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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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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Could the Affordable Care Act be Repealed?

It’s no secret the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, wasn’t the most popular piece of legislation to pass. It’s also no secret that candidates across the board are preparing for either a complete or partial repeal of the ACA and are adding their best alternatives to their respective platforms.

In anticipation of what the election could mean for the ACA, the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) in Brookfield, Wisconsin recently released a new survey report on the impact of the ACA. They found that 78% of employers would like to keep some of the mandated changes brought on by the ACA, even if it were to be repealed. However, new legislation would have to be written to maintain these changes. Employers mostly wanted to keep these provisions, as they noticed a positive impact on their employees’ physical, financial, and emotional well-beings as a result:

• The elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions
• Coverage of adult children through the age of 26
• Increased wellness incentives
• No cost-sharing for preventative care

The biggest compliance challenges for employers, however, were found to be reporting and disclosure issues, cost issues, and employee communications.

At the IFEBP’s recent Washington Legislative Update event, they announced three possible scenarios for the ACA as a result of the November election:

1. If the Republican nominee is elected and the Republicans keep control of Congress, the ACA will be repealed. A tax reform and regulatory rollback will accompany this. Democrats will have the option to filibuster to contest any of their changes, but the majority vote from a Republican Congress would pass any measure related to spending and revenue.
2. If the Democratic nominee is elected and the Democrats take control of Congress, the ACA will stay, but it’s probably necessary fixes will be passed through the budget reconciliation process.
3. If the Democratic nominee is elected but the Republicans keep control of Congress, the likely result is “more of the same gridlock” barring a related crisis, like health insurers abandoning public exchanges.
4. If a 3rd party nominee is elected, well, we're not sure what will happen because our source didn't explore that option.

But, regardless of the result of the November 2016 election, it’s still required to have your 2015 ACA return e-filed by the end of this month - by 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2016. You can e-file your return quickly and easily with ExpressIRSForms! If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, at (704) 684-4751. We’re also available 24/7 at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.


Looking for something a little less hands on? Visit www.ExpressACAForms.com for our full-service ACA e-filing solution.

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Affordable Care Act Compliance Penalties

If an ALE (Applicable Large Employer), or anyone else who has to file information returns under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), fails to comply with this new ACA reporting requirement, they may be subject to IRS penalties and fines. And remember: penalties apply to both the forms that were supposed to be sent to the IRS but weren’t and forms that were supposed to be sent to your employees/recipients but weren’t.

Your potential penalty is determined by when your forms are received by the IRS (or your recipients) without any errors. If you send your completed return

• within 30 days of the deadline, you’ll be charged up to $50 per form.
• after 30 days after the deadline but before August 1, you’ll be charged up to $100 per form.
• after August 1 or not at all, you’ll be charged up to $250 per form.

There are regulations in place to cap the total amount you can be charged each year (the largest limit being $3,000,000), however, the IRS does reserve the right to increase these charges if they find evidence of willful intent not to file.

The IRS is offering exemption from these filing penalties for the 2015 filing year, which is completed this year (in 2016) if you can prove you made every effort to file your return correctly and on time.

You can avoid these penalties by filing on time and correctly, which is where ExpressIRSForms comes in. While we can’t make you file on time, it is our policy to remind you of any upcoming deadlines, and all of the bonus features we pack into our program will help make sure your return is error-free. So give it a try today!

For help getting started e-filing your ACA forms, or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer support team. We’re available by phone (704-684-4751) and live chat Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, and by email (support@ExpressIRSForms.com) 24/7.



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

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Measurement Methods for Identifying Full-time Employees for ACA Purposes

One of the most important parts in ACA compliance is identifying which full-time employees to whom you’re required to make offers of health care coverage. First things first, however, you’ll need to determine if you’re an Applicable Large Employer (ALE). In other words, determine if you have 50 or more full-time employees. And keep in mind that the IRS considers 30+ hours a week (or 130 or more hours/month) to be full-time.

