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AFM202 Chapter 5: Employment Benefits

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OC2146671
7 Nov 2018
School
University of Waterloo
Department
Accounting & Financial Management
Course
AFM202
Professor
Alan Mc Naughton

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Document Summary

Employee benefits: provided by an employer to an employee, taxable to the employee. If an employee receives a payout from a disability insurance policy, tax treatment depends on whether the employer paid any premiums. If the employer did not pay any premiums, the disability insurance payout would be received tax-free by the employee. Life insurance premiums paid by an employer are a taxable benefit to the employee: otherwise, the payout would be taxable as employment income. Included in employment income: parking paid by the employer to the employee is a taxable benefit unless it relates to business travel. Low(or no) interest loans: considered to be the interest benefit, calculated using the prescribed interest rate set quarterly by the government, actual interest paid by the employee is subtracted. If the loan was used to produce income or used for employment duties, the taxpayer may claim a deduction from income for the interest deemed to be paid.

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Related Questions

Please build the answer in your own words based on flowing textfrom studding book (provide the example):

text from book:

Group Term Life Insurance Plans.

Many employers offer group term life insurance as part of theiremployee benefit package. Life insurance coverage is normallycalculated as a multiple of the employee’s annual salary, roundedup to the nearest thousand ($1,000.00). The premiums paid by theemployer for coverage under a group term life insurance policy areconsidered a taxable benefit to the employee. If the employershares the premium cost with the employee, for example, theemployer pays half and the employee pays half, then the taxablebenefit would only be the portion of the premiums the employerpays, or 50%. Group term life insurance taxable benefitcalculations are based on the premium rates and sales taxes theemployer pays and the amount of coverage provided. Premium ratesare expressed per $1,000.00 of coverage on a monthly basis. Thetaxable benefit must be calculated on a pay period basis forinclusion in the employee’s taxable income.

The following formula calculates the employee’s monthly taxablebenefit:

Coverage amount = Annual salary x coverage multiplier Roundcoverage amount up to nearest $1,000.00 Monthly taxable benefit =Coverage amount x premium rate $1,000.00 To ensure that the benefitis included in the employee’s income as it is earned or enjoyed,the monthly benefit must be annualized and then prorated on a payperiod basis, as follows: Pay period taxable benefit = Monthlytaxable benefit x 12 Pay period frequency

"Example: Rhonda Gold’s life insurance coverage, through heremployer’s group plan is two times her annual salary of $30,300.00.Her employer pays the insurer 100% of the cost of her lifeinsurance coverage at a premium rate of $1.00 per $1,000.00 ofcoverage per month. Rhonda is paid on a weekly basis; her taxablebenefit is calculated as follows: Coverage amount = Annual salary xcoverage multiplier Round coverage amount up to nearest $1,000.00 =($30,300 x 2) = $60,600.00 = $61,000.00 (rounded) Monthly taxablebenefit = coverage amount x premium rate $1,000.00 = $61,000 x$1.00 $1,000.00 = $61.00"

Group Sickness and Accident Insurance Plans.

These are group plans that provide employees with income for aperiod of time, should the employee be away from work for reasonsof sickness or accident. A group plan is generally one thatprovides coverage to a class or association of employees. There canalso be multiple plans for a group of employees, for example, oneplan for clerical staff and one for management staff. The types ofsickness and accident insurance plans considered in this categoryinclude:

? short term disability plans (wage loss replacement, weeklyindemnity)

? long term disability plans

? accident insurance plans (accidental death anddismemberment)

If an employer pays the premiums for group short-term orlong-term disability plans there is no taxable benefit implicationfor the employee, however employer-paid accidental death anddismemberment (AD&D) premiums are considered a non-cash taxablebenefit. As a result, employer-paid AD&D premiums, plus the 8%RST (Manitoba and Ontario), the 9% tax on insurance premiums(Québec) and the 6% PST (Saskatchewan) as applicable, areconsidered pensionable for C/QPP contributions and taxable forfederal and provincial income taxes. Employer-paid premiums for anon-group plan are considered a non-cash taxable benefit in alljurisdictions. A non-group plan is one that generally does notcover a group or association of employees. For example, if theorganization pays the premiums for a long-term disability plan foronly the president of the organization, this would be considered anon-cash taxable benefit to the president. When the benefit istaxable it is also pensionable for C/QPP contributions; however, asit is a non-cash benefit, it is not insurable, and no EI or QPIPpremiums are deducted. GST and HST are not included in the value ofthis type of benefit, but the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario,Québec and Saskatchewan assess sales tax on AD&D insurancepremiums.

