05/04/2021
Are you a W-2 employee in the state of Washington?
If so, we need to talk.
The state of Washington will begin collecting payroll taxes from all W-2 employees at the rate of .58 percent, that means employees earning 100,000 per year will pay 580 dollars a year in payroll taxes to cover Long Term Care for themselves and others, there is no cap, so employees making 250,000 will pay 1450 and so on. Why is this important? You do have the option to opt out by purchasing private insurance, you’re paying for it anyway, why not get more benefit for your money. By the way, you cannot take your state funded benefits with you if you leave the state, so you could pay the tax for years and not receive one red cent in benefit if you retire elsewhere. The maximum benefit under the states plan is 100 dollars a day with a maximum benefit of 36,500. For the same cost, a private plan for most people will pay more in benefit and there is no question about being able to collect your Long-Term Care benefits when you need them. Some Washington residents may actually pay the tax for a few years and not receive a benefit because they plan to retire before they’ve met the required number of years paying the tax.
Here’s the rub, Washington state wants you to opt out, state law has incentivized Washington state residents to purchase private Long Term Care insurance for years. That’s why the top companies that offer it are partnership qualified, more on that later. The state knows they’re off the hook to cover those costs when Washingtonians carry their own plan so it’s not about beating the system but it is prudent planning.
If you’re a Washington state resident that’s compensated on a W-2 or if you’re in charge of your company’s payroll. We should talk. If retirement is around the corner, we should talk, you might be leaving money on the table. I’ve only scratched the surface of how important this is, if you’re married, statistically one of you will need some form of Long Term Care benefit at some point and unfortunately, it is not cheap.
Make your money work for you, or you’ll be working for it, the rest of your life.