Your Business's IRS Forms Are Due This Week!

It’s getting down to the nitty-gritty for IRS return filing for business owners!

Not only are your 1099 Forms due by this Friday (well, except for the 1099-MISCs reporting nonemployee compensation that were due January 31), your Affordable Care Act Forms 1094 and 1095 are due as well! And this is the e-filing deadline so, if for some reason, you were thinking of sending in paper forms: don’t. They’ll be counted as late, you’ll incur a late-filing penalty, and you’ll be making the whole ordeal a lot more difficult for yourself - especially since e-filing is the easier, more secure option for filing anyway.

You may remember last year and years before when W-2 Forms were due March 31 as well. Unfortunately - and we tried to warn you! - the IRS changed the W-2 deadline for 2016 tax year forms to January 31, 2017. If you missed the memo, try to get these forms in as soon as possible, but remember there’s a chance you’ll receive IRS penalties anyway.

At any rate, this year for the 2016 tax year, Forms 1099 and ACA Forms 1094 and 1095 are due this Friday, March 31, 2017.

Of course, ExpressIRSForms is here to help you get those forms e-filed correctly and securely on time, but if you’re still a little hesitant, we’ve also got another card to play: Form 8809. Form 8809 is the extension form for information returns like Forms 1099 and 1094/1095 and when you apply, you get an automatic 30-day extension to get your forms to the IRS. Don’t even have to have an excuse or anything! You can e-file Form 8809 and get your extension confirmation email all in just a few hours - and for only $3.55 - with ExpressIRSForms!

You can even go ahead and e-file a Form 8809 and if you still get your other forms in on time, you’re golden! The IRS doesn’t care if you apply for an extension and don’t use it, but they do very much care if you don’t apply for an extension and end up being late.

So, to get started, just log into your ExpressIRSForms account, click the big, orange Start New Form button, and get going on your 8809, 1099, and/or ACA Forms! And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team: we’re available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST by phone (704-684-4751) and live chat. And we also provide 24/7 assistance at support@ExpressIRSForms.com!

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Upload Multiple Tax Forms with ExpressIRSForms!

Ready or not, the 2016 tax filing season is nearly upon us!

Here at ExpressIRSForms, we want to do everything we can to make sure your e-filing is as simple and smooth as possible. That’s why we’ve built up our program with a ton of features that ensure your filing is done faster and easier than ever before.

And one of those awesome features is one of our most classic: the bulk upload.

Now, we’ve had the option to bulk upload for as long as ExpressIRSForms has been around and then some; it was one of our cutting edge features when we first launched in late 2012 as ExpressTaxFilings. With bulk upload, you can upload all of your information for whichever form you’re filing - 1099, W-2, ACA Forms, whatever! - all at once using our Excel spreadsheet or one of your own! Then, once your information is input into your account, you just review that all the names and numbers went in the correct boxes and e-file.

Seems simple enough because it is! And this year, we’ve even updated our bulk upload to include Xero® and QuickBooks® integration! So now, if you use either Xero® or QuickBooks® to handle your 1099 information, you can easily integrate your data to e-file your forms even more quickly.

To learn more about bulk upload and our other quick filing features, check out our website! You can also contact our stellar customer support team with any e-filing or ExpressIRSForms questions you may have. We’re available by phone (704-684-4751) and live chat Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST and we offer 24/7 assistance through support@ExpressIRSForms.

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Are You Prepared for the 2017 Filing Changes?

Whether you’re ready for it or not, there are some big changes coming in 2017. And with the way 2016 has been moving, they’ll be here before we know it.

Now, as you know, the information return filing you do to report things like your employees’ salaries and their healthcare benefits or your independent contractors’ earnings is done at the beginning of each year. That’s not changing: you still need to prepare to file W-2s, 1099s, and ACA Forms starting in just a month and a half.

So just what is different about this year? We’re glad you asked:

New Deadlines

• ACA Forms
• The deadline to have copies of Form 1095-B/C to your employees/recipients, which was March 31 last year, will be January 31, 2017.
• The deadline to paper file Form 1094 and 1095 with the IRS, which was May 31 last year, will be February 28, 2017.
• The deadline to e-file Form 1094 and 1095 with the IRS, which was June 30 last year, will be March 31, 2017.
• W-2 Forms
• The deadline to have employee copies of Form W-2 furnished and to have SSA copies filed (e-filed or by paper) will be January 31, 2017.
• In previous years, copies of Form W-2 were due to employees by January 31, to the SSA if paper filing by February 28/29, and to to the SSA if e-filing by March 31. For 2016 filing, all W-2 Forms must be delivered to the appropriate recipient by January 31.
• Also, note that extensions for Form W-2 are no longer automatic. You can still apply for a 30-day extension, however, by filing Form 8809.
• 1099 Forms
• If you’re reporting nonemployee compensation payments in box 7 on Form 1099-MISC, that form must be filed with the IRS, as well as mailed to the recipient, by January 31, 2017.
• This new deadline only applies for the Form 1099-MISC in the 1099 Form Series and only if box 7 is completed. Otherwise, the form may be filed with the IRS by February 28 (if paper filing) or by March 31 (if e-filing).

