What expense category is employee health insurance?

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Figuring out where to classify employee health insurance expenses can be a bit confusing. Knowing the right expense category is important for keeping your financial records accurate and staying on top of tax regulations.
Classifying employee health insurance expenses
When it comes to recording employee health insurance costs, there are a few common categories you might consider:
- Employee benefit expenses: This captures all the compensation beyond salaries, including health insurance premiums.
- Personnel expenses: Encompasses all costs associated with your workforce, such as wages, benefits, and taxes.
- Operating expenses: Since providing health insurance is part of running your business, some companies include employee health expenses under operating expenses.
Choosing the right category helps ensure accurate financial reporting and gives you a clear picture of the true cost of employing your team.
Examples of employee health insurance expenses
Employee health insurance expenses can include a variety of costs:
- Premiums: The monthly payments you make to provide health coverage for your employees.
- Employer contributions: The portion of the premiums that your business pays on behalf of your employees.
- Administrative fees: Costs associated with managing the health insurance plan, like fees charged by insurance providers or enrollment services.
For example, if you pay $600 per employee per month for health insurance and have 15 employees, your monthly employee health insurance expense would be $9,000.
Tax implications of employee health insurance
Properly categorizing employee health insurance expenses can lead to significant tax benefits:
- Tax deductions: Employer-paid health insurance premiums are generally deductible, reducing your taxable income.
- Payroll tax savings: Contributions toward employee health insurance are typically excluded from employees' taxable income, lowering payroll taxes for both you and your team.
Make sure to consistently record these expenses under the correct category to comply with tax laws and avoid potential penalties. Keeping detailed records ensures you maximize tax advantages and stay on the right side of regulations.
Let Ramp automate your expense process
Managing employee health insurance expenses doesn't have to be complicated. Ramp automates the categorization and tracking of these costs, ensuring they're accurately recorded every time. With Ramp, you save time, reduce errors, and gain real-time insights into your expenses, making financial management a breeze.
As we scale we need tools that are built to scale with us - we need to see expenses real time, we need to see duplicate spend. These types of insights are important to the health of our business.
SVP Finance & Strategy, Barry's
The information provided in this article does not constitute legal or financial advice and is for general informational purposes only. Please check with an attorney or financial advisor to obtain advice with respect to the content of this article.
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