Employers will need to do ACA reporting for this year, including forms 1094 & 1095. What options (e.g. software) does the employer have to for reporting? (Currently I use Quickbooks to submit my W2 forms.)
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Unfortunately, from the information I have been able to find, it appears unlikely that Intuit/QuickBooks will directly support preparation of the 1094 and 1095 forms, as these forms, which require additional HR and benefits information, are not considered to be a payroll function supported by their payroll software.
However, I was able to find a Knowledge Base article that provides information on how QuickBooks can be used to generate reports that support in-house completion of the ACA forms.
Additionally, employers filing 250 or more returns will be required to file returns electronically through the IRS ACA Information Returns (AIR) program. According to the related IRS documentation, this system is still in development and testing and is expected to be available for production on October 22, 2015.
Once the AIR is out of testing, more information on its use and capabilities should be available for employers. Additionally, more third-party services and vendors may present new service solutions to assist employers with these filings.
Meanwhile, with the caveat that we do not directly endorse or sponsor these options, I did find a couple of other third-party vendors that expect to support 1094/1095 preparation and reporting.
1099Pro advertises an add-on module for its Corporate Suite Software.
Also, Paycor announces that it expects to offer 1094/1095 support “provided that the IRS allows third-party filing.”
It is likely that more services and options will arise; unfortunately, until the IRS transmittal program is available, further details on those resources will be limited.