Question : Your organization, located in Manitoba,will be enhancing the group benefits plan offered to employees intwo months by adding accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)coverage and vision care coverage. The organization will pay 50% ofthe cost of the AD&D premiums and 50% of the cost of the visioncare premiums, with the employees paying the other 50% of eachpremium. The Manager of Finance, Laura Bruce, has requested thatyou, as the Payroll Supervisor, prepare a communication for theemployees, explaining how these new benefits will impact their netpay.

(200 – 350 words)

Based on following text in your own words, list anddefine the four categories of employment income,providing an example (other than regular pay) foreach category.

Employment Income

An individual working for an employer receives compensation orpay, known as remuneration, for the services they perform. Where anemployee-employer relationship exists, remuneration is referred toas employment income. Employment income can be categorized intoearnings, allowances, benefits and taxable expensereimbursements.

Earnings

Earnings are dollar amounts the employer pays an employee forthe work they perform. Earnings can be paid as:
· a salary
· a rate for each hour worked
· a rate per piece of goods produced or picked
· a disability payment for time off work due to illness
· a payment for vacation time
· a premium payment for overtime hours worked
· a premium payment for hours worked on shift

Deciding which types of earnings are paid and how they arecalculated is primarily a decision made by the employer. Earningsare pensionable, insurable and taxable, and therefore subject toall statutory deductions.

Allowances

Allowances are additional dollar amounts paid to employees forthe use, or anticipated use, of their personal property forbusiness purposes. Allowances can also be provided to employees tocover the cost of personal living expenses associated withemployment. The most common types of allowances cover the costsincurred by the employee for car, meals, uniforms, safety shoes orother particular types of clothing for business reasons. Undercertain conditions, allowances are not considered employment incomeand therefore are not subject to statutory withholdings.

Benefits

Benefits are dollar values attributed to something the employerhas either provided to an employee or paid for on an employee’sbehalf. Usually, when an employer provides an employee withsomething (for example, a company-leased automobile is given to theemployee for both business and personal use) or pays for somethingon an employee’s behalf (for example, group term life insurancepremiums), it results in a benefit to the employee. There arecertain situations where benefits are not included in employmentincome and therefore are not subject to statutory withholdings.

Expense Reimbursements

Similar to allowances, expense reimbursements are also dollaramounts paid to employees to cover expenses that they incur whileperforming their job. For the most part, expense reimbursementsgenerally fall outside of payroll because they are business-relatedand therefore not employment income to employees. These expensesare claimed on an expense report, supported by receipts, andusually submitted directly to the accounting department forreimbursement. As such, they are not considered in the calculationof an employee’s pay. Some organizations choose to reimburseexpenses through payroll in which case they are not subject to anystatutory deductions; they will, however, affect the net pay. Anyreimbursements made to an employee for personal living expenses areconsidered taxable to the employee, included in income and subjectto statutory withholdings.

What is the net Form W-2 wages?

What is miscellaneous income?

What is Schedule B income (Interest anddividends)?

What is Schedule C net income (Businessincome)?

What is Schedule D net income (Capital gains andlosses)?

What is Schedule E depreciation (Rentalproperty)?

What is Schedule E net income (Rental income & Sub-Sincome)?

What is the total “For AGI” deductions?

What is Adjusted Gross Income?

What is the Schedule A deduction for taxes?

What is the Schedule A deduction for interestexpense?

What is the Schedule A deduction for charitablecontributions?

What is the Schedule A total itemizeddeductions?

What is the total personal and dependentexemptions?

What is taxable income?

What is the tax on ordinary income?

What is the tax on long-term capital gain (loss) andqualified dividends?

What is the self-employment tax?

What is the kiddie tax?

What is the balance due or (refund)?

