40 tagged with "Employee Benefits"
Discover employee benefit options to attract talent and reduce turnover in small businesses
HSA vs FSA vs HRA in 2026: Stack a Limited-Purpose FSA With Your HSA and Beat the Use-It-or-Lose-It Trap
2026 rules for HSAs, FSAs, and HRAs — contribution limits, who owns each account, when each one wins, how to stack a Limited-Purpose FSA with an HSA without breaking eligibility, and how employees and employers avoid forfeitures.
HSA vs FSA vs HRA in 2026: The Practical Playbook for Picking, Stacking, and Not Forfeiting Your Health Dollars
A 2026 walk-through of HSA, FSA, and HRA rules with the new contribution limits, the limited-purpose FSA stack that adds up to $7,800 of pre-tax room, and how small employers can use ICHRA and QSEHRA to compete with corporate benefits.
PEO vs CPEO vs ASO vs EOR: 2026 Small Business HR Outsourcing Guide
How small businesses should choose between a PEO, CPEO, ASO, or EOR—covering co-employment mechanics, the FICA wage base restart trap that doubles Social Security tax on a mid-year switch, joint-employer lawsuits under the FLSA and Title VII, and the contract terms to verify before signing.
Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs): How Small Businesses Share a 401(k) and Cut Costs Under SECURE Act 2.0
Pooled Employer Plans let unrelated small businesses share a single 401(k) under SECURE Act 2.0, cutting all-in fees from roughly 0.80% to 0.35% and shifting plan-document, investment, and Form 5500 duties to a Pooled Plan Provider while leaving employers with a narrow duty to prudently select and monitor the PPP.
Section 457(b) and 457(f) Deferred Compensation Plans: How Nonprofit, Government, and School Employees Stack Pre-Tax Savings on Top of a 403(b) or 401(k)
A detailed 2026 guide to Section 457(b) and 457(f) deferred compensation plans — how public-sector and nonprofit employees can stack a 457(b) on top of a 403(b) or 401(k) for up to $65,000 in deferrals, when the special three-year catch-up reaches $49,000, and how 457(f) vesting can trigger a tax bomb under Section 409A.
Section 457(b) and 457(f) Deferred Compensation Plans: Stacking Pre-Tax Savings on a 403(b) or 401(k)
A 2026 guide to Section 457(b) and 457(f) plans — how public-sector and nonprofit employees can defer up to $49,000 pre-tax by stacking a 457(b) on a 403(b), and how nonprofit executives use 457(f) without triggering the substantial-risk-of-forfeiture tax trap.
SECURE 2.0 Section 101: Mandatory Auto-Enrollment for New 401(k) and 403(b) Plans (2026 Compliance Guide)
SECURE 2.0 Section 101 requires new 401(k) and 403(b) plans established after December 29, 2022 to auto-enroll employees at a 3-10% default deferral with 1% annual escalation. A 2026 compliance guide covering EACA notices, the four exemptions, QDIA selection, the 90-day permissible withdrawal, and the December 31, 2026 plan amendment deadline.
State PFML Programs in 2026: A Multi-State Employer's Guide to Withholding, Private Plans, and the Section 45S Credit
Sixteen US jurisdictions run mandatory paid family and medical leave programs in 2026, with new benefits live in Minnesota, Maine, and Delaware, a 23% Washington premium hike to 1.13%, and a permanent Section 45S federal credit. This guide covers which states require withholding, how private plan exemptions work, how PFML coordinates with FMLA and ADA, and the W-2 Box 14 codes that break payroll when miscoded.
Section 415(c) Annual Additions Limit for 2026: The $72,000 Cap Explained
Section 415(c) caps total 2026 annual additions to a defined contribution plan at $72,000 — covering employee deferrals, employer matches, and after-tax contributions. The math behind the mega backdoor Roth, the catch-up rules that sit outside the cap, and the EPCRS correction order if the limit is blown.
401(k) Safe Harbor Plan Design: How Small Employers Bypass ADP and ACP Nondiscrimination Testing and Avoid Top-Heavy Minimums
A practical guide for small employers comparing the three IRS safe harbor 401(k) formulas — basic match, enhanced match, and 3% nonelective — alongside QACA auto-enrollment rules, SECURE 2.0 startup and contribution tax credits, notice deadlines, and the vesting and bookkeeping details that decide whether ADP, ACP, and top-heavy testing actually go away.
Section 79 Group-Term Life Insurance: The $50,000 Tax-Free Limit, IRS Table I, and W-2 Code C
How Section 79 actually works in 2026 — the $50,000 employer-paid group-term life exclusion, the IRS Table I rates (unchanged since 1999) that turn excess coverage into W-2 Box 12 Code C imputed income, plus the straddle rule, the $2,000 dependent de minimis, and the 2% S-corp shareholder trap.
ACA Forms 1094-C and 1095-C: The 2026 Compliance Playbook for Applicable Large Employers
How Applicable Large Employers file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C for the 2025 reporting year. Covers the March 2 and March 31, 2026 deadlines, the post-2024 furnishing-on-request rule, the 2026 penalty amounts ($3,340 and $5,010 per employee), the new 90-day Letter 226-J response window, and the Line 14/16 coding errors that most often trigger IRS audits.