On December 28, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2016-4 announcing it will extend the due date for employers with more than 50 employees to provide 2015 form 1095-B, Health Coverage and 2015 form 1095-C, Employer Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage to each employee.

The original due date was February 1, 2016.

The new date is March 31, 2016.

According to the IRS notice, the reason for the extension is, “the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the Service have determined that some employers, insurers, and other providers of minimum essential coverage need additional time to adapt and implement systems and procedures to gather, analyze, and report this information.”

While employers now have extra time to provide 1095 forms to employees, they are encouraged by the IRS to distribute these documents to employees as soon as possible.

2015 is the first year employers with more than 50 employees will have to provide these forms to employees under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the IRS has indicated they will offer some leniency during this initial filing year.

For example, employees are not required to include copies of 1095 forms with their 2015 tax returns. Employees will be required, however, to check a box indicating that they have minimum essential health coverage.

In 2016, full ACA compliance will be required by the IRS.