For the first time in four years, the IRS adjusted the affordability percentage used for the shared responsibility penalties. The IRS recently announced that the affordability percentage for 2025 will be 9.02%....more
As we’ve previously discussed, the IRS started issuing Letters 226J in late 2017. It continues to send these letters to employers each year proposing that the employer owes an Employer Shared Responsibility Payment (ESRP) for...more
On October 13, 2022, the IRS finalized regulations (the “Final Rule”) intended to revise the method of determining affordability under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for an employee’s family members by considering whether the...more
Applicable large employers must adhere to many Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules to remain compliant regarding group health plan offerings. We offer the following checklist of the five most helpful reminders you should take...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released Rev. Proc. 2022-34, which contains the inflation- adjusted amounts for 2023 that are used to determine whether employer-sponsored coverage is “affordable” for purposes of the...more
In a surprising memo from the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, the IRS concluded that there is no statute of limitations period on the Employer Shared Responsibility Payments (“ESRP”) under the Affordable Care Act. The IRS...more
The IRS Office of Chief Counsel recently issued a memorandum (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-lafa/20200801f.pdf) that responded with a resounding “No” to the question of whether an employer shared responsibility payment (ESRP)...more
On September 30th, the IRS issued proposed regulations that establish safe harbors for compliance with the employer mandate in the context of individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (or “ICHRAs”). These proposed...more
As 2019 comes to an end, we are pleased to present our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we present our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. This Part 1 covers year-end health...more
Employers have been receiving letters from the IRS assessing Employer Shared Responsibility Payments -- penalties -- under the Affordable Care Act, usually for the 2015 or 2016 calendar years. We have seen penalty amounts...more
As reported in our 2018 End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List (Part 1) Health & Welfare, the Section 4980H penalties are still in effect and the IRS is enforcing them. Employers continue to receive Letters 226J, which the IRS...more
On October 29, 2018, proposed regulations were published in the Federal Register that would permit employers to offer two new types of health reimbursement arrangements (“HRAs”) that align with the requirements of the...more
Within the last few days, we have received a number of emails and calls from public agency clients stating that the IRS wrote them to demand an Employer Shared Responsibility Payment amounting to millions of dollars. ...more
With the 2016 employer mandate tax assessment letters hitting employer desks this week, it seems like a good time to summarize our experience with the 2015 ESRP process. ...more
If you believe your company was subject to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage requirements in 2015 (generally, all employers with 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees), please take note that the Internal Revenue...more
Over the past year, there has been a significant focus in the press on various attempts to overhaul or repeal key elements of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), which was originally passed into law almost eight years ago. While...more
The IRS has recently begun enforcing the “employer shared responsibility” (ESR) provisions of the Affordable Care Act (the "Act"), which require employers having 50 or more full-time employees (or full-time equivalent...more
It’s official. The IRS has finally begun the process of collecting penalties under the Affordable Care Act’s (“ACA”) employer shared responsibility provisions, better known as the “employer mandate.” The IRS has started...more
On more than one occasion since passing the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), the IRS has given some type of early holiday “gift” to alleviate pending compliance concerns for employers. One of the most significant of these...more
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) indicated that it would begin enforcing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility provisions (commonly known as the "Employer Mandate"). Last week, the IRS...more
Yesterday afternoon, the House of Representatives passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) (the “House bill”). The House bill is identical to the draft bill approved by the House Ways and Means Committee on November 10. Late...more
The IRS has announced its next steps regarding the Employer Shared Responsibility Payments (the “ESRPs”), which are the ACA penalties assessable to “Applicable Large Employers” for failing to provide affordable health care...more
In the next few months, the IRS will begin sending letters notifying employers that they may owe a penalty for failing to offer health coverage under the Affordable Care Act's Employer Mandate for the 2015 calendar year. The...more
During his campaign, President-elect Trump promised to make the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a priority. Now that the election is over, what should employers expect? We don’t have a crystal ball,...more
With the end of 2015 fast approaching, employers should be aware of certain issues under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and...more