Employer Hsa Contribution through Payroll 2014-2023

I wrote about the independent-contractor-vs-employee issue last year, see http://nctaxpro.wordpress.com/20...Broadly speaking, you are an employee when someone else - AKA the employer - has control over when and where you work and the processes by which you perform the work that you do for that individual. A DJ or bartender under some circumstances, I suppose, might qualify as an independent contractor at a restaurant, but the waitstaff, bus help, hosts, kitchen aides, etc. almost certainly would not.There's always risk in confronting an employer when faced with a situation like yours - my experience is that most employers know full well that they are violating the law when they treat employees as independent contractors, and for that reason they don't tolerate questions about that policy very well - so you definitely should tread cautiously if you want to keep this position. Nonetheless, I think you owe it to yourself to ask whether or not the restaurant intends to withhold federal taxes from your checks - if for no other reason than you don't want to get caught short when it comes to filing your own return, even if you don't intend to challenge the policy.

**UPDATE** After my answer was viewed over 4,100 times without a single upvote, I revisited it to see where I might have gone wrong with it. Honestly, it seems like a reasonable answer: I explained what each of the forms asked about is for and even suggested getting further information from a licensed tax preparer. BUT, I’m thinking I missed the underlying concern of the querent with my answer. Now I’m reading that they don’t care so much about the forms as they do about the right or, more accurately, the obligation of their employer to withhold taxes at all.So let me revise my answer a bit…Your employer doesn’t charge you taxes - the government does. The government forces employers to withhold (or charge, as you put it) taxes from the earnings of their employees by threatening fines and even jail time for failing to do so (or for reclassifying them as independent contractors in order to avoid the withholding and matching requirements). Whether you fill out any forms or not, employers will withhold taxes because they don’t want to be fined or go to jail.Now the meta-question in the question is how can the government tax its citizen’s income? Well, that’s a big debate in America. Tax is the only way governments make money and they use that money to provide services for their constituency. Without funding, no federal or state or county program, or employee, would exist. But still, some people believe taxation is illegal, unjustified, and flat out wrong. They believe that free market forces should fund the military, the Coast Guard, Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Border Patrol, the FBI, CIA, DEA, FDA, USDA, USPS, the Federal Prison Complex, the National Park Service, the Interstate Highway System, air traffic control, and the Judiciary (just to name a few things). They even believe paying politicians for the work they do, like the President and Congress, is wrong.Others (luckily, most of us) appreciate paying taxes, even if they seem a bit steep at times. We’re happy to benefit from all the things our tax dollars buy us and we feel what we pay gives us back returns far greater than our investment. If you’re on the fence about this issue, consider how expensive health care is and how much you’re getting out of paying for it privately (out of your own paycheck). Same with your education or that of your children. Do you pay for private schools? Private colleges? Do you pay for private child care too? All expensive, right?Well what if we had to pay for private fire fighting? Or all mail had to be shipped via FedEx or UPS? Or if the cost of a plane ticket to anywhere doubled because we had to pay out-of-pocket for air traffic control? What about the military, border control and veterans? How much are you willing to pay out of every paycheck DIRECTLY to the department of defense AND veterans affairs? If we privatized the military, would we still be able to afford $30 billion dollar fighter jets? Who would pay to defend us?I bet people living paycheck to paycheck would be hard pressed to find extra money to pay for the military, when they’re already spending so much for teachers, schools, health care, local emergency response, food safety inspections, social workers, the criminal justice system, road repairs and construction, bridge inspection and maintenance, and natural disaster remediation (just to name a few things).Think about if all the national and local parks were privatized. Visiting one would cost as much or more than it does to go to Disneyland. Think about how much more food would cost if farmers weren’t subsidized and food wasn’t inspected for safety. Imagine how devastating a pandemic would be without the Center for Disease Control to monitor and mitigate illness outbreaks.We all take for granted the myriad of benefits we get from paying taxes. We may like to gripe and moan but taxes aren’t just for the public good, they’re for our own. (That rhymes!)**END OF UPDATE**W-9 forms are what you fill out to verify your identification, or citizenship status, for your employers. They have nothing to do with payroll taxes other than being the primary tool to from which to glean the correct spelling of your name and your Social Security number.W-2 forms are issued by employers to employees for whom they paid the required payroll taxes to the government on their behalf. The W-2 also details the amount of a person’s pay was sent to the government to fund their Social Security and Medicare accounts. W-2 forms are necessary for people when filing their personal income taxes so they can calculate if they under or overpaid.W-4 forms are filled out by employees to assure that the appropriate amount of pay is being withheld (and transferred on their behalf) by their employers to the government. If you don’t fill out a W-4 then your employer withholds the standard default amount for a single individual. You can update your W-4 at any time with your employer and you may want to when the size of your household changes.Even if you aren’t an employee (like you get paid without taxes being withheld for you) and are issued a 1099-MISC form instead of a W-2, you’re STILL responsible for paying your taxes as you earn that money - in no greater than quarterly installments. If you go over three months without paying taxes when you’re making money - whether your employer is withholding it and paying it on your behalf or you just made the money and no one took any taxes out for you - you’ll be fined and charged interest on your late tax payments.Talk with a licensed tax preparer and they can help you better understand what it all means. Good luck and happy tax season!