There are two methods for determining full-time employee status:

• The monthly measurement method
• The employer looks at each month the employee has worked individually to see which ones exceeded 130 hours of service
• The look-back measurement method
• The employee goes through a standard measurement period, where they work their usual hours as determined by the employee and employer upon hire.
• Then, the employer determines the employee’s full-time status based on the measurement period, during what is known as a stability period.
• Employers may not use the look-back method when determining ALE status, only for an individual employee’s full-time status.

When determining an employee’s status, an hour of service is considered to be each hour the employee is paid (or should be paid) for performing his/her duties as set by the employer, including the hours the employee is entitled to payment during which no duties are performed (like vacation pay, holiday pay, sick leave, disability, layoff period, jury duty, military duty, or leave of absence). For the purpose of the employer shared responsibility provisions, this does not include these hours of service/employees:

• Volunteer employees
• Students performing work-study
• Members of religious orders
• Compensation that isn’t US source income

You can find more information about totalling hours of employees in more nuanced categories, like adjunct faculty, those who work layover hours (like airline industry employees), and on-call employees, here.

If you have any questions regarding your ACA filing, you can give us a call at the ExpressIRSForms headquarters in Rock Hill, SC. We’re available by phone Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT at (704) 684-4751, and we also offer 24/7 email assistance at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.




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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.





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There's an ACA Deadline This Month! Are You Ready?

As some of ExpressIRSForms’s regular readers may already know, May marks the first month ever with an OFFICIAL IRS DEADLINE FOR ACA FORMS.

This particular deadline was first set to occur at the end of February, following in line with the 1099 and W-2 deadlines to which we’re all accustomed. But since the IRS felt everyone (themselves included) needed a little more time to understand their ACA reporting and get it in order, they extended each deadline by 2-3 months, giving filers more time to prepare.

So while we’ve already had an ACA deadline this year (back on March 31 with the recipient copies), what we haven’t had is a firm, official ACA deadline for filing with the IRS. Until now.

Your recipient copies, due out by March 31 this year and by January 31 in future years, are good practice for getting the IRS copies of your documents correctly filed the first time through (because they’ll need to be correct for your recipients to make any use of them). They’re not, however, a good example of a hard deadline because unless a recipient reports their 1095 missing or not delivered with the IRS, you’re not really held accountable for getting them out on time.

But, seriously, you might want to make sure that doesn’t happen because you could incur some hefty fines, and the IRS will have to launch an investigation into all of your ACA reporting to ensure you’re compliant with the new laws.

If you’re late on this month’s deadline, you can still get a little bit of a break. May 31 is the paper filing deadline (typically it’ll be February 28/29), but the e-filing deadline isn’t until June 30. Since the IRS doesn’t know/care whether you paper file, you’re welcome to e-file if it’s getting close to May 31 and you’re nowhere near ready.

Okay, so that was a bit of a stretch: the IRS does care if you paper file. They care if you e-file. But what the IRS really cares about is if you don’t do either, which you can read about in our ACA penalties blog so we can get back to the matter at hand.

If you do intend to paper file, make sure that 1) you don’t have more than 250 of any one form (1095-B, 1095-C) to file and 2) you have them signed-sealed-delivered on time:

1. Like W-2s, 1099s, and most other IRS information returns, if you have more than 250 forms to file, the IRS requires you e-file them. Which, is kind of a bonus anyway, because it’ll take a lot less time to e-file 250 forms than paper file them, and you get more time to do it!
2. If there’s a chance your paper documents will be late, go ahead and plan to e-file. Most ACA e-filing companies (ExpressIRSForms and our affiliates, ExpressACAForms and ACAwise, included) can help you get your e-forms filled out and submitted based on the information you’ve already gathered. In other words, don’t worry if you miss the May 31 deadline; we’ve got your back on this.

