ACA Compliance

Determining the accurate full-time employee count during a calendar year is important for ACA compliance. Getting it wrong can lead to inaccurate annual information filings with the IRS and subsequently…

What constitutes a full-time employee under the ACA? The answer is not as simple as it seems. And getting your full-time employee count right matters because it determines Applicable Large…

It’s no secret that IRS enforcement is ramping up. With an additional $80 billion in funding and 87,000 new agents, employers should accept the fact that ACA penalties could be…

Without the right resources, managing ACA compliance responsibilities can be time-consuming and difficult. There are many issues that can arise during the course of the year that can make employers’…

Classifying workers correctly is critical for determining if the ACA’s Employer Mandate requirements apply to an organization. The reason for this? Worker classifications directly impact an employer’s Applicable Large Employer…

Last week the IRS announced the affordability percentage for Premium Tax Credits (PTCs) and employee contributions for employer-sponsored health coverage.  In IRS Rev. Proc 2022-34, the agency makes clear that…

The words “summer” and “vacation” often go together. Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) should note that even though their ACA filing responsibilities have likely been satisfied due to the deadlines in…

Unfortunately, we’ve heard firsthand from many organizations that their Affordable Care Act compliance responsibilities tend to slip during the summer months following the push to submit annual ACA information filings…

Without the proper tools or subject matter expertise, tackling the responsibilities of the ACA’s Employer Mandate on your own can be overwhelming.  This is especially true if you are an…

Last month the IRS published a proposed regulation that would amend the existing rule regarding employer-sponsored Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) for family members of an employee.  The proposed rule would…

The deadline to electronically file ACA forms 1094-C and 1095-C for the 2021 tax year was March 31. Did you make the deadline? If you did, were all your submissions…

Over 10 years after the ACA was first signed into law, the reporting requirements under the ACA’s Employer Mandate have proven challenging and time-consuming for most. But quick-service restaurants have…

How do employers prove to the IRS that the healthcare plans they are offering to their workforce are affordable under the ACA? It’s an important question for Applicable Large Employers…

With the 2021 ACA reporting season coming to an end later this month, employers should turn their attention to ACA compliance for the 2022 tax year. A key component of…

On March 10, the Treasury issued a statement announcing that the IRS will be hiring more than 10,000 positions to assist with its current backlog and the 2021 filing season.…

The responsibilities under the ACA’s Employer Mandate may seem straightforward, but, in reality, complying with them can be challenging and time-consuming. An area that many Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) struggle…

Earlier this month the IRS issued a notice indicating that the fees associated with Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) are increasing this year. For plans that end on or after…

On December 5, the IRS closed production of the Affordable Care Act’s Information Returns (AIRs) portal to prepare for 2021 reporting year electronic filing submissions.  The agency says that the…

Open enrollment for the 2022 plan year ends later this week but ACA signups are already hitting record new highs. Kaiser Health News cites a record-breaking 13.6 million Americans already…

It’s 2022 and time to begin preparing the annual 1095-C filings with the IRS and select state governments. Are you ready? If you need a refresher on the different 1095-C…

On December 9, 2021, the IRS published the final ACA reporting instructions for the 2021 tax year, including the final 1094-C and 1095-C forms. As expected, the forms and instructions…

Open enrollment period for the 2022 coverage year is well underway, and ACA premiums are continuing to drop. The federal period for obtaining health coverage kicked off on November 1…

With the Infrastructure Bill now officially signed into law, Congress will now shift its focus onto the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better proposal. In its current version, the plan could…

ACA reporting is heading into its seventh year, yet, many organizations still face significant obstacles to meeting the requirements of the ACA’s Employer Mandate. Under the ACA’s Employer Mandate, employers…

Every year employers must file their ACA information via forms 1094-C and 1095-C to the IRS and any state government. For the last seven years, there have been two methods…

With the end of the year approaching quickly, ACA compliance and the subsequent ACA reporting are ramping up. Employers preparing for IRS and state filing requirements should consider the importance…

Three states have successfully transitioned away from the federal healthcare.gov ACA exchange to operate on their own-state run marketplace. On October 4, Maine, New Mexico, and Kentucky completed the transition…

Many of the challenges posed by the Affordable Care Act’s Employer Mandate are inherently data problems. Data quality management is not just an issue for larger employers with multiple HR…

Missouri’s ACA Medicaid expansion is already seeing substantial growth in terms of health coverage enrollment and participation. The state originally expanded Medicaid and Medicare at the height of the COVID-19pandemic…

The ACA is receiving some of the highest approval ratings since it was first signed into law in 2010. According to a June poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF),…

It’s no surprise that the IRSis increasing its enforcement efforts of the ACA’s Employer Mandate, but the amended Letter 226J language indicates that the agency is taking it to the…

The end of the 2021 tax year and the subsequent tax season are approaching rapidly. What precautions is your organization taking to ensure a smooth ACA reporting experience this year?…

The fourth quarter is here and the inevitable tax filing season is right around the corner. Employers should give special attention to their ACA reporting obligations this year as there…

The Biden administration is making sure that the upcoming open enrollment period is a successful one. Most recently the administration announced that it will be increasing funding for ACA navigators.…

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently made available an FAQ specifying the cost-sharing reduction limits (CSR) for the 2022 tax year. In the FAQ, the HHS makes…

August 15 was the deadline for Biden’s federal special enrollment period. Preliminary data finds over 2.5 million Americans opted to receive healthcare coverage. Of the 2.5 million, 1.8 million enrolled…

If you or someone you know has been hit with IRS Letter 226J, you know that it is no laughing matter. The IRS is currently issuing these ACA penalty assessments…

The IRS recently issued a notice that further clarifies the usage of Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) coverage as amended via the American Rescue Plan (ARP). IRS Notice 2021-46…

As part of their annual filing of healthcare coverage information with the IRS, organizations must determine if they are Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) for purposes of the Affordable Care Act…

Several health carriers are experiencing growth because of the recent Affordable Care Act advancements. Most notably is CVS Health Corp. and its affiliated health insurance business, Aetna. Last week the…

The Biden administration is yet again making strides to bolster the Affordable Care Act. This time, it’s through a proposed rule that aims to strengthen the ACA’s federal and state…

Earlier this year the IRS released final regulations regarding the relationship between Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions (ESRP) and individual coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). And then they were withdrawn by…

The annual PCORI fees deadline is always July 31. Since that falls on a Saturday this year, however, employers and health insurers offering self-funded health insurance plans will need to…

Earlier this month the Supreme Court issued its decision to uphold the ACA, dismissing the challengers who asserted it was unconstitutional. So, what happens next? Now that the healthcare law…

The IRS announced that there is no statute of limitations for ACA penalties. What does that mean exactly? Simply put, it means that the ACA non-compliance penalties for any reporting…

May 31 is the deadline for self-insured employers and health insurance carriers to submit applicable ACA information to the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) for the 2020 tax year. The…

3 minute read: We recently hosted a webinar on the growing number of states requiring ACA reporting in addition to federal filing with the IRS. With the 2020 tax year…

3 minute read: A federal court recently invalidated significant parts of a Trump administration rule affecting the Affordable Care Act (ACA). What this decision means and how it could impact…

3 minute read: Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) has reshaped the way Americans receive and qualify for healthcare coverage, including COBRA. Before diving into the specifics of how the ARP…

3 minute read: The Biden administration is once again finding ways to bolster the Affordable Care Act. This time the advancement comes in the form of ACA subsidies and the…