VA Form 21–4192 is an application for disability benefits and like similar state benefits, it must be filled out by the veteran or by his or her qualified representative. This is a private, sensitive, legal document and every dot or dash in it can be critical, so must be accurate and verifiable.Employers have zero responsibility to fill out this form or furnish information for it, however, Social Security would have all the information required that the Department of Defense did not have. The veteran’s DD-214 is likely required, but does not furnish all the information required on the form.

The answer is no you cannot contibute or have contributed for you (in the case of employer contributions) more than the yearly allowable amount specified by the IRS for your status.

NOOOOOOO. You are talking to a military romance scammer. I received an email from the US Army that directly answers your question that is pasted below please keep reading.I believe you are the victim of a military Romance Scam whereas the person you are talking to is a foreign national posing as an American Soldier claiming to be stationed overseas on a peacekeeping mission. That's the key to the scam they always claim to be on a peacekeeping mission.Part of their scam is saying that they have no access to their money that their mission is highly dangerous.If your boyfriend girlfriend/future husband/wife is asking you to do the following or has exhibited this behavior, it is a most likely a scam:Moves to private messaging site immediately after meeting you on Facebook or SnapChat or Instagram or some dating or social media site. Often times they delete the site you met them on right after they asked you to move to a more private messaging siteProfesses love to you very quickly & seems to quote poems and song lyrics along with using their own sort of broken language, as they profess their love and devotion quickly. They also showed concern for your health and love for your family.Promises marriage as soon as he/she gets to state for leave that they asked you to pay for.They Requests money (wire transfers) and Amazon, iTune ,Verizon, etc gift cards, for medicine, religious practices, and leaves to come home, internet access, complete job assignments, help sick friend, get him out of trouble, or anything that sounds fishy.The military does provide all the soldier needs including food medical Care and transportation for leave. Trust me, I lived it, you are probably being scammed. I am just trying to show you examples that you are most likely being connned.Below is an email response I received after I sent an inquiry to the US government when I discovered I was scammed. I received this wonderful response back with lots of useful links on how to find and report your scammer. And how to learn more about Romance Scams.Right now you can also copy the picture he gave you and do a google image search and you will hopefully see the pictures of the real person he is impersonating. this doesn't always work and take some digging. if you find the real person you can direct message them and alert them that their image is being used for scamming.Good Luck to you and I'm sorry this may be happening to you. please continue reading the government response I received below it's very informative.   You have contacted an email that is monitored by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Unfortunately, this is a common concern. We assure you there is never any reason to send money to anyone claiming to be a Soldier online. If you have only spoken with this person online, it is likely they are not a U.S. Soldier at all. If this is a suspected imposter social media profile, we urge you to report it to that platform as soon as possible. Please continue reading for more resources and answers to other frequently asked questions:  How to report an imposter Facebook profile: Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... < Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... >   Answers to frequently asked questions:  - Soldiers and their loved ones are not charged money so that the Soldier can go on leave.  - Soldiers are not charged money for secure communications or leave.  - Soldiers do not need permission to get married.  - Soldiers emails are in this format: john.doe.mil@mail.mil < Caution-mailto: john.doe.mil@mail.mil > anything ending in .us or .com is not an official email account.  - Soldiers have medical insurance, which pays for their medical costs when treated at civilian health care facilities worldwide – family and friends do not need to pay their medical expenses.  - Military aircraft are not used to transport Privately Owned Vehicles.  - Army financial offices are not used to help Soldiers buy or sell items of any kind.  - Soldiers deployed to Combat Zones do not need to solicit money from the public to feed or house themselves or their troops.  - Deployed Soldiers do not find large unclaimed sums of money and need your help to get that money out of the country.  Anyone who tells you one of the above-listed conditions/circumstances is true is likely posing as a Soldier and trying to steal money from you.  We would urge you to immediately cease all contact with this individual.  