How To Insure Your Small Business

how to insure your small business text overlaying image of a business man working Your company will be better protected from potential losses and liabilities if it has small business insurance. Business insurance can assist in covering claims resulting from professional errors and natural disasters. As well as bodily injuries and property damage. If you do not have this coverage for your company, you will have to to pay the cost of any claims out of your own personal assets. This forces the owners of many small businesses to make the difficult decision to permanently close their businesses. Continue reading this article if you want to learn how to obtain insurance for your small business.

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Looking for business insurance and making sure you’re getting all the coverage you need can get complicated. So, let’s break down what you need to do to start.

1.Collect information

Obtaining business insurance is as complicated as any other aspect of managing a company. In order to provide you with an insurance policy, insurance companies require a substantial amount of information about your needs, risks, coverages, and costs. 

 

You might be familiar with some of it or have it handy. While other details might be trickier to track down. EZ can help in that regard. We have helped thousands of other customers through the commercial insurance application process. So, we know what is required of you and how to get it. Let’s go over the requirements so the application process goes as quickly and easily as possible.

Business Operation Information

Your insurance agent or company will need a thorough understanding of your company’s operations in order to provide you with an accurate quote. If you’re in the contracting business, for instance, it’s not enough to know that you’re an electrician. The percentage of commercial versus residential work you do, whether or not you use subcontractors, do you use ladders or scaffolding, do you install alarms, etc., are all relevant details. 

 

The types of questions you’ll be asked vary widely by profession. It’s fine if you don’t know the answers right away. But you’ll save time and energy if you have a solid grasp of your operations before beginning the application process. In order to receive quotes from insurance companies based solely on operational exposures, you must be as specific as possible with your agent. 

Ownership and Experience

Questions about yourself, such as how long you’ve been in business and how much experience you have, will be asked. As well as questions about your company’s operations. Your quote will be based on the information you provide to the insurance company regarding the business’s owners and, in some cases, employees. If your resume is strong, you may be able to negotiate a lower price. 

Financial Data

Get some numbers ready. Your insurance agent or provider will inquire about projected earnings, employee headcount, outside vendors, and stock on hand. These estimates are predicated on the length of your policy, which may or may not align with your fiscal year. If your policy is audited at the end of the policy term and you were wrong in your projection, you could be penalized. However, you are not required to provide any confidential reports.

Contracts

If you use contracts with customers, your insurer will probably want to see a sample to make sure you’ve included all the necessary safeguards to protect your business from claims and lawsuits. If you offer professional or other services but don’t have a contract, you may be required to draft one before receiving an estimate. 

Claims History

You will also need copies of your “loss runs,”. Which are the insurance term for the report that details all insurance claims made on behalf of your company. A three to five year claims history across all of your policies is typically required by insurance companies. If you are unable to obtain these reports from your current insurance agent, the quoting process will be significantly slowed down. Your insurance agent will be able to assist you in writing a letter to request these reports. 

Any Current Policies

Although it’s not required for a quote, having copies of your current policies on hand can help the insurance agent review your coverage and identify any potential gaps. The truth is that a lot can change in a year. It is possible that a policy review will serve as a prompt to either add or remove pieces of machinery, vehicles, etc.

2. Research

When was the last time you purchased something that needed to be assembled, but you chose to ignore the instructions? How did you determine that it was constructed properly? Unless you follow the steps, it is difficult to know for sure what the outcome will be. Obtaining the appropriate insurance for a small business is no different.

 

Reading the instructions isn’t nearly as interesting as learning about the different types of business insurance. Even though you might want to skip this step, spending as little as twenty to thirty minutes doing research could end up saving you a lot of time and money. You don’t need to become an expert. But having a fundamental understanding of the coverage options will help you make better decisions. Regardless of how long you’ve been in business, whether or not you seek the assistance of a professional. The first part of your research should be knowing the types of insurance available.

