How to E-file Form 1095-C with ExpressIRSForms

Hello, and welcome to ExpressIRSForms! Today we’re going to take you step by step through the process of e-filing a Form 1095-C with ExpressIRSForms. If you’ve e-filed your 1099s or W-2s with us before, things may look a little familiar. If you’re just stopping by for the first time, sit back, relax, and see how easy it is to e-file with ExpressIRSForms:

Getting Started
First things first, you’ll need to either create an account at www.ExpressIRSForms.com, or log into your existing one. Select either the “Register” or “Sign In” button on the top right corner of our home page, as it is applicable to you. Once you’ve logged into your account, you’ll see a button that says “Create New Forms.” Click this, and select the ACA forms option.

Employer Information
After you’ve indicated you’d like to e-file ACA forms, you’ll be taken to a screen to enter the employer information needed for your ACA return. Enter your employer by either selecting their name from the drop-down menu of your existing employers, or filling in the boxes to add a new employer. Once you’ve confirmed all of your information is correct, click Next.

Next, the program will determine if your employer is a member of an aggregated group, what type of insurance is sponsored by the employer, and the amount of full-time employees (FTEs) your business has by asking a few simple questions. Before completing the next part of your form, you’ll come to a checkpoint screen that summarizes the type of ACA form you’re filing along with your employer information. Click Continue to go to the next part.

Employer Offered Coverage
Now onto what the ACA forms are all about: your employees and the coverage you offered them. You’ll see on the first screen for this section that you have the option to add employees individually or bulk upload them using our Excel template or one of your own. Select which option you’d like, and either enter your employees’ data individually, or upload your ACA data spreadsheet.

Authoritative Transmittal
Once you’ve either entered or uploaded your employee data, click Next to indicate whether or not this return will be considered the Authoritative Transmittal for your complete ACA return. If this is your only transmittal, it automatically becomes the Authoritative Transmittal (AT).

After indicating the AT, the program will ask about any transition relief your organization or business qualified for during the tax period. The next pages will ask you to confirm you offered minimum essential coverage (MEC) throughout the year and your total number of FTEs as well as total number of employees overall.

Summary
Lastly, you’ll come to your summary screen. Look over everything to make sure your employer and employee info is entered correctly and click Review. The program then performs one last error check to make sure your return is free of any obvious errors before it’s transmitted to the IRS. If there are no errors, just click through to add your payment information for the one-time transmittal fee, and transmit your return to the IRS.

See, wasn’t that simple?

If you have any questions about e-filing with ExpressIRSForms, give us a call! We’re available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, at (704) 684-4751. We also provide 24/7 email assistance at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.



Looking for something a little less hands on? Try ExpressACAForms, our full-service ACA e-filing solution!

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Reporting Safe Harbor & Affordability on Line 16 of Form 1095-C

A couple of slots down from Line 14 on Form 1095-C is Line 16, as is usually the case with sequential numbers. The thing about Line 16 is that not everyone will fill it out. Read on to learn more about this reporting requirement.

Form 1095-C, Line 16
The thing to keep in mind about Line 16 is that you’ll only fill it out if certain situations apply for the employee (i.e., the employee not being full-time or employed at all) or for you, as the employer (i.e., Safe Harbor relief eligibility), during any month of the year.

ACA Code Series 2
The following Safe Harbor Codes are used on Line 16 of Form 1095-C:

• 2A: Employee was not employed during this month.
• If the employee worked even one day that month, Code 2A is not applicable.
• Code 2A may not be used for the month an employee resigns.
• 2B: Employee is not a full-time employee.
• Use Code 2B for a non-FTE who didn’t enroll in coverage that month (if offered).
• Use Code 2B for FTEs whose coverage ended before the last day of the month because the employee resigned (otherwise, the coverage would’ve continued).
• Use Code 2B for January 2015 if you offered MEC with MV to the employee no later than the first day of the first payroll period beginning that month.
• 2C: Employee enrolled in coverage offered.
• Code 2C should be used even if another code might apply (other than 2E).
• Don’t use Code 2C if Code 1G is entered in the “All 12 Months” box on Line 14.
• Don’t use Code 2C for any month a terminated employee is enrolled in COBRA (use Code 2A instead).
• 2D: Employee in a section 4980H(b) Limited Non-Assessment Period
• Use Code 2D for any month the employee is in a Limited non-Assessment Period for section 4980H(b).
• If Code 2E is also applicable, use that instead of Code 2D.
• 2E: Multiemployer interim rule relief.
• Use Code 2E for any month the multiemployer arrangement interim guidance applies to the employee.
• Code 2E should be used regardless of any other code that may apply.
• 2F: Section 4980H affordability Form W-2 safe harbor.
• Use Code 2F for any month you used the section 4980H Form W-2 safe harbor to determine affordability for the employee’s coverage.
• 2G: Section 4980H affordability federal poverty line safe harbor.
• Use Code 2G for any month you used the section 4980H affordability federal poverty line safe harbor to determine affordability for coverage.
• 2H: Section 4980H affordability rate of pay safe harbor.
• Use Code 2H for any month you used the section 4980H affordability rate of pay safe harbor to determine affordability.
• 2I: Non-calendar year transition relief applies.
• Enter Code 2I if non-calendar year transition relief under section 4980H(b) applies to this employee for any month.