If you have any questions about getting started e-filing your ACA forms (or while in the middle of e-filing them, or even after they’re submitted), you can always reach out to ExpressIRSForms’s friendly, US-based customer support team. We’re available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, by phone (704-684-4751) and live chat (www.ExpressIRSForms.com). You can also send us an email anytime at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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Ace Adventures: We're Just Getting Started

“Boy, it was nice of Ace to throw us this bar-b-que!”

“Yeah, he sure does go all out for the end of filing season, huh?”

Weeks ago, when he was helping to mail out ACA Forms 1095-B and 1095-C for ExpressIRSForms, Ace took it upon himself to also mail out invitations for his Post-March-31st-Deadline Bar-b-Que to everyone in the city. So here we are today, celebrating the IRS deadline for 1099s and W-2s and the recipient copy deadline for ACA forms for payers and employers.

“Great cook-out, Ace,” a taxpayer Ace helped out earlier this year came up to the grill to say.

“Thanks, it was Alex’s idea,” Ace replied. “I just couldn’t figure out what to do that could include the entire city, but I just had to do something now that that March 31st deadline is over.”

“Yeah, about that,” the taxpayer began. “I thought March 31st was the ACA deadline, but my buddy over there was saying that that’s not until June 30. I don’t get it...why’d I send out all those forms by March 31 if the deadline isn’t until June 30?”

“You see,” Ace continued, “March 31st was the deadline to have your 1095-B and 1095-C forms furnished to your employees or recipients. The deadline to e-file with the IRS is June 30. There’s also a paper filing deadline on May 31, but I don’t want to bring that up too loudly. It could attract Paper Cut!”

“Wait, so the IRS deadline for ACA forms wasn’t last week? I could have sworn it was.”

“And typically it will be. In fact, the IRS announced initially that March 31st would be the e-filing deadline for this year, but in the early days of the 2015 filing season, they decided to extend each of the deadlines so filers had time to clear up any confusion before submitting their forms. But, in future years, recipient copies are due January 31 and IRS copies are due March 31.

“Hey, so Ace,” a taxpayer who picked up on part of their conversation began, “I had my forms sent to my employees through ExpressIRSForms, and they made me transmit them to the IRS to have that done. So I don’t need to do anything else before June 30?”

“That’s correct, other citizen!”

“You had someone send your forms for you?”

“I sure did! And you can, too!”

The 1099 and W-2 filing season may be over, but with ACA, we’re just getting started! Head on over to www.ExpressIRSForms.com to set up your free account. And if you have any questions along the way, give us a call. We’re available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, at (704) 839-2270. We’re also available 24/7 at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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Ace Adventures: A Confusing Deadline

Ace, standing tall at his podium, began to address the crowd that started to gather ‘round.

“By the last day of this month,” Ace continued, “you must mail the recipient copies of your 1095-Bs and 1095-Cs to all applicable recipients.

“For my ALEs, that means, uh… That means…” Ace trailed off.

“Well? What does it mean??” A voice from behind Ace questioned.

“And I’ve taken everything you know about the March 31st deadline right out of that thing in your head you call a brain,” Confusion said as she broke into another fit of evil laughter, and Ace fell to his knees in soon-to-be defeat.

“Hey, wait!” called a voice from the crowd. “I know about that! Wasn’t Ace talking about it earlier this year?”

“Oh, yeah,” began another bystander. “The recipient deadline that’s usually going to be when all the other forms are due to payees or employees. You know, like the 1099s and W-2s.”

“Right,” continued the first crowd member, “and if you offer your employees healthcare coverage throughout the year, this is the form you report that to the IRS on!”

“Wait, how did you know that?!” Confusion exclaimed. “My spell should still be clouding your mind!”

“Oh, it’s not your fault, Confusion,” Ace said as he stood up. “I’m sure it’s an excellent spell. But you can’t keep this brain down for very long. No, not with all of my brain exercises.

“But your most fatal mistake was made when you decided to attack me here. For knowledge can be shared more easily than you think, especially when one chooses to speak up.

