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ARE BUSINESS INSURANCE CLAIMS CONSIDERED TAXABLE INCOME?

Are business insurance claims considered taxable income? What happens when you have to file a commercial insurance claim and you receive money from your insurance provider? Find out of you owe taxes on that money.

Are Business Insurance Claims Considered Taxable Income?

If you’re a business owner, there’s no doubt that you know just how important it is to protect your organization with insurance.
Like most business owners, you probably don’t give your insurance much thought. You know that you have it, and you’re happy that it’s there, but other than paying your premiums and making sure everything is current, you likely don’t pay too much attention to your coverage.

But what happens when you do have to file a claim and you receive money from your insurance provider? You might also want to read how to handle a small business insurance claim if you need file one. You can’t help but wonder: Are business insurance claims considered taxable income?

Considering the fact that you’re probably overloaded with taxes and they can have a significant impact on your bottom line, it stands to reason that you are asking, “Are business insurance proceeds taxable?”>Below, we’ll answer these questions and more so that you gain a better understanding of what you’ll be dealing with in the event that you have to file an insurance claim for your business.

Business Insurance Proceeds and Taxes

Generally speaking, moneys that businesses collect from their insurance companies after filing a claim are not considered taxable income – particularly if the amount you receive is $5,000 or less. However, there is a chance that you will have to pay taxes on the moneys you collect from your insurance claim, depending on the specific circumstances.

Why Are Business Insurance Proceeds Taxable?

Are business insurance claims considered taxable income? That’s a difficult question to answer; but, generally speaking, if the amount that you claim is far greater than the damage your business sustained, than you may be required to pay a tax on the amount of money you received that exceeds the actual damages. This is also the case in the event of a disaster loss that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) believes that you received more from your insurance company than the actual value of the property that was destroyed or damaged.

Most business owners are shocked to learn that the receipt of an insurance claim payment for a fire or other loss may result in taxable income. This can happen where the amount of the insurance money received exceeds the business’s depreciated tax basis in the damage or loss on the property.

Therefore, you are strongly urged to find out whether or not your business insurance claims are taxable, particularly when the claim is related to a natural disaster, such as a fire, a flood, or a weather-event, such as a hurricane. Keep in mind, however, that typically, the amount of money you receive for your claim will almost cover the losses and expenses – which means that you will have to pay out some sort of difference – and as such, the money you receive from a claim is not considered taxable.

Are Business Insurance Claims Tax Deductible?

In addition to wanting to know if your business insurance claims are taxable, you are likely asking, “are business insurance premiums tax deductible?” After all, if there is a chance that your insurance claims can be taxed, it only seems fair that the premiums you pay for your taxes would be deductible.

The answer is yes! Why are business insurance premiums tax deductible? Because the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows business owners to deduct what they consider the “ordinary and necessary cost of insurance”, which is considered a business expense. Ordinary expenses are those that are deemed to be acceptable and helpful for the type of business that you operate. Necessary expenses are those that are helpful for your business, not absolutely necessary. The premiums for the following types of business-related insurance are tax deductible:

  • Business auto insurance
  • Business interruption insurance
  • Commercial liability insurance
  • Commercial property insurance
  • Life insurance that your business provides for employees and are not considered a beneficiary
  • Medical malpractice insurance
  • Workers compensation insurance that is required by state law

Are Business Insurance Claims Considered Taxable Income? - The Bottom Line

We hope this article on are business insurance claims considered taxable income? was informative. Commercial insurance is vital for your business. It protects you, your company, your employees, and various other elements of your organization from various types of losses. While no one likes to pay for insurance, knowing that business insurance premiums are tax deductible and that you can avoid paying taxes on the money that you receive from a claim make it easier to accept. Business property insurance proceeds taxable income, rental property insurance proceeds taxable, are insurance claims taxable income, tax treatment of business interruption insurance proceeds, are property insurance proceeds taxable, insurance claim on rental property taxable, casualty loss insurance proceeds tax treatment and insurance proceeds in excess of repairs.

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