IRS Employer Tax Credit Regs Could Reshape Group Disability Plans

What could the 45S tax credit do to short-term disability insurance plans?

The tax credit regulations could, possibly, push insurers, and designers of self-insured disability plans, to eliminate most of the current eligibility restrictions.

IRS officials talk about the effect of short-term disability benefits restrictions on access to the 45S tax credit in their answer to Question 15.

Officials note that employers can get the 45S tax credit only if they make 45S-qualified leave available to all employees, including part-time employees, new employees, and new employees who have pre-existing conditions, such as back problems or cancer.

Officials suggest that they might later write a regulation that would let an employer exclude certain employees with a very low number of hours.

But, for now, officials say, an employer that wants to get the 45S tax credit must make paid FMLA leave available to every employee who earned less than $72,000 in the preceding year.

That means that, if an employer wants to use its fully insured, or self-insured, short-term disability plan benefits to meet the 45S wage-continuation requirements, the short-term disability plan must cover all employees who earned less than $72,000 in the preceding year, without any exceptions, officials say.

If, for example, an employer hired an employee with a bad back, the employer used a short-term disability plan to meet its 45S paid-leave obligations, and the employer's short-term disability plan excluded coverage for the back-pain-related disability for the employee's first six months on the job, the IRS would see that as a problem, officials say.

"The plan will not in all cases cover all qualifying employees, and employer may not claim the credit under Section 45S for paid family and medical leave provided under the written policy with respect to any employees," officials say.

What's in the new notice that might be of interest to PEOs?

In an answer to Question 25, IRS officials talk about how they think the 45S tax credit would affect leave wages paid through an insurer, a PEO, or a Certified Professional Employer organization.

The eligible employer "for whom qualifying employees perform services" could collect the tax credit, but the PEO or other third-party payer could not, officials say.

An eligible employer would get the tax credit by filing IRS Form 8994, "Employer Credit for Paid Family and Medical Leave," and IRS Form 3800, "General Business Credit."

The new tax filing requirements could create opportunities for agents who sell group short-term disability coverage or PEO services to work with tax accountants.

What live IRS humans are working on the 45S tax credit regulations?

The IRS lists Dara Alderman as the principal author of Notice 2018-71.

How can you shape the draft 45S tax credit regulations?

IRS officials note that they have not yet started the official drafting process.

Members of the public can still comments on what they think the upcoming draft regulations should look like. The comments are due Nov. 23.

Resources

A copy of IRS Notice 2018-71 is available here.

A set of IRS questions and answers about the 45S tax credit is available here.

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