New Codes and Costs

• ACA Forms
• On Line 14 of Form 1095, where the code for the corresponding offer of coverage is entered, the IRS has gotten rid of code 1I (Qualifying Offer Transition Relief 2015) and added code 1J (MEC offered to employee and spouse) and code IK (MEC offered to employee, spouse, and dependents). 
• On Line 16 of Form 1095, where the code for applicable safe harbor relief is entered, the IRS has gotten rid of code 2I (non-calendar year transition relief).
• W-2 Forms
• Before, the most you stood to pay for late, incorrect, or missing W-2s was at most $3 million ($1 million for small businesses). For the 2016 tax year and future years, late or incorrect W-2 Forms will be charged $50, $100, or $260 per form.
• The fee is determined based on when the complete, correct Form W-2 is filed and cannot exceed $3,193,000 ($1,064,000 for small businesses) per calendar year.

Same Reliable ExpressIRSForms
ExpressIRSForms can keep you prepped and ready for all these new changes! We’re already busy updating and perfecting our software for the new codes and deadlines coming in 2017. And you’ll find that all your favorite features to keep your filing fast and easy are still here, like bulk upload and postal mailing (where we mail your recipient copies for you!).

And, as always, if you have any questions, our support team is here to help! We’re available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST, by phone (704-684-4751) or live chat; we’re also available 24/7 at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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Bulk Upload 1099-MISC Forms and More with ExpressIRSForms

At ExpressIRSForms, we’ve made it our business to make sure your information return e-filing is as simple, fast, and efficient as possible. That’s why our program is chock-full of features to ensure your data’s security and accuracy.

Today, the feature spotlight’s on our bulk upload feature!

Bulk Upload
We’ve talked a bit about our bulk upload before, but have you tried it yet?? We provide the Excel template, you input the data and upload it to your ExpressIRSForms account, and voila! Your data’s in the necessary boxes on Form 1099-MISC, ready to e-file after your review and approval.

Smart Upload
Smart Upload is a fun new twist on our bulk upload feature. Rather than use our Excel spreadsheet, you can upload one of your own to skip a few steps in the download/upload process. Then, just like with our original bulk upload, your data is automatically uploaded into 1099-MISC Forms for your review before you e-file.

ExpressIRSForms is Here to Help
Stay tuned with ExpressIRSForms to learn more about the features we have in place to help make sure your e-filing is easier than ever! And in the meantime, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly customer support team! We’re available by live chat and phone (704-684-4751) Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and provide 24/7 email support through support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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Back to School Tax Credits

Well, folks, Labor Day’s just a stone’s throw away. You know what that means: no more white clothing and school is definitely back in session.

In the time you’re saying goodbye to your summer and hello to college, you’re probably not thinking about your taxes. But, you know, it might not be a bad thing to touch on when you’ve got a sec; those who pay for college in 2016 may be eligible for receiving tax savings on their 2016 federal return.

Here’s a bit info from the IRS about back-to-school tax credits:

American Opportunity Tax Credit
The AOTC is an education credit worth up to $2,500 per year for eligible students. This credit is only available for the first four years of higher education and is 40% refundable. If you’re eligible for the credit, this means you can get up to $1,000 of the credit as a refund, even if you don’t owe any taxes.

Lifetime Learning Credit
Another education credit, the LLC is worth up to $2,000 per tax return. Unlike the AOTC, there isn’t a limit on the number of years you can claim the LLC for eligible students.

Qualified Expenses
When calculating your credit, you may only use qualified education expenses paid. Qualified expenses include tuition costs and other fees or related expenses eligible students must cover to enroll in and attend an eligible institution. Speaking of…

Eligible Educational Institutions
You’ll need to make sure that the school you’re attending is considered an eligible educational school before receiving an education credit. Eligible institutions are those that offer education beyond high school, so that includes most colleges and universities. Some vocational schools and other postsecondary schools may also qualify you for a credit.

