Employer-provided life insurance is a coveted fringe benefit. However, if group term life insurance is part of your benefit package, and the coverage is higher than $50,000, there may be undesirable income tax implications. The first $50,000 of group term life insurance coverage that your employer provides is excluded from taxable income and doesn’t add […]
Tag Archives | Life Insurance
Unemployed last year? Buying health insurance this year? You may benefit from favorable new changes
Many people lost their jobs last year due to pandemic shutdowns. Generally, unemployment compensation is included in gross income for federal tax purposes. But thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), enacted on March 11, 2021, up to $10,200 of unemployment compensation can be excluded from federal gross income on 2020 federal returns for […]
Home Sales: How to Determine Your “Basis”
If you’re buying or selling a home, you should know how to determine your basis. The law allows an exclusion from income for all or part of the gain realized on your home sale. The general exclusion limit is $250,000 ($500,000 for married taxpayers). You want your basis to be as high as possible in […]
Who Qualifies for “Head of Household” Tax Filing Status?
When you file your tax return, you must check one of the following filing statuses: Single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying widow(er). Who qualifies to file as a head of household, which is more favorable than single? To qualify, you must maintain a household, which for more than half […]
How to ensure life insurance isn’t part of your taxable estate
If you have a life insurance policy, you may want to ensure that the benefits your family will receive after your death won’t be included in your estate. That way, the benefits won’t be subject to federal estate tax. For 2021, the federal estate and gift tax exemption is $11.7 million ($23.4 million for married […]
The Tax Implications of Employer-provided Life Insurance
Does your employer provide you with group term life insurance? If so, and depending on the amount of coverage, this employee benefit may create undesirable income tax consequences for you. The first $50,000 of group term life insurance coverage that your employer provides is excluded from taxable income and doesn’t add anything to your income […]
Why you should keep life insurance out of your estate
If you have a life insurance policy, you probably want to make sure that the life insurance benefits your family will receive after your death won’t be included in your estate. That way, the benefits won’t be subject to the federal estate tax. Under the estate tax rules, life insurance will be included in your […]
