Before you begin to prepare your ACA reporting, it’s important that you know what information you need in preparing Form 1095-C. We’ve compiled the following 7 key topics in our Form 1095-C Guide that may help you to correctly and timely complete your filing.
What’s new for Form 1095-C?
The electronic filing threshold has been decreased to 10 forms. This means that filers with more than 10 forms total (across all form types) must submit an electronic filing.
Form 1095-C Guide – Key Topics
Our Form 1095-C guide identifies 7 key topics that will help you get started with your ACA filing.
Identify common law employees
The IRS defines an employee as anyone who performs services for you if you can control what will be done and how it will be done.
Identify full-time employees
The IRS has specific guidelines to determine full-time employees.
In short, a full-time employee is an employee who completes at least 30 hours of service per week, or 130 hours per month, for a calendar month.
Employers can use two different measurement methods to determine full-time employee count.
Verify TIN information
Verifying taxpayer information for both your payer and employees will help you avoid potential corrections, penalties, or other costs.
Tools like TINCorrect can help verify the TIN information you have on file with the IRS before submitting your ACA reporting.
Confirm ACA required threshold satisfaction
Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) are required to offer at least 95% of full-time employees minimum essential coverage that is affordable and provides minimum value to their full-time employees and their dependents, according to the IRS.
Determine affordability safe harbors
Premiums for provided coverage must constitute less than 9.78% of the household income of an eligible employee in order to be considered affordable. The IRS offers three safe harbor options to help determine affordability.
Determine a point of contact for employee questions
Your employees will need a good point of contact in order to address any concerns or questions regarding their 1095-C forms.
Self-Insured Plans: Identify and gather information
Self-insured plans must provide information for their covered individuals (employees and dependents), including their name and social security number or date of birth.
ACA Deadlines
As a best practice, we recommend starting your filings as early as possible. This ensures you have ample time to collect the required information, complete the necessary forms, and verify the information for possible typos and other errors.
The IRS filing season 2024 federal deadlines for tax year 2023 are as follows:
2023 ACA Deadlines | Date |
---|---|
Paper File Deadline | February 28, 2024 |
Recipient Copy / Furnishing Deadline | March 1, 2024 |
E-file Deadline | April 1, 2024 |
Please note that these are just the federal deadlines. Please verify with your state for any state ACA requirements and the proper submission methods.
IRS Penalties
Both types of ACA filings (B-series and C-series) require that the filer submit a return to the IRS, any applicable states, and to the recipients. If any of these requirements are not met, the filer or employer may be subject to fines and penalties.
Employers risk being penalized for issuing or submitting incorrect forms to the IRS and recipients. Employers can expect penalty letters if requirements have not been met by the IRS standards. The first letter the IRS sends is letter 5699, which serves as a “warning” letter. If no action is taken, it is typically followed up with letter 226-J, which contains the penalty amount and other information.
Employers may also receive a Letter 1865C notice if they submit a filing where some or all forms cannot be processed.
If you are required to file these information returns and fail to file or fail to furnish forms by the due date, then you may be subject to the following IRS Penalties:
- Failure to file correct forms – $310 per form
- Failure to furnish recipient forms – $310 per form
- Failure to file electronically, when required to do so – $310 per form
Conclusion
Use this Form 1095-C Guide along with our Essential Guide and become a master at your ACA filing. You can also download our ACA Essential Guide as a PDF to keep with you offline.
Lastly, be sure to get started on your ACA filings as soon as possible to ensure that you’re ahead of the deadlines.
BoomTax, The Boom Post, and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors prior to engaging in any transaction.