Stay Tuned with ExpressIRSForms
While our services have less to do with individual tax filing and more to do with businesses who need to file information returns, like W-2s, 1099s, and ACA forms, we do try to provide as much IRS-related information as we can! So stay tuned to our blog for more IRS updates, as well as tax and e-filing tips and facts.

And if you do have any IRS e-filing questions in the meantime, we’re available to help with that as well. Just give us a call or send us a live chat or email - we’re here for you 24/7!

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The Forms of ExpressIRSForms

Boy, oh boy, has it been a big year for ExpressIRSForms! Growing from the simple, dependable e-filing base ExpressTaxFilings created with its 2012 launch, ExpressIRSForms had a booming first season, providing you with more e-filing capabilities than ever before.

The expansion into ExpressIRSForms brought with it e-filing support for twice as many IRS forms as before. To catch you up on all the forms we’ve added, here’s a bit about all the forms you can e-file at ExpressIRSForms.

Form 1099
The Form 1099 is a classic, used to report when a taxpayer has received income from sources other than a wage-paying job. That means it needs to be filled out by you (the employer) for all of the independent contractors and other non-employees you paid more than $600 to throughout the year for work related to your business.

Depending on how the payee received that moolah is which 1099 form you need to complete. Luckily, ExpressIRSForms supports four of the most commonly used 1099 forms, as well as their correction and transmittal forms:

• Form 1099-MISC, used to report payment for services performed for a business by people who aren’t employees, like subcontractors, renters, or prize recipients
• Form 1099-INT, which summarizes income of at least $10 from interest income
• Form 1099-DIV, used by banks and financial institutions to report dividends and other distributions over $10 received
• Form 1099-R, which reports distributions of retirement benefits over $10

W-2 Forms
For the people you hired as actual employees, we’ve got Form W-2 generation and e-filing. And when you e-file your W-2s with ExpressIRSForms, a digital copy of Form W-3 (the W-2 transmittal form) is automatically sent to the IRS along with your return. And while we try to make sure your return is sent off without any errors, making corrections to rejected W-2s is a breeze through ExpressIRSForms.

Affordable Care Act Forms
One of the biggest changes from ExpressTaxFilings to ExpressIRSForms was the addition of ACA Forms 1094-B, 1094-C, 1095-B, and 1095-C. Starting with the 2015 tax year (which was filed this past tax season), these forms became required to be filed by certain business owners and health insurance providers. ExpressIRSForms was one of the first IRS-authorized e-filing programs to have software capable of filing ACA forms, and we work every day to make sure we stay the best option for it.

Form W-9
Form W-9 isn’t a form you need to file with the IRS, but it is a form you need to complete to be able to complete the forms you need to file with the IRS. Typically when you hire someone, you’ll have them fill out and sign a Form W-9 to have a record of the information you’ll need to fill out their tax information returns each year, whether that’s a 1099, W-2, or ACA form. ExpressIRSForms gives you the ability to handle getting all that information and e-signature through a secure portal within your account. How simple does that sound?

Wanna Know More?
We get it, August isn’t a big time to think about your information returns. Or the upcoming tax season. That’s why we aim to make everything about your information return e-filing easier. So take a minute, check out our site, create an account, give us a call if you have a question. Then, go enjoy the rest of your summer, and come back in January when we’ll have everything ready for you to complete your 2015 return!

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ExpressIRSForms E-filing Features: Address Book

Wouldn’t it be great if your IRS e-filing software remembered not only your business’s information but your employees’ information, year to year? It sure would make it easier to e-file your 1094, 1095, 1099, and W-2 IRS information return forms.

Okay, so maybe something like that isn’t on your front burner at the moment, so to speak. But now that you’re thinking about it, wouldn’t it be nice to have?

Well, guess what? You can! With ExpressIRSForms.

With your ExpressIRSForms cloud-based account comes a categorized Address Book to help you keep track of your business(es) and employees, basically anyone you’d need to report tax information for or about.

And that part about “cloud-based” means anywhere you have access to the internet you’re able to access your account. So anytime you need to pull up contact information for one of your employees, just log into your account through our website, which is mobile-friendly for your convenience.

You can add employees to your Address Book by actually entering them into your Address Book (individually or by bulk upload), or by filing your returns. Once you create a return for a business and enter your employee forms, their contact information is saved to your Address Book. This means next year, when you need to file for the same all-star employees again, their contact information will already be filled in and all you’ll need to do is update any financial data.

Of course, the Address Book is just one of many awesome features that come with your (absolutely free) ExpressIRSForms account. Head on over to our site today to learn more or get started creating your account!


