This does not apply to all employers. Please read full article below for details.

2018 ACA Reporting Deadlines are Approaching

It’s that time of year where applicable large employers (ALEs) and certain other employers need to focus on completing their reporting obligations required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Here are some helpful tips and reminders.

The reporting is used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for three purposes:

1. Help enforce the Individual Mandate which was still in place for the 2018 calendar year.
2. Help enforce the Employer Mandate.
3. Help verify eligibility for subsidies on the Health Insurance Marketplace.

While the reporting is sometimes done by the insurance carrier, employers need to be cognizant of their reporting obligations. Employers with fewer than 50 employees (based on the average number of employees in 2017) are generally exempt from the reporting requirements for the 2018 reporting year. The exception is for those employers with fewer than 50 employees who offered a self-insured medical plan. In this case, the employer must complete Form 1095-B for every covered employee and their covered dependents. Additionally, one copy of Form 1094-B must be completed for the organization.

Employers with 50 or more employees (based on the average number of employees in 2017) are subject to the reporting requirements for the 2018 reporting year. In general, the employer must complete Form 1095-C for every full-time employee (those working 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month) with information pertaining to the offer of coverage. Section III of Form 1095 -C only needs to be completed by employers with 50 or more employees who offer a self-insured medical plan. Additionally, one copy of Form 1094-C must be completed for the organization.

There are also three deadlines to be aware of:

1. Copies of the forms must be provided to employees. Under normal circumstances, copies of the forms must be provided to employees by January 31^st, however, the IRS has issued an extension and the forms must now be provided to employees by March 4th.
2. If filing the reporting to the IRS manually, the forms must be submitted by February 28th.
3. If filing the reporting to the IRS electronically, the forms must be submitted by April 1st. Employers who have to submit 250 or more forms must file electronically.

Flex has put together a free, 60-minute webinar to provide a thorough overview of the reporting requirements to help ease some of the confusion that many employers feel this time year.

ACA Employer Reporting - Simplifying the Complex

Tuesday, January 29 | 11:00 am CST

This webinar is pre-approved for 1 HRCI Continuing Education Credit and 1 SHRM Professional Development Credit (PDC).