Title 26Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§4376 Self-insured health plans

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle D— - Miscellaneous Excise Taxes › Chapter CHAPTER 34— - TAXES ON CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES › Subchapter Subchapter B— - Insured and Self-Insured Health Plans › § 4376

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Self-insured health plans must pay a yearly fee based on how many people they cover. For plan years ending after September 30, 2012, the fee is $2 for each average covered person (it is $1 per person for plan years that end during fiscal year 2013). The plan sponsor has to pay the fee. For plan years that end in any fiscal year beginning after September 30, 2014, the per-person dollar amount will rise each year. The increase equals the prior year’s amount multiplied by the percent increase in the projected per-person National Health Expenditures that the Secretary publishes before the fiscal year. The fee does not apply to plan years ending after September 30, 2029. Plan sponsor — the employer, employee organization, committee/board or similar group that runs or maintains the plan. Applicable self-insured health plan — a plan that provides health or accident coverage at least partly without an insurance policy and is run by employers, employee groups, certain nonprofit organizations, or eligible multiemployer or rural cooperative arrangements.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §4376

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In the case of any applicable self-insured health plan for each plan year ending after September 30, 2012, there is hereby imposed a fee equal to $2 ($1 in the case of plan years ending during fiscal year 2013) multiplied by the average number of lives covered under the plan.
(b)(1)The fee imposed by subsection (a) shall be paid by the plan sponsor.
(2)For purposes of paragraph (1) the term “plan sponsor” means—
(A)the employer in the case of a plan established or maintained by a single employer,
(B)the employee organization in the case of a plan established or maintained by an employee organization,
(C)in the case of—
(i)a plan established or maintained by 2 or more employers or jointly by 1 or more employers and 1 or more employee organizations,
(ii)a multiple employer welfare arrangement, or
(iii)a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association described in section 501(c)(9), the association, committee, joint board of trustees, or other similar group of representatives of the parties who establish or maintain the plan, or
(D)the cooperative or association described in subsection (c)(2)(F) in the case of a plan established or maintained by such a cooperative or association.
(c)For purposes of this section, the term “applicable self-insured health plan” means any plan for providing accident or health coverage if—
(1)any portion of such coverage is provided other than through an insurance policy, and
(2)such plan is established or maintained—
(A)by 1 or more employers for the benefit of their employees or former employees,
(B)by 1 or more employee organizations for the benefit of their members or former members,
(C)jointly by 1 or more employers and 1 or more employee organizations for the benefit of employees or former employees,
(D)by a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association described in section 501(c)(9),
(E)by any organization described in section 501(c)(6), or
(F)in the case of a plan not described in the preceding subparagraphs, by a multiple employer welfare arrangement (as defined in section 3(40) of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), a rural electric cooperative (as defined in section 3(40)(B)(iv) of such Act), or a rural telephone cooperative association (as defined in section 3(40)(B)(v) of such Act).
(d)In the case of any plan year ending in any fiscal year beginning after September 30, 2014, the dollar amount in effect under subsection (a) for such plan year shall be equal to the sum of such dollar amount for plan years ending in the previous fiscal year (determined after the application of this subsection), plus an amount equal to the product of—
(1)such dollar amount for plan years ending in the previous fiscal year, multiplied by
(2)the percentage increase in the projected per capita amount of National Health Expenditures, as most recently published by the Secretary before the beginning of the fiscal year.
(e)This section shall not apply to plan years ending after September 30, 2029.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 3(40) of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (c)(2)(F), is classified to section 1002(40) of Title 29, Labor.

Amendments

2019—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 116–94 substituted “2029” for “2019”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 4376

Title 26Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73