Posted on November 24th, 2025

Let’s get real for a second.

If you’re a business owner, HR leader, CFO, or the poor soul in your company who’s volunteered (or was voluntold) to “handle HR stuff,” you’re likely feeling it already:

• Costs are going up.
• Regulations are going up.
• Healthcare premiums are going way, way up.
• And compliance requirements? Oh, those aren’t just going up — they're tripling in size and screaming your name.

And now, thanks to the freshly minted One, Big, Beautiful Bill (Public Law 119-21) out of Washington, employers across America are about to inherit a new pile of reporting requirements, forms, statements, deadlines, and “gotcha” penalties.

Because nothing says “Happy 2026” like the federal government giving employers more paperwork.

Let’s break down what’s happening, why it matters, and—most importantly—how you can turn this mess into a massive opportunity with the new tax provisions inside the very same bill.

The Hidden Bomb Inside the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

New reporting rules. New employer burdens. New statements you must furnish. New data you must track.

Even when the income you’re reporting… isn’t taxed.

Yes. Really.

If you’ve been too busy running your business to wade through IRS code (understandable), here’s the plain-English version:

1. Employers Must Now Track and Report Certain Cash Tips — Even When They're Not Taxed

Under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, employers must:

✓ Track new categories of “certain cash tips”

✓ Report them

✓ File them in information returns

✓ Furnish annual statements to the employees

✓ Include the occupation of the tip recipient

Even though those specific tips are not taxable tips.

Let that sink in.

You’re now responsible for reporting income that the IRS itself says isn’t taxed. But you must still file the forms. And you must identify the occupation of every qualifying tipped worker.

Failure to do it correctly?

Cue the penalties.

This will primarily hit:

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Salons
• Hospitality
• Casinos
• Spas
• Coffee shops
• Caterers
• Event venues
• Any service-based company where cash tips are common

If you’re in those industries, take a deep breath. You’ll need it.

2. Employers Must Also Report Total “Qualified Overtime Compensation” — Even When OT Isn’t Taxed

Yes, another requirement to report income that isn’t taxable.

Under the new rules, employers must:

✓ File expanded information returns with the IRS

✓ Furnish statements to employees

✓ Include the annual total qualified overtime compensation

These are not optional.

These are not “nice to haves.”

These are mandatory compliance obligations.

And that means:

• More data tracking
• More documentation
• More time
• More administrative overhead
• More risk of unintentional penalties

And this is arriving at the exact same time employers are preparing for another storm.

The Other Punch in the Gut: The End of ACA Subsidies + Historic Healthcare Premium Increases

If you felt like your 2025 healthcare renewal was brutal, you’re not imagining it.

CNN recently reported that healthcare costs have risen 76% for 2025.

And that’s before the 2026 rates even arrive.

The Affordable Care Act subsidies — the only thing cushioning many families and small businesses — are scheduled to expire, leading to:

• skyrocketing premiums
• reduced affordability
• increased cost-shifting to employees
• employees dropping coverage (disaster for retention)
• employers rethinking whether they can even offer benefits

This is a perfect storm hitting:

• Small businesses
• Trades
• Construction
• Manufacturing
• Hospitality
• Nonprofits
• Service industries
• Rural workforce employers
• Companies with 5–100 employees (hardest hit of all)

The result?

Employers are paying more, employees are paying more, and nobody is getting more.

But There Is Good News — If You’re Willing to Look for It

And here’s where I pivot from doom to opportunity:

“If there’s a problem big enough, there’s a profit big enough.”

And the One, Big, Beautiful Bill contains something that almost no one is talking about:

New tax provisions that allow employers to identify, claim, and recover money from prior years — in some cases up to 5 years back.

Yes… the same bill that burdens employers with new reporting requirements
also gives you a toolbox full of tax-advantaged opportunities.

Most employers have no idea this is hidden in the legislation.

But the IRS knows.
Their attorneys know.
And the major accounting firms already have teams working to monetize it.

How These New Tax Provisions Can Actually Put Money Back in Your Business

Inside the One, Big, Beautiful Bill are newly updated or expanded programs that allow:

✓ Retrospective tax analysis (lookback up to 5 years)

Meaning: we can review prior payroll, prior filings, prior health plan structures, and determine if your company overpaid or missed allowable credits.

✓ Recovery of overpayments

Many employers unknowingly leave thousands — sometimes tens or hundreds of thousands — on the table.

✓ Credits tied to employee benefit structures

Especially those designed to expand healthcare access.

✓ Compliance-based tax opportunities

Yes — the same reporting you now have to do can also be used to help qualify you for employer relief programs.

✓ Brand-new tax-advantaged benefit structures

These options help employers:

• lower FICA
• reduce payroll tax exposure
• expand employee benefits
• offset 2026 healthcare premium increases
• boost employee retention
• create a net cash-flow positive benefits strategy
• add perks without adding employer cost

And unlike traditional benefits…

These new structures are 100% compliant with federal law and are tied directly to the tax code.

Here’s the Part No One Else Is Telling Employers

Business owners are about to get hit from three sides:

1. New IRS reporting requirements (time, labor, penalties)

2. Healthcare costs exploding (76% in 2025, higher for 2026)

3. Expiring ACA subsidies

But on the flip side:

There is more opportunity to recoup, recover, reduce, and restructure your costs than at any point in the last decade.

Most businesses won’t take advantage of it.

Why?

Because they don’t know it exists.

Because their CPA isn’t mentioning it.
Because their broker doesn’t get paid to tell them about it.
Because the government isn’t exactly calling you to say, “Hey, you overpaid taxes. Want it back?”

You have to seek it out.

And that’s where our firm steps in.

How WolfpackHR Helps Employers Navigate This and Actually Win

At WolfpackHR, we help business owners:

✓ Identify cost savings inside the new tax provisions

(up to 5-year lookbacks in some cases)

✓ Expand employee benefits with no new employer cost

(a huge relief going into 2026)

✓ Offset healthcare premium increases using the tax code

(not your cash flow)

✓ Stay compliant with the new reporting requirements

(audit protection so you don’t get fined)

✓ Implement tax-advantaged health benefit structures

(without touching your existing broker relationship)

✓ Recover money you already paid in

(yes — money already gone may still be recoverable)

Most employers think they’ve already maximized everything.
Almost none of them have.

And the ones who take advantage of these new provisions will be the ones with:

• stronger cash flow
• more competitive benefits
• better retention
• lower turnover costs
• higher profitability

While their competitors are still drowning in premium increases.

Final Word: Don’t Wait Until Your 2026 Renewal Throws You Off a Cliff

If you’re a business owner, CFO, HR leader, or decision maker…
you already know what’s coming:

2026 is shaping up to be the most expensive year for employer benefits in 20+ years.

But if you act now — while the new bill is still rolling out — you can:

• lower costs
• recover money
• restructure benefits
• protect your team
• and set your business up to thrive

All while staying compliant with the new IRS requirements you didn’t ask for — but still have to follow.

Ready to See What You Qualify For?

I’m helping employers run no-cost, no-obligation assessments to identify:

• potential tax credits
• prior-year recoveries
• benefits restructuring opportunities
• savings to offset 2026 premium increases
• solutions that cost the employer $0 to implement

If you want us to take a look at your situation — privately, confidentially, and without pressure — secure your time on our calendar here or see what tax savings you may qualify directly today.

Your future self (and your bottom line) will thank you.