Increase in the Small Business Tax Credit

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), some small businesses may qualify for a small business tax credit. To be eligible, you must cover at least 50 percent of the cost of single (not family) health care coverage for each of your employees. You must also have 24 or fewer full-time equivalent employees and those employees must have average wages of less than $50,000 per year. In 2014, the tax credit goes up to 50 percent and will be available to qualified small businesses that purchase coverage through the new health insurance marketplaces in each state, called the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).