Got questions? We’re here to answer! Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, we’re available by phone (704-684-4751) and live webchat. We also offer 24/7 email assistance at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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ExpressIRSForms Features: Express Import

Unless you were born a middle-aged accountant, complete with bowtie, taxes might not be your favorite thing in the world. The numbers, regulations, and deadlines can be overwhelming. But taxes, like regular hygiene, need to get done.

Don’t stress out: your taxes will get done with the help of ExpressIRSForms. With our step by step instructions, you’ll have your IRS tax forms correctly filled out and submitted in a matter of minutes.

Get started with our quick import feature for ACA Forms 1095-C and 1095-B.
First, determine whether you need form 1095-C or 1095-B.

Form 1095-C is given out from large employers to employees if the company has 50 or more employees. The form is given to full-time employees who work more than 30 hours a week and are enrolled in the company’s insurance policy.

Form 1095-B is given to employees that work full time at smaller companies with less than 50 employees. You will also get a 1095-B form if you have your own insurance directly from an insurance company, not through your work.

Once you have determined which form you need, download our template for it. The templates are clearly organized Excel files that map out what information you need to enter about you and your employees and where.

Verify that you have your employee’s social security numbers and last names correct and begin entering in their information.

Enter information about your employees including their personal details, the offer of coverage, and covered individuals. Don’t change the format or headers. Also, make sure there are no blank rows between the rows of your employee’s information.

We make it almost impossible to enter information incorrectly because we have examples of how everything should be entered on our site. For example, a phone number can be listed as xxx-xxx-xxxx or xxxxxxx.

If the employee is covered for all 12 months of the year, enter their coverage code with each corresponding month, otherwise only enter the code with their applicable months. You can also enter information about your employees if they’re self-covered.

If you’re an insurer with Form 1095-B, you’ll enter details about the business offering coverage to employees and fill out the corresponding information about insurers or employers.

Once you entered everyone’s information, upload the file. As the file is uploaded, it’s scanned for errors and points out where fields are missed and where information is misspelled or incorrect. Errors, if any, will be listed under ‘view errors’ with a brief explanation of why the error is incorrect. You’ll be able to quickly fix them and upload your file again.

As the file uploads, it will also count the number of employees so you can see how many of your employees were successfully imported and if any were skipped. Don’t worry if a few employees are missing, simply add them to your form and reupload it.

When every employee is listed and there are no errors on your form then it’s time to celebrate, because you can submit your forms directly to the IRS!

Need a little more help?
We are here for you, every step of the way with our amazing support team. We will answer your calls Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST and provide 24/7 email support. You can also chat with us online in English and Spanish! We will answer any and every question that you have to make filing your taxes a quick and easy process.

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Employer Health Care Arrangements

In order to be compliant with the new Affordable Care Act laws, many employers had to begin offering health insurance that met the minimum essential coverage (MEC) requirements to their full-time employees. In lieu of offering traditional insurance, some employers instead came up with employer health care arrangements wherein their employees’ coverage was taken care of, just not in the traditional sense of providing self- or fully-insured plans.

Unfortunately, employer health care arrangements aren’t what the writers of the ACA had in mind when they said, “provide coverage.” Here are a few questions we’ve received regarding these employer health care arrangements:

What if I don’t establish a health insurance plan for my employees but instead reimburse them for the premiums they pay for their own qualified health insurance?
According to the IRS, this sort of arrangement is considered an employer payment plan. Because employer payment plans generally don’t include an arrangement through which the employee may have an after-tax amount applied toward their health coverage (or have the opportunity to take that amount as a cash compensation).

The IRS notice goes on to explain that these employer payment plans are considered to be group health plans subject to market reforms, meaning that they cannot be integrated with individual policies to satisfy the market reforms. If the arrangement cannot satisfy the market reforms, you could be subject to $100/day excise tax per applicable employee.

Is there any transition relief for employers who did offer their employees health coverage through arrangements like an employer payment plan?
Yes. Last February, the IRS issued this notice, which provides transition relief from the excise tax described above. The transition relief applies to employer healthcare arrangements that are:

• employer payment plans sponsored by an employer who is not an Applicable Large Employer (ALE)
• S corporation healthcare arrangements for 2% shareholder-employees
• Medicare premium reimbursement arrangements
• TRICARE-related health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs)

E-filing with ExpressIRSForms
The deadline to e-file your 2015 ACA return was yesterday (June 30). However, if you haven’t filed yet, you can still do so through your ExpressIRSForms account. For questions or help getting started, give us a call at (704) 684-4751 or send us a live chat or an email to support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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How to Claim a Small Business Health Care Tax Credit

Last week, we asked if your small business was eligible for a health care tax credit. Today, we’re going to answer some of your questions about obtaining that tax credit.