At ExpressIRSForms, we help make sure you have the right codes in the right places. With built-in error checks, we’ll make sure no obvious errors are sent in your forms to the IRS. And if you have any questions along the way, our support team will be happy to help! Give us a call Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, at (704) 684-4751. Filing in the middle of the night? We offer 24/7 assistance via email at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.



Looking for something a little less hands on? Check out our full-service ACA e-filing program, ExpressACAForms!

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Year-End Tax Strategies

December is busy enough without having to worry about the tax deadlines looming just around the New Year corner, but you might want to consider taking the time to look over what you’ll be filing before January. There are a host of tax-related decisions that need to be made by December 31st or else they won’t be applicable to your 2015 tax returns when it comes time to file.

Take a look at some of these year-end tax strategies to see how to make the most out of your 2015 return:

Consider Deferring Income
If you’re self-employed and have had a particularly good year, it might make sense to defer some of that income until 2016 to reduce 2015’s tax burden. Just wait until late December to issue invoices instead of early in the month, ensuring you won’t receive payment (or have to pay taxes on that income) until next year. Similarly, if you’re getting a big year-end bonus, you may be able to ask your boss to delay that until after January so that you don’t take the tax hit on your income until 2016.

Pay Your Taxes Now
Believe it or not, you get a deduction on your taxes just for paying your taxes. This includes property taxes as well as estimated state taxes that can be deducted on a federal tax return. If you prepay your estimated taxes before April, you can deduct that tax payment in some situations.

Donate to Charity
Any charitable giving must be done by the end of the year to be claimed on your tax returns. This means you may need to plan ahead on any donations you’re making to ensure they’re done by New Year’s Day. But procrastinators rejoice: you can claim any donations made by credit card as late as 11:59 p.m. on December 31st. As long as your receipt shows processing before midnight, you can claim the donation in tax year 2015.

Sell Your Bad Investments
Referred to as “loss harvesting,” selling a bad investment to offset profits from a good investment can make a lot of sense. The IRS calculates capital gains on a net basis year to year, so if you have one investment that made $10,000, you can avoid paying taxes on the profit if you have $10,000 in losses elsewhere to zero it out. Considering capital gains taxes can be as high as 39.6% for top earners, selling underperformers can be a powerful way to keep more of your profits from good investments.

Take Your RMDs
If you’re 70.5 years or older, the government requires you to start drawing down your tax-sheltered retirement plans like an IRA via required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year. If you don’t withdraw this minimum amount, you may take a hefty penalty of as much as 50% on the sum you should have withdrawn. Make sure you consult your tax professional or consult the IRS website for more details on your specific RMD figure to prevent leaving money on the table. RMDs vary based on age and how much you have saved.

Bonus Tip
Is your company planning a holiday party this year? Head on over to the ExpressExtension blog to find out how you can write off the money you spend on a holiday party as an entertainment expense!

For more tax tips or any help in your e-filing process, feel free to contact the ExpressIRSForms support team, located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. We’re available by phone (704-839-2270) and live chat through our website Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We also offer 24/7 assistance through email at support@expressirsforms.com.

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ACA Forms: The Benefits of E-filing with ExpressIRSForms

We’ll be back to your regularly scheduled blogs after this final ACA-themed one! We’ve gone over the basics of the ACA forms, and delved more into Forms 1095-B and 1095-C. We’ve even talked about what your employees and recipients need to know about the Affordable Care Act information returns.

But even after all of the long talks we’ve had, what real reason do you have to e-file your ACA returns this year and in years to come? Well, this is the blog post where we give you a few reasons to file with us, starting with…

The 250 Rule
If you’re filing more than 250 of either Form 1095-B or 1095-C, the IRS requires you to e-file your forms. Although the IRS will tell you they do recommend e-filing regardless of how many forms you’re filing, because e-filing is a speedier process and leaves less room for error. And since the IRS recommends us too (we were one of the first e-filing services to be IRS-authorized for e-filing ACA forms!), it only seems right that you use ExpressIRSForms to e-file.

