Should you hire your spouse?

Maybe your spouse helps out at your small corporation without pay. Although wages are taxable and fringe benefits cost your company, you could be missing out on tax-saving opportunities for hiring your spouse. Consider the following:

• You're saving money in the company 401(k), but what about your spouse? If certain requirements are met, your spouse can contribute to the plan while the business deducts contributions made on his or her behalf. Frequently, your spouse can build a tidy nest egg within the tax law's contribution limits.

• If you're paying a hefty bill for your spouse's health insurance coverage, hiring your spouse as an employee will likely save money.The amount of your company's payment is deductible by the business — just like it is for any other employee — even if you're self-employed.
• You typically can't deduct your spouse's travel expenses like you can for yourself if he or she is accompanying you on a business trip.However, if there's a legitimate business reason for your spouse to make the trip, the travel expenses — such as airfare, hotels and 50 percent of the cost of meals — become deductible.
• Is your spouse planning to attend school to improve business skills? If he or she enrolls in courses through an educational assistance plan, the cost is generally deductible by your business. For the employee-spouse, annual benefits of up to $5,250 are exempt from tax.

• Does your business provide group-term life insurance coverage on a nondiscriminatory basis? Then you know the cost is deductible by the business and the first $50,000 of coverage is tax-free to employees. As a bona fide employee, your spouse can be covered under the plan.

There's one catch: S corporation owners generally can't deduct fringe benefits for any employee owning 2 percent or more of the company. This prohibition extends to coverage for an owner's spouse. Your tax advisor can help you determine when it makes sense to put your spouse on the payroll.


"Tax Tips" are published weekly to provide current tax information, tax-cutting suggestions, and tax reminders. If you would like more information on anything in "Tax Tips," or if you'd like to be on our mailing list to receive other tax information from time to time, please contact our office.
 
The tax information contained in this site is of a general nature and should not be acted upon in your specific situation without further details and/or professional assistance.
 
We are trusted CPA advisors servicing Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Willowbrook, Darien, and all Chicagoland area. 

Do you need assistance with your business and/or personal tax returns? Would you like to have a trusted source for your accounting, allowing you additional time to focus on increasing your business? Do you use QuickBooks, or plan to in the future, for your accounting? We include these in all our service packages, customized to fit your personal or business needs.   
 
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Monarch Accounting Group, Inc
145 Tower Drive, Suite 4
Burr Ridge, IL 60527
Phone (630) 320-3720

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