“Thank you, citizens. I couldn’t have done it without you! As for you, Confusion, be gone. Your spread of ignorance is not welcome here!”

Don’t have time to mail your forms? Select the postal mailing option when you e-file your 1094s and 1095s with ExpressIRSForms and we’ll send them out for you! And if you need help e-filing your ACA forms, give us a call. We’re available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST at (704) 839-2270. We also offer 24/7 email support at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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EIRSF Presents: The Adventures of Ace in Love

Good morning all! It’s the day after Valentine’s Day in ExpressIRSForms, and love is still in the air. At least, it still is for everyone’s favorite e-filing superhero, Ace.

Little has been said about Ace’s personal life since he came to ExpressIRSForms, but a little birdie just told us that last night Ace asked his very special someone that very special question: “Do you want to order pizza or Chinese?” And then later over a delicious dinner of lo mein and wantons, Ace asked that other special question:

Delighted to hear an ecstatic Yes!, Ace scooped up his new fiancée in his arms and promised they’d go away for the week together, just as soon as he made sure the citizens of ExpressIRSForms would be okay without him for so long.

Which brings us back to this morning: Ace is hurrying around the city, realizing just how much he’s needed in ExpressIRSForms and beginning to wonder about the hasty promise he made.

Ace knows he’ll superhero better once he’s had time to get away and relax, but how can he just leave the citizens behind? Surely there must be some compromise, and surely he can get “superhero” to catch on as a verb! And so with renewed determination, Ace was able to come up with a plan.

*Transition music*

“You've gotta help me,” Ace continues. “See, I proposed last night and-”

“You proposed?!” Doc exclaims. “Well, I presume the answer was yes?”

“You do know as much as me!” Ace replied. “So, anyway we want to go away together for a week or so to celebrate, but the people of ExpressIRSForms need me! It’s becoming clearer and clearer that I can’t just leave them for a week.”

“Say no more, Ace. I’ll take over for you while you’re gone, and I’ll alert your sidekicks to be on high alert for any Confusion-induced mayhem.”

“Thanks, Doc. I really owe ya one.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something you can do for me when you get back. Hmm…the bullet-proof bathrobe is almost ready for human testing…Or, I suppose, super-human testing,” Doc says with a wink.

“Bullet-proof bathrobe, huh?”

“What, you expect me to wear an uncomfortable vest all the time? ’Sides, vests can’t protect your arms and legs!”

Ace chuckles. “Well, I’d better get going. Alex is waiting in the car outside.”

Walking outside, Ace smiles as he sees his new fiancée (he just loves that word!) waiting in the driver’s seat. “Ready?” he asks.

“Ready!” Alex replies. “But are you sure you’re okay leaving the citizens with Doc?”

If you need any help e-filing your 1099s, W-2s, ACA Forms, or W-9s while Ace is away, give one of Ace’s sidekicks a call at ExpressIRSForms. We’re available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST at (704) 839-2270 and at support@expressirsforms.com 24/7.

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ACA Filing in the Year 2017

By now you probably know that the filing deadlines for the ACA Forms 1095-B and 1095-C have been extended. Your recipient forms are due to be sent out before March 31; paper filers must file with the IRS by May 31; and e-filers must transmit their forms to the IRS by June 30. So since we’ve got some time before our first deadline, let’s take a moment to look ahead to one year from today to see what the future holds for ACA filing.

*Buzzing and whirring sounds of the time machine*

Ah, here we are. The year is 2017, the date February 8. The 45th President of the United States, [insert reader’s candidate preference here], has recently been sworn in as the nation watched from their TVs, computers, and iPhone 11s (why they skipped 7 and went straight to 11, only 2016 can tell). But despite all the healthcare talk during the presidential race, ACA filing is still here, and it’s still required of insurance providers and Applicable Large Employers (ALEs).