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Types Of Business Insurance

  • General Liability For a smaller company, this can be a lifesaver in the event that you are sued for damages or injuries caused by a third party.
  • Errors and Omissions or Professional Liability These policies can help a small company defend itself against claims of negligence or bad advice.
  • Group Insurance Group insurance is a great way for small businesses to provide health care coverage and other medical benefits to your staff.
  • Workers’ Compensation In the event of a workplace injury or illness, these policies will pay for the employee’s medical care, ensuring their safety.
  • Property Insurance – Coverage is good in the event that a company’s inventory or technological equipment are damaged or destroyed as a result of a natural disaster.
  • Commercial Auto This covers any vehicles that your company uses for work.
  • Business Owner’s Policy Small business insurance is a type of business insurance package that protects businesses from a variety of risks, including those associated with property and liability.

Every business has its own set of needs. Once you know the basics of business insurance, you should look into which ones are best for your business. For instance, an accountant who works from home might have a basic general liability policy. But an accountant who owns a building that customers come to would be better off with a business owners policy, or BOP, that covers more. Even though both accountants do the same job. There are differences in how they do it that affect their insurance needs.

3. Contact a Business Insurance Agent

You can work with an EZ agent who specializes in small business insurance to get the coverages you need. To work with our experts, you can get a free quote online. Talking to your insurance agent about your business can help you figure out what you need and how much coverage you need. They can help you figure out what kinds of coverage you can get and how much it will cost.

How To Determine The Business Insurance You Need

What kind of insurance is best for your business depends on your specific needs and the laws in your state and industry. You’ll need to carefully look at your business to figure out what kinds of insurance you need. Talking to an insurance expert is always a good idea if you want to find the right mix of coverage to make sure your business is legal and financially safe.

1. Analyze your legal responsibilities and business assets.

First, you should take a close look at your business and assets to figure out what you want to insure. What kinds of insurance are required by law, and where do your other responsibilities lie? For example, a machine shop might want to make sure its workers are covered in case they get hurt, while a jeweler might want to make sure they aren’t robbed. As required by law, the owners of a large distribution company would insure both their goods and their employees. Each state has its own rules, so make sure to talk to your agent to figure out what you need to insure.

2. Analyze Your Risk

Look at your new risks and responsibilities. This will help you figure out what kind of insurance will protect your business the best. For example, if your business is on the bottom floor of an office building in a flood-prone area. You’ll probably want comprehensive flood insurance. A business in a dangerous industry will probably want insurance to cover the risk of its employees getting hurt.

3. Decide How Comprehensive Your Coverage Needs To Be

Depending on what you’re insuring, you may need basic insurance or insurance that covers everything that could go wrong. Think about how much the loss would cost and how likely it is to happen. This will make it less likely that you will pay too much for coverage you don’t need or not get enough coverage for your safety.

How EZ Can Help

EZ can help whether you need group health insurance for your employees or commercial insurance to protect your business. Our agents work with the best insurance companies in the country to make sure you and your employees get the best insurance. In fact, we can find you the best coverage for your budget and save you hundreds of dollars a year. Call us at 877-670-3531 for help with group health insurance or 877-670-3538 for help with commercial insurance.

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The Complete Guide to Open Enrollment for Employers

It’s here! Open Enrollment for your group health insurance plan has come around again, running from November 1 – December 15. Now is the time when you can choose new benefits, or review and change existing health insurance benefits for your employees, and we get it: this time of year can be hectic and stressful, with all of the questions that employees (and you!) might have. Not only that, but you’ve got the weight on your shoulders of knowing that this is your one chance to get this done until next year! But don’t worry, we’ve got you – first, check out our tips below for a smooth Open Enrollment, and then speak to an EZ agent who can help you find the perfect plan for you and your employees. 

employees sitting at desks in an office
To qualify for group health insurance, your business must have at least 1 full time employee other than yourself or your spouse.

Does Your Small Business Qualify for Group Health Insurance?

Let’s start with the basics. If you’re new to offering group health insurance to your employees, you might be wondering how you qualify to offer it. Well, it’s actually pretty simple, and more likely than not, your business will qualify! You need to:

  • Have at least one full-time employee who is not the business owner, or the spouse of the business owner
  • Be legally registered as a business entity in your state (regulation for this varies from state to state)
  • Contribute at least 50% to your employees’ monthly premiums

Why Take Advantage of Open Enrollment?

Ok, so your business qualifies to offer group health insurance, but should you? And if you’ve already got a plan in place, why review it during Open Enrollment? Well, there are a few very good reasons to do both:

  • You and your employees can save money – Enrolling in a group health insurance plan is often cheaper than enrolling in an individual plan. Not only that, but the more employees you can get to sign up, the cheaper the plan could be.
  • Changes in life circumstances mean changes in insurance needs – If you do already offer group health, you definitely need to take advantage of Open Enrollment and use this time to reassess your and your employees’ needs. Has anything major changed, like births, deaths, or marriages? If so, you might be able to find a plan that offers better or more tailored coverage for a better price.
  • Group health can mean tax advantagesWho doesn’t love to save on their taxes? Take this time to look into ways you could be saving, like checking if you qualify for the small business health care tax credit, or by choosing to offer tax-advantaged healthcare options, like HSAs, FSAs, or HRAs. 

What Should You Be Thinking About When Choosing a Plan?

Another important basic step in the process: knowing what you should be thinking about when exploring your options. Here are 4 essential factors that should go into your decision-making process:woman in a blue button up shirt with her hand on her chin and question marks around her

  • Costs associated with the plan – You’ll want to consider how much employees want to pay in premiums, while also remembering that you have to contribute at least 50% of the amount each month. Also keep in mind things like deductibles, copays, and coinsurance that can all add up, depending on how often your employees access medical services. 
  • The metal tiers of available plansFamiliarize yourself with the so-called metal tiers of plans: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. These terms have nothing to do with quality of care, rather they indicate what percentage of costs a plan will pay for covered benefits. For example, popular Silver plans will usually cover around 70% of costs, with the insured paying the remaining 30%. 
  • The type of plan you want – In addition to choosing a metal tier, you’ll also have to consider what type of plan you want to offer to your employees. For example, you can choose from HMO, PPO, POS, and EPO plans; each of these types of plan will offer different price points, since some are more flexible about things like network coverage.
  • Insurance companies – Check out which insurance companies offer plans in your area, and what their networks look like; you want to be sure that they offer affordable care in locations that are convenient for your employees.

What Should Employees Consider?

So you know what you need to be thinking about, but are you ready to answer your employees’ questions, or take on their concerns? You can help guide them in choosing or changing their plan by telling them to take the following factors into consideration:

  • The price of the plan – Let your employees know exactly how much the plan will cost them per paycheck.
  • Their dependents – Your employees should think about who they will need to have covered by their plan, especially if they plan on adding on family members in the coming year, or if they have added any new household members since last year. You’ll also need to make clear your policy on contributing to dependent coverage.person with a megaphone and exclamation points coming out of it
  • Any changes in coverage – Make sure your employees know what is covered under the plan, especially if there is anything new being added, like dental or vision coverage. 
  • Any added benefits – In addition, if your plan is going to have any new benefits, like telemedicine or wellness programs, let your employees know.

