Category: Health Insurance

Health Insurance

Deducting Health Insurance Premiums When You’re Self-Employed

Sarah Reynolds

In this day and age, health insurance is something that we all need to have but have different ways of getting it. Health insurance is expensive. If you work for a company that offers insurance, you won’t have to worry about deducting it from your taxes, but if you have been paying out-of-pocket for your health insurance and living on a self-employed income, you might be able to deduct the total dollar amount from your taxes. There are specific criteria you will have to meet in order to be able to make this deduction. In this article, we will discuss what the self-employed health insurance is and how you can deduct your monthly health insurance premiums. 

What is the self-employed health insurance deduction?

Because it doesn’t require itemizing, the self-employed health insurance deduction is considered an “above the line” deduction. If you are able to claim it, doing so lowers your adjusted gross income (AGI). 

This tax deduction gives self-employed people an opportunity to deduct the following medical expenses:

  • Medical insurance.
  • Dental insurance.
  • Qualified long-term care insurance. 

One benefit of this tax deduction is that it’s not only useful for your own health insurance expenses. If you are paying for health insurance for dependents, children or your spouse, you may also deduct these premiums at the end of the tax year. 

How to claim the deduction if you are self-employed

If you are self-employed such as a freelancer or an independent contractor, you can deduct any health insurance premiums that you paid for yourself, your dependents, and your spouse. If you are a farmer, you would report your income on Schedule F and if you are another kind of sole proprietor, you would report on Schedule C. You may also be able to take this deduction if you are an active member of an LLC that is treated as a partnership, as long as you are taking in self-employed income. This same rule of thumb goes for those who are employed by S-corporations and own 2% or more of the company’s stock. Self-employed people who also pay supplemental Medicare premiums, such as those for Part B coverage can also deduct these. 

You won’t be able to take the deduction if:

  • You or your spouse were eligible for health insurance coverage through an employer and declined benefits. If you have a full-time job and are running your own business on the side, this could be a situation you face. Alternatively, perhaps your spouse works a regular full-time employer and had the option to add you to a health insurance plan through their job. 
  • Your self-employment income cannot be less than your insurance premiums. In other words, you must have earned an amount of taxable income that is equal to or greater than the amount you spent in healthcare premiums. For example, if your business was to earn $15,000 last year, but you spent $20,000 in health insurance premiums, you would only be able to deduct $15,000. If your business lost money, then you won’t be able to deduct at all. 

One of the major differences between the health insurance tax deduction and other tax deductions for self-employed people is that it’s not taken on a business return or a Schedule C. It is considered an income adjustment, in which case, you must claim it on Schedule 1 that is attached to your Form 1040 federal income tax return. 

Final Thoughts

Self-employed people, such as freelancers, independent contractors and small-business owners, might have the opportunity to deduct their health insurance premiums from their taxes. As long as your business made a profit for the previous tax year and you were not eligible for a group health insurance plan, you should be able to take this deduction. If you’re not sure whether or not you meet the criteria, you may seek advice from a tax professional. You will need to fill out all of the necessary forms to qualify for a deduction. To make this process as seamless as possible, it’s important to keep track of all your business records.

Deducting Health Insurance Premiums When You’re Self-Employed is a post from Pocket Your Dollars.

Source: pocketyourdollars.com

Health Insurance, Insurance, Unemployment

What to Do When You Lose Your Health Insurance

Sarah Reynolds

A young woman looks at health insurance paperwork with frustration and confusion

Losing your job is stressful. Losing your health insurance on top of that is even worse. And whether you have health concerns now or want to safeguard yourself and family for the future, you might be worried about how to cover medical expenses if you’re out of work. Find out what to do when you lose your health insurance because you lost your job.

Ask About COBRA

COBRA is a health insurance continuation option that many employers offer. It allows you to voluntarily extend the health coverage you have under your former employer’s plan. If you qualify for COBRA, you must be given the option to extend your coverage up to 18 or 36 months, depending on what event qualified you for COBRA.

However, your employer does not have to continue
contributing to cover the premiums of this plan as they did when you were
employed. If they elect to not offer contributions to the premium, COBRA
coverage can be fairly expensive.

Check the Health Care Marketplace

Job loss that causes you to lose employer-sponsored or provided health insurance counts as a qualifying event. That means you’re eligible for a special enrollment period.

Normally, you can only sign up for insurance plans through
the health care marketplaces during open enrollment periods, which typically run
from November to January. Exact dates for enrollment depend on the state.

Special enrollment periods occur for people who have a
qualifying event, such as a change in marriage status, a death in the family or
job loss. You qualify for this special period whether you were fired, laid off
or quit your job.

You must apply within 60 days of losing your insurance coverage. If your employee gives you notice and you know you’ll be losing your insurance, you can apply proactively up to 60 days before that happens.

Purchase Short-Term Coverage

Short-term insurance policies are meant to bridge the gap when you’re between jobs. Not all states allow for short-term insurance—eleven states currently prohibit their sale. But, depending on your state, short-term insurance could cover you for up to 364 days. These aren’t qualified plans under the ACA, which means they don’t offer all the benefits that the ACA requires by law. Typically, these are major medical plans meant to help cover the costs of a catastrophic illness or accident and not routine health care.

Make
sure you understand what benefits are included and how the plan works if you
opt for short-term coverage.

See If You
Qualify for Medicaid

A man holds the hand of a young child while they walk down the street.

If you have lost your job, that probably means your income has been reduced. That could mean that you’re eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The income requirements vary by state, but you can find out more about eligibility from the Department of Health and Human Services.

