Are employer premiums paid toward dependent coverage included in the calculation for the small business tax credit? Is the employer required to pay at least 50% of dependent coverage to be eligible to claim the credit?

An employer may include amounts paid toward dependent coverage when determining employer premiums paid for purposes of the small business tax credit. To get the credit, an employer is not required to pay for all or even a portion of dependent coverage, but to the extent the employer pays these amounts, they may be included in employer premiums paid when calculating the credit.  Additionally, the employer will not fail to satisfy the uniform percentage requirement by contributing different amounts toward dependent coverage under I.R.C. § 45R.