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individual taxpayer health coverage requirements

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Reporting and Employer Shared Responsibility (ESR) Services

Meet requirements to offer adequate, affordable coverage to full-time employees and their dependents.

What is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Penalty for Failing to Meet your Responsibilities?

You could face significant penalties if your business had an average of 50 or more full-time employees (including full-time equivalents) in the preceding calendar year and:

  • Did not offer adequate, affordable coverage to those employees and their dependents, or
  • Did not report information about your full-time employees’ health coverage to the IRS.

Find out your ACA and ESR responsibilities.

A business owner researching the affordable care act

Get Help Managing ACA and ESR Requirements

If you’re wondering, “Is the Affordable Care Act still in effect,” the answer is yes. The data collection and calculations needed to complete the IRS forms can be overwhelming. Our licensed agents can help you complete and file these forms and even shop and compare policies to help ensure your coverage meets Affordable Care Act requirements.

licensed agents helping complete forms

How Paychex Employer Shared Responsibility (ESR) Services Can Help

Completing Tax Forms

Paychex ESR services prepare and file complex tax Forms 1094-C and 1095-C.

Communicating with Employees

We transmit completed Forms 1095-C directly to your employees.*

Analysis and Monitoring

We analyze and monitor your status as an applicable large employer, full-time equivalent employees, and coverage accuracy under the ACA.*

Worry-Free ACA Compliance Lets You Put your Attention Where It’s Needed

Keeping up with complex regulations like the Affordable Care Act and its Employer Shared Responsibility provisions takes time and effort that may be better used driving value for your business. Here’s more about how Paychex can help manage your ACA compliance and ESR reporting.

Prevent Penalties for Missing ESR Requirements

With help from Paychex, you can take steps to comply with ESR requirements and avoid costly penalties: from $162,400 per year for businesses with 100 full-time employees to $394,400 for 200 full-time and $1,090,400 for 500 full-time employees.

Know How ESR Reporting and ACA Compliance Affect Your Business

Paychex integrates benefits with payroll to give you the analysis, reporting, and monitoring to help determine how the ESR provision may affect your business.*

File the Necessary Forms and Meet ESR Reporting Deadlines

We help you compile the necessary information to deliver Form 1095-C to employees, and file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C with the IRS. We can also ship your employees’ completed Forms 1095-C directly to them.

Measure Your Coverage Against ACA Requirements

We analyze and monitor your coverage to help you ensure that it meets the requirements, regardless of any Affordable Care Act pros and cons.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are ESR Services?

    What are ESR Services?

    Paychex ESR services help your business comply with applicable requirements under the ACA, such as offering affordable minimum essential coverage that provides your full-time employees and their dependents with a certain minimum value, or potentially making an employer shared responsibility payment to the IRS.

  • What triggers the employer shared responsibility penalty?

    What triggers the employer shared responsibility penalty?

    Your business could face an ESR penalty from the IRS if your business qualifies as an applicable large employer (ALE) with a certain number of full-time-equivalent employees and you do not offer affordable minimum essential coverage that provides minimum value to at least 95% of your full-time employees and their dependents.

  • How much is the employer shared responsibility penalty?

    How much is the employer shared responsibility penalty?

    Businesses face an ESR penalty of $2,750 per full-time employee after the first 30 and any of them obtains coverage from an insurance exchange.

  • What are group health insurance benefits?

    What are group health insurance benefits?

    Group health insurance benefits such as those offered through Paychex Insurance Agency bring together employees from multiple employers in order to help maximize the cost effectiveness of offering health insurance to employers and their employees.

  • Where can I find help to prepare for ESR reporting?

    Where can I find help to prepare for ESR reporting?

    When preparing reporting information at tax time to meet your requirements, it’s helpful to fill out our ESR checklist with what you need to provide to the IRS.

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