IRS Announces ACA Deadline Extension

On Dec. 2, 2019, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2019-63 to…

  1. Extend the due date for furnishing forms under Sections 6055 and 6056 for 2019 from Jan. 31, 2020, to March 2, 2020;
  2. Extend good-faith transition relief from penalties related to 2019 information reporting under Sections 6055 and 6056; and
  3. Provide additional penalty relief related to furnishing 2019 forms to individuals under Section 6055. Under this relief, employers will only have to provide Form 1095-B to covered individuals upon request.

Importantly, the IRS is not requiring entities to make a formal request, or provide any documentation in order to  take advantage of the delayed deadline.

The IRS is “encouraging reporting entities to furnish statements as soon as they are able”.

Relative to bullet no. 3. above, since the ACA’s individual mandate penalty is no longer in place, the IRS has relaxed the requirement to provide individual form 1095-B, providing employers “prominently post a notice on their website stating that responsible individuals may receive a copy of the 2019 form 1095-B upon request”.

The due date for filing forms with the IRS for 2019 remains Feb. 28, 2020 , and March 31, 2020, if filing electronically.

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