The ACA e-filers of 2017 are taking a short breather after their scramble to get their 1095-Bs and 1095-Cs to their recipients on time. Instead of having until March 31 like they did last year, the recipient copies were due at the same time as their 1099 and W-2 recipient forms. The lucky ones who used ExpressIRSForms in 2016 were able to quickly fill out their forms and have them mailed on time since all their prior year recipient information had been saved in their accounts. As for the others, well to speak of it now would be too soon...

The paper filers don’t have the luxury for such a break, as their 1095-B and 1095-C forms must be sent to the IRS along with their 1094-B and 1094-C forms by February 28, just over two weeks from now. Reporting the healthcare coverage of all of their recipients by hand sure does take some time, so we won’t disrupt them any longer.

As the e-filers pick themselves up and dust off, a few develop a skip in their step when they realize that by completing their recipient forms with ExpressIRSForms, their forms have already been e-filed and transmitted to the IRS, putting them months ahead of schedule. The rest begrudgingly move forward to make sure their forms are e-filed by March 31, 2017. Some of the paper filers see the skipping e-filers and shed their paper forms like molting swans, joining them in their easier, faster filing bliss.

*Time machine buzzing and whirring sounds*

So the moral of the story: e-file your Affordable Care Act forms with ExpressIRSForms today for a brighter, easier filing season in 2017. If you need help filing or have any questions, just give us a call at 704-839-2270 or send us a live chat Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Or email us anytime at support@expressirsforms.com.

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EIRSF Presents: The Adventures of Ace and the Recipients

Ahh, what a lovely morning in the land of ExpressIRSForms. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it’s finally above freezing.

But, wait! What’s that? A commotion in Town Square! Hopefully, our helpful e-filing superhero Ace is on the way!

“You claim to know everything about the ACA forms-” begins one angry citizen.

“But you only help out our employers!” interjected another angry citizen.

“Yeah and our insurance providers!” added another.

“But we’ve got questions too,” continued the original citizen, clearly the ringleader of the gathering. “Confusion is affecting us just as much as she’s affecting the people who give us our insurance!”

So Ace sat down to answer the questions of the taxpayers who wouldn’t be giving out 1095-B and 1095-C forms, but who would be receiving them. In fact, it sounded a lot like our previous Q&A blog on individual ACA information forms:

“I have to send the ACA forms I get to the IRS with my W-2, don’t I?” asks the ringleader.

“No, not at all,” Ace replies. “Your employer or insurance provider sends a copy to the IRS when they send a copy to you, so the IRS doesn’t need your copy. You’ll just use it to confirm your health insurance compliance on your W-2 -- or 1099 for some of you -- then keep it for your records.”

“So I have to fill out even more information on my tax returns now?”

“Technically yes, but it won’t be as much as you’re probably thinking. All the IRS requires you do is check a new box that states you received health insurance coverage for the full year, so technically you don’t even need your 1095-B or 1095-C if you know you were covered for the full year. If you receive a 1095-A, or didn’t receive coverage for the full year, you can still go ahead and file your W-2 or 1099, but you can also use your ACA form to determine if you qualify for an exemption or have to make an individual shared responsibility payment.”

On and on they go, the ringleader of the angry mob asking questions and Ace patiently answering them. Until, finally, the crowd disperses and Confusion goes along with it.

If you have any questions about ACA e-filing, or Forms 1095-B and 1095-C, give us a call over at ExpressIRSForms. We’re available by phone (704-839-2270) and live chat Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST. We also offer email support anytime at support@expressirsforms.com.

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ExpressIRSForms: The Features

If you’ve already started filing, you’re probably already familiar with some of the excellent features ExpressIRSForms has to offer. But if you’re still window shopping for your perfect 1099, W-2, and ACA e-filing match, allow us to share with you a few reasons why you’ve found the right website:

Live Support & Webinars
At ExpressIRSForms, we want you to have every opportunity to understand exactly what you’re filing with the IRS and why. That’s why we have a plethora of help text, how-to videos, online webinars, and live support options that cover 1099s, W-2s, ACA forms, W-9s, and e-filing in general. You can access our live support by phone (704-839-2270) or live chat Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, or by email 24/7 at support@expressirsforms.com.