For more information on avoiding online scams and to report this crime, please see the following sites and articles:   This article may help clarify some of the tricks social media scammers try to use to take advantage of people: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/>   CID advises vigilance against 'romance scams,' scammers impersonating Soldiers  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 < Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 >   FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx< Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx>   U.S. Army investigators warn public against romance scams: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...>   DOD warns troops, families to be cybercrime smart -Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...< Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...>   Use caution with social networking  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...>    Please see our frequently asked questions section under scams and legal issues. Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ < Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ > or visit Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ < Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ >.  The challenge with most scams is determining if an individual is a legitimate member of the US Army. Based on the Privacy Act of 1974, we cannot provide this information. If concerned about a scam you may contact the Better Business Bureau (if it involves a solicitation for money), or local law enforcement. If you're involved in a Facebook or dating site scam, you are free to contact us direct; (571) 305-4056.   If you have a social security number, you can find information about Soldiers online at Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... < Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... > . While this is a free search, it does not help you locate a retiree, but it can tell you if the Soldier is active duty or not.  If more information is needed such as current duty station or location, you can contact the Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) by phone or mail and they will help you locate individuals on active duty only, not retirees. There is a fee of $3.50 for businesses to use this service. The check or money order must be made out to the U.S. Treasury. It is not refundable. The address is:  Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) 8899 East 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46249-5301 Phone: 1-866-771-6357  In addition, it is not possible to remove social networking site profiles without legitimate proof of identity theft or a scam. If you suspect fraud on this site, take a screenshot of any advances for money or impersonations and report the account on the social networking platform immediately.  Please submit all information you have on this incident to Caution-www.ic3.gov < Caution-http://www.ic3.gov > (FBI website, Internet Criminal Complaint Center), immediately stop contact with the scammer (you are potentially providing them more information which can be used to scam you), and learn how to protect yourself against these scams at Caution-http://www.ftc.gov < Caution-http://www.ftc.gov > (Federal Trade Commission's website)

For a given set of assumptions, it could make sense to maximize your HSA contributions.Assumptions:you are allowed to do so (you have a high deductible health plan and are not prevented from contributing to the HSA for any regulatory reason or known rule)your current financial situation affords the opportunity (you have ample cash reserves and access to liquidity for emergency funds, etc)you are able to enjoy the tax benefits of the HSA: lower taxable income in the year of contribution, tax free distributions for qualifying medical expenses, taxable but penalty free distributions at the proper attained ageEveryone's financial situation, risk tolerance, and objectives (investment and otherwise) vary signNowly, and any financial decision should proceed from a thorough evaluation of your own circumstances.A person who will absolutely meet/exceed their full deductible each year should very likely maximize the HSA contribution - that person could get the full value of the tax benefits.A person who will very likely not spend much on medical expenses within a calendar year or years could potentially look at the HSA as a proxy or supplementary retirement account.  The specific rules differ a bit (see Internal Revenue Service for detailed information), but in general the funds invested in the HSA are able to grow tax deferred, and withdrawn in "retirement" at the prevailing tax rate in those years.  A person in this situation, with the intent to accumulate a signNow balance in the HSA account and hold it there for an extended amount of time, should take some time to consider the various HSA custodial options.  Some custodians will only allow the funds to be held in the equivalent of a "savings" account with little or no potential for appreciation.  Other custodians allow for some amount of the funds to be invested in mutual funds or other options with a risk and reward potential.Finally, to clarify a point from your question: the way I read the IRS website's description of HSA withdrawals, distributions are only "tax free" if used on qualifying medical expenses, so be careful there.

