The final forms and instructions for 2018 Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting under Sections 6055 and 6056 are now available.
Overall, these final forms are similar to the final versions from 2017 with one major change. In the revised version of the Form 1095-C, it’s stated that the “Plan Start Month” entry in Part II will remain optional in 2018 after some discussion about possibly making it a mandatory field to complete.
What are these forms for?
Internal Revenue Service Code Sections 6055 and 6056 created the reporting requirements for the Affordable Care Act. Under the rules laid out in these sections, certain employers are required to provide information to the IRS about health plan coverage they do, or do not, offer to their employees. Forms 1094-C and 1095-C are used for reporting under Section 6056 by applicable large employers.
Each reporting employer must file the forms annually with the IRS. Specifically, the employer must file:
- Form 1095-B or Form 1095-C: A separate statement for each individual that is provided with minimum essential coverage or each full-time employee. Section 6055 applies to employers that offer minimum essential coverage, while Section 6056 is for applicable large employers with full-time employees.
- A transmittal form for all returns filed in a given calendar year. This is in Form 1094-B or Form 1094-C.
What do these filing forms mean for employers?
It is important for employers to familiarize themselves with these forms in preparation for using them to report for 2018.
The IRS claims that information returns under Sections 6055 and 6056 can still be filed after the filing deadline. They also claim that employers who miss the filing deadlines should continue to make the effort to get their returns in as soon as possible. This is true for both paper and electronic methods of filing.
Important dates to remember
On January 31, 2019, individual statements for 2018 must be furnished to employees and IRS returns for 2018 must be filed by February 28, 2019. If these forms are filed electronically, the deadline is extended to April 1, 2019.
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