Does Your Business Qualify for the Health Care Tax Credit?

As an small employer you may qualify for a health care tax credit.

To qualify for the tax credit, all of the following must apply:

• You have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• Your average employee salary is about $50,000 per year or less
• You pay at least 50% of your full-time employees' premium costs
• You offer coverage to your full-time employees through the SHOP Marketplace

The tax credit is worth up to 50% of your contribution toward your employees' premium costs (up to 35% for tax-exempt employers).

Important Links:

• Calculate your FTE's
• Estimate your tax credit

For more information you can visit Healthcare.gov SHOP overview.

Tiffany Geiger, President

A New Special Enrollment Opportunity

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new Individual Health Insurance Marketplace Special Enrollment Opportunity beginning on March 15 through April 30. This Special Enrollment Opportunity is for individuals and families who did not have health coverage in 2014 and are subject to the fee or "shared responsibility payment" when they file their 2014 taxes. 

Who is Eligible

To be eligible you must meet ALL of the following:

• You must live live in a state that has enrollment through Healthcare.gov. (Ohio is one of these states.)
• Are not currently enrolled in health coverage through Healthcare.gov for 2015 
• Attest that you paid the fee for not having health coverage in 2014 
• Attest that you first became aware of, or understood the implications of, the penalty or shared responsibility payment, after Feb. 15, 2015, when Open Enrollment ended.

What This Means

• You  will have the opportunity to purchase an On-Exchange Individual Health Plan from March 15 through April 30. 
• Enrollments made by the 15th of the month will have coverage effective on the 1st day of the following month. 
• Enrollments made after the 15th of the month will have coverage effective on the 1st day of the second month.

State-based Exchanges (SBE) have the flexibility to determine whether they will establish a similar special enrollment period. Check specific SBE websites for additional information. 

Tiffany Geiger, President