What is an ACA employee classification?

Asked by: Evalyn Schumm  |  Last update: September 19, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (7 votes)

A full-time employee works an average of 30+ hours of service per week (130 hours per calendar month) and is reasonably expected to work. A part-time employee works an average of less than 30 hours of service per week and is reasonably expected to work.

What does ACA employment status mean?

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Status Code Instructions. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to report whether a new employee, a returning employee, or employees who experience a change in employment status, are anticipated to average 130 or more hours of service per month over the next 12 months.

Who is eligible for ACA employees?

Determining employee eligibility

For purposes of the ACA, a full-time employee is anyone who, on average, works 30 hours or more per week or 130 or more hours per month. Employers need to continually track which members of their workforce fulfill this criteria and whether they accept or decline health coverage.

What does ACA mean in payroll?

Affordable Care Act tax provisions for employers

An employer's size is determined by the number of its full-time employees, including full-time equivalents. For help with determining the size of your workforce each year, see our page on Determining if an Employer is an Applicable Large Employer.

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.

Compliance Direct - Classifying Employees Under ACA

29 related questions found

What is an 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).

Who is eligible for the ACA?

To be eligible to enroll in health coverage through the Marketplace, you must: Live in the United States (U.S). Be a U.S. citizen or national, or be lawfully present non-citizen in the U.S. Learn about eligible immigration statuses. Not be incarcerated.

What is the ACA classification of employees?

A full-time employee works an average of 30+ hours of service per week (130 hours per calendar month) and is reasonably expected to work. A part-time employee works an average of less than 30 hours of service per week and is reasonably expected to work.

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.

How does ACA count employees?

In general, for this purpose, an employer determines its number of full-time employees for a month by counting individuals employed on average for at least 30 hours of service per week during the month or at least 130 hours of service during the month.

Who is exempt from ACA?

Hardship exemptions are available for those who cannot afford to pay for health insurance or for whom health insurance would exceed 8.16 percent of their gross household income.

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.

Is ACA based on 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 an ACA employer?

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 ...

How many hours a month is full-time 40 hours a week?

A standard full-time schedule is 40 hours per week. Therefore, in a month with 22 workdays, the total full-time hours would be 176 hours. In a month with 21 workdays, the total would be 168 hours. It's important to adjust these calculations for months with fewer or more workdays.

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).

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 ACA status mean?

This status determines whether an employee is eligible for benefits coverage and should be offered coverage.

What is a full-time employee ACA?

Any employee who works an average of at least 30 hours per week for more than 120 days in a year. Part-time employees work an average of less than 30 hours per week.

What are ACA levels?

Levels of plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace ®: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Categories (sometimes called “metal levels”) are based on how you and your insurance plan split costs. Categories have nothing to do with quality of care.

Who is eligible under ACA?

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid coverage is extended to nearly all nonelderly adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL) (about $23,556 for a family of three in 2022) in the 42 states (including DC) that opted to expand as of March 2023.

What employers are exempt from 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.

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.

What is the ACA 13 week rehire rule?

Classifying Rehires under the ACA

An employee will be considered to be a terminated and rehired employee if the employee has a period of 13 consecutive weeks during which the employee is not credited with an hour of service.