W-2 Wages Safe Harbor
If an employer satisfies the requirements for this Safe Harbor, their insurance coverage offering will be considered affordable under the employer mandate.
Who should use the W-2 Wages Safe Harbor?
This safe harbor may be most useful to an employer with full-time employees who regularly work 40 hours per week and whose compensation is unlikely to decrease during the year.
How to use the W-2 Wages Safe Harbor
Refer to Box 1 of an employee’s current year W-2 form. If the employee’s health coverage premium is not more than:
- 9 .61% for plan years beginning in 2022
- 9 .83% for plan years beginning in 2021
- 9 .78% for plan years beginning in 2020
Disadvantages of W-2 Wages Safe Harbor
This safe harbor counts only earned wages, and does not permit an employer to impute income that would have been earned had they not taken a leave of absence. Box 1 income does not include pre-tax contributions, which will reduce the maximum affordable amount; this must be calculated monthly for every employee in your company. For more information, please click here.