The Atlantic.com reported that traditional company perks are changing. While companies have traditionally focused on health care and 401(k) retirement benefits to attract talent, they find themselves today needing to offer more sexy benefits to attract the millennial generation. Atlantic.com reported that Facebook offers laundry services, Airbnb gives its employees an annual $2,000 bonus to travel the world, Google provides massage credits, and Evernote offers semi-monthly house cleaning services.
The accounting firm PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC) has announced that it will offer to help associate-level employees with their student loan debt starting later this year. PwC will contribute about $100 a month towards an employee’s student loan principal for up to six years, for a total payment of $7,200. Since the payment of principal reduces the interest accruing on the loan, PwC is saying that the benefit is actually worth up to $10,000. The Atlantic.com article did not mention if PwC’s $10,000 benefit was pre-tax, as the payment of the employee’s student loan would be considered taxable income by the IRS.
Gradifi, a Boston company, worked with PwC to create this program. Gradifi is said to have signed up another 100 companies that are interested in offering this benefit. You can Click Here to learn more about Gradifi and its Student Loan Paydown (SLP) Plan. Basically, Gradifi verifies that a student loan exists and then makes the payments to the lender. It boasts that it takes the decision out of the hands of the employee as to whether its funds should be directed to the payoff of a student loan or spent elsewhere.
If you want to discuss college financial planning or your business or personal tax planning and tax preparation concerns with an experienced tax professional, we invite you to call 610-594-2601 today to make an appointment at our Exton PA CPA office to discuss your situation. You can also schedule a consultation at Click Here.
