On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) into law. Under ARPA, certain employees and their dependents who lost group health coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the employee’s involuntary termination (other than for gross misconduct) or reduction of hours are allowed to temporarily receive fully-subsidized COBRA
Understanding Employee Benefits and key developments in the employee benefits field and items of interest to our clients. MORE
Payroll
CARES Act offers Opportunity for Tax-Free Student Loan Repayment Available until 2020 Year-End
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which addresses the public economic and health crisis related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The CARES Act includes a temporary provision that allows employers to make tax-free student loan payments on behalf of employees pursuant…
FICA Lawsuit Settles For Over $3 Million
I have previously blogged (here and here) about a lawsuit brought by participants in a nonqualified deferred compensation plan where the employer failed to report and pay FICA (social security) taxes in the most tax advantageous way. The employer had tried to get the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that the FICA tax …
Some Wellness Benefits are Taxable
My colleagues blogged on recent wellness guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the three agencies charged with enforcing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Department of Treasury, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The guidance from the EEOC reiterated that compliance with HIPAA requirements for wellness…
Employers Can Be Responsible for FICA Withholding Errors
Back in 2013 I blogged about a class action lawsuit brought against Henkel Corporation for improper Social Security (FICA) tax withholding from nonqualified deferred compensation benefits. I am blogging now on an update to that case. To understand that case we need to review the taxation of nonqualified deferred compensation benefits. Nonqualified deferred compensation benefits…
IRS Wins One at Supreme Court: Severance Pay is Subject to FICA Tax
I blogged about the Quality Stores decision which at the district court and court of appeals levels held that certain severance payments were not subject to FICA (Social Security) taxes. The IRS had challenged the employer in that case and had lost in both lower courts.
At the Supreme Court level, the IRS won. The …
Gas Prices Must be Going Down
Every year the IRS issues optional standard mileage rates that can be used by taxpayers to calculate the deductible cost of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Many employers reimburse employees based on this standard mileage rate. The standard mileage rate also factors into medical expense reimbursement account plans for mileage …
The Supreme Court Will Decide Whether FICA Taxes is Owed on Severance Pay
I blogged here and here about Quality Stores, a case in which the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that severance pay is not subject to FICA (Social Security) taxes if certain requirements are met: The severance payments must be made pursuant to a plan, on account of an involuntary termination, and the result …
No More Pre-Tax Premiums for Individual Insurance Policies?
Over the years we have seen some employers, particularly small employers, choose to provide health coverage to their employees by paying all or part of the premium for individual insurance policies that the employees have obtained. Under an old IRS revenue ruling, Rev. Rul. 61-146, that type of premium subsidy could be provided on a …
This Time the Employer is Responsible for the Withholding Error
I recently blogged (here and here) about a situation involving Verizon withholding US taxes from payments to former employees who never lived or worked in the U.S. The employees attempted to recover the withheld taxes from Verizon on a breach of fiduciary duty claim against the employer and also attempted to have the …