Have under 50 employees? You still have an Obamacare deadline October 1!

A client recently made this comment to us: “My business only has 5 employees. There’s no way that I have to worry about the Obamacare law at this point.” Here’s the bad news. If you have just one employee and over $500,000 in gross revenue, you’ve got an Obamacare reporting requirement due October 1.

Even with just one or two employees, you could be required to give the employee(s) an informational notice by October 1 on the newly created public health exchanges!

You might be thinking, “I already provide insurance for my employees so I’m ok on this.” Sadly, you couldn’t be more mistaken.

Companies with one (or more) employees and $500,000 in annual revenue must provide a written notice that educates employees on the existence and use of the health exchanges and how to apply for coverage if they desire to do so.

There are two types of notices: One for employers that provide coverage and one for those who don’t.

All notices must explain the following at a minimum:

• The existence of the exchange;
• A description of the services provided by the exchange;
• How to contact the exchange to request assistance;
• The employee’s potential eligibility for subsidized coverage on the exchange if your company’s group health plan doesn’t provide “minimum value” (i.e., the plan’s share of the total allowed costs of benefits provided under the plan is less than 60 percent of such costs); and
• The fact that the employee may lose the employer contribution (if any) toward health insurance coverage if he or she chooses to purchase individual coverage on the exchange.

Potential penalties may be up to $100 per worker per day.

We’ve modified the sample letters below from the Department of Labor and have a template for use by our clients. We have another form for your employees regarding cobra coverage available upon request. 

These links will enable you to download the sample notices.
 

Employers who don’t provide coverage (PDF Format)

Employers who do provide coverage (PDF Format)

Employers who don’t provide coverage (MS-Word Format)

Employers who do provide coverage (MS-Word Format)

Remember – You don’t have to face ever-increasing tax challenges alone. This is not a one-time event as future hires must be notified as well.

Clients are welcome to Contact Us for help in adapting these forms for use with your business. Our existing clients are welcome to forward this post to their business colleagues. Non-clients can contact us at the link above for assistance in adapting the forms for your company. A retainer is required for new clients.