In a number of ways.  First, you aren’t taxed on the contributions into an HSA.  This occurs two ways, side-stepping both personal income tax and possibly payroll tax as well.  The latter is an additional tax of 15.3% that you, the employee, split with your employer, meaning both of you are subject to an additional tax of 7.65% each on your W-2 employment earnings. To obtain this additional payroll tax savings the HSA deposits must be made through your employer’s payroll, though you can always move the funds to an HSA provider of your choice afterwards.A simple example of this front-end tax savings is as follows:  Suppose you earn $50,000 per year and you decide to deposit $1,000 into your HSA.  For tax purposes you now make $49,000, meaning that $1,000 is now treated as tax-free income.  How much might this amount be?  Using the 2015 IRS Tax Table for single filers you went from owing the US Federal government $8,300 in taxes to $8,050, saving $250.  Further, both you and your employer are now subject to payroll taxes at $49,000.  The payroll tax you each are responsible for was reduced from $3,825 to $3,748.50, saving you both $76.50.  So, in summary, you saved $250 + $76.50, or $326.50 in taxes on your contribution of $1,000, while your employer saved $76.50.  [By the way, I haven't heard of any employee asking for this $76.50 from their finance department.]Again, this is a very simplified example.  I’ve ignored your standard deduction, personal exemption and all the other adjustments that may be available to you as you fill out your Form 1040.  However, this is the underlying mechanic at play.Secondly, HSA funds grow tax-free.  Most of the large HSA custodians now offer a debit/checking account alongside a brokerage account feature, meaning while you may only earn interest of 0.25% on your checking account you have the option of investing into mutual funds which have the potential to each much higher returns.  This is similar to the much more familiar employer sponsored retirement savings plans, where capital gains, dividends and interest received are tax-deferred.  Thirdly, any withdrawals to pay for qualified medical expenses are tax-free in the year the money is distributed.  In addition to the payroll tax savings on the front end, this is other the big advantage over long-term savings in traditional retirement plan accounts (401(k), 403(b), 457, IRA’s, etc.), which defer taxes but do not avoid them (and convert capital gains to ordinary income as well).  As a final thought, keep in mind that you can reimburse yourself at any time for healthcare expenses incurred after you have established your HSA.  What this means is that a $150 medical expense incurred in year 1 can be reimbursed in year 10 (or 20, 30, etc.) after the money in the HSA has had an opportunity to compound over time.  In effect, today’s expenses can create personal IOUs against your investment account available at any time by you.  Said differently and in the language of tax folks, this “receipt shoe-boxing” creates “basis” in the investment. Be aware you are responsible for keeping up with your health expense records - part of the inspiration for our app, HSA Coach. Certainly the near zero interest rates paid by the HSA debit accounts makes this not very fruitful, but for those who are investing over the long-term in an HSA account brokerage, say for retirement healthcare expenses, this savings technique is worth consideration.Good luck.

If your employer makes a payroll deduction to fund your HSA, that money is not subject to income tax. The same is the case if the employer funds the HSA with their money. The income is only taxed if you withdraw it from the HSA, but do not spend the money on qualified medical expenses.

IRS Form 8889 is used to report HSA contributions, distributions and your tax deductions. You will complete this form using IRS Forms 1099-SA and 5498-SA provided by HSA Bank.

IRS Form 8889 is used to report HSA contributions, distributions and your tax deductions. You will complete this form using IRS Forms 1099-SA and 5498-SA provided by HSA Bank.

You must report all employer contributions (including an employee's contributions through a cafeteria plan) to an HSA in box 12 of Form W-2 with code W. Employer contributions to an HSA that are not excludable from the income of the employee also must be reported in boxes 1, 3, and 5.

While employer contributions to an HSA may be excluded from the employee's income, all employer contributions, including those made by the employee through a cafeteria plan, must be reported in box 12 of the employee's W-2.

In general, when an employer makes contributions to employees' Has, the employer must report them on the individual Form W-2 for each employee that received a contribution. The amount an employer reports on Form W-2 must also include any money the employee elected to contribute to the HSA through a cafeteria plan.