Top Tips for Employers

Group health insurance can seem a bit overwhelming, especially since studies show that 35% of employees have little to no understanding of their healthcare coverage! Not only that, but  22% of employees are confused during open enrollment, 20% are anxious, and 21% are stressed, so it can be tough to know how to approach this subject. But there are some ways to make the process go a little more smoothly. For example, you can:

  • Go digital – You don’t have to print out reams of paper, or have endless meetings with employees about benefits (which might be tough with all of the work-from-home going on right now)! Save paper, toner, and your and your employees’ sanity by offering everything in PDF form, and by considering holding a virtual benefits fair, which employees will be able to access when it works for them from the comfort of their home. 
  • Keep it simple – When emailing employees about their benefits, be as concise as possible, with price per paycheck and benefits clearly laid out, using language that is easy to understand. You can also include any FAQ sheets you get from your insurer or agent, as well as a glossary of terms and acronyms. 
  • Send out a surveyWhile you do have to be careful about privacy when it comes to employees’ health, there is no reason why you can’t send out an anonymous survey to find out what your employees are most interested in when it comes to their insurance plan, so you can either make a choice to change the plan you’re offering, or can recommend the right plan to them.
  • Be creative with your communication – Email is great, but you have tons of options when it comes to follow-up communication and reminders about enrollment, including:person sitting at a table with their cell phone in their hands
    • Text messages
    • Posters
    • A dedicated intranet webpage
    • Videos on screens in common spaces
    • Notices on paychecks (both hard checks and online)
    • A chat channel, through a platform like Slack
    • A Twitter chat, complete with hashtags that other employees can search

Yes, it’s Open Enrollment time again, what some might consider the most confusing time of the year. But you know? You got this, and we’ve got your back if you need help choosing, reviewing, or changing your employees’ healthcare plan. Come to EZ.Insure for a dedicated agent who can answer all of your questions, every step of the way, as well as find you fast, accurate quotes and sign you up for a great plan – all for free! No hassle, no obligation. To get started with us today, simply enter your zip code in the bar above or to speak to an agent, call 888-350-1890.

The Pros & Cons of ICHRAs

Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or ICHRAs, have been available since January 2020, and have been growing in popularity over the past year. This is because they allow employers to save money while offering employees a way to get healthcare benefits. They are a great alternative to group health insurance, especially since the rules surrounding them are less restrictive than those surrounding traditional healthcare plans, or even those of other HRAs. For example, there are no contribution maximums and no company size restrictions on ICHRAs. Before deciding if an ICHRA is right for you, you should first weigh the pros and cons.

ICHRA Pros

tax free written on a blackboard in white and yellow
All reimbursements for each employee are tax-free.

ICHRAs are a type of health reimbursement arrangement, a health benefit that differs from an HSA in that it is an arrangement, as opposed to an account. Employees don’t put money aside for their healthcare expenses; rather, you reimburse them for their medical expenses. You provide a set monthly allowance for employees’ premiums and medical expenses. ICHRAs have a lot of advantages for both you and your employees, including: 

  • You can choose how much you want to contribute every month, and there is no minimum or maximum. Once set, you will give that amount to employees monthly; they cannot exceed that amount, which will help you budget accordingly.
  • Reimbursements are tax-free.
  • You can offer different monthly allowances to different groups of employees based on the type of job they do, how many hours they work, and even family status.
  • Employees use the money you offer them to find an individual healthcare plan that suits their needs. This is empowering to them, and will allow you to focus on your business instead of trying to find a group health insurance plan that fits all of your employees’ needs. 
  • Employees need to have an individual insurance policy to participate in an ICHRA, so if you enroll and start reimbursing employees mid-year, employees will become eligible for a Special Enrollment Period to choose a major medical health insurance plan. This means that they will not have to wait until the Open Enrollment Period, November 1- December 15, to buy a health insurance plan.

ICHRA Cons

There are many positives to offering an ICHRA, but sometimes with the good comes some bad. The disadvantages of ICHRAs include:

red warning sign
Employees who are on their spouse’s health insurance plan cannot participate.
  • This type of arrangement prevents employees from being eligible for advanced premium tax credits on ACA Marketplace plans. So if an employee decides not to take part in an ICHRA that is considered “affordable,” they will not be able to receive tax credits with an ACA plan. 
  • Employees who are on their spouse’s health insurance plan cannot participate. The only way to participate is if they purchase their own individual health insurance and get reimbursed for it through the HRA. 

