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Election results and the Affordable Care Act – What can employers do now?
Nearly once a week, I receive a frantic call or email from a current or potential client who has received a proposed or final assessment from the IRS related to Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) reporting. So-called “Applicable...more
The employee benefits 2024 open enrollment season is quickly approaching and, with newly released IRS guidance, employers should be careful to ensure the health plan they offer employees is considered affordable. According to...more
The IRS has issued its first ACA penalty letters for tax year 2021. While employers have been forewarned, many may not be fully armed to respond in a timely and compliant manner. The IRS is making good on its promise, and...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
Takeaway Message: A recent IRS notice provides a future path for employers to avoid ACA employer mandate penalties by reimbursing employees for a portion of the cost of individual insurance coverage through an...more
Late last year, the Internal Revenue Service (the “Service”) began enforcing penalties with respect to failures to comply with the employer shared responsibility provisions of Section 4980H of the Internal Revenue Code. In...more
The IRS just announced an increase in the maximum permitted employee contribution percentages in 2019 for the purpose of determining the affordability of an employer's health plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)....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
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
On November 2, 2017, the IRS issued guidance regarding the enforcement of Employer Shared Responsibility payments, otherwise known as the Section 4980H penalty. Questions 55-58 of the IRS Questions and Answers on Employer...more
As 2017 comes to an end, we are pleased to present our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we are presenting our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. This Part 1 will cover...more
You may recall that President Trump signed an executive order on the day of his inauguration directing all agencies to minimize the economic burden of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) pending its repeal. You may recall also that...more
Below is a summary of significant health care reform developments over the past two weeks. GOP Repeal and Replace Efforts Stalled. After releasing a revised version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) on July 13,...more
In the ACA realm, change is the only constant, so don’t take this to the bank. We’re telling you what we see for the first time, on a first reading of the draft 2016 Forms and Instructions that the IRS has released since...more
As the ACA audit era approaches, many employers are wondering: what will happen? What sorts of documentation will the IRS request? What industries will be targeted? And what can employers do to prepare? In this post, I...more
Even though the first year of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate is in effect and fully phased-in, it has been our experience that few employers have bothered to review their employee handbooks to reflect the ACA. ...more
On December 16, 2015, the IRS issued Notice 2015-87 (the "Notice"), which provides "question-and-answer" guidance regarding how various Affordable Care Act (the "ACA") provisions apply to employer-provided group health plans....more
In Q&A format, recently issued Notice 2015-87 addresses a number of pressing issues that have arisen under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including that law’s employer shared responsibility rules, information reporting...more
A few weeks ago, we provided the most Frequently Asked Questions regarding the employer reporting requirements under The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "ACA"), which are generally effective beginning January...more
On December 28, 2015, the IRS announced in Notice 2016-4 that the deadlines for complying with the new reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be temporarily extended for purposes of 2015 coverage....more
Extension Provides Much-Needed Time to Accurately Complete First Year of Reporting - The IRS has extended the deadlines for information reporting by employers and coverage providers as required under the Affordable Care...more
Last week we examined the reporting challenges associated with employee terminations, changes in status, and breaks in service under the monthly measurement method. As we explained, “[t]he final regulations under Code § 4980H...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
As we noted in a previous post, the recently issued final 2015 Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C changed certain of the rules relating to the reporting for offers of COBRA coverage where the COBRA qualifying event...more
When reporting offers of coverage to full-time employees under the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer shared responsibility rules, much of the detail appears in Part II of IRS Form 1095-C, Lines 14, 15 and 16. For the most...more