How does an employer claim the credit?
If you’re a small business owner, you can claim the credit on your annual income tax return. You’ll also need to attach Form 8941, Credit for Small Employer Health Insurance Premiums. This form shows your calculation of the credit.

If an employer’s tax-exempt, how would they claim the credit?
If you’re a tax-exempt business, as described in sections 501(c) and 501(a), you can claim the credit by filing Form 990-T (Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return) with Form 8941. Even if your business doesn’t normally file Form 990-T, you’ll need to file this form to claim the credit.

Can I use this credit to offset my alternative minimum tax (AMT) liability?
Yes; the short answer is that the credit can be used to offset your AMT liability. However, this is subject to certain limitations based on the amount of your regular tax liability in addition to your AMT liability and other allowable credits. For the long answer, consult section 38(c)(1) of the IRS’s Internal Revenue Code.

Can the credit be reflected in determining my estimated tax payments for the year?
Yes, another short, sweet answer directly from the IRS.

Does taking the credit affect my deduction for health insurance premiums?
Again, yes. When you determine your allowable deduction for health insurance premiums, you’ll need to subtract the amount of the credit from the amount of premiums that can be deducted. This way, you can claim both a credit and partial deduction for the same premium payments.

E-filing with ExpressIRSForms
Remember: today’s the last day to e-file your ACA return with the IRS and still be considered on time. You can e-file your ACA forms through your ExpressIRSForms account. And if you have any questions, we’re available by phone (704-684-4751) and live chat Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. We’re also available 24/7 at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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Full-Time Employee Service Hours: How to Add Them Up

Yesterday, we gave you the basic formula for calculating your employees’ total hours worked so that you could assess how many full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) you employ. It’s important to know the exact number of FTEs working for you for the sake of filing your Affordable Care Act return. When totaling your employees’ hours worked, you’ll want to make sure you’re calculating them in one of the three IRS-allowed ways to ensure your ACA compliance.

Before we get down to the types of calculation, let’s clarify what’s included in hours of service. Obviously, it’s hours spent working by the employee, but hours of service also include hours for which the employee is paid for:

• vacation or holiday,
• illness or incapacity (including disability),
• layoff,
• jury duty, and
• military duty or leave of absence.

When calculating your total hours of service, do not include hours for seasonal employees (who work less than 120 days).

Actual Hours Worked
The most straight-forward method, the Actual Hours Worked calculation method determines the actual hours of service from records of hours your employees worked and were paid. So if your payroll records indicate an employee worked 2,000 hours and was paid for an additional 80 hours (for vacation, holiday, and illness leave), the employee would have worked 2,080 hours of service for the year.

Days-Worked Equivalency
If you use the Days-Worked Equivalency method, you’ll credit an employee with eight hours of service for each day the employee was required to work at least one hour of service, including hours of paid leave. In other words, if you use this method and you have an employee who works from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. each day for 200 days, the employee would be credited with 1,600 hours of service (8 hours for each day worked, multiplied by 200 days).

Weeks-Worked Equivalency
This method is a little similar to our previous one, only it goes by weeks instead of days. When you use the Weeks-Worked Equivalency method, you credit an employee with 40 hours of service for each week for which payment is made or due (including weeks of paid leave). For example, if you have an employee who worked 49 weeks and took two weeks of vacation with pay, the employee must be credited with 2,040 hours of service (51 weeks x 40 hours/week).

E-filing With ExpressIRSForms
When you e-file with ExpressIRSForms, you have access to our full-time employee calculator, making your ACA e-filing that much easier. To get started, just create an account, then follow the steps to generate and e-file your forms. If you run into any problems or have a question, you can give our expert customer service team a call at (704) 684-4751 Monday through Friday, 9;00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET or send us an email anytime to support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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What is the Origin of Policy for ACA Reporting?

There’s a lot of important information reported to the IRS on your 1095-B Forms regarding the offers of health care coverage you made throughout the year. Included in the information you’re required to provide is the origin of the policy, which is entered on Line 8 of Form 1095-B.

