The Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 will increase the penalties employers are subject to under the Affordable Care Act’s information reporting provisions.

Information Reporting Penalties

Self-insuring employers that provide minimum essential health coverage (regardless of size) and large employers with 50 or more full-time employees (including full-time equivalents) that fail to comply with the information reporting requirements may be subject to the general reporting penalty provisions under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) sections 6721 (failure to file correct information returns) and 6722 (failure to furnish correct payee statements).

The penalty for failure to file an information return and the penalty for failure to provide a correct payee statement is increased from $100 to $250 for each return which such failure. The total penalty imposed for all failures during a calendar year cannot exceed $3,000,000, increased from $1,500,000.

Employers are required to report for the first time in early 2016 for calendar year 2015. The law will apply to returns and statements required to be filed after December 31, 2015.

Question: What does the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 have to do with the Affordable Care Act?

 

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