA must have business associate agreements Read More
IRS Provides Guidance on Meaning of Excess Compensation for Tax-Exempt Entities
The 21% excise tax leveraged on excess compensation as outlined in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is equal to the corporate tax rate. In an effort to provide more guidance to the applicable tax-exempt organizations (ATEOs) that are subject to this tax rate, the IRS issued guidance outlining the meaning of excess compensation and how it should be calculated for tax purposes. Section 4960 was added to the Internal Read More
Are Class-Action Waivers the Future of ERISA Plans?
Thanks to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, employers can now be confident that arbitration agreements and class action waivers are enforceable and do not violate the National Labor Relations Act. This debate started in 2011 with AT&T Mobility Servs. v. Concepcion, which held that arbitration provisions were enforceable when included in consumer contracts. It further held that these agreements barred Read More
IRS Issues Guidance on New Excise Tax for Tax-Exempt Entities
Regulatory updates continue as the IRS recently issued interim guidance on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Specifically, new regulations impose a 21% excise tax on “excess” executive compensation at applicable tax-exempt organizations (ATEOs). This guidance is designed to provide companies with a reasonable interpretation of the statute until such time as the IRS can issue final regulations. This excise tax applies Read More