As a small business owner, healthcare may be a big question mark for you. A traditional health insurance plan is too expensive. But your kid needs braces, and you have a couple of prescriptions. You travel internationally once a year — what if something happens? Do you pay out of pocket?
Fortunately, there are options designed with small business owners in mind. Two standout choices are health spending accounts (HSAs) and private health insurance plans (PHSPs). Let’s break down these options and highlight why HSAs can be beneficial for small business owners.
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Pay out of pocket with the Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC)
One option is to forego insurance and pay out of pocket, using the Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC). While this can work for some, it often favours those with lower incomes and higher medical expenses. You’ll need to run the numbers to see if this is the best fit for your situation. -
Traditional health insurance
If you’ve worked full-time before, you might remember those robust health insurance plans that covered everything from massages to medical appointments. But now, as the provider, it’s a different story. Offering traditional health insurance can be costly, especially when factoring in pre-existing conditions or high plan usage by employees. -
Health spending accounts
Health spending accounts allow you, the employer, to reimburse employees (or yourself, if you’re incorporated) for medical expenses, tax-free. HSAs offer an affordable and flexible way for small businesses to provide health and dental benefits. We partnered with Olympia Benefits, one of Canada’s top providers of HSA plans, to dive deeper into the benefits.
HSA benefit 1: Save on income tax on your medical expenses
Imagine you have a two-person (husband and wife) corporation that nets $100,000 a year. (Note: You must be paid wages and receive a T4 from your corporation to qualify for an HSA.)
With an HSA, your corporation reimburses you for personal medical expenses. The reimbursements are 100% tax-free to you and 100%-tax deductible for your company. Basically, you get to withdraw money from your company without paying income tax.
Here’s an example from Olympia Benefits illustrating the savings using a Health Spending Account:
Without an HSA (red), paying for a $3,000 medical expense out of pocket would require withdrawing $5,340 from your company to cover the cost after tax. You’d lose around 43% to income tax.
With an HSA (green), instead of losing that 43%, you pay Olympia’s annual HSA membership fee of $499, and your company saves nearly $2,000 in taxes.
If you want to run the numbers for your specific scenario, Olympia’s HSA Savings Calculator can help you estimate potential savings.
HSA benefit 2: One simple annual fee
Once you decide on the right plan for you, you only pay a single annual fee — no premiums, no deductibles and no extra costs for pre-existing conditions. You and your dependents can make claims up to $15,000 annually, making it a predictable and hassle-free option.
HSA benefit 3: It’s easy to use
Using your HSA is straightforward:
- Pay for your medical expense (e.g. $3,000) using your personal credit card.
- Submit your receipt details online via your HSA account.
- Send the payment from your business bank account to Olympia.
- Olympia reimburses you directly, tax-free, via direct deposit to your personal bank account.
It’s that simple. And the $3,000 payment from your corporation is tax-deductible, while your personal reimbursement is tax-free.
What if I have employees?
A group HSA works really well for companies with anywhere from 1 to 50 employees.
As the employer, you get to choose your employees’ annual allowance. You only pay if an employee makes a claim. And the money goes right to your employee's expenses — not to a premium.
Employees know how much they get and can spend it however needed.
Who shouldn’t use an HSA?
While HSAs are ideal for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, they’re not suitable for sole proprietors. Large corporations may also find that traditional healthcare plans better fit their needs.
If you’re interested in learning more, Olympia’s 53 FAQs on HSAs is a great resource. For personalized advice, feel free to reach out to Alden Hui at Olympia (403-668-1845). And if you’d like to discuss how this fits into your overall tax planning, we’re here to help!
Read more about Small Business Basics that may be helpful to you and your small business.
