ACA Information-Reporting Forms: How Tos, Task, Forms Added

Author: Tracy Morley, XpertHR Legal Editor

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created two annual information-reporting requirements whose deadlines are fast approaching:

  • Under Section 6055 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), self-insured employers, health insurance issuers, government agencies and other health coverage providers must report information on each individual to whom minimum essential coverage (MEC) was provided.
  • Under Section 6056 of the IRC, every applicable large employer (ALE) subject to the ACA's employer shared responsibility (or pay or play) mandate must report the terms and conditions of the health care coverage the employer offered to its full-time employees.

An employer must begin reporting in early 2016 for health coverage provided in 2015. Specifically, reports must be furnished to individual employees by February 1, 2016, and filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by February 29, 2016 (on paper), or March 31, 2016 (electronically).

The IRS created Forms 1094-B and 1095-B (to be used by a self-insured employer that is not an ALE for Section 6055 purposes) and Forms 1094-C and 1095-C (to be used by an ALE for Section 6055 and Section 6056 purposes).

To help an employer fill out and file these forms in a timely manner, a new Task and two new How Tos have been added to XpertHR:

The individual IRS forms have also been added to XpertHR:

Note that the IRS's early release drafts of 2015 filing instructions are not reflected in these documents, as draft instructions may not be relied on. Once the IRS officially releases final instructions, these documents will be updated as needed and announced via a new Editor's Choice.