Kushner & Company Blog

The Kushner & Company blog brings current legal, regulatory, and items of interest to our business executives and HR professionals in all areas of HR and benefit design and administration. The extensive library of blogs is fully searchable and contains many ideas, tips, and updates on all things HR and benefits.

When Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act in 2003 implementing prescription drug coverage under Medicare, it required all employers that offer prescription drug benefits to provide an annual notice to all Medicare-eligible plan participants.

Posted on September 8, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
COBRA, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
Team Rewards

A new Section 199A of the 2017 Tax Act passed by Congress in December of that year enables small business owners--especially sole proprietors, subchapter S corporations, and partnerships--to get up to a 20% deduction of qualified business income if they have total income below certain thresholds.

Posted on August 16, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
401(k), 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Defined Contribution Plan, 
Retirement Plans, 
Team Rewards

Gary Kushner, President and CEO of Kushner & Company was interviewed by Workforce Management magazine during the 2018 SHRM Annual Conference in Chicago about the most often missed items in employers' compliance with the ACA.

Posted on July 2, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Accountability, 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
Team Rewards, 
Total Rewards

Starting in 2007, the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA) requires that the IRS release the upcoming year’s new HSA limits prior to June 1st.

Posted on May 14, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), 
HR Compliance, 
Team Rewards

In May, 2017, the IRS released the 2018 HSA contributions limits in Rev Proc 2017-37, amongst other HSA-related indexed numbers, stating that the maximum contribution for those in family HDHP coverage would be $6,900.

Posted on April 26, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
Summary Plan Descriptions, 
Team Rewards

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law in December 2017, created a new business credit for employers that offer paid family and medical leave and which are subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA).

Posted on April 16, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
Team Rewards, 
Work / Life Balance

On March 5, 2018, the IRS published Internal Revenue Bulletin (IRB) 2018-10. Effective for calendar year 2018, the family contribution limit for HSAs has been lowered to $6,850 from the previously set amount of $6,900.

Posted on March 6, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
FSA / HSA / HRA, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), 
Team Rewards

The three week extension of the federal budget resolving the shutdown from January 19th through 22nd also contained a delay of the Cadillac Tax from 2020 to 2022.

Posted on January 23, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
Team Rewards

The current Administration has indicated that the number of Form I-9 employment verification audits will significantly increase in 2018. What does this mean for you?

Posted on January 22, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Accountability, 
Blog, 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
Talent Aquisition Strategies, 
Talent Management

When small employers make operational errors in their 401(k) or other retirement plans, and before the IRS or DOL provide a notice of an audit, the employer has the ability to self-correct under two different IRS programs.

Posted on January 9, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
401(k), 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Cash Balance, 
Combo Plans, 
Compensation, 
Defined Contribution Plan, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
IRS Form 5500 Services (RPS), 
Plan Document Services (RPS), 
Profit Sharing, 
Retirement Plans, 
Team Rewards

Under the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, employer-provided transportation benefits are somewhat pared back beginning in 2018.

Posted on January 3, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Benefits, 
Blog, 
Commuter Benefits, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
HR Compliance, 
HR Outsourcing, 
Team Rewards

The IRS announced in Notice 2018-06 that employers will have more time to provide their employees with the 2017 required 1095-B or 1095-C forms. The new deadline moves from January 31, 2018 to March 2, 2018. However...

Posted on January 3, 2018 By Gary B. Kushner, SPHR, CBP, President
Categories: 
Blog, 
Compensation, 
ERISA-ACA Compliance, 
Health and Welfare Team, 
Team Rewards