You
can apply for Medicaid and CHIP at any time, but remember that you can lose
your Medicaid benefits if your income changes. Have a plan in place to budget
for health insurance if you get a job that doesn’t offer benefits or has a
waiting period before benefits start.

Go Without Health Insurance

You can choose to go without health insurance until you find another job or until open enrollment happens again. This can be a risky move because a health emergency or accident could lead to mounting medical expenses that leave you in serious debt.

But if you’re healthy and think there’s a good chance you’ll get a new job with coverage soon, you might decide to take the gamble. If you do, it’s a good idea to set aside some money in savings to help cover the cost of doctor’s visits or other necessary medical care should the need arise. For example, during COVD-19, you might use your stimulus check for this purpose.

You Have Options

Losing your job and your health insurance is scary, but you’re not alone. Credit.com has resources to help you through. Check out our additional resources below—and if you need more help, you can reach out to tipswithtiff@credit.com for help from Credit Tips with Tiff.

  • How to Find an Affordable Health Insurance Plan
  • Job Opportunities During COVID-19
  • Credit Options to Help Manage Health Care Costs

The post What to Do When You Lose Your Health Insurance appeared first on Credit.com.

Source: credit.com

Health Insurance

What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)?

Sarah Reynolds

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a convenient way to store funds specifically for medical expenses. If you qualify for an HSA, you will get to enjoy a few tax advantages as well. While this might sound like an ideal setup, not everyone is eligible for a health savings account. To qualify for a health savings account, you must be enrolled in a high-deductible health insurance plan (HDHP). The details of these plans are revised every year by the Internal Service Revenue (IRS), which sets the bar for:

  • The minimum deductible a plan must have to be considered a HDHP.
  • The maximum amount that a customer who purchases a plan is able to spend out-of-pocket.

The benefits of a health savings account

Here are some of the key advantages of having a health savings account:

  • It covers a large variety of medical expenses: There are many different kinds of medical expenses that are eligible, such as medical, dental and mental health services.
  • Pretty much anyone can make contributions: Contributions to your health savings account don’t have to be made by you or your spouse. Employers, relatives, friends or anyone who would like to contribute to your account can do so. There are limits, however. For example, in 2019, the limit for individuals was $3,500 and $7,000 for families.
  • Pre-tax contributions: Since contributions are generally made at your employer pre-taxes, they are not considered to be part of your gross income and are not federally taxed. This is usually the same case when it comes to state level taxes as well.
  • After-tax contributions are tax-deductible: Any contributions made after taxes are deductible from your gross income on your tax return. Doing so minimizes the amount you would owe on taxes for that year.
  • Tax-free withdrawals: You can withdrawal money from your account for approved health care costs without having to worry about federal taxes. Most states do not tax, either.
  • Annual rollover: Any unused HSA funds that are left over by the end of the year get rolled over to the following year.
  • Portability: Even if you change health insurance plans, employers, or retire, the money in your health savings account will continue to be available for qualifying health care expenses.
  • Having a health savings account is convenient: Most of the time, you will receive a debit card that is connected to your health savings account. This way, you can use your debit card to start paying for eligible expenses and prescription drugs on the spot.

The drawbacks to having a health savings account

While there are many advantages to having a health savings account, there are a few things to consider. For one, in order to qualify for an HSA, you must hold a high-deductible health insurance plan. The tax benefits might entice you to purposely sign up for insurance coverage under one of these health plans but think before doing this. Here are some of the disadvantages to having a health savings account:

  • The High-Deductible Health Plan: These types of health plans can end up being a lot more expensive in the long run, even with an HSA. If you have other options for health insurance that offer lower deductible, definitely consider those and don’t only choose a High-Deductible plan so that you can open an HSA.
  • You need to stay on top of your spending: If you have an HSA, you need to be willing to hold yourself responsible for recordkeeping. Keep track of all of your receipts so that you can prove you spent your HSA funds on eligible expenses.
  • Taxes and penalties: Using money from your HSA on other expenses that do not qualify as eligible health care expenses could result in you owing taxes. If you do this before the age of 65, you will have to pay taxes with a 20% penalty tacked on. If you are 65 or older, you will be responsible for paying taxes, but the penalty gets waived.
  • Fees: Sometimes, health savings accounts will charge additional fees, either per month or per transaction. Check with your HSA institution for more information on extra fees.

How an HSA works

In many cases, if your employer offers high-deductible health plans, they probably offer health savings accounts as well. Talk to your employer to find out what they offer. If your employer doesn’t offer HSAs, then you can sign up for a separate one through a different institution.

You get to decide how much you would like to contribute to your HSA annually, but keep in mind that you cannot exceed the HSA contribution limit. Once you are set up with an account, you will either receive a debit card or a series of checks that are linked to your HSA. Right away, you will be able to use the funds in your account for:

  • Deductibles
  • Copays
  • Coinsurance
  • Other eligible health care expenses that your insurance does not cover.

Generally, you cannot use HSA funds to pay your insurance premiums.  HSAs are not the same as flexible spending accounts, because HSAs rollover. Once you turn 65, you are no longer eligible to make contributions to your account, but you can still use the available funds for eligible out-of-pocket expenses. If you use the funds for non-eligible expenses, you will owe taxes on these amounts.

Investment Opportunities

Another benefit of HSA that you may or may not have heard of is that you can invest the money in mutual funds and stocks. If this is something that you are interested in, seek advice from a financial advisor for more information.

What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)? is a post from Pocket Your Dollars.

Source: pocketyourdollars.com