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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Have You Heard About Tax Transcripts

Did you know that you can request a tax transcript, similar to those transcripts you needed throughout school, pretty easily from the IRS?

Now, you may be wondering, “Why would I need a tax transcript? It’s getting toward the end of the summer and tax season is way over and school has been over. Why bring up transcripts now? We don’t need no stinking transcripts!”

True, you may not need a tax transcript. But these little guys come packed with some pretty useful information if you want to work on your upcoming tax returns or if you need to amend a prior one. Additionally, a lot of this information is necessary if you want to apply for a home or business loan or for financial aid. So it might be good to know how to get a hold of your tax transcript. You know, for future reference.

You can get a tax transcript for the current tax year and one for each of the past three years, which is usually enough to cover any info you’ll need. Tax return transcripts are going to have most of what was on your reported tax return from that year, as well as what was on any accompanying forms or schedules. Tax account transcripts have your marital status, return type, adjusted gross income, and taxable income. It’ll also include any changes you or the IRS made to your return after you filed it.

There are a few different ways you can get your tax transcript for your individual return:

• Online - You can view and print your transcripts online by going to the IRS’s website and using their tax transcript tool. You will need to create an online account with the IRS for this option if you don’t already have one.
• Phone - To order your tax transcript over the phone, call (800) 908-9946 and follow the prompts. If you have the IRS2Go mobile app, you can use this to request a transcript as well.
• Fax - You can request a tax transcript by completing Form 4506T-EZ and faxing it to:
• (512) 460-2272, if you filed a return in AL, KY, LA, MS, TN, TX, a foreign country, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the US Virgin Islands, or have an APO or FPO address.
• (559) 456-7227, if you filed a return in AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, or WY.
• (855) 821-0094, if you filed a return in CT, DE, D.C., FL, GA, ME, MD, MS, MO, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, or WV.
• Mail - Lastly, you can snail mail you request for a tax transcript by mailing Form 4506T-EZ to one of the following locations:
• Filers and residents of AL, KY, LA, MS, TN, TX, a foreign country, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the US Virgin Islands, or have an APO or FPO address, mail your form to RAIVS Team, Stop 6716 AUSC, Austin, TX 73301.
• Filers and residents of AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, or WY, mail your form to RAIVS Team, Stop 37106, Fresno, CA 93888.
• Filers and residents of CT, DE, D.C., FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, MO, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, or WV, mail your forms to RAIVS Team, Stop 6705 P-6, Kansas City, MO 64999.

Businesses! Heads up, because your fax and mailing options are a little different. To request a tax transcript for your business, you’ll need to complete Form 4506-T. And, again, depending on where you are depends on where you’ll send it.

• If your business was in AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, IA, KS, LA, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY, a foreign country, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the US Virgin Islands, or APO or FPO address
• fax your form to (801) 620-6922 or
• mail it to Internal Revenue Service, RAIVS Team, P.O. Box 9941, Mail Stop 6734, Ogden, UT 84409.
• If your business was in CT, DE, D.C., GA, IL, IN, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV, or WI
• fax your form to (859) 669-3592 or
• mail it to Internal Revenue Service, RAIVS Team, P.O. Box 145500, Stop 2800 F, Cincinnati, OH 45250.

Stay tuned with ExpressIRSForms for more tax tips as we get ready for the next filing season! If you have any questions about e-filing with us in the meantime, we’re happy to answer. Just give us a call at (704) 684-4751 or send us an email to 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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E-file ACA Corrections with ExpressIRSForms

After all that hassle in June, it’s likely the last thing you want to hear about as you’re trying to enjoy the rest of your summer is your ACA return. The forms were sent, the IRS has got ‘em, and they’re not doing penalties this year anyway, right? Why give it another thought before it’s time to do next years?

Well, for one, you probably shouldn’t assume that just because your return has been sent to the IRS that there’s nothing left to do. Because even if the IRS is waiving penalties this year, they’re only doing that for those who prove they made good faith efforts to file correctly.

Even if you’ve sent in your 1094 and 1095 forms, they could be accepted with errors or rejected altogether. And if you don’t do anything to amend them, it doesn’t really look like you made the effort to file correctly.

So, after you e-filed with ExpressIRSForms, you should’ve received an e-mail from us once the IRS processed your forms letting you know the outcome of your return. It would have either said “Accepted,” “Accepted with Errors,” or “Rejected.” If your return was accepted, you’re in the clear; if it was accepted with errors or rejected, you’ve got some work to do.

