Prepare Tax Returns 

Submitting Your 1094 and 1095 Forms to the IRS 

1094 and IRS e-File Process 

Now that you have completed the 1095 process and your forms have been mailed to employees, it is time to submit your forms to the IRS.  ACA Track makes it easy to create and submit your 1094  forms. Our system automatically compiles your company, plan, and employee data into the appropriate forms required by the IRS. 

Before You File 

Before filing your 1094 & 1095 documents with the IRS, we highly recommend that you: 

NOTE: If you are correcting data for an employee with dependents, you must also re-run the corresponding dependent data; when correcting dependent data, you must re-run the corresponding employee data first. 

At this point, no forms have been submitted to the IRS. 1095 forms have only been sent to your employees. It is important to make any necessary changes before completing the 1094 process, to minimize the risk of a rejected filing or the need to refile. 

IRS Submission Page 

To get started, return to ACA Track home page and select the Prepare Tax Returns module: 

Select IRS Submissions (tab #4): 

Generating Your 1094(s) 

On the bottom left of the IRS Submission page, you will find a list of all the 1095 batches that have been approved and printed, but that have not yet been submitted to the IRS: 

Note: You may see the same division listed more than once if you made revisions to any of your 1095 batches. ACA Track will only pull the MOST RECENT data for IRS Submission. 

To create your 1094 files from this information, simply select the Generate 1094(s) button: 

ACA Track will also automatically determine the type of submission required: 

Pending Status 

Once you click the “Generate 1094(s)” button, a separate batch will be created for each division being reported. The batches will originally appear in a “Pending” status. This simply means your forms are still being generated: 

ACA Track will send an email notification when each batch has been generated. At that time, return to the IRS Submission page (or refresh the tab), to view your forms. 

Reviewing Your 1094 Forms 

When you return to the IRS Submission page, you will be prompted that there are batches which need your attention: 

Once a batch has been generated, it will have an IRS Status of Ready. Click “view” to download and review the 1094 form that will be submitted to the IRS:  

Note: If the IRS Status changes to Ready, but you do not see the “view” or “Submit” options, wait a few more minutes and refresh the tab. Once the view option becomes available, you should not be able to submit your file until you click “view” to download and review your 1094 form. 

Submitting Your Files to the IRS 

Once you have reviewed your file and are ready to submit your 1094/1095 document(s) to the 

IRS, click the “Submit” button () in the Action column. You will need to confirm that you have reviewed your forms and are ready to submit them.  

After submitting your forms to the IRS, it may take up to 3 days for the IRS to review the information and provide a response.  

To check the status of your submission, return to or refresh the IRS Submission page. 

IRS Receipt ID 

Once the IRS receives your submission, they will generate a confirmation number, which will be recorded in the IRS Receipt ID column. It is the only confirmation the IRS will send of your eFile submission.  ACA Track recommends you record and save this number for your records. 

IRS Results 

You can check the status of your IRS submission at any time on the IRS Submission page. To determine where your forms are in the creation and submission process, check the “IRS Status” column. 

You should see one of the following IRS Status results: 

5. Ready: This status means your 1094 file has been created and is now ready for review and submission to the IRS. Your next steps should be to review the form and submit.
6. Transmitting: This status means your files have been sent electronically to the IRS, and we are awaiting a response. This process could take up to 3 days. 
7. Accepted: Your files have been submitted and were accepted by the IRS. You have finished the submittal process for this division. 
8. Accepted with Errors: Your files have been submitted, but the IRS identified errors within the information you provided. You will need to correct your data and resubmit it to the IRS. See Correcting Errors for more information. 
9. Rejected: The entirety of your file was not accepted by the IRS. In this case, you will need to: 

1. Download and save the IRS error report. 
2. Delete the bad 1094 file using the trash can icon. You will not be able to upload a new 1094 until the original file has been deleted. 
3. Carefully review the error report and make the appropriate corrections. 
4. If there were errors with employee information: Re-upload your corrected employee/dependent and rerun your 1095s. 
5. Rerun your 1094s.  

7. Transmission Error:  An error occurred while transmitting your 1094 file to the IRS. You should resubmit the batch by clicking the “upload” button again. 
8. XSD Error: If you receive an XSD Error, the system was unable to create an XML file from the company, plan, and employee data you’ve provided us. Your 1094s cannot be submitted to the IRS if there is an XSD Error, and you will need correct your division information and/or employee data. To correct an XSD error: 

1. Download and save the XML error report. 
2. Delete the bad 1094 file using the trash can icon. You will not be able to upload a new 1094 until the original file has been deleted. 
3. Carefully review the error report and make the appropriate corrections. 
4. If there were errors with employee information: Re-upload your corrected employee/dependent and rerun your 1095s. 
5. Rerun your 1094s.  
   

Accepted with Errors 

If your response from the IRS indicates that your file was Accepted with Errors, you will need to correct your data and resubmit an updated 1094 to the IRS. To assist you with the correction process, the IRS will send an error report along with their response. 

Downloading Your Error Report 

To download your error report, click the Excel icon in the attachments column: 

Your error report will contain a line-by-line list of every error identified during the IRS review: 

Each line of the error report will pertain to a unique issue with the data you provide, and may stem from either your 1094 or the accompanying 1095 data. The report will specify where the error exists in the Error Message Text column. 

Correcting Errors on Your 1094 Form(s)

If the error is for the 1094 form, this typically means you need to correct one or more aspects of your Division or Plan data within the ACA Track system. 

This most commonly occurs because the Business Name and Employer Identification Number (EIN) you provided for the reported division does not match the records on file with the IRS. If this occurred, review your Division & Plan information and contact your Project Manager with any corrections. 

Correcting Errors on Your 1095 Form(s)

If there is an error with a 1095 form, you should review the information for the employee listed on the error report and verify that all the information is correct. 

Most often, this is the result of an inconsistency between the last name and Social Security number listed on the 1095 form and the information the IRS has on file, which could happen for the following reasons: 

3. The information was entered incorrectly. 
4. A maiden name was used when a married name is registered with the SSA (or vice-versa) 
5. Multiple (or hyphenated) last names. In cases where an individual has two last names, the first last name listed in the last name field must be the one registered with the SSA. 

If the error is with a Name or SSN, the Error Message Text will include one of the following: 

5. “OtherCompletePersonName” – This indicates the error is with an employee’s name or SSN.  
6. “CoveredIndividualName” – This indicates the error is with a dependent’s name or SSN. 

How to Correct Name/SSN Mismatch Errors 

To identify the error, ACA Track recommends that you: 

1. Check your records (HR/Benefits, Payroll data) to verify that all names and SSNs were entered correctly. 
2. Contact the employee to validate their Name and SSN Combination (as well as those for any Covered Individuals). 

To correct the error: 

1. For Employees: Update their SSN in the Manage Employees module. For full instructions, see Editing Employee Information. This step must be completed for each affected employee BEFORE re-uploading any data. 
2. Make the appropriate changes in your Employee Datasheet.   Please click here if you need instructions to access the most recent data file uploaded.
3. Upload the employee/dependent data for JUST those individuals with errors. If the error is with a dependent’s information, you must also re-upload the data for the employee they are enrolled under. 
4. Generate, review and approve the corrected 1095C forms
   
5. Generate, review and approve the 1094C form and file the corrected 1095C forms with the IRS.

FOR DEPENDENTS ONLY: If you are unable to identify an error (or can’t confirm it with the employee), delete the SSNs for the Dependent and enter the applicable date of birth (DOB) in the appropriate field. Note: DOB cannot be used for the employee listed on Form 1095-C. 

What if You Can’t Fix the Errors or Find No Errors? 

You may be unable to resolve an issue if it is not possible to contact a specific employee or covered individual to validate their information. It is also possible that you have taken all required steps and believe that your data is accurate. In these cases, make sure to document your process thoroughly to avoid potential fines and penalties. The IRS has outlined the following steps for obtaining SSN/DOB information: 

1. Request the Employee and Covered Individuals’ Social Security numbers (or other TINs) at the individual’s first enrollment.  
2. If you do not receive the SSN, make the second request at a reasonable time thereafter.  
3. If SSNs are still not provided, make a third request by December 31 of the year following the initial request. Note: You are not required to solicit an SSN from an individual whose coverage is terminated. 

While ACA TRACK cannot provide you with legal advice concerning your compliance, we will be happy to answer questions surrounding the corrected submission process.  

For more information about correcting SSN/Name errors and your requirements, see the IRS publication: Reasonable Cause Regulations and Requirements for Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs. 

Other Errors You May See 

Other reasons your submission may be rejected and/or accepted with errors by the IRS include: 

7. Incorrectly reporting that the division is/is not a member of an aggregated ALE group. 
8. Incorrectly reporting a qualifying offer or transition relief. 
9. Incorrectly reporting on minimum essential coverage. 
10. Incorrectly reporting your full-time employee count.  
11. Incorrectly reporting an offer of coverage. 
12. Incorrectly reporting cost information for self-only, lowest-cost coverage. 
13. Incorrectly reporting months of coverage. 

Rejected 

If your IRS Status is Rejected, this means the entirety of your file was not accepted by the IRS. In this case, you will need to: 

1. Download and save the IRS error report. 
2. Delete the bad 1094 file using the trash can icon. You will not be able to upload a new 1094 until the original file has been deleted. 
3. Carefully review the error report and make the appropriate corrections. 
4. If there were errors with employee information: Re-upload your corrected employee/dependent and rerun your 1095s. 
5. Rerun your 1094s.  

ACA Track recommends contacting your Reporting Specialist in the event of an IRS Status of Rejected. 

Making Corrections to In-Progress Files 

If you make changes to employee and/or company data that affects a 1094 file that has been previously generated but not yet submitted to the IRS, ACA Track will not allow you to create a new 1094 file for that division. In order to create an updated 1094, you will first need to either delete the previous 1094 file, or submit it to the IRS. This is to ensure you do not file redundant or conflicting information. 

Understanding Each Column 

See below for an explanation of each column on the 1094 Grid. 

5. Reporting Year: The year the batch file and corresponding 1095 forms will be reporting on. 
6. Request ID: This is used to track of each form generation request for troubleshooting purposes. 
7. Division: The division within your company that the 1094 is reporting data for. 
8. Date Created: The date the 1094 file was generated. This is for your internal review only and does not impact IRS submission in any way. 
9. 1094 Type: ACA Track automatically determines the appropriate 1094 type 
   
1. (Authoritative, Non-Authoritative, Corrective), based on whether you are submitting to the IRS for the first time or resubmitting with corrections or additional information. This column will tell you what type of 1094 you will be submitting. 
   

11. 1094 Batch ID: This is an internal ID that can help ACA Track locate batches for assistance or troubleshooting purposes. 
12. IRS Status: The current status of the 1094 batch. For a complete list of possible statuses and their definition, contact your Reporting Specialist.
13. Next Step: The Next Step column provides a brief explanation of what course of action is required for the 1094 batch, based on its IRS Status. For more complete instructions, refer back to this manual. 
14. IRS Receipt ID (Date): This lists the confirmation receipt ID provided by the IRS, as well as the date of your IRS response. 
15. Attachments: Check here for any additional files, such as your XML file or Error Report. 
16. Actions: The action column is where you will upload your information to the IRS or delete a 1094 batch.