State Filing
For you 1099 and W-2 filers, we don’t just offer federal filing! If you’re required to file information returns with your state, you can more than likely do so through our program! We offer filing for 34 of the 37 states that require it, and we’re working on getting you those other five. Just enter in your state information and select the Federal and State Filing Package before you transmit, and your forms will be sent everywhere they need to go.

E-sign W-9 Free
Before you file your 1099s, W-2s, or ACA forms, do you need your payee’s tax identification number (TIN)? Lucky for you, ExpressIRSForms has just unveiled free e-signing for Form W-9. Your request will be sent securely via email to your payee(s); they’ll sign it electronically then email it back to you. Save time and paper with this simple process!

Postal Mailing
You decided to e-file for a reason: to not deal with paper forms! Deal with even fewer by selecting ExpressIRSForms’s Postal Mailing package on your checkout screen. Now instead of having to print and mail your recipient copies yourself, we’ll send them out for you by the next business day.

High Volume Filing Capabilities
While we certainly appreciate our small business clients, we want to make e-filing just as easy for the businesses who need to file hundreds or thousands of forms. That’s why we’ve made our program high-volume-filing friendly with features like our Bulk Upload, Postal Mailing, and Bulk Pricing Discounts!

Error Checks
As you’re filing, and before you transmit, with ExpressIRSForms, you’ll encounter a few error checks within the program. We’ve put these in place to make sure your forms are free of common mistakes and filed correctly the first time around.

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More on the W-9

The Cinderella story of the December ExpressIRSForms blogs was “E-Sign Form W-9 with ExpressIRSForms.” So since our readers are so interested in this form, we decided why not tell you all a little more about it?

The Process
To have your W-9 forms e-signed by your recipients through ExpressIRSForms is convenient and cost-effective. Simply sign up for your free ExpressIRSForms account, and from your Dashboard click “Request W-9.” Then, enter in all the payer information required (name, EIN, address, contact info) and the name and email address of each of your recipients. Next you’ll send your requests and wait for them to come back to you, completed and e-signed.

When your recipients receive your W-9 request, they’ll have the option to accept it, fill it out, and resubmit it, or reject it. We’ll alert you via email to keep you updated on the status of your requests, and you’ll have the option to choose how often you’d like to be alerted. We’ll either:

• send you an email every time a recipient completes or rejects a W-9 or
• send you an email once a day with a summary of your total, signed, and pending W-9 requests.

So now that we’ve told you a bit about the process, here are a couple of benefits to having your W-9s e-signed...

More Accuracy
Whether you’re filing Form 1099, Form W-2, or ACA forms, or signing a Form W-9, doing so electronically leaves far less room for error. Roughly 10-21% of paper filings are estimated to have common errors, whereas the IRS estimates a 1 in 200 chance for making the same errors when e-filing or e-signing.

E-Signing is FREE with ExpressIRSForms
Need we say more? Not only are you saving on paper and filing cabinet space when you e-sign, you’re saving money too! So what are you waiting for? Give it a try now, while there’s still time to get the information you may still need for your 1099s and W-2s.

And if you need any help, don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly, expert support team here in Rock Hill, South Carolina. We offer phone (704-839-2270) and live chat support Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, and 24/7 email support through support@expressirsforms.com.

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Welcome ETF Users!

We’ve spoken a lot lately on the ExpressTaxFilings blog about the ETF to EIRSF crossover happening this filing season. But, how rude of us: we have yet to welcome all of the loyal ExpressTaxFilings users to our new ExpressIRSForms site. Welcome, welcome!

Whether you were prepared for the switch or were surprised by logging into your ETF account to find yourself on another site, we want to assure you that ExpressIRSForms is every bit as committed to helping you quickly and easily e-file your information returns (we are the same team, after all).