When you come to Line 8 of Form 1095-B, you’ll enter a letter (A-F) to indicate where the health insurance policy you offered your recipients originated:

• A. Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP)
• B. Employer-sponsored coverage
• C. Government-sponsored program
• D. Individual market insurance
• E. Multiemployer plan
• F. Other designated minimum essential coverage (MEC)

ExpressIRSForms helps make sure you have the right information in the right places on all of your ACA Forms, including 1094 and 1095-C Forms. So get started e-filing your ACA forms through your ExpressIRSForms account today - you only have a little over a week left to get them e-filed to the IRS!

If you have any questions, we’re available by live chat and phone (704-684-4751) Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. We also offer 24/7 assistance through support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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How to E-file Form 1095-B with ExpressIRSForms

If you saw our post the other day about e-filing Form 1095-C with ExpressIRSForms and thought, “That seems helpful, but I need to e-file the 1095-B,” then this post is for you. Today we’re going to go over how to e-file Form 1095-B with our program.

Getting Started
This part isn’t too different from Form 1095-C; you’ll still need to create or log into an account on ExpressIRSForms to start the e-filing process. Once you’re logged in, you’ll see a button that says, “Create New Forms.” Click this, then click “Start Now” under the ACA option.

Employer Information
Next, you’ll start the process by entering the employer information for your return. If you’ve already entered employer data before, you can select it from the drop-down menu. You’ll need to indicate if you, the filer, are an employer or the insurer and whether or not you’re a governmental unit. Once all of the employer information is entered and correct, click Next.

Before you enter employee information, the program determines if you’re a member of an aggregated group and which form you’ll need to file based on the type of insurance offered and the amount of employees you have.

Employer Offered Coverage
The next step is to enter the employee data, including the offers of coverage made to them. You can do this individually, entering each employee and his/her information in one at a time, or you can use our bulk upload option. Just download the Excel template we provide and enter your information - or use one of your own - before uploading the information of all of your employees at once.

Summary
Once all of your information has been entered, you’ll see a summary screen that gives you the opportunity to review and edit your return. Once you’re satisfied, click Review, and we’ll perform one last error check to make sure your return is free of any obvious errors before e-filing it to the IRS.

And that’s really all there is to it. If you’re more of a visual learner, have a look at this video we’ve made taking you step-by-step through the 1095-B e-filing process:

If you have any questions about e-filing with ExpressIRSForms, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We’re available by phone (704-684-4751) and live chat Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. For assistance 24/7, send us an email to support@ExpressIRSForms.com.


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

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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.



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How to Convert Non-Hourly Compensation into ACA Service Hours

As an Applicable Large Employer (ALE), it’s your responsibility to make sure you make offers of health coverage and benefits to your full-time employees, which the IRS determines based on the amount of hours they work per week (30 or more, and they’re full-time).

But what about your employees whose compensation isn’t based on their actual hours but on their output of work? In the instance of commission-only sales persons, pieceworkers, adjunct faculty, or any other workers whose hours you don’t track, you’ll need to develop a method of converting the work they’ve done into an hours-of-service equivalent consistent with the ACA regulations under Section 4980H.

These regulations essentially boil down to your method must be “reasonable” in the eyes of the IRS; in other words, the method can’t be designed to limit the employee’s right to a health insurance offer. This means you’ll more than likely have to take into account hours other than the ones the employee produced work to figure out their status (i.e., travel time for your commission-only sales people).

There are also varying, industry-specific methods to determining the status of pieceworkers, or workers who are paid according to the number of units of work produced:

• In the fishing industry, workers are often compensated based on the weight of their catch, so their employee status can be determined by how long the fishing boat was out. If on average during the measurement period, the boats were out for 12 hours each day, each worker would be credited 12 hours each day he/she was out on the boat.

• Some of our ExpressTruckTax users may want to pay attention to this one: companies who pay their truckers based on their miles traveled can convert those miles into hours worked. A good conversion rate, based on speed limits and break times, is 50-miles-to-1-hour-of-service. So, for example, a trucker who traveled 400 miles in one day would earn 8 hours toward his/her full-time status.

• For agricultural workers, like apple pickers, paid based on what they gather each day can use the bins or baskets they gather as an hour conversion method. For example, you pay your workers $12 per bin of apples they collect daily, estimating that it takes about an hour to pick a full bin. If your records reflect you paid an employee $99 one day, you can divide that by the $12/bin to determine he/she worked roughly 8 ¼ hours.

• The IRS has outlined a way to determine the status of adjunct faculty members at higher-education institutions. For employees who are paid by the class, 2 ¼ hours of service should be included per week (to cover teaching and classroom time in addition to out-of-class work like lesson prep and grading) for each hour of classroom time. Additionally, 1 hour of service per week should be included in their total for each additional hour outside of the classroom they spend on their required duties, such as during office hours or faculty meetings.

