Long-term care insurance offers two significant tax advantages for individuals and small-business owners:
Tax-Deductible Premiums:
Individual policyholders may be able to claim a portion of their tax-qualified long-term care premiums as a medical expense as long as these expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income and they itemize deductions on their income tax return. The amount they can claim is based on eligible premium guidelines established annually based on the medical care components of the Consumer Price Index (see the chart below).
Small-business owners who use business dollars to purchase a tax-qualified long-term care insurance policy may be able to deduct either actual premium or eligible premium paid. The amount that can be deducted is determined by the tax structure of the business.
Business owners make good prospective clients
The tax advantages offered by a long-term care insurance policy appeal to business owners, who are always looking for a way to reduce their tax burden. The owners of C-corporations make excellent prospects for single premium because current tax laws allow C-corporations to deduct the full amount of long-term care premium paid for the owner/employee, spouse, dependents and a designated class of employees.
Eligible Premium Guidelines 2009** |
|
|
Age: |
Premium limitation: |
40 and younger |
$320 |
41-50 |
$600 |
51-60 |
$1,190 |
61-70 |
$3,180 |
71 and older |
$3,980 |
Tax-Free Policy Benefits:
Benefits received from a tax-qualified long-term care policy are intended to be tax free as long as they don’t exceed the greater of qualified long-term care daily expenses or the per-day limitation, which is $280 in 2009*.
*Section 7720B and Section 106 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC)
**IRS Revenue Procedure 2008-66