Answer above questions with the factsbelow:

Paul Turner is single and has two children, Allen and Lee Ann,from his previous marriage. Allen lives with Paul and Paul providesmore than half of his support. In the current year, Allen earned$300 of interest income and $5,000 working at a fast-foodrestaurant. Allen graduated from high-school in December 2015 andwas not a registered student during 2016. Lee Ann lives with hermother, Wilma (Lee Ann lived with Wilma for all of the currentyear). Wilma provides more than half of Lee Ann's support. Paulpays “alimony” of $400 per month to Wilma. The payments are tocontinue until Lee Ann reaches age 18, when they will be reduced to$250. Paul uses the cash method of accounting and a calendar yearfor reporting. Paul's birthday is May 31, 1975. Allen's birthday isOctober 5, 1998. Lee Ann's birthday is December 1, 2002. Paulprefers to report any “kiddie tax” on his tax return.

Paul is employed as a nuclear engineer with Atom SystemsConsultants, Inc. (ASCI). Paul's pay stubs indicate that he had$7,320 withheld in federal taxes, $4,987 in state taxes. He earned$80,000 of wages subject to employee Social Security taxes andMedicare taxes. ASCI has an extensive fringe benefits program forits employees.

Paul earned salary of $82,500 (before subtracting his 401(k) andflexible spending plan contributions). He contributed $6,500 to his401(k) account, and he contributed $2,600 to his flexible spendingaccount.

ASCI paid $497 of whole life insurance premiums to cover Paul'spersonal whole life insurance policy. ASCI also paid health clubdues of $825 to a nearby health club on Paul's behalf.

Taking advantage of ASCI's educational assistance program,during the fall Paul enrolled in two graduate engineering classesat a local college. ASCI paid his tuition, fees, and othercourse-related costs of $5,300.

Paul received free parking in the company's security garage thatwould normally cost $200 per month.

Paul manages the safety program for ASCI. In recognition of hissuperior handling of three potential crises during the year, Paulwas awarded the Employee Safety Award on December 15. The cashaward was $400.

On January 15, of the current year, Paul's father died. From hisfather's estate, he received stock valued at $30,000 (father’sbasis was $12,000) and his father's house valued at $95,000(father’s basis in the house was $55,000).

Paul owns several other investments and received the followinginformation reports for the current tax year:

Form 1009-Div:

General Dynamics – Gross qualified dividends - $400

Form 1099-Int

New Jersey Economic Development bonds – Gross interest -$300

IBM bonds – Gross interest - $600

State of Nebraska bonds – Gross Interest - $200

Form 1098-Mortgage InterestStatement

Sunbelt Credit Union – Mortgage interest - $7,100

Northeast Bank – Home-equity loan interest - $435

Form K-1 Grubstake Mining andDevelopment:

Distribution to shareholder - $1,000

Ordinary income (1% of $200,000) - $2,000

In addition to the investments discussed above, Paul owns 1,000shares of Grubstake Mining & Development common stock.Grubstake is organized as an S corporation and has 100,000 sharesoutstanding. Grubstake reported taxable income of $200,000 and paida distribution of $1.00 per share during the current year. Pauldoes not materially participate in Grubstake's activities.

Paul slipped on a wet spot in front of a computer store lastJuly. He broke his ankle and was unable to work for two weeks. Heincurred $1,300 in medical costs, all of which were paid by theowner of the store. The store also gave him $1,000 for pain andsuffering resulting from the injury. ASCI did not pay his salaryduring the two weeks he missed because of the accident. However,ASCI's disability insurance plan paid him $1,500 in disability payfor the time he was unable to work. Under this plan, ASCI pays thepremiums of $500 for the disability insurance as a taxable fringebenefit. The disability plan premiums and the disability benefitpayments were not included in Paul’s W-2 wages reported inparagraph 3.

Paul received a Form 1099-B from his broker for the sale of thefollowing securities during the current year. The adjusted basisamounts were reported to the IRS.

Security

Sale Date

Purchase Date

Sales Price

CommissionPaid Sale

His Basis

Nebraska bonds

03/14/16

10/22/07

$2,300

$200

$1,890

Cassill Corp

(500 shares)

10/20/16

02/19/12

$8,500

$425

$9,760

In addition to the taxes withheld from his salary, he also madetimely estimated federal tax payments of $175 per quarter andtimely estimated state income tax payments of $150 for the firstthree quarters. The $150 fourth-quarter state payment was made onDecember 28 of the current year. Paul would like to receive arefund for any overpayment.