With ExpressIRSForms, you still have access to Forms 1099-MISC, INT, DIV, & R, W-2 Forms, and the correction and extension forms available through ExpressTaxFilings. But that’s not all: we’ve also added e-filing for the Affordable Care Act forms 1095-B and 1095-C and (FREE) e-signing for Form W-9.

You also still have access to all of the great features that made ETF so user friendly, like the bulk upload, postal mail, and address book features. And remember part up there about us being the same team? With ExpressIRSForms, we offer the same friendly, expert customer service to help you with your e-filing.

We wish you all the best this year, and we’re glad you’re hanging with us as we go through these changes. As the 2015 tax filing season begins, if you find yourself needing help with any of your information returns, give us a call! We’re here Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. by phone at 704-839-2270 and live chat through our website. You can also get help outside of these hours by sending an email to support@expressirsforms.com.

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The Affordable Care Act Forms Are Here!

We’ve talked and talked and talked about them, and they’re finally here! You can now e-file your Affordable Care Act forms through ExpressIRSForms.com!

And even bigger news (for us anyway): ExpressIRSForms is the first e-filing program to be authorized by the IRS for these forms. Although the deadlines for the ACA forms have been extended, you probably won’t want to procrastinate with these things. So why not go ahead and get started with a company you can trust?

To start filing your Affordable Care Act Forms 1095-B or 1095-C, just go to www.ExpressIRSForms.com. Then, click “Sign In” or “Register” to either log into or create your free account. Once you’re at your Dashboard, click “Start New Form,” then the ACA icon. Our program will take you through whichever form you need to file -- first determining that for you if you need! -- before allowing you to transmit your forms directly to the IRS.

And in addition to the ACA forms, we offer e-filing for Form 1099 and Form W-2, their corrections, and Extension Form 8868, as well as FREE e-signing for Form W-9! So what are you waiting for? Get started filing now!

And if you have any questions along the way, our friendly, US-based customer service is here to help! We’re available by phone and live chat Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST at 1-704-839-2270; and we offer 24/7 email support through support@expressirsforms.com.

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Happy New Year from ExpressIRSForms!

And a happy new year it will be, indeed!

A little birdy dropped the word yesterday that the filing deadlines for the new Affordable Care Act forms have been extended from their original dates.

(That birdy was the IRS, by the way, so it was a pretty reputable source on the matter.)

While this is pretty exciting news for some of you filers out there, don’t forget that the early bird gets the worm. Just because you have more time to file, that doesn’t mean things couldn’t go wrong at the last minute. Be sure to use this time wisely so you’re not scrounging around at the eleventh hour.

So what are the new dates? Recipient forms that initially had to be mailed out by February 1, 2016 now need to be mailed no later than March 31, 2016. If you’re paper filing, you would’ve initially had to have your forms to the IRS by February 29, but that deadline’s now May 31, 2016. E-filers will see their deadline extend from March 31 to June 30, 2016.

Keep in mind that this is only for the ACA forms 1094-B/C and 1095-B/C. This does not apply to 1099s, W-2s, or any other information returns which are still due on their regular deadlines. This deadline extension has also only been authorized for 2015 information returns, so future filings will need to be completed sooner in the year.

And another thing to keep in mind: the ExpressIRSForms offices will be closed New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. If you need help during those times, we will be offering emergency email support. We’ll be back taking calls and live chats on Monday, January 4th at 9 a.m. EST.

See you next year!

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2015 Tax Filing Deadlines

Welcome back, folks!

We hope you had a great holiday weekend and are looking forward to jumping right into your 2015 tax filings this Monday morning! Oh, who are we kidding? Any one of us would hit a snooze button to delay thinking about filing for at least another week in a heartbeat if we could.