Need Help?

For many employers, ICHRA pros outweigh the cons and can seem like a no brainer, which is why they are growing in popularity. You get to help your employees purchase health insurance plans that meet their specific needs, and you also get to save money in the process. Reimbursements are tax-free for both employees and employers, meaning that they are tax-deductible for employers, and income tax-free for employees, which will save you on employer payroll taxes. It’s a win-win situation.

If you are interested in an ICHRA, or want to explore your options for a group health insurance plan, reach out to an EZ agent in your area. Our agents are highly trained and work with the top-rated insurance companies in the country. We can assess your needs and compare plans instantly, for free. To get started simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak directly with a local licensed agent, call 888-998-2027.

Group Insurance For Furloughed & Laid Off Employees

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on many small businesses, and many are now struggling to stay afloat. In order to keep going, many small business owners had no choice but to furlough or lay off employees in order to save money. If you are one of them, you might be wondering what your former employees’ health insurance options are after you let them go. Is there still a way you can offer them group insurance? You can choose whether to pay monthly health insurance premiums on behalf of your employees, but if it is not possible due to financial constraints, your employees do have other options.

Furloughed Vs. Laid Off

person carrying a box of office supplies.

Health coverage for an employee is determined by the employer’s (your) health plan. The plan indicates how many hours an active employee has to work to be eligible for health insurance. There are also rules surrounding what happens to their health insurance when they are no longer an active employee. When an employee is :

  • Laid off, their employment is terminated, even if you are considering the lay off temporary. After an employee is laid off, their health insurance plan ends on the last day of the month they were laid off.
  • Furloughed, their hours are reduced, or they might not be working at all. The difference is that they can expect to return to work again when the furlough is over, so they can continue to get health insurance coverage during the furlough period. If this is the case, the employee will either be responsible for their share of the plan’s premiums, or you, the employer, can temporarily waive employee contributions and pay all of their premium.

ERISA & Federal Income Tax Rules

In general, nothing actually prevents you from paying monthly premiums on behalf of furloughed or laid-off employees. You have the option to choose to pay monthly premiums as long as you are able to. The premium will continue to be excludable from the gross income of the employees. Be aware, though, that if the plan rules do not permit an employee to be covered, then you are in danger of:

  • Potential loss of tax-exempt status of the plan, which means both you and your employees might owe back taxes, since pre-tax qualification would be lost.
  • Your insurance company denying claims for any employees that they determine are not eligible to participate in the plan. 
  • A possible fiduciary breach under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) if plan assets were used to pay for benefits of non-eligible employees.

    COBRA on a piece of paper.
    Laid-off and furloughed employees qualify for COBRA insurance.

COBRA Insurance

Another option to continue coverage for your employees is the COBRA program. Both laid-off and furloughed employees qualify for a Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) plan if their group plan is terminated and you can no longer pay their premiums. COBRA can be expensive for your former employees, because if you do not contribute to their premiums, they will have to pay the full amount. 

ACA Marketplace

Last but not least, losing a job is considered a qualifying life event, so a Special Enrollment Period will open up for your former or furloughed employees after they lose their job and their coverage. This means that they will have 60 days to get a health insurance plan on the ACA Marketplace. This could be a cheaper option for your employees than COBRA.

EZ Can Help

The pandemic has actually caused some changes in the way that group health insurance works. For example, some states have issued orders requiring or encouraging insurance companies to allow employers to make changes to their eligibility requirements so they can continue to offer group insurance to furloughed or laid off employees. Some states are even allowing a grace period for premium payments. To find out if your state is one of them, speak to an EZ agent, who can help find out the information for you. If you are interested in continuing to offer a group insurance plan, we can help you find a reasonable way to provide insurance to the employees that you had to let go. The times we are living in are not normal by any means, and we know it is not an easy decision to let go of your valued employees. EZ can help by offering our services for free, which includes checking all possible options, answering any questions, and comparing quotes.

