Are Micro-Captives Legal? What the IRS Actually Targets
Yes — captive insurance is a long-established, legitimate tool. What the IRS targets is abusive arrangements that aren’t real insurance. Here’s the line.
Insights
Plain-English explainers on captive insurance — the concepts that apply whether you are weighing a single-owner micro-captive or a member-owned group captive.
Yes — captive insurance is a long-established, legitimate tool. What the IRS targets is abusive arrangements that aren’t real insurance. Here’s the line.
How captive insurance taxation actually works, the promoter pitches that get people penalized, and why the tax election follows the insurance.
How value returns from a captive — underwriting profit and investment income, claims first, and distributions that are conditional and regulator-approved.
A plain-English primer on captive insurance for CPAs, attorneys, and advisors: what a captive is, the two structures, and how to spot a fit.
A side-by-side comparison of traditional commercial coverage, self-insurance, and a captive you own — on control, cost behavior, risk, and fit.
A plain-English guide for finance leaders: how a captive insurer you own actually works, why it must be real insurance, and the total-cost-of-risk lens.