Although, that’s not to say that you can’t: in the spirit of the holidays, we’ll let it slide if you want to put off looking at your filings until next year/week. But before you go popping the champagne early, keep in mind that you’ve got some deadlines coming up. So take a look at the dates below, think about the amount of forms you’ll need to file, and determine if it’s time to own up to the responsibility or if it’s time for a glass of bubbly:

March 31, 2016
March 31st is the date by which copies of the ACA forms you’re filing will need to be sent out to your recipients. Normally, this due date is scheduled for January 31st of the year following the year for which you’re reporting but the IRS has extended this deadline for the 2015 tax year.

May 31, 2016
If you’re paper filing your ACA forms, you’ll need to have them sent to the IRS by May 31st. The official wording of the rule is “the last day of February following the year for which you’re filing,” so in future years, this due date will be February 28th or 29th.

June 30, 2016
And for the e-filers: your ACA forms 1095 and 1094 will need to be transmitted to the IRS by 11:59 p.m. (your time zone) on June 30th. But even though you can literally wait until the last minute to e-file, we recommend giving yourself a few days (or hours at least) to file before the deadline so you can avoid any issues with heavy site traffic or computer errors. And remember: after 2016, this due date will be March 31st of each year.

So be sure to keep these dates in mind as the new year approaches. If you miss one you're required to meet, you could face some serious penalties. You know better than we do how long it’ll take you to complete those  Form 1099s, Form W-2s, or ACA forms (although you might want to knock some of your estimated time off - our name is ExpressIRSForms, after all), so we won’t tell you that you have to start now. But it couldn’t hurt, either.

And if you need any help along the way, give us a call at (704) 839-2270, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, or send us an email anytime at support@expressirsforms.com!

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Happy Holidays from ExpressIRSForms!

Happy Christmas Eve Eve from ExpressIRSForms!

Whether you celebrate your winter holidays in the next couple of days or at another time during December (or not at all), we hope your holiday season is filled with comfort and joy in the company of family and friends.

We invite you to take the next couple of days off from your taxes, because that’s what we’re doing too. Our offices will be closed tomorrow (12/24) and Friday (12/25), with phone and chat support resuming during office hours (9-6 EST) on Monday (12/28).

If you really, really need us, email support will be available throughout the weekend. You can reach us at support@expressirsforms.com during this time should you have an ExpressIRSForms-related emergency (if it’s the regular kind of emergency, call 911).

Happiest of holidays to you and yours! We’ll see you next week!

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ExpressIRSForms Presents: A Visit From Ace

As the World’s First E-Filing Superhero, Ace has an important and difficult task on his hands: it is his job to inform the world (well, the United States) of the IRS’s new Affordable Care Act forms and how to e-file them through his favorite website, www.expressacaforms.com (he’s not on the internet that much). But how could Ace inform all the taxpayers of America AND protect them from his arch-nemesis Confusion unless he expanded his reach beyond the city in which he became the greatest superhero ever? (His words.)

While Ace might have a heart of gold, his brain is more a shade of pyrite (with the exception of his ACA knowledge, of course). This is why, getting lost in translation, Ace bypassed the Land of IRS Forms and came instead to the site of ExpressIRSForms.

Once in the “land” of ExpressIRSForms, Ace went about his business of fighting off Confusion wherever she reared her disorienting head. He split up fights over whether the ACA or Obamacare was better and went from taxpayer to taxpayer, telling them the information they needed for the new forms. He even made a public service announcement to try to eliminate Confusion on a larger scale, but now he’s not so sure he had the broadcast set up correctly.

Using his detective-level sleuthing skills, Ace was able to find a way to get in touch with the ExpressIRSForms “government” and tell them all the things he needed to make sure their taxpayers knew before filing for the 2015 year.

After going into further detail about each form, 1095-B and 1095-C, Ace considered his job done and left the ExpressIRSForms office rather abruptly. As he left, however, he did have one final message for the taxpayers:

So if you find yourself bogged down by Confusion’s influence while e-filing, give one of Ace’s “sidekicks” a call here at ExpressIRSForms. We’re available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST for phone (704-839-2270) and live chat support. We’re also here 24/7 to help out via email at support@expressirsforms.com.

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