To get started, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak directly with an agent, call 888-998-2027.

W-2 Requirements for a QSEHRA

If you decide to offer a qualified small business health reimbursement arrangement (QSEHRA) to your employees, you might have some questions about how to report the benefits on your employees’ W-2s. The IRS requires employers to report these benefits, including how much each employee is entitled to receive in reimbursements in a calendar year. There are different variables to consider when it comes to filling out your W-2s, such as what you need to do if an employee did not participate in the QSEHRA or how to report carryover amounts, so let’s go over the most important things that you need to be aware of.

Reporting QSEHRA Benefits On the W-2

paper with tax incentive in the middle and a computer mouse and pen over the papers.
You can report your QSEHRA contributions on the W-2 form in Box 12. 

If you have an employee who is participating in your offered QSEHRA, you must report the total amount of the employee’s permitted benefit on Form W-2 in Box 12, using Code “FF.” The IRS description for this code is: “Permitted benefits under a qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement.” This benefit is not counted as taxable income for the employee. 

It is important to note that over-the-counter medications used to require a prescription for reimbursement. However, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) signed in March 2020, has made over-the-counter medications eligible for reimbursement without a letter from a doctor or prescription. The medications should be reported on the W-2 Form as income in box 1 as well as in box 3, Social Security wages, and box 5.

Calculating The Benefits

When reporting on your W-2s, the permitted benefit amount should include only newly available QSEHRA funds. Any carryover amounts from previous years should not be included. However, if you use a non calendar-year QSEHRA, you will need to report a prorated amount.

Take the following example of a QSEHRA with a plan year that runs from August 1 to July 31:

  • For the plan year beginning August 1, 2020, a QSEHRA benefit of $3,000 was available to every employee for August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021. The amount reported on the employee’s 2020 Form W-2, box 12, code FF is $1,500 (for August-December 2020).
  • In the new plan year (2021), the QSEHRA provides $3,500 to every employee for August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022. The amount reported on the employee’s 2021 Form W-2, box 12, code FF is $3,250 ($1,500 for January-July 2021, and $1,750 for August-December 2021).

calculator over money and a notepad next to it with a pen

What About Carryovers?

When a QSEHRA has a carryover provision, only the newly available amounts are reported. If the QSEHRA allows for the use of carryover amounts from prior years, those amounts are not included in the amount reported for the current year. For example, if your employee has a remaining allowance of $1,000 in their QSEHRA allowance for 2020 and they receive $3,000 for the following year, only the $3,000 in new funds will be reported on their 2021 Form W-2 in box 12, Code FF.

What If An Employee Didn’t Participate?

Even if an employee did not participate in your QSEHRA, the benefits must still be reported on the employee’s W-2. You will report the amount of benefit that they were entitled to receive.

What About Employees With No MEC?

Employees who do not have the required minimum essential coverage (MEC) can still receive reimbursement through the QSEHRA, but will have to pay income tax on it. Specifically, any taxable reimbursements should be included as other compensation in box 1: Wages, tips, and other compensation.

mans body with business attire and money in his hand.

If you issue a QSEHRA reimbursement and then later learn that the employee did not have MEC for the period in which the reimbursement occurred, the employee must repay the reimbursement as soon as possible.

However, if W-2 reporting is required before the employee has repaid the amount, that amount is taxable to the employee:

  • The amount must be included in the employee’s gross income on Form W-2, box 1.
  • The amount is not subject to FICA tax and should not be included in box 3, Social Security wages, or box 5, Medicare wages.

Have Questions?

If you choose to provide a QSEHRA to your employees, great! They are an excellent way to help your employees get the healthcare they need. But know that you will have to report these reimbursements on your W-2s, and it is important that you do it correctly in order to abide by the QSEHRA’s guidelines. If you need help exploring different types of small business HRAs, or have questions about offering healthcare in general, EZ can help. We will compare quotes, answer any questions and even sign you up for a plan at no cost to you. To get started, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak directly with an agent, call 888-998-2027.

