Thank you for being a BASIC ACA Elevate client. This is a comprehensive program that provides you with peace of mind related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility Mandate. Getting started is easy! If you are new to BASIC ACA Elevate, please start with Step 1 below. Otherwise, proceed to Step 2. You can also find helpful information and materials on our BASIC Compliance Resources page.
Important Note: The 2025 ACA Elevate system will not be available until Fall 2025. If you are a new BASIC client for 2025, you can still register for a webinar below. More details (including your login information) will become available in Fall 2025.
Please use the registration link(s) below to sign up for an upcoming ACA Elevate webinar.
If no scheduled dates or times work for you, or if you would like to have an individual education call with one of BASIC’s Education Call Specialists, please email basicclientimplementation@basiconline.com with two dates and times that fit your schedule.
PLEASE NOTE: Many of the determinations needed to comply with the ACA are detailed and specific to your plan. Your Education Call Specialist will not be able to advise you on making these specific determinations. Reviewing the provided manuals and asking questions to your benefit advisor, benefit counsel, or broker prior to the call is recommended.
Fully Insured 1095C Group Health Plans
ACA ALE
Self Insured 1095C Group Health Plans
ACA ALE
Self Insured/ICHRA 1095B
ACA NON-ALE
Review the ACA Elevate 2026 Administration Manual to confirm you have made the necessary ACA determinations needed to move forward with the necessary tracking and reporting.
(The 2025 Administration Manual is also available for 2025 ACA reporting.)
You can use the Administration Manual to help you make the following determinations:
For your convenience, a secure login will be created for you to access the ACA Elevate system in Fall 2025. You will receive an email with your credentials when you are able to log in for 2025. Follow email instructions to login and update your password.
What is a full-time employee?
An employer or state definition of a full-time employee might be more or less strict than the ACA’s definition. However, an employer must adhere to the ACA’s definition when determining their ALE Status and their reporting obligations under 4980H. It is crucial for employers to understand both their internal or state definition of a full time employee, as well as the ACA’s definition to ensure compliance with the law and avoid potential penalties.
The ACA Definition: A full-time employee is, for a calendar month, an employee employed on average at least 30 hours of service per week, or 130 hours of service per month. This also applies to new hires that are, based on the position, expected to work at least 30 hours of service per week, or 130 hours per month based on the position they are hired into.
What is a variable hour employee?
A variable hour employee is someone whose work hours are not consistent and may fluctuate based on operational need. At the time of hire, the employer cannot reasonably expect the employee will average 30 or more hours per week, or 130 hours per month. The employees’ schedule may vary from week to week or season to season.
Is a variable hour employee the same as a part-time employee?
While both part-time and variable hour employees are not considered full-time, the terms are not the same. A variable hour employee is someone whose hours are uncertain and could, at times, be greater than 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month. A part-time employee is generally defined as someone scheduled to work fewer than 30 hours per week.
Is a variable hour employee always a variable hour employee?
Whether an employee is classified as variable hour depends on the expected hours of work at the start of their employment. However, if their hours are later consistently at or above 30 hours per week, or 130 hours per month, the employer may reclassify the employee as full-time. This can often happen through promotion or possibly after a measurement period. It is important to note that unless the employee is reclassified, they would continue to be classified as variable hour and undergo variable hour measurement. The measurement only determines benefit eligibility as a measured full time benefit eligible employee, but it does not change their employer classification.
Is a 1099 worker considered an employee?
No, a 1099 worker is not generally considered an employee. 1099 workers are considered self-employed contractors, freelancers, or consultants. The IRS uses several factors to determine whether a worker is an employee or a 1099 independent contractor. If a business misclassifies an employee worker as a 1099 contractor, or a 1099 contractor as an employee, it can face significant penalties and legal repercussions. If you’re unsure, it’s best to consult your legal advisor.
It is important to note that self-insured health plans require employers to report anyone that is enrolled in their health plan, which can include dependents or 1099 workers. Correctly classifying and reporting the employee is important and may help avoid penalties.
What about seasonal workers and or seasonal employees?
Seasonal workers can sometimes be interchangeable with seasonal employees, but typically a seasonal employee is hired for a job that customarily lasts six months or less and is performed around the same time each year. Examples of a seasonal employee may be a ski instructor, lifeguard, agricultural worker, or retail staff during the holidays.
The term “seasonal employee” is relevant for determining whether an employee is a full-time employee or full-time eligible under the look-back measurement method. The look-back measurement method includes rules that apply to new employees who are seasonal employees.
The term “seasonal worker” is relevant for determining whether an employer is an ALE subject to the employer shared responsibility provisions. To be an ALE, an employer must have employed, during the previous calendar year, at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees. However, if an employer’s workforce exceeds 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, for 120 days or fewer during the preceding calendar year, and all of the employees in excess of 50 who were employed during that period of no more than 120 days were seasonal workers, the employer is not considered an ALE.
Am I an ALE?
We cannot advise you as to your ALE status as that is a legal determination. We have provided you with tools to help you make that determination. See Step 2 below. If your ALE status in your profile in the ACA Elevate system is incorrