In This Post:
Presenters:
Ben Smith, Esq.
Chief Compliance Officer and Managing Director
Brett Bussell
Managing Partner and Co-Founder
One of the biggest challenges in ACA compliance is managing the data required to apply the rules correctly. It can quickly become one of the most complicated responsibilities on an employer’s plate. Employers and their advisors must gather information from multiple systems, interpret complex requirements, meet filing deadlines, and be prepared to address corrections or IRS correspondence long after the original filing is complete.
For many organizations, the challenge is making sure the underlying data is accurate, properly coded, reviewed, and submitted correctly. For brokers and consultants, the challenge is even broader because clients increasingly turn to their advisors when ACA compliance issues arise, even when those issues fall outside the traditional scope of benefits consulting.
That’s why having the right partner matters, and that’s where ACAPrime comes in. On their webinar, Ben Smith, Esq., Chief Compliance Officer and Managing Director at ACAPrime, and Brett Bussell, Managing Partner and Co-Founder at ACAPrime, showcased how its combination of ACA expertise, technology, data management, and white-glove service can help simplify reporting and compliance for brokers, advisors, platforms, and employers. Its core promise and goal is straightforward and that’s to turn a complex, deadline-driven process into a more manageable one.
About ACAPrime
ACAPrime was built by enterprise software engineers and compliance professionals, bringing together technical expertise and ACA knowledge under one roof. The company has more than 11 years of experience in the ACA and broker ecosystem and supports employers and advisors nationally across all 50 states.
The team includes senior account managers, data analysts, software engineers, in-house legal professionals, HR professionals, and ACA and compliance specialists. Leadership brings extensive experience in enterprise systems, consulting, ACA compliance, and legal and accounting disciplines.
That combination matters because ACA reporting is rarely just about entering information into a system. Payroll, benefits enrollment, HRIS, carrier, ownership, and other data may come from different sources and may not always reconcile cleanly.
ACAPrime’s approach combines people, process, and technology to address those challenges rather than leaving the employer to manage them alone.
While ACA reporting (1094/1095 B and C Forms, ICHRA Reporting, prior-year and late filings, and state-only filing) is at the center of ACAPrime’s offering, the company also provides services for related compliance needs. ACAPrime supports ALE determinations, affordability testing, quality audits, look-back measurement tracking, and IRS penalty response.
Additional compliance services include RxDC reporting, PCORI fee calculations, Gag Clause Attestation, 1099/W-2 filing, plan document creation and review, NDT, Form 5500, systems integration, special projects, and other HR and benefits compliance tasks.
The common thread is the effort to give employers and their advisors a resource that can step in when a compliance task becomes complex, specialized, or difficult to manage internally.
Minimize risk, decrease hassle, and increase peace of mind
ACAPrime works with both the employer responsible for reporting and the advisors or platforms supporting that employer.
For employers, the service is designed to accommodate organizations across industries and sizes, including those with complex ownership structures, variable-hour populations, multi-state needs, and information spread across multiple systems.
For benefits brokers and consultants, ACAPrime can function as a back-office ACA resource. This allows advisors to bring in a specialist when a client’s reporting situation becomes complicated without necessarily turning the entire client relationship over to an unfamiliar resource.
The company also supports platforms and administrators, including benefits administration, ICHRA, payroll, HRIS, PEO, carrier, CPA, and law-firm partners that need reporting or integration support.
The challenge is the data behind the forms
ACA reporting is not simply a form-production exercise. Data may live across payroll, enrollment, HRIS, carrier, and ownership systems. Those sources need to be brought together and reconciled. At the same time, ACA rules can vary based on factors such as Applicable Large Employer status, funding arrangements, eligibility, and affordability.
Technology can help automate parts of the process, but poorly structured data, manual maintenance, rigid systems, or limited support can leave significant work with the employer.
And the work does not necessarily end once the forms have been filed. Getting the right data, mapping it correctly, validating it, and minimizing exposure is what matters. TIN errors, corrections, late filings, and IRS correspondence can emerge well after the original filing, potentially 18 to 24 months later.
A White-Glove approach to ACA Reporting
ACAPrime’s service model is built around taking much of the complexity off the employer’s work.
The process begins when the employer provides its source information, including census, enrollment, and applicable hours data. ACAPrime then works through the information, identifies gaps, reconciles sources, and prepares the data for reporting.
The philosophy behind the process is simple.
The employer provides the data and answers the questions, while ACAPrime takes ownership of the transformation of that information into a filing.
But what does “White Glove” really mean? For ACAPrime, white-glove service describes the experience clients receive throughout the reporting process.
Each group is assigned a senior ACA account manager, giving clients a named expert rather than requiring them to navigate a generic support queue. Behind that account manager is a broader team that can provide data, technical, legal, compliance, and account management expertise as needed.
Quality assurance is another important part of the model. Data is reviewed, merged, coded, and checked before filing. ACAPrime also highlights a penalty reimbursement for error guarantee, IRS penalty letter support, and assistance with state reporting.
For employers and advisors, the goal is to make the experience easier, more responsive, and less dependent on the client becoming an ACA expert themselves.
Get in touch today and see why advisors partner with ACAPrime!
For brokers, consultants, and other advisors, ACA compliance can be both a service challenge and a relationship opportunity.
A client may need help with an unusual ownership structure, fragmented data, a missed filing, or an IRS notice. Bringing in an experienced specialist can allow the advisor to address the problem without abandoning the client relationship. ACAPrime’s model is designed to support that partnership.
The company can be visible to the client, work behind the scenes, or fit into the partner’s preferred service model. That flexibility can help advisors protect the client relationship, resolve difficult cases, reduce friction for the employer, and potentially strengthen their value to the client.
ACA reporting does not have to become an annual emergency.
ACAPrime combines ACA expertise and execution, a white-glove service model, support for complex situations, and a straightforward way to engage. Rather than asking employers to become ACA reporting experts themselves, the company takes on much of the data preparation, validation, filing, and follow-up work.
For employers and advisors looking to reduce ACA-related workload and uncertainty, having an experienced partner can turn a stressful compliance process into a more structured, supported, and manageable one.
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