How Nonprofits Can Get Health Care

Offering employees health benefits is important for businesses in all fields to do, but nonprofit organizations often struggle to provide healthcare. Research conducted in 2019 found that only 18% of nonprofit organizations offer group health insurance. Over 80% of these organizations said that they couldn’t afford group health insurance, while others said that they have employees with a wide variety of needs, and they had difficulty providing for all of them. If you run a nonprofit and want to offer health insurance but are unsure how you can manage it, you should know that traditional group health plans are not the only route you can go to provide your employees with health benefits.

Do You Have to Offer Health Benefits?

group of people gathered around a table looking at a piece of paper
Offering group health insurance can help keep them happy, healthy, and productive. 

In general, the choice to offer your employees health insurance is up to you. You should be aware, though, if you have 50 or more full-time employees, you do not have to offer health insurance, but you will be penalized for not offering some level of coverage. If you have fewer than 50 employees, then you are not required by the ACA to provide insurance, but there is an incentive for you to do so, which we will discuss later. 

The main issue is that you really should offer healthcare to your employees, if at all possible. Offering health benefits is important because it helps keep your employees healthy and happy.  Providing healthcare is beneficial for you, as well: studies show that offering health benefits is important for hiring and retaining top talent.

Nonprofit Health Benefits Options

Many small nonprofits simply do not have the resources to offer traditional group health insurance to their employees, but it does not mean they do not want to. It is a major challenge for most, but fortunately there are other ways to provide benefits:

SHOP Marketplace Group Plans 

If you’re a small nonprofit with fewer than 50 employees, you can choose to offer a group health plan through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). These affordable plans have four tiers of coverage, like individual ACA plans, and you have the ability to choose how much or how little you want to contribute to your employee’s premiums. 

One of the best things about SHOP for smaller nonprofits? The tax advantages. You may be eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit if you have fewer than 25 full time employees, pay average annual wages to your employees of less than $50,000 per full time employee, and cover at least 50% of your full-time employees’ health insurance premium costs. You’ll be eligible for the minimum tax credit if you meet the above criteria; you’ll be eligible for the full tax credit if you have fewer than 10 employees who are paid less than $25,000 per year. The credit for tax-exempt nonprofits could be worth up to 35% of the cost of your contributions to your employees’ health insurance premiums. health reimbursement arrangement written in blue on a paper that is on a clipboard being held by hands

HRA

A health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) is a way for employers to reimburse employees for medical expenses such as health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. The best part is that HRAs are tax-free! You can choose a certain tax-free monthly allowance to provide to your employees which rolls over each month. This will allow you to budget each month for employee health benefits, while giving your employees the option to choose the coverage that best suits their specific needs. There are 3 different kinds of HRAs:

  • Qualified Small Employer HRA (QSEHRA)– for employers with fewer than 50 full-time employees. These HRAs have a limit on the monthly amount you can offer. In addition, you cannot offer a group health plan alongside a QSEHRA. 
  • Individual Coverage HRA (ICHRA)– for employers of all sizes, these HRAs can function as a stand-alone benefit or as a separate option in an organization’s health benefits program, alongside group health insurance.
  • Group Coverage HRA (GCHRA)– employer-funded medical reimbursement plan linked with a group health insurance plan, usually a high-deductible plan.

How EZ Can Help

Depending on the size of your nonprofit, you might have different options for offering health benefits. EZ.Insure works with businesses and organizations of all sizes and types, and understands that each business has different needs. We work with the top-rated insurance companies around the country and can compare plans in your area and help guide you to the best option for your nonprofit organization. Because we care about helping others and not making a profit off them, we offer our services for free. To get free instant quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak directly with one of our licensed agents, call 888-998-2027.

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