In August of the current year, he received a federal refund of$60 and a state tax refund of $200 related to the tax returns hefiled for the prior year. His itemized deductions for the prioryear were $18,430.

Paul found a renter for his father's house on August 1. Themonthly rent is $400, and the lease agreement is for one year. Thelease requires the tenant to pay the first and last months' rentand a $400 security deposit. The security deposit is to be returnedat the end of the lease if the property is in good condition. OnAugust 1, Paul received $1,200 from the tenant per the terms of thelease agreement. In November, the plumbing froze and several pipesburst. The tenant had the repairs made and paid the $300 bill. InDecember, he reduced his rental payment to $100 to compensate forthe plumbing repairs. Paul provides you with the followingadditional information for the rental in the current year.

Propertytaxes $720

Other maintenanceexpenses 285

Insuranceexpense 495

Managementfee 350

Depreciation (to becomputed) ?

Local practice is to allocate 10percent of the fair market value of the property to the land. (See¶8 for basis information.) Paul makes all decisions with respect tothe property.

Paul paid $2,050 in real estate taxes on his principalresidence. The real estate tax is used to pay for town schools andother municipal services.

Paul drives a 2013 Acura TL. His car registration fee (based onthe car year) is $50 and covers the period 1/1/16 through 12/31/16.In addition, he paid $280 in property tax to the state based on thebook value of the car.

In addition to the medical costs presented in ¶11, Paul incurredthe following unreimbursed medical costs:

Dentist $ 310

Doctor 390

Prescriptiondrugs 215

Over-the-counterdrugs 140

Optometrist 125

Emergency room charges 440

LASIK eyesurgery 2,000

Chiropractor 265

On April 1, Paul took advantage of low interest rates andrefinanced his $75,000 home mortgage with her original lender. Thenew home loan is for 15 years. He paid $215 in closing costs and$1,600 in discount points (prepaid interest) to obtain the loan.The house is worth $155,000, and Paul's basis in the house is$90,000. As part of the refinancing arrangement, he also obtained a$10,000 home-equity loan. He used the proceeds from the home-equityloan to reduce the balance due on her credit cards. Paul receivedseveral Form 1098 statements from her bank for interest paid by himin the current year. Details appear below. (See also ¶9)

Primary homemortgage $7,100

Home-equityloan 435

Creditcards 498

Carloan 390

On May 14 of the current year, Paul contributed clothing to theSalvation Army. The original cost of the clothing was $740. He hassubstantiation valuing the donation at $360. In addition, he madethe following cash contributions and received a statement from eachof the following organizations acknowledging his contribution:

LarkinCollege $800

UnitedWay 152

First MethodistChurch 790

Amos House (homelessshelter) 200

Local Chamber ofCommerce 100

On April 1 of the current year, Paul's house was robbed. Heapparently interrupted the burglar because all that's missing is anantique brooch he inherited from his grandmother (June 12, 2005)and $300 in cash. Unfortunately, he didn't have a separate rider onher insurance policy covering the jewelry. Therefore, the insurancecompany reimbursed him only $500 for the brooch. His basis in thebrooch was $6,000, and its fair market value was $7,500. Hisinsurance policy also limits to $100 the amount of cash that can beclaimed in a theft.

Paul sells real estate in the evening and on weekends(considered an active trade or business). He runs his business froma rental office he shares with several other realtors. Paul hasbeen operating in a business-like way since 2003 and has alwaysshown a profit. He had the following income and expenses from hisbusiness:

Commissionsearned $21,250

Expenses:

Advertising 2,200

Telephone 95

Real estate license 130

Rent 6,000

Utilities 600

He has used his Acura TL in his business during the currentyear. During the year, he properly documented 5,000 business miles.The total mileage on his car (i.e., business-use and personal-usemiles) during the year was 15,000 miles. Paul elects to use thestandard mileage method to calculate his car expenses. He spent $45on tolls and $135 on parking related to the real estatebusiness.

Paul's company has an accountable expense reimbursement plan foremployees from which Paul receives $12,000 for the followingexpenses:

Airfare $4,700

Hotel 3,400

Meals 2,000

Car rentals 600

Entertainment 900

Incidentals 400

Total 12,000

During the current year, Paul also paid $295 for businesspublications other than those paid for by his employer and $325 fora local CPA to prepare his tax return for the prior year.