On Nov. 28, 2018, the IRS published Notice 2018-94, which delays the date by which informational statements must be provided to individuals. The notice also provides transitional good faith relief for reasonable mistakes made in reporting Sections 6055 and 6056 information about 2018.

Specifically, the due date for providing individuals with Form 1095-B (by a carrier or self-insured employer) and Form 1095-C (by an applicable large employer) has been extended from Jan. 31, 2019, to March 4, 2019. The deadline for filing these forms with the IRS hasn’t changed. That date remains April 1, 2019, if filing electronically, or Feb. 28, 2019, if not filing electronically. If an employer doesn’t comply with the deadlines, the employer could be subject to penalties. The notice also states that because the automatic extension of the due date to furnish is as generous as the permissive 30-day extension to provide notices to individuals/employees, the IRS will not formally respond to any request for such an extension.

Despite the extended due date, employers and other coverage providers are encouraged to furnish 2018 statements as soon as they’re able. But if individuals haven’t received these forms by the time they file their individual tax returns, they may rely upon other information received from employers or coverage providers to attest that they had minimum essential coverage as required by the individual mandate. Individuals need not amend their returns once they receive the forms, but they should keep them with their tax records.

In addition, Notice 2018-94 extends good faith effort relief to employers for incorrect or incomplete returns filed in 2019 (as to 2018 information). The IRS previously provided relief for penalties stemming from 2018 reporting failures (as to 2017 information). Accordingly, for 2018 and prior filings, relief is available to entities that could show that they made good faith efforts to comply with the information reporting requirements, even if they reported incorrect or incomplete information. In determining what constitutes a good faith effort, the IRS will take into account whether an employer or other coverage provider made reasonable efforts to prepare for reporting, such as gathering and transmitting the necessary data to a reporting service provider or testing its ability to use the Affordable Care Act Information Return Program (AIR) electronic submission process. This relief doesn’t apply to a failure to timely furnish or file a statement or return, and it doesn’t extend to employer mandate penalties (for large employers that didn’t offer affordable, minimum value coverage to full-time employees pursuant to the ACA’s employer mandate).

Lastly, the notice states that the IRS is reviewing whether the repeal of the individual mandate tax penalty (which takes effect in 2019) will change the reporting requirements under IRC Section 6055 for self-insured employers and other coverage providers (such as an insurer of a fully insured plan) to report on all covered individuals under the plan on either Form 1095-B or 1095-C. NFP’s Benefits Compliance division will continue to monitor any developments that might impact employer reporting obligations in future years.

IRS Notice 2018-94 »