The new health reform law gives a tax credit to certain small employers that provide health care coverage to their employees, effective with tax years beginning in 2010. Over the next several weeks, Vision Payroll will be providing further information on the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. Today’s topic is Determining the Amount of Average Annual Wages.

To determine the amount of average annual wages, divide total wages paid to qualifying employees by the number of full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Round the resulting quotient down to the nearest whole number. For example, if an employer pays $224,000 in wages and has 10 FTEs, compute average annual wages as follows:

• $224,000 ÷ 10 = $22,400
• $22,400 rounded down to the nearest $1,000 = $22,000, so average annual wages are $22,000.

The next topic to be covered in this series is the Impact of the Twenty-five or More Employees. Contact Vision Payroll if you have further questions on Determining the Amount of Average Annual Wages.