Amex Joins GrossUp Party

@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All rights reserved

Amex Joins 'Gross Up' Party
 Neal Broverman
          
          Oct 20, 2011
          
        
Neal Broverman
Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.
 See Full Bio 
                  Follow:
                  
Two days after news broke that Morgan Stanley was subsidizing the tax penalties gay employees pay for domestic partner benefits, American Express announced they were following suit.

If a gay employee receives domestic partner health benefits they are counted as taxable income if the partner is not a dependent -- gay employees can not use pre-tax dollars to pay for their health premiums while opposite-sex married couples can. And because of the Defense of Marriage Act, even if gay couples marry, their nuptials are not recognized by the federal government. Referred to as a "gross up," companies reimburse gay employees for the tax burden they incur as part of this government inequality.  

Aside from Morgan Stanley and American Express -- both of which will starting offering gross ups in January -- Bank of America recently started the practice. Read more here.

        
        FROM OUR SPONSORS
        
    

        
        The Latest
        
    
Opinion
        From abomination to somebody: What Jesse Jackson meant to Black queer boys in the Back pew
    A queer Black writer reflects on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s evolving relationship with LGBTQ+ people — and what it meant for those of us raised in the Black church.
James B. Golden
States
        Iowa House Republicans pass a bill that will make the lives of transgender residents worse
    Conservative lawmakers are attempting to take away protections that some local governments have put in place to prevent discrimination against their LGBTQ+ citizens.
Jack Walker
News
        LGBTQ+ celebs react to Kristi Noem’s firing: ‘Put her in prison! Lock her up!’
    Plenty of outspoken queer stars are bidding farewell to the former Secretary of Homeland Security.
Ricky Cornish
National
        Why gay conversion therapy survivor Mathew Shurka says people like him are needed in Congress
    The New York City Democrat is the cofounder of the anti-conversion therapy project Born Perfect.
Trudy Ring

        
        More For You
        
        Pete Buttigieg & Robert Garcia join chorus of leaders condemning Donald Trump’s ‘war of choice’ with Iran
    
Christopher Wiggins
Feb 28, 2026
The U.S. Capitol is seen on February 28, 2026, in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Israel had launched an attack on Iran on Saturday morning. 

        Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
    
        Political leaders around the country are expressing outrage over the start of armed conflict between the United States and Iran. Keep Reading →

        Retired Space Force colonel warns Trump’s Iran strikes are ‘reckless adventurism and distraction’
    
Christopher Wiggins
Feb 28, 2026
An NBC News live feed airs a clip from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social video announcement in the White House James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on February 28, 2026, in Washington, DC. 

        Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    
        Update: Pete Buttigieg & Robert Garcia join chorus of leaders condemning Donald Trump’s ‘war of choice’ with Iran Keep Reading →

        LGBTQ+ people are important to global economy, corporate allies say at Davos
    
Christopher Wiggins
Jan 22, 2026
Workday showed its LGBTQ+ support at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

        GLAAD
    
        As rainbow lights washed across corporate venues in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Davos, advocates and allies sent a message that cut through the noise of the World Economic Forum: LGBTQ+ people belong in the global economy, even — and perhaps especially — when powerful leaders try to push them out. Keep Reading →

        Greenlandic families ‘frightened’ amid rising tensions over Trump takeover plan, Sarah McBride warns
    
Christopher Wiggins
Jan 20, 2026
People hold up Greenlandic flags as they gather to welcome Greenland's Foreign Minister after she landed at the airport in Greenland's capital Nuuk on January 20, 2026.

         Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images) / Denmark OUT
    
        Rep. Sarah McBride, the Delaware Democrat who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Sunday that talk of the United States acquiring Greenland has left ordinary people in the Arctic territory “frightened for their safety,” underscoring a diplomatic rupture with Europe that is shaking NATO and inflaming public opinion from Copenhagen to Nuuk. Keep Reading →

        Here's everything to know about LGBTQ+ rights in Venezuela
    
Ryan Adamczeski
Jan 06, 2026
LGBTQ+ Pride march in Caracas, Venezuela (July 2, 2023); Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro 

        Julio Lovera; StringerAL/Shuttershock.com
    
        Despite what he claims, human rights in Venezuela aren't what Donald Trump cares about, according to the president's critics. Keep Reading →

