Even Santa Is Feeling the ACA Reporting Pressure

As businesses across the United States are scrambling to meet new compliance requirements come year end, the rush brought on by the first filing season for Affordable Care Act returns is adding to usual year-end pressures at the North Pole.

That's right, Santa is an Applicable Large Employer.

Right next to the clock ticking down till Christmas Eve, the face of Claus Resources has installed a second clock counting down to February 1, 2016. Santa wants to make sure that, amid the other tasks that his team must mind for their U.S. operations this time of year, preparations keep pace to produce new IRS forms for their employees.

Santa's ACA compliance reality

The heat came on after Mrs. Claus got educated on ACA compliance and learned that, even though their U.S. companies don't each individually make the 50 full-time employee threshold for being required to comply with the Affordable Care Act, they weren't in the clear. Companies that meet IRS rules for being commonly controlled or affiliated must check their combined head count to see whether the Affordable Care Act applies to them.

Because the Shiny Nose Brigade, N Squared Solutions, Rent a Righteous Santa, and ‘No Coal for You' Studio meet those IRS rules, their total head count had to be checked for ALE status.

At a combined 99 FTEs, every single one of these companies has to be ACA-compliant - even with all the head-count exclusions that each can take ...