BASE^® Blog

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is one of the many important features of an employee benefits package.  But with so many benefit options to choose from, its hard to know which is the best option.  Below BASE® has answered a few common questions about the FSA to help an employee make the best decision during their Open Enrollment period.

The BASE® Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a pre-tax benefit plan that allows employees with more options to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses not covered by the health insurance plan.  Employees can use their FSA dollars on qualifying out-of-pocket medical expenses such as copays, prescription drugs, over the counter (OTC) medications, and more.

BASE® is here to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about FSAs.  4 are listed below:

1. How much should an employee contribute? To figure out how much an employee should contribute for the plan year, they should take into account what they spent in the past year on any eligible medical expenses.  After knowing that number, they need to determine if it will align with what they expect their eligible medical expenses will be for the coming year.  One thing to remember, the IRS sets contribution limits for the FSA, so it is important to stay below the limit.  For 2020, the FSA contribution limit is $2,750.
2. Carryover or grace period? The IRS has the “use it or lose it” rule, which means the employee must spend all their funds by the end of the year or lose it.  The employer may include a carryover or grace period, which gives the employee more flexibility with their funds.  A carryover lets an employee carry up to $500 of their FSA funds to the next plan year, but thanks to the CARES Act, employees can now carry over $550.  A grace period gives an employee up to an additional 2.5 months past the plan year to incur medical expenses. 
3. How to substantiate FSA claims? The IRS requires the employee to prove that the FSA purchase was eligible.  In many cases, the employee will need to submit documentation that includes detail to prove the purchases are eligible. 
4. What expenses are eligible? FSAs cover a wide variety of purchases.  For a complete list of eligible medical expenses, check out the IRS Publication 502.

With the Flexible Spending Account, the employer can provide an enhanced benefits package with another means for employees to pay for their medical expenses through an employee funded benefit plan.  With employees electing on a pre-tax basis, the employer will see a reduction in their share of FICA and FUTA taxes.  The employee will see an increase in their take home pay due to their funds being transferred on a pre-tax basis, helping to save on federal, state, Social Security, and Medicare taxes.  The employee will have access to pay for their qualifying medical expenses with a quick swipe of a debit card and can use the online portal or mobile app to make the reimbursement process easier.

Still have more questions about the Flexible Spending Account?  Call BASE® at 888-386-9680 or visit www.BASEonline.com for more information!

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Small business owners may have gone back and forth on how to save money each year trying to find the most tax-advantaged plan fit for their business.  Let BASE® show you the big {105} picture!

“Big picture” usually implies that one should think of the future, or think of other parallel factors, and not focus on the small details.  BASE® helps business owners do just that with the BASE® Section 105 HRA.  BASE® will focus on the small details, so business owners can realize the savings in the months to come.  The BASE® Section 105 HRA can save a business thousands in tax savings each year and keep them in compliance!

The BASE® Section 105 Health Reimbursement Arrangement is an IRS-approved tax savings plan created through Code Section 105 of the IRS that was designed to assist with health care expenses, and provide clients, on average, over $5,000 in tax savings.  This plan allows small business owners the opportunity to deduct up-to 100% of these expenses, including individual insurance premiums and qualified out-of-pocket health care expenses, as a business deduction.

The 105 HRA allows employers to go beyond the standard deduction and take an additional 15.3% self-employment deduction during tax time to increase tax savings.  The BASE® 105 HRA is a great way to increase tax savings for small business owners such as farmers and ranchers, self-employed business owners, accountants, and much more.

Colleen E., a BASE® HRA client, recommends to self-employed farmers or small business owners that if they are currently looking for ways to save on the cost of out-of-pocket medical expenses and health insurance premiums, BASE® has many HRA options, like the 105, available.  “As a self-employed farming team, we highly recommend the BASE® Section 105 HRA to create a means to save on your taxes each year.”

“The BASE® Section 105 HRA is the most affordable health reimbursement plan that we have found.  The staff has been very friendly and helpful from the beginning.  From the guidance offered the very minute we enrolled in the plan to the necessary documentation, we have felt everything has been very easy to understand.  …they always keep us informed of compliance issues that might arise.   The best part would be the thousands in additional tax savings each year that wouldn’t be possible without the BASE® HRA in place.”

BASE® can show small businesses the big {105} picture and help them save thousands of dollars in valuable tax savings each year.  Call BASE® at 888-386-9680 or visit www.BASEonline.com for more information!

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Offering a traditional group health plan can be difficult to manage with the yearly increases in health care and premium costs.  By coupling the group health plan with an Integrated HRA, it can help bridge the gap between offering a group health plan and minimizing premium costs while helping to suppress the yearly increases associated with traditional forms of health care.  The Integrated HRA does not replace, it enhances a company’s group health plan.

The BASE® Integrated Health Reimbursement Arrangement is available to employers with a group health plan in place and who are looking to reduce the overall cost of their health insurance coverage.  The Integrated HRA is an employer-paid reimbursement program designed to assist employees with medical expenses.  It is a tax-free reimbursement method for employers that want greater control over their health benefit cost, to help employees pay for their health care costs not covered by the group health plan.

Not only does the Integrated HRA reduce an employers group health premium increases by 10-50%, but it also reduces the overall cost of the group health plan for its employees.  The employer funds part of the employee’s deductible after the employee’s portion has been met through the HRA.  The business selects, and maintains, a group health plan with lower premiums (with a higher deductible) and partially insures a portion of the employees’ costs.

With the BASE® Integrated HRA, employers have control over their benefit costs by setting a reimbursement allowance for each employee to use each month toward out-of-pocket medical expenses, further supplementing the group health plan.  The Integrated HRA makes a group health plan more appealing and can help the employer attract and maintain employees.  Aside from salary, health benefits are a top consideration a potential employee makes before accepting a job offer.  With the BASE® Integrated HRA, employers will have the peace of mind knowing that their plan is in compliance.

Molly V., a BASE® Integrated HRA client, knew that with the 38% increase in their health insurance premiums they needed to make a change to help keep their group health plan affordable for their employees.  After researching, they found various insurance options, but most of the plans in their price range had significantly less coverage than they were used to.

“Our company was lucky enough to have an agent who kept looking for better options for us, and he introduced us to the idea of a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).  This is how we learned about BASE® who explained how we could reduce our premiums without reducing coverage.” 

By coupling the BASE® Integrated HRA they were able to reduce their premium increases by 50%.  “We are very pleased that we have been able to keep our health insurance premiums affordable for our employees and our company by capitalizing on the benefits that the HRA can provide.” 

The Integrated HRA does not replace the group health plan but works with it to help cover the medical costs not covered by the group health plan.  Let BASE® help bridge the gap between your group health plan and premium costs, saving thousands of valuable tax dollars each year with the Integrated HRA.  Call BASE® at 888-386-9680 or visit www.BASEonline.com for more information!

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