As a small business, a few bad reviews online can greatly affect your business. These reviews can undermine your business’ reputation and cost you money. It’s necessary in today’s world to know how to respond to these complaints and avoid losing business. Click on the image to download or print the tip sheet.
For business owners, it’s important to be aware of changes in employment laws. These updates can impact your business, especially if your employee handbook isn’t updated accordingly. Click on the image to download or print the policy sheet.
Consumer-driven health plans like health savings accounts (HSAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs), and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), can help soften the blow of continually rising health care costs, but it’s important to understand what each option requires and provides. Here are brief descriptions of the similarities and differences concerning HSAs, FSAs and HRAs:
Due to their tax-favored status, HSAs require individuals to meet these qualifications:
The employer and employee can contribute to the HSA in the same year, subject to annual limits. Employers may allow employees to make pre-tax salary reduction contributions to fund their HSAs. Individuals may roll over unspent funds in the HSA from year to year. Since the HSA is a tax-exempt account owned by the employee, he or she may keep the account upon termination of employment or retirement.
Health FSAs provide a means for employees to reduce their income tax liability through salary reduction. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) limits employee’s pre-tax contributions to their health FSAs to $3,050 (adjusted for inflation for future plan years). Since only employees can participate in a health FSA, self-employed individuals can establish health FSAs for their employees, but cannot set up their own accounts. Also a “use-it-or-lose-it” provision, meaning that employees must use every dollar in the account by the end of each year, which can lead to overfunding the account and then spending unnecessarily at the end of the year to avoid forfeiting the money. Some options for protecting those unused funds exist, but it is best to check with a qualified benefits expert first.
HRAs allow employees to use employer contributions to pay for (or reimburse) eligible medical care expenses. HRAs can only be funded with employer money, and unused HRA balances may accumulate from year to year. There is no specified cap on the amount an employer is allowed to contribute to an HRA. Also, an HRA is not subject to the uniform coverage rule that applies to health FSAs. Like health FSAs, only employees can participate in an HRA, which means that self-employed individuals cannot participate in an HRA on a tax-favored basis.
Introducing consumerism into your health plan requires an evaluation of the benefits and disadvantages of HSAs, FSAs and HRAs. No single solution is right for every employer. If your organization is considering implementing a consumer-driven health plan, the Benefits team at Evergreen Insurance can help determine the best plan for you.
Copyright 2023 Evergreen Insurance
Evergreen Insurance provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.
Happy National Small Business Day! Evergreen Insurance is here to support and help protect your small business from the risks and liabilities you may face. Choosing the right business insurance for your company can be overwhelming. Click on the image to download or print the sheet for details on different types of insurance.
As a small business owner, you are always on the hunt for ways to save money, especially in a poor economy. Click on the image to download or print the tip sheet for six tips on how to reduce your expenses without compromising your company’s future growth.
Truck drivers face long hours and inclement weather when on the job. If your business employs independently contracted drivers, it’s smart to provide occupational accident coverage to help protect them and your company in the event of injury and accidents. Click on the image to download or print the sheet for more information.
Landscaping can be a very successful business, but the risk exposures can be complex. To keep your landscaping organization running smoothly, you need to address the risks associated with property, injuries, and more. Click on the image to download or print a list of industry risks.
Cybersecurity risks continue to expand nearly unabated. While it can feel like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a bath towel sometimes, effective tools do exist and can be easily accessed.
What must always be remembered is that a commitment to resilience and pre-emptive mitigation remains imperative. Insurers are well-positioned to serve not only as financial first responders but as partners in managing these evolving hazards, along with their business associates and partners.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, “The first line of defense is creating a robust cybersecurity system, training employees on how to identify a potential attack, encrypting company data, and enabling antivirus protection. With only half of businesses reporting a consistent encryption strategy, and the cost of data breaches continuing to rise, organizations must do more to protect themselves and their customers.”.
Some commonly seen cyber liability risks include:
To extend cyber liability insurance coverage requires the purchase a stand-alone cyber liability policy, customized for your business to cover several types of risk, including:
Contact the professionals at Evergreen for more information and guidance on obtaining the proper level of cyber liability insurance coverage for your situation.
Copyright 2023 Evergreen Insurance
Evergreen Insurance provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.
As a business owner, navigating the tax code for your business is difficult. Businesses are able to deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses, which include many forms of insurance. What types of business insurance are tax deductible? Click on the image to download or print the information sheet to learn more.
During tax season, criminals utilize tax scams to gain financial information from businesses. With these increasingly sophisticated scams, it can be difficult for your business to spot them. Adjusting your business’ policies and educating your employees can help mitigate the risk of becoming a victim. Click on the image to download or print the safety sheet and learn more about tax scams.