        Most Popular
        
National
        Republicans rage after Trump appears to soften stance on trans care
    On Truth Social, the president appeared to leave the door open to kids getting gender-affirming care with "express written approval of the parents."
Christopher Wiggins
Opinion
        Kristi Noem is a cautionary tale for white gay Republicans
    Opinion: Proximity to (and even building) misogynistic machinery will not protect you, writes contributor Josh Ackley.
Josh Ackley
People
        Gay professional gamer detained by ICE fears deportation to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal
    Ludovic Mbock’s Maryland family is worried that he will be sent to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
Christopher Wiggins
Arts & Entertainment
        Liza Minnelli, flanked by a phalanx of dancers, surprises audience at the GLAAD Media Awards
    The gay icon brought the LGBTQ+ awards show to its feet.
Daniel Reynolds
States
        Anti-DEI bill threatening Florida Pride events gains momentum in GOP legislature
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed for a bill that bans local government diversity initiatives, 
Jacob Ogles
States
        Texas AG Ken Paxton says ban on gender-affirming care for trans kids also applies to talk therapy
    Mental health care providers in Texas risk their license if they deliver care related to transitioning to minors, the Republican attorney general who is running for U.S. Senate wrote.
Jacob Ogles

Site Navigation

Amex Joins 'Gross Up' Party

The Latest

From abomination to somebody: What Jesse Jackson meant to Black queer boys in the Back pew

A queer Black writer reflects on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s evolving relationship with LGBTQ+ people — and what it meant for those of us raised in the Black church.

Iowa House Republicans pass a bill that will make the lives of transgender residents worse

Conservative lawmakers are attempting to take away protections that some local governments have put in place to prevent discrimination against their LGBTQ+ citizens.

LGBTQ+ celebs react to Kristi Noem’s firing: ‘Put her in prison! Lock her up!’

Plenty of outspoken queer stars are bidding farewell to the former Secretary of Homeland Security.

Why gay conversion therapy survivor Mathew Shurka says people like him are needed in Congress

The New York City Democrat is the cofounder of the anti-conversion therapy project Born Perfect.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

13 LGBTQ+ British Royals in History

Argentina's President-Elect Is 'Proud' of His Drag Queen Son

Puerto Vallarta felt like ‘The Purge,' American says of unrest in Mexican tourist destination

Hillary Clinton and Sarah McBride expose how weaponizing ‘scarcity’ drives anti-trans political attacks

Canadian school shooting sparks anti-trans uproar after shooter identified

More For You

Pete Buttigieg & Robert Garcia join chorus of leaders condemning Donald Trump’s ‘war of choice’ with Iran

Retired Space Force colonel warns Trump’s Iran strikes are ‘reckless adventurism and distraction’

LGBTQ+ people are important to global economy, corporate allies say at Davos

Greenlandic families ‘frightened’ amid rising tensions over Trump takeover plan, Sarah McBride warns

Here's everything to know about LGBTQ+ rights in Venezuela

Most Popular

Kristi Noem is a cautionary tale for white gay Republicans

Opinion: Proximity to (and even building) misogynistic machinery will not protect you, writes contributor Josh Ackley.

Gay professional gamer detained by ICE fears deportation to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal

Ludovic Mbock’s Maryland family is worried that he will be sent to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

Liza Minnelli, flanked by a phalanx of dancers, surprises audience at the GLAAD Media Awards

The gay icon brought the LGBTQ+ awards show to its feet.

Anti-DEI bill threatening Florida Pride events gains momentum in GOP legislature

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed for a bill that bans local government diversity initiatives,

Texas AG Ken Paxton says ban on gender-affirming care for trans kids also applies to talk therapy

Mental health care providers in Texas risk their license if they deliver care related to transitioning to minors, the Republican attorney general who is running for U.S. Senate wrote.

Latest Stories

Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week.

Amex Joins 'Gross Up' Party

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

A queer Black writer reflects on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s evolving relationship with LGBTQ+ people — and what it meant for those of us raised in the Black church.

Conservative lawmakers are attempting to take away protections that some local governments have put in place to prevent discrimination against their LGBTQ+ citizens.

Plenty of outspoken queer stars are bidding farewell to the former Secretary of Homeland Security.

The New York City Democrat is the cofounder of the anti-conversion therapy project Born Perfect.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

More For You

Most Popular

On Truth Social, the president appeared to leave the door open to kids getting gender-affirming care with "express written approval of the parents."

Opinion: Proximity to (and even building) misogynistic machinery will not protect you, writes contributor Josh Ackley.

Ludovic Mbock’s Maryland family is worried that he will be sent to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

The gay icon brought the LGBTQ+ awards show to its feet.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed for a bill that bans local government diversity initiatives,

Mental health care providers in Texas risk their license if they deliver care related to transitioning to minors, the Republican attorney general who is running for U.S. Senate wrote.