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2018 HSA Contribution Limits Have Changed (Again)

2018 Healthcare compliance laws

New HSA Family Contribution Limits For 2018

As part of the recent Tax Reform law, the IRS reduced Health Savings Accounts (HSA) limits of the HSA family contribution limit.

The revision is due to a change in ‘how’ the amount is calculated. “Chained CPI” will be used for annual inflation adjustments beginning with the 2018 tax year instead of using the CPI (Consumer Price Index).

For the tax year 2018 the new “Chained CPI” calculation will reduce the HSA contribution limit for family coverage to $6,850, instead of $6,900. This is a reduction of $50. The self-only limit remains unchanged from the previously announced amount of $3,450. Client and participants should take action to ensure everyone is within compliance. Anyone who has contributed an amount more than $6,850 for 2018 should contact their HSA administrator to address the contribution.

According to Kiplinger, the IRS recalculated the inflation adjustment used to regulate the maximum HSA contributions for the year. The IRS then announced that $6,850 was the new limit, but this caused problems for participants who had already contributed the maximum amount.

The complete IRS bulletin 2018-10, can be found by here.

Steps to take as a participant:

  • If you’ve removed $50 from your HAS due to the reduction in price, you may repay the $50 to your HSA as a mistaken distribution without taxes or penalties.
  • If you decide not to repay the distribution, you may treat this as excess contribution.

Steps to take as an employer:

  • Employers who offer High-Deductible Health Plans and HSA, should review their staffer’s contributions and decide whether or not if employer contributions would exceed the family maximum.

Be prepared because the contribution limits for 2019 will likely be announced in the next month.

Dogs At The Office: Has The World Gone Crazy?

man working in the office and holding his liitle dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s employers have an agenda to not only please their clients, but to create a positive office culture with including ‘workplace dogs.’ The VC era has spawned a new wave of employee centric thinking and workplaces. Companies like Google, Facebook, Zappos, and Apple have created environments where employees are free to express themselves, coffee and food are abundant and free, and a relaxed fun environment where creativity is encouraged and nurtured.

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Can California Regulate The Costs of Healthcare?

health care medical costs in California

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one of the most aggressive efforts in the nation to curb soaring healthcare spending, a new California measure would put the state in charge of setting prices for hospital stays, doctor’s visits and most other medical services covered by commercial insurers. But opponents counter that capping prices could reduce patients’ ability to get care by driving doctors out of state and hospitals to scale back their services.

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The Value of Employee Self-Service Systems

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a company lacks HR efficiency, it can be detrimental not only to overall productivity, but it can also create a disconnect between you and your employees. Fortunately, an employee self-service human resources (ESS HR system) is an effective solution to this problem. ESS portals provide numerous benefits for employees. Consolidation of information into a single user-friendly gateway, creates efficiencies and helps speed up organizational objectives. ESS HR systems also play a crucial role in raising HR’s importance in the organization, enabling HR professionals to spend more time on strategic efforts than on focusing on administrative transactions. Here’s why your employees will love this type of system.

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May Compliance: Is Your Business Compliant?

payroll compliance regulations

HR Compliance

Spring is in that air and we love it here at CorpStrat. Last month we had several questions regarding the legalization of marijuana in the workplace, how employers can protect themselves, and paystub correction inquires so we thought we would tackle theses issues in our newsletter this month.

As many of you are aware, California is one of 8 states that legalized marijuana for recreational use. Prop 64, effective January 1, 2018 outlines this however; California employers can and should ban marijuana use in the workplace to ensure a safe work environment. California employers generally cannot randomly drug test employees however, they can test under the following circumstances:

  • Pre-employment screening
  • Physical examination
  • Under reasonable suspicion
  • Post accident
  • Employees in highly regulated industry or position critical to public safety

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