On a recent episode of The Inside Track on Business Innovators Radio with Markus Loving, Adam Miller, Passport Software’s ACA Product Manager, discussed Demystifying the Affordable Care Act Compliance and Reporting For Business Owners.
According to Miller, The ACA has put some of these small to medium businesses in a really tough spot and it’s not just a burden of providing coverage to employees, it’s all the ACA reporting and tracking requirements.
Miller, said “The Affordable Care Act is really a different animal. HR professionals weren’t trained for this, nor were accountants or lawyers; the ACA doesn’t fit neatly into any of those areas and it’s not always intuitive”.
When host Markus Loving asked how do you help them to navigate this giant Affordable Care Act reporting puzzle? Miller answered, “One of the biggest misconceptions is that ACA reporting is an accounting process when it’s actually closer to a record-keeping process. Yes, there are accounting aspects of it and the responsibility typically falls in the lap of an accountant or an HR administrator, but this is about having very specific legal knowledge, applying it to a staff with frequently changing circumstances and recording all those details on a monthly basis”.
During the Interview Miller was asked, what would you say is one of the biggest pitfalls that businesses may not be aware of? He went on to explain, “They’re probably not aware of the common ownership issue and that’s where the law says if you own multiple businesses and an employee works for more than one, their hours must be combined for the purposes of identifying them as a full-time or part-time employee”.
Passport Software Inc. not only offers a complete Affordable Care Act (ACA) Software package that tracks and reports all the compliance requirements, they also provide a quick and easy Full Service ACA Management for businesses year-round where they just provide a spreadsheet of employee information and Passport does the rest.
The interview concluded with Miller saying “Well if you’re going to try and tackle it yourself, know what you’re in for. Educate yourself and the sooner the better because by reporting season it may be too late to avoid those penalties. Once someone is due an offer of coverage, you can’t go back and make it retroactive, you’ve already missed it. If you’ve missed it, you’re gonna get fined. So educate yourself and I’m not talking about the actual 2,000 page law. Start by just Googling the 1095-c instructions and go right to the source. You’ll see a link to the IRS where you can download the PDF. It’s a 19 page manifesto. Then go grab a double from Starbucks because it reads like you would expect anything from the IRS to read. And if you’re able to get through it, at least you’ll have an idea of what’s ahead of you.”
Miller finished off by saying, “And if you do get overwhelmed, call a professional… an ACA specialist. Not an accountant, not a shrink though you may need one of them too. But an ACA expert who will know the questions to ask and the best course to take”.
To listen to the full interview on The Inside Track on Business Innovators Radio, visit https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/adam-miller-passport-softwares-aca-product-manager-demystifying-affordable-care-act-compliance-reporting-business-owners/
To learn more about Adam Miller and Passport’s ACA Management and Reporting Software and servies, please visit http://pass-port.com/aca/.
About Passport Software, Inc.
Founded in 1983, Passport Software, Inc. is a leading provider of accounting and business software solutions for small to medium sized businesses. Passport Software has been empowering business owners and entrepreneurs with its full range of ERP and now Affordable Care Act Management & Reporting software with several thousand installations throughout North American and internationally for 30+ years.
Now more than ever, they see thier clients as entrepreneurs, the creative force behind small business development and new job creation. Their mission and shared goal of Passport and thier partners is to help thier clients with the effective use of technology to be able to focus more on profitability and improving their businesses.
Passport Software, Inc is located at 181 Waukegan Rd #200, Northfield, IL 60093. You can reach them at 847-729-7900 to find out how they can take the pain out of ACA Reporting and Compliance. You may also visit them at http://pass-port.com/.