Cost of Coverage

You and Johns Hopkins University share the cost of your benefits coverage. The university pays for the majority of your coverage and you pay the balance. In addition, JHU provides Benefit Dollars that you can use toward the cost of the benefits you enroll in each year.

To learn more, review the sections below:

• How it Works
• Benefit Dollars
• Rates
• Tax Consequences of Same-Sex Domestic Partner Benefits

How it Works

The premiums you pay for coverage are deducted directly from your paycheck. Some premiums are deducted before your taxes are calculated (pre-tax), and others are deducted after your taxes are taken out (post-tax). Some benefits are considered taxable income and reported on your W-2.

Below is a brief overview of which benefits are paid pre- and post-tax and any tax consequences relating to your coverage:

• Pre-tax: Premiums for all benefits with the exception of Dependent Life Insurance and Long Term Care Insurance are deducted from your pay before income and Social Security taxes are taken.
• Post-tax: Premiums for same-sex domestic partner coverage are paid after income and Social Security taxes are deducted from your pay, as required by Federal law.
• Tax consequences of same-sex domestic partner benefits: The university-provided contributions paid for same-sex domestic partners (and their dependents) are treated as taxable income on your W-2 form. For more information, see the Tax Consequences of Same-Sex Domestic Partner Benefits.
• Tax consequences of life insurance premiums: The value of the premiums you pay for Dependent Life Insurance and for your own Life Insurance (coverage above $50,000) are reported as taxable income on your W-2 form.

Benefit Dollars

To offer you flexibility in choosing how to use some of the university's contribution for your coverage, we give you a flat amount of $900 Benefit Dollars. In addition, if you earn a full-time equivalent salary of $40,000 or less you receive an additional $300 Benefit Dollars for Rate Relief. This could add up to a total of $1,200 Benefit Dollars.

When you enroll in benefits coverage, you apply some or all of these dollars toward the cost of your benefits (e.g., medical, dental, life insurance). If your Benefit Dollars do not pay for the entire cost of your benefits, you make up the difference by paying premiums deducted from your paycheck.

If you have unused Benefit Dollars after paying for the cost of your benefits, you may choose to deposit them into a flexible spending account (FSA) or take them as taxable income in your pay.

Rates

The cost of coverage depends on your position with the university. Click on the appropriate link to view the cost of coverage.

• Faculty and Staff 2012 Rates
• Bargaining Unit Members 2012 Rates

Note: If you are a full-time benefits eligible faculty and staff member who was actively working prior to December 1, 2011 you can learn more about your benefits and their costs by viewing your
my Rewards Statement.

Tax Consequences of Same-Sex Domestic Partner Benefits

The Internal Revenue Code requires the fair market value of the benefits or privileges provided to domestic partners and their children to be considered taxable income for employment and income tax purposes unless the domestic partner qualifies as a dependent of the employee under Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code. You can look at the same-sex domestic partner tax chart for specific dollar amounts.

• 2012 Same-Sex Domestic Partner Tax Chart
• Guide to Determine Imputed Taxable Income