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Can you qualify for the small business health insurance credit?

Graphics, videos, and four million postcards from the IRS. The small business tax credit that you might qualify for when you provide health insurance coverage to your employees has gotten a lot of publicity.

Thanks to the blitz, you're probably familiar with the basic idea:

  • Employ the equivalent of 25 or fewer workers with average wages of less than $50,000.
  • Pay at least half the cost of health insurance premiums for those employees.
  • Claim a federal income tax credit of up to 35% of the premiums.

Still, you may have questions, such as when are 25 employees not really 25 employees?

Good question, because the answer affects how much of the credit you can claim, and whether or not you're eligible to claim it at all.

For example, say part of your staff puts in less than 40 hours a week. In that case, you could employ more than 25 workers - yet the number of employees you count to calculate the credit will be less than 25. The odd result is due to a concept called a "full-time equivalent employee," which means you make an adjustment to the hours worked by your part-timers to equate them to full-time employees.

In addition, some seasonal employees and your family members are not included when figuring the amount of the credit you can claim.

Give us a call to review all the requirements of this new tax break. We're ready to help make sure you get the maximum benefit available.

For more information, contact Ross Rizzo at 212-404-5528, rrizzo@sb-cpa.com.

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