On Dec. 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Act). The Act makes significant changes to the federal Internal Revenue Code (Code), including changes that impact employee benefits. Effective for 2018:

• Employers cannot deduct expenses associated with qualified transportation fringe benefit programs;
• Employees cannot exclude bicycle commuting reimbursements from their gross income; and
• Moving expense reimbursements are not deductible for employers and cannot be excluded from employees’ gross income.

In addition, effective for 2018 and 2019, the Act creates a federal tax credit for employers that provide paid family and medical leave.

Because most of the Act’s provisions became effective on Jan. 1, 2018, employers should start working with their tax advisors to determine how the tax changes will impact their businesses.

Reference the below Compliance Bulletin for additional detail and contact your NEEBCo representative with questions.

New Tax Law Includes Changes for Employee Benefits