Thankfully, you initially filed with ExpressIRSForms, so you’ve got access to the easiest correction process in the biz. Just log back into your account and find the ACA return in question. Click the blue Employee(s) box, and you'll see a breakdown of which forms were accepted and which have errors. Click on "View Errors" to see an explanation and link to fix each error.

From there all you have to do is make the necessary corrections and resubmit your return. It’s that easy!

But just in case you have any questions along the way, our all-star customer support team is here to help. You can give us a call (704-684-4751) or send us a live chat Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. We’re also happy to help 24/7 via our email support - support@ExpressIRSForms.com!

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Tax Tips for Summer

Well, we’re halfway through July, and it’s safe to say the heat’s not going anywhere soon. Summer is in full swing, and the last thing on your mind is your taxes. But we’re here to suggest that you set aside an afternoon to take advantage of some of these tax tips for the off-season that could save you time, money, and headaches come next April:

If You Still Owe Taxes
You’ll know if you still owe the IRS a tax payment if they send you a bill by postal mail. If you get a call or email demanding that you owe the IRS money, do not give them any information; it’s probably a scam. If you really do owe the IRS, they’ve provided some ways to help you make your payment:

• Using IRS Direct Pay, which you can access by clicking “Payment” on the IRS website, so you don’t have to worry about mailing payments.
• The IRS also offers payments plans, installment agreements, and offers in compromise, which you can apply for online to help you make your payments.

If You’re in the Military
Did you know that if you’re in the US Armed Forces, special circumstances can apply to your taxes? You could be able to claim a lower tax if certain rules apply to your deductions or credits, and some types of pay may not even be taxable. You’re also eligible for some deadline extensions and other “tax perks” as an appreciation gesture for your service, like:

• Combat pay exclusions,
• Moving expense deductions,
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC),
• Reservists’ travel deductions,
• Uniform deductions,
• ROTC allowances,
• Civilian life deductions,
• and IRS tax help.

If You Get Married
Summer is definitely the time for weddings. And if you get married this summer, there are a few things to take care of before you do your taxes next year. You’ll need to make the IRS aware of any name or address changes, as well as any changes in your tax withholding, health insurance circumstances, filing status, and usual tax form.


Be sure to check back with ExpressIRSForms for more tax and e-filing tips! And if you have a business you need to handle 1099s, W-2s, ACA forms, or W-9s for, we’re your program! Check out www.ExpressIRSForms.com for more info. We’re also available by phone to take your questions, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT, at (704) 684-4751.

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Miss the ACA E-filing Deadline?

Now that we’re almost halfway through July, the dust is finally starting to settle from the Affordable Care Act e-filing deadline that was June 30. If your return has come back with errors and you need to make corrections, ExpressIRSForms is the place to be. We’ve been on top of the ins and outs of ACA reporting since Day One.

Hm, what’s that? You haven’t filed yet at all?

Well, while we can’t really say that’s okay, there’s no need to start fretting over being late now. You may not be at the corrections stage like most filers, but ExpressIRSForms can still help!

First Off, There Are No Late Filing Penalties for the 2015 Tax Year
Although the IRS extended the actual deadlines for ACA Forms 1094 and 1095 (from March 31 to June 30) for the 2015 tax year, they realized there would still be many businesses that needed more time to power through the confusion of these new regulations and forms.

That’s why the IRS also announced earlier this year that if you can provide evidence that you made attempts to file on time but were delayed for whatever reason, they’ll forgive any late-filing fees you would have otherwise incurred. The big thing here though is that you still need to submit a completed (or as close to completed as possible) return to the IRS to show your good faith efforts.

Which is Where ExpressIRSForms Comes In
As an online, cloud-based program authorized by the IRS to e-file information returns, ExpressIRSForms is up, running, and able to be used anytime you need to access your account. That means that even weeks after a deadline, you can e-file your forms directly with the IRS. Additionally, our expert customer support team is available throughout the year, not just during tax season, to answer your questions from our base in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

To e-file your ACA Forms 1094 and 1095 with ExpressIRSForms, simply create an account on our website. From there, select the ACA forms option in the “Create New Forms” section. The program will then guide you through, step by step, until you’ve filed your return with the IRS.

If you have any questions or need help getting started, give us a call! We’re in the office Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, where we’re available by live chat through www.ExpressIRSForms.com or at (704) 684-4751. Have a question after hours? We respond to questions sent via email 24/7! Just send a message to support@ExpressIRSForms.

Happy filing!

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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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