Healthcare

When it comes to health insurance, employers have a lot of options. Often, the biggest deciding factor on which route to go comes down to price for both employers and employees. Most small business owners understand the value of offering health insurance to their employees, but sometimes the rising costs make it difficult for employees to take advantage of the offer. To help employees, some employers wonder if they can pay some of the costs. There are several reimbursement options for employers; the key is understanding the correct ways to go about it.

The child care tax credit doubles this year: Now you can claim up to $16,000

Child care expenses in 2021 could give many parents a much bigger refund in 2022. Tax season officially starts Jan. 24, and big changes to the child and dependent care credit in 2021 mean that parents and caregivers could see a large increase in their tax refunds this year. The child and dependent care credit lets taxpayers directly reduce their taxes by the amount spent on expenses related to child or dependent care. The credit applies to day care, babysitters or care-related transportation.

Earned Income Tax Credit

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services to retroactively enhance the 2020 Connecticut Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from 23% of the federal credit to 41.5%. The additional state tax refund will provide needed economic support to low-to-moderate income working individuals and families disproportionately burdened by COVID-19 and its negative economic impacts.

CARES Act adds new $300 charitable contribution deduction for 2020

The CARES Act, which was signed into law this spring, included a “partial above the line deduction” for charitable contributions. This allows people who take the standard deduction — which is $12,400 for single filers and $24,800 for married-filing-jointly in 2020 — to claim a deduction of up to $300 in donations.

What Joe Biden’s win means for the world...

As soon as the major American broadcast networks announced Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as winners of the US election on November 7, congratulations poured in from around the world. In the ensuing days, the new president-elect began speaking on the phone with leaders of some of America’s most traditional allies, who were all keen to stress the closeness of their countries’ respective relationships with the US.