If you’ve already got your employees work hours totaled and are ready to file your ACA forms, log into your ExpressIRSForms account today to get started! Or, check out our full-service filing option, ExpressACAForms. If you’re not sure which you’d like to try, just give us a call at (704)-684-4751 and we’ll be happy to help you get started.

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Full-Time Employee Calculator for ALEs

We can’t stress how important it is to get the total amount of full-time employees (FTE) and full-time equivalent employees exactly right for your ACA compliance and reporting. The IRS, among answering many questions about who qualifies as an FTE, has provided a way to determine the amount of FTEs you have:

1. First, add up the total hours of service you paid wages to employees during the year (this shouldn’t exceed more than 2,080 per employee).
2. Next, divide that total by 2,080.
3. If your result is not a whole number, round to the next lowest whole number.
4. Unless the result is less than one, then round up to one FTE.

Calculating your employees’ hours worked this way helps with circumstances where an employer may qualify for the employer shared credit even if they have fewer than 50 actual full-time employees on the payroll.

For instance, if you have 48 individuals employed part-time, they could equal out to be 24 full-time employees, qualifying you for some credits.

ExpressIRSForms includes a full-time employee calculator within the program, as do ExpressACAForms and ACAwise. We’ve included as part of our continuing promise to bring you the easiest, most convenient solution in e-filing services. Use the FTE calculator to double check your own math, or let it do the work for you!

If you need help e-filing your ACA forms, give us a call Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, at (704) 684-4751, or send us an email anytime at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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Employee Eligibility: Determining Status Based on Hours of Service

One of the most important parts of ACA compliance is making sure you make the right offers of coverage to the employees who meet the right amount of hours as dictated by the IRS. Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) must offer at least the minimum amount of coverage as dictated by the ACA to their full-time employees, keeping in mind that the IRS considers 30+ hours a week (130+ hours/month) to be full-time.

So when counting up the hours of your employees, what hours do you need to take into consideration? Well, obviously just the hours the employee worked, right? Sort of. An employee’s hours of service include each hour for which the employee is paid and the hours for which the employee is entitled to payment but no job duties are performed. These hours can include:

• Paid Family and Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA)
• Vacation days
• Sick days
• Jury duty
• Military duty

When it comes to what not to count for hours of service, the ACA has an answer for that as well. Excluded from your total tally of hours of service are:

• Volunteer hours
• Work study program hours (performed by students, interns)
• Religious Orders
• In other words, you don’t need to count service hours for someone “subject to a vow of poverty” who is performing the duties usually required of an active member of the order.
• This exception is only used in calculating full-time status, not ALE status.
• Hours paid with foreign-source income

So when you determine the hours your employees have worked, you can do it one of three ways:

1. By calculating the actual hours of service each month for each employee (this may be more difficult for salaried employees)
2. By totalling the number of days each month the employee did eight (8) hours of work
3. By totalling the number of weeks each month the employee did 40 hours of work

ALEs can use any of these methods, but must pick one to stick to for the duration of the calendar year. You may change methods once the year is up. Methods 2 and 3 can both be used for classifying salaried employees, so long as the classifications are consistent. Methods 2 and 3 may not be used if their results understate the employee’s hours, causing them to be classified as non-full-time.

You can find more information for determining the hours of those who are difficult to identify or track (such as adjunct faculty, or those with layover or on-call hours) here.

Once you’ve determined your employees’ hours of service, it’s time to file those ACA Forms 1094 and 1095. You can do that through www.ExpressIRSForms.com. Simply create a free account to get started. If you need help or have any questions, give us a call at (704) 684-4751, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. We’re also available 24/7 through email: support@ExpressIRSForms.com.



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Health Care Coverage: Self-Insured v. Fully-Insured

There are two main types of health plan employers need to consider when setting up the coverage they’ll over their employees: self-insured (or self-funded) and fully-insured.

The big difference between the two is in self-insured health care coverage plans, the employer assumes financial risk for the employees’ benefits, paying the claims out of pocket rather than a fixed premium to the insurance carrier, like fully-funded plan providers do. Read on to learn a little more about the more specific differences between the two plans.

Self-Insured Plans
Rather than purchasing a fully-insured plan from an insurance carrier, employers who choose a self-insured plan are opting to operate their own health plan. These employers are generally larger ones and benefit from this type of plan because it allows them to save on the premiums insurance companies charge for fully-funded plans. It can be risky, though, because the employer will end up paying more out of pocket if more claims than are expected need to be paid.

