What is the Transportation Benefits Program Act? The State of Illinois recently passed the “Transportation Benefits Program Act” that will go into effect January 1, 2024, and require employers with 50 or more employees located in specific areas to offer a pre-tax commuter benefit to “covered employees.” Employees who take advantage of the benefit can...
The IRS announced the new medical mileage rate for taxpayers who deduct the cost of operating a vehicle for business, charitable, medical, or moving expense purposes when filing their taxes. Effective July 1, 2022, the new rate for medical and moving is $.22 per mile, which is an increase from the previous rate of $.18. …
On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Mississippi’s restrictions on abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (“Dobbs”). The decision overturns the Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) decisions that pre-empted state restrictions on abortion. In light of the Dobbs ruling, some employers have announced plans to revise their…
Philadelphia will soon be the next major U.S. city to adopt a commuter benefits mandate for eligible employers. On June 9, 2022, the Philadelphia City Council passed an ordinance that will require certain employers to offer a pre-tax commuter benefits program to their employees. The Philadelphia mayor is expected to sign the bill soon. Key…
This week, the IRS released IRS Rev. Proc. 2022-24, which includes the 2023 limits for health savings accounts (HSA) and high-deductible health plans (HDHP). Below is a comparison of the 2022 and 2023 limits for HSAs and HDHPs. The catch-up contribution limit for HSAs remains at $1,000 for the 2023 plan year. Interested in learning more about…
On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (the “Act”), which restores the ability for high deductible health plans to pay for telehealth services before a covered individual satisfies the plans annual deductible. This means an individual can receive telehealth services without regard to the annual deductible and…
On February 18, 2022, President Biden once again formally extended the COVID-19 National Emergency. This means that the following deadlines which were set to expire on March 1, 2022, will now be tolled for one (1) year (or, if earlier, 60 days from the end of the National Emergency). Participants: COBRA Qualifying Event and Disability…
The provisions of the federal COBRA law provide a valuable benefit to employees. The COBRA acronym is shorthand for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. It requires employers of 20 or more employees who provide healthcare benefits to offer the option of continuing this coverage to individuals who would otherwise lose their benefits…
The IRS announced the 2022 medical mileage rate for taxpayers who deduct the cost of operating a vehicle for business, charitable, medical, or moving expense purposes when filing their taxes. The new rate is $.18 per mile, which is an increase from the 2021 rate of $.16. For more details, read the full text of…
When it comes to tax-advantaged spending accounts, the eligibility rules can be a source of confusion for employees. If an employer offers an HSA-qualified high-deductible health plan (HDHP), employees should review their health coverage to understand how it impacts their HSA eligibility. Here’s a common question that comes up during open enrollment about HSA eligibility. …
With the end of the year quickly approaching, we want to provide an update regarding pandemic-related relief provisions for flexible spending accounts (FSA) and dependent care accounts (DCA). Several pieces of legislation were signed into law over the past 18 months to help American families manage healthcare costs during the pandemic. This temporarily included: Raising…