How many hours do you need to report for ACA?

Asked by: Hassie Aufderhar IV  |  Last update: October 30, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (32 votes)

Under the monthly measurement method, the employer determines if an employee is a full-time employee on a month-by-month basis by looking at whether the employee has at least 130 hours of service for each month.

How many hours do you need to track ACA?

Beginning in 2014, large employers must track each employee's monthly status as full-time (defined under the ACA as an average of 30 hours per week, or at least 130 hours in a month) or part-time, report each employee's full- time status to the IRS, and keep as part of their tax records the status of each employee.

What is the ACA 30 hour rule?

If an employee is credited with an average of 30 hours per week or more during the Standard Measurement Period, the employee would be eligible for benefits for the upcoming plan year.

What are the requirements for ACA reporting?

California's state individual mandate law requires its residents to have MEC for a minimum of nine months out of the year. Individuals who fail to meet this requirement must pay a fine, unless they qualify for an exemption. For the 2024 tax year, the penalty could be as high as $1,961 per adult and $900 per dependent.

What are the ACA minimum requirements?

An employer-sponsored plan provides minimum value if it covers at least 60 percent of the total allowed cost of benefits that are expected to be incurred under the plan.

Measuring FTEs for ACA: What if we don't know how many hours an employee will work?

24 related questions found

What disqualifies you from ACA?

Can you be denied Obamacare? As long as you are eligible for Obamacare, you can't be denied. That means that as long as you are living in the U.S. lawfully and are not incarcerated or covered by Medicare, you can enroll in an ACA insurance plan.

What is the minimum employee count for ACA?

Small business owners with fewer than 50 full-time employees are not required to offer health care coverage to their employees. However, you should know that if a small business with fewer than 50 full-time employees does offer coverage, then that coverage must comply with the requirements of the ACA.

What income do I report for ACA?

Take your adjusted gross income amount and add any untaxed foreign income, non-taxable Social Security benefits, and tax-exempt interest. Don't add any Supplemental Security Income (SSI) you got.

What is the employer mandate for the Affordable Care Act?

Under the Affordable Care Act's employer shared responsibility provisions, certain employers (called applicable large employers or ALEs) must either offer minimum essential coverage that is “affordable” and that provides “minimum value” to their full-time employees (and their dependents), or potentially make an ...

How much does ACA reporting cost?

eFile Only

This chart shows pricing for 1095-B and 1095-C ACA (Affordable Care Act) forms. ACA Direct state filing is available for $1.49 per form for the following states only: California, Massachusetts (MA 1099-HC), New Jersey, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia.

What is the FTE for ACA reporting?

The ACA defines one FTE as a block of 120 hours worked by part-time employees each month. This differs from what the ACA defines as a full-time employee, which is a person who works an average of 130 hours per month.

What is the 3 month rule for ACA?

The ACA employer mandate rules permit a “limited non-assessment period” as a sort of grace period before which employers will be penalized for failure to offer coverage to a new hire. For new full-time hires, the duration of this period is relatively short (the first three full calendar months of employment).

How many hours is a full-time job?

Short answer: Full-time employment is usually considered between 30-40 hours a week, while part-time employment is usually less than 30 hours a week.

What is the ACA hour requirements?

ACA Requirements for Full-Time & Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Employees. Under the Affordable Care Act, full-time employees work an average of either 30 hours or more in a week or 130 hours during the month. Employers with over 50 full-time employees must comply with ACA requirements.

How many hours is full-time a year?

This can vary depending on individual work contracts, work environment, and other factors. Generally speaking, a work year is usually 8 hours a day for 5 days a week – that means 40 hours of work per week. Multiply this by the number of weeks in a year and you get 2080 work hours in one work year.

What is the 30 hour threshold for ACA?

Definition of full-time employee

For purposes of the employer shared responsibility provisions, a full-time employee is, for a calendar month, an employee employed on average at least 30 hours of service per week, or 130 hours of service per month.

How are ACA hours calculated?

Under the 'monthly' measurement approach, the employer can calculate an employee's hours on a month-by-month basis. If an employee works at least 130 hours each month or at least 30 hours per week in a calendar month, they are a full-time employee.

What is the ACA employer mandate for 2024?

Employer mandate overview

Employers must offer health insurance that is affordable and provides minimum value to 95% of their full-time employees and their children up to the end of the month in which they turn age 26, or be subject to penalties. This is known as the employer mandate.

What are the rules for ACA affordability?

In 2025, a job-based health plan is considered "affordable" if your share of the monthly premium in the lowest-cost plan offered by the employer is less than 9.02% of your household income.

What is the highest income to qualify for ACA?

In 2025, you'll typically be eligible for ACA subsidies if you earn between $15,060 and $60,240 as a single person. A family of four is eligible with a household income between $31,200 and $124,800.

What is not counted as income?

Inheritances, gifts, cash rebates, alimony payments (for divorce decrees finalized after 2018), child support payments, most healthcare benefits, welfare payments, and money that is reimbursed from qualifying adoptions are deemed nontaxable by the IRS.

How can I avoid paying back my premium tax credit?

Report any changes in your income during the year to the Marketplace, so your credit can be adjusted and you can avoid any significant repayments at the end of the year.

Is ACA reporting required for small employers?

Reporting Requirements for Small Employers with Self-funded Plans. Small Employers sponsoring self-insured health plans must report on the Minimum Essential Coverage they provide for all covered individuals using forms 1094-B and 1095-B (Parts I, III and IV).

What is the 50 employee rule for ACA?

Learn more at HealthCare.gov. If you have 50 or more full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, you are an applicable full-time employer and need to issue statements to employees and file an annual information return reporting whether and what health insurance you offered employees.

How is ACA eligibility calculated?

Calculating ACA Affordability
  1. Step 1: Determine the Employee's Household Income. The first step in calculating ACA affordability is determining the employee's household income. ...
  2. Step 2: Calculate the Affordability Threshold. ...
  3. Step 3: Determine the Cost of the Lowest-Cost Self-Only Coverage. ...
  4. Step 4: Adjust for Inflation.