No Form 1094
When you paper file Forms 1095-B and 1095-C, you have to include a transmittal Form 1094-B or 1094-C. Think of it as a cover letter that summarizes all of the information in the forms you’re filing. When you e-file, there’s no need for this form since you’re not sending a stack of papers through the mail. Fill out fewer forms: e-file with ExpressIRSForms.

It’s Pretty Easy...
Like our other tax products, it was important to us that our clients have the simplest filing experience ever with ExpressIRSForms. Our program will walk you through your forms step by step, providing helpful hints and guidelines along the way. We’ll also perform an error check before you transmit your forms to make sure everything gets filed correctly the first time around.

...And It’s Free!
That’s right! It’s absolutely free to e-file the optional 2014 ACA information returns with ExpressIRSForms. It’s always free to create an account with us, and since these ACA forms are brand new, we thought our users might like a free trial with them. Just create your account, choose the form you’d like to fill out, and see how easy it is to e-file with us at no cost to you. Your recipient information will also be saved securely in your account with our cloud-based software, so in a month or so when you do your 2015 ACA returns, you can complete your e-filing in just a matter of clicks!

Lastly, The Service
At ExpressIRSForms, our customer service is second to none. We’re available by phone all year (not just during tax season!), Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST at (704) 839-2270. We also offer live chat through our website during these hours and email support at support@expressirsforms.com 24/7. Our US-based headquarters in Rock Hill, SC offers complimentary support in English and Spanish. Whatever your e-filing need, we’re here to help!

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ACA Forms 1094-C and 1095-C

Welcome to Part Three of the ExpressIRSForms blog series on the soon-to-be required Affordable Care Act IRS forms. Last week we went over Forms 1094-B and 1095-B, which are filed by health insurance providers; and today, we’ll dive right on into Form 1095-C for Applicable Large Employers!

Who Needs to File?
Well, as we said above, Form 1095-C is filed by Applicable Large Employers. But just who is “Applicable”? When we use the term “Applicable Large Employer,” or ALE, we’re referring to employers with 50 or more full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, in the previous year. ALEs are required to file Form 1095-C by the ACA and the IRS in order to report offers of health coverage and enrollment in health coverage for their employees. Additionally, Form 1095-C is used in determining whether an employer owes payment under the employer shared responsibility provisions under section 4980H.

If you’re an employer who offers employer-sponsored self-insured coverage to your employees, you’ll also need to report information to the IRS on Form 1095-C. You’ll report information to the IRS and your employees about their minimum essential coverage (MEC) under the employer plan.

What Information is Needed?
In order to complete Form 1095-C, you will need the following information:

• The name, SSN, and complete address of your employee
• The name, EIN, complete address, and contact number of the employer
• Plan Start Month for the specific employee
• The Offer of Coverage code applicable to this employee
• The amount of the Employee Share of Lowest Cost Monthly Premium per month
• If applicable, a Section 4980H Safe Harbor code
• The names and SSNs or birth dates for all covered individuals (spouse, dependents, etc.) and the months in which they were covered

E-Filing vs. Paper Filing
As an e-filing service, we’re a little biased about which way we think you should go when you’re filing. But don’t just take our word that e-filing is the better way to go; the IRS recommends everyone e-file as well, since it’s quicker, easier, and cuts down on errors and paper usage. And keep in mind that if you have 250 or more returns to file, you’re required to e-file and could face penalties if you don’t.

If you decide to stick to your guns and paper file anyway, remember that Form 1094-C must be sent along to the IRS with all of your 1095-C forms. Form 1094-C, the Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns form, is essentially a cover sheet for your 1095-C forms. On this form, you’ll include all of your identifying contact information, the total number of Forms 1095-C you’re submitting, and the total number of full-time employees enrolled in at least the MEC for each month. When you e-file with ExpressIRSForms, we’ll automatically fill out a virtual copy of Form 1094-C based on the information you enter and send it to the IRS with your 1095-C forms.

Form 1095-C Deadlines
As an employer, you’re probably already used to mailing out information returns (like W-2s) in January and again in February or March. The ACA forms are due around the same deadlines. Forms 1095-C are sent out at the beginning of each year to report on the previous year, and your employees will need to receive their copy by January 31st. In 2016, however, these forms will be due by February 1st, since January 31st is a Sunday.

If you’re paper filing, your Forms 1094- and 1095-C will need need to be filed with the IRS by the last day of February following the year in which the returns reference. And if you’re e-filing, these forms will need to be sent to the IRS by March 31st.

If you have any other questions regarding Form 1095-C, any of the other ACA forms, or the e-filing process, don’t hesitate to reach out to the ExpressIRSForms support team. We’re available by phone (704-839-2270) and live chat Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We’re also available 24/7 via email support at support@expressirsforms.com!

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