IRS Releases Final 2019 ACA Reporting Instructions and Forms

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final instructions for both the 1094-B and 1095-B forms and the 1094-C and 1095-C forms and the final forms for 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, and 1095-C. There are no substantive changes in the forms or instructions between 2018 and 2019.

In past years, the IRS provided relief to employers who made a good faith effort to comply with the information reporting requirements and determined that they would not be subject to penalties for failure to correctly or completely file. This did not apply to employers that failed to timely file or furnish a statement.

The IRS released Notice 2019-63 to extend similar relief for 2019. As in prior years, the relief is applied only to incorrect or incomplete information reported on the statement or return in good faith. The relief does not apply to a failure to timely furnish or file a statement or return. Because the individual shared responsibility payment has been reduced to $0 as of January 1, 2019, Notice 2019-63 provides that the IRS will not assess a penalty for failing to furnish Form 1095-B to individuals if certain conditions are met.

This relief also applies to reporting entities that are required to furnish Form 1095-C to any employee enrolled in the reporting entity’s self-funded health plan who is not a full-time employee for any month of 2019. Under Notice 2019-63, the IRS extended the due date for furnishing statements to individuals from January 31, 2020, to March 2, 2020.

The permissive 30-day extension that the IRS may grant to an employer for good cause will not apply to this extended due date for furnishing statements to individuals.  

Read more about the final instructions and forms.