Fully-Insured Plans
A fully-insured health plan is the more traditional option for employers, especially if you’re on the smaller end of the ALE scale. For this type of plan, the employer agrees on a fixed premium each year, paid to the insurance company based on the amount of employees the employer has enrolled. The insurance carrier will then pay any health care claims throughout the year, and employees are responsible for any deductibles or co-pays required for services.

Now that you’ve got your ACA-compliant health care coverage, do you know how you’re filing your forms? ExpressIRSForms now offers e-filing for ACA Forms 1094 and 1095, or you can check out ExpressACAForms for our full-service e-filing option.

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ACA Form 1094-C Certification of Eligibility

Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) may be eligible for relief from certain requirements as they transition to payroll and benefits systems that meet Affordable Care Act standards.

In order to indicate to the IRS that they were eligible for this relief on their 2015 ACA return, ALEs will check a box indicating which Certification of Eligibility they qualified for on Line 22 of Form 1094-C. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the four methods of relief found on Line 22 and how eligibility for them can be met.

Qualifying Offer Method (Box A)
A Qualifying Offer applies if you (the ALE) made a minimum value (MV) offer to at least one full-time employee for each month of the year they were full-time. Additionally, you would’ve needed to offer minimum essential coverage (MEC) to the employee’s spouse and dependent(s) that cost them no more than 9.5% of the federal poverty line (FPL).

Qualifying Offer Method Transition Relief (Box B)
This method of relief is available for the 2015 tax year only. An ALE must have made a qualifying offer (as described above) to 70% of their full-time employees for one or more months of the year. Filing Bonus: If you check Box A or B on your 1094-C, you can use a simplified, generic Form 1095-C instead of individual forms.

Section 4980H Transition Relief (Box C)
Section 4980H relief has two types, depending on just how LE of an ALE you are:

• Option 1: ALEs with 50-99 FT employees are eligible if they didn’t reduce their workforce or their employees’ hours of work in order to meet ACA compliance requirements. They also can’t have reduced or eliminated coverage offered.
• Option 2: ALEs with 100+ FT employees with this eligibility are subject to assessable penalty reduced by 80 employees instead of the standard 30.

98% Offer Method (Box D)
ALEs are eligible to check this box if they made an offer of affordable coverage (that meets MV qualifications) for every month of the year to at least 98% of the employees for whom they’re filing 1095-C forms. These can be enrolled full-time and part-time employees.

If you’re eligible for one of these relief methods, be sure to indicate so on your Form 1094-C. ExpressIRSForms can help prompt you to do this when you e-file your ACA Forms through our system, saving you from making any filing errors. For help getting started, you can call our support team in Rock Hill, SC at (704) 684-4751 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. After hours, we offer assistance via our email, support@ExpressIRSForms.com.





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

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ExpressIRSForms Offers Free TIN Matching!

Did you know that when you e-file with ExpressIRSForms, your forms are put through a series of in-depth error checks to ensure your forms get accepted at no additional cost to you? Naturally, this applies to the new ACA Forms 1094 and 1095 available in your ExpressIRSForms account.

A Little Bit of ACA Background Info
Before we get going, it’s important to be aware of the forms to which we’re referring. Forms 1094-B, 1094-C, 1095-B, and 1095-C are now available to be e-filed at ExpressIRSForms, and it’s every bit as easy to file them here as it is your 1099s or W-2s.

Like other information returns, the ACA forms must be filled out in a certain way and require various pieces of information on the people for whom you’re filing. And like the other IRS forms, it’s easy to make a mistake if you’re paper filing or even when staring at the computer screen too long inputting data. That’s why the IRS recommends e-filers like ExpressIRSForms: to cut down on these common errors that cause rejections.

For the ACA forms, the most common rejection error is mismatching TINs. ExpressIRSForms has the aptly titled solution: TIN Matching.

What is TIN Matching?
With the ACA forms, you’re dealing with a lot of IRS Tax Identification Numbers (TINs). Not only do you have your EINs, but you've also got the SSN of every person for whom you’re filing. And each of these TINs is made up of nine very specific numbers in a very specific order. Getting the idea of why mixing up a few of these numbers is a common occurrence now? We thought so.

That’s why ExpressIRSForms prides itself on our TIN matching feature: we’ve taken our extensive experience with the IRS and e-filing and made it almost impossible for your ACA forms to get rejected because of a TIN mismatch.

Want to Know More?
Our customer support team is happy to answer any questions you have! Just give us a call Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT, at (704) 684-4751, or send us an email anytime at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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