Employer Methods for Reporting Offers of Coverage

When it comes to reporting your ACA return, there a few different ways to do so based on the coverage you offer your employees or recipients. Let’s dive straight into three of the most common, shall we?

General Reporting Method
What is likely to be the most used reporting method is the General Reporting Method. As a business with employees, this is the sort of reporting you’re used to, similar to when you file your 1099 or W-2 forms. You’ll complete Forms 1095-B or 1095-C for your employees/recipients with information on the health care coverage you offered and mail them off in January each year. Additionally, you’ll send copies of Form 1095-B or C along with Forms 1094-B or C (respectively) to the IRS by February 28/29 if you paper file and by March 31 if you e-file.

Reporting Based on Certification of Qualifying Offers
If you’re an applicable large employer (ALE) and the plan you offered to one or more of your employees meets all the requirements for being a qualifying offer, you can report your offers on a simplified return for the employees who received qualifying offers. The qualifying offer must last for all months of the year and must have been offered to the employee’s spouse and dependents (if applicable). Certain ALEs may be able to provide a simplified employee statement in lieu of a copy of Form 1095-C for each full-time employee under this reporting method.

98% Offer Reporting Method
This method is similar to the Qualifying Offer method, however it’s based on the quantity of coverage you offer rather than quality. If you’re an ALE who makes offers of coverage that meet the requirements for minimum essential coverage (MEC) and minimum value (MV) to at least 98% of their full-time employees can use the simplified reporting method detailed above. You must also be able to prove that anyone not offered the MEC was a part-time employee rather than a full-time one.

E-filing with ExpressACAForms
When you e-file with ExpressACAForms, we make every effort to make sure your forms are completed accurately and filed securely with the IRS. You can get started today by creating a free account at www.ExpressACAForms.com. If you have any questions or need assistance, you can give us a call at (704) 839-2270 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, or send us an email anytime to support@ExpressACAForms.com.