What does ACA mean for employers?

Asked by: Antonette Wilderman  |  Last update: April 8, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (62 votes)

The Affordable Care Act (sometimes called the health care law, or ACA) established the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) for small employers (generally those with 1–50 full-time and full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)) who want to provide health and dental coverage to their employees.

What does ACA mean in employment?

The Affordable Care Act, or health care law, contains benefits and responsibilities for employers. The size and structure of your workforce determines what applies to you. An employer's size is determined by the number of its full-time employees, including full-time equivalents.

What are the ACA requirements for employers?

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 does the ACA stand for?

Affordable Care Act (ACA) The comprehensive health care reform law was enacted in March 2010. The law has 3 primary goals: Make affordable health insurance available to more people.

What is ACA in payroll?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to encourage employers to provide timely, affordable and appropriate health benefits to eligible employees. While this may sound basic in principal, it's really just the tip of the iceberg.

ACA Play or Pay Decision for Employers Explained

34 related questions found

What is the HR term ACA?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the most common name and abbreviation HR professionals use for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

What does ACA payment mean?

Signed into law on March 23rd, 2010, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is also known as healthcare reform. Healthcare reform is not health insurance. Healthcare reform is law that makes changes to the insurance system. These changes help many more people get health coverage.

Why does ACA stand for?

In the field of accounting, the associate chartered accountant (ACA) qualification is a designation administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

What is an ACA in business?

The Affordable Care Act (sometimes called the health care law, or ACA) established the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) for small employers (generally those with 1–50 full-time and full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)) who want to provide health and dental coverage to their employees.

What does ACA code stand for?

The IRS has created two sets of Affordable Care Act (ACA) codes to provide employers with a consistent way to describe their medical benefit offerings to their employees.

How do I know if my employee is ACA eligible?

The predefined period is known as the "measurement period" or ACA lookback period. If the employee's average hours per week are 30 or higher, that employee is considered full-time for purposes of the ACA (regardless of HR full- or part-time status).

Can I get ACA instead of employer insurance?

If you decline individual health insurance through your employer, you can enroll in an Obamacare plan through the Marketplace.

How is ACA calculated?

Take the employee's lowest hourly rate for the month and multiply the number by 130, the minimum total of hours a worker must provide to be classified as a full-time employee under the ACA. Take the product of that calculation and multiply it by 9.02% for 2025.

What does the ACA require of employers?

The Affordable Care Act's (“ACA”) Employer Mandate aims to increase health coverage among employees by presenting applicable large employers (“ALEs”) (i.e., those with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees on average during the prior year) with the choice to either “pay or play” under its rules—either ...

What is ACA in staffing?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has significantly impacted the staffing industry, placing new responsibilities on staffing firms to ensure compliance. These regulations can be complex, especially for businesses managing a large, fluctuating workforce.

What does the acronym ACA stand for in contracts?

Associate Contractor Agreements (ACA) are agreements between contractors working on government contracts or projects that specify requirements for them to share information, data, technical knowledge, expertise, or resources.

What is ACA employment?

The ACA requires companies that staff over 50 full-time employees to provide them with health insurance. An employer that fails to provide their employees with affordable health insurance coverage must pay a penalty. For this reason, a company must determine exactly how many workers it employs.

What are the ACA requirements for employers in 2024?

Employers must report employee insurance information with the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) once per year. Information should be submitted to the state using federal Forms 1094-C, 1095-C, and 1095-B. Organizations must also distribute copies to employees.

What is the ACA in simple terms?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive reform law, enacted in 2010, that increases health insurance coverage for the uninsured and implements reforms to the health insurance market.

What is the full meaning of ACA?

The ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) qualification is delivered by the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) The ACCA qualification is delivered by the ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

What does ACA meeting stand for?

Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families (ACA or ACOA) founded circa 1978 is a fellowship of people who desire to recover from the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family. ACA membership has few formal requirements.

What is ACA eligibility?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, gives most uninsured people in the U.S. access to health insurance as long as they are U.S. citizens who live in the country or noncitizens who are lawfully present, not incarcerated, and not covered by Medicare.

What does ACA use for income?

Under the Affordable Care Act, eligibility for income-based Medicaid and subsidized health insurance through the Marketplaces is calculated using a household's Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).

What is ACA benefits?

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you have special patient protection when you are insured through the Health Insurance Marketplace: Insurers cannot refuse coverage based on gender or a pre-existing condition. There are no lifetime or annual limits on coverage for essential health benefits.

What does ACA mean in banking?

Agricultural credit association (ACA)

An ACA obtains funds from a farm credit bank or an agricultural credit bank to provide short-, intermediate-, and long-term credit to farmers, ranchers, producers and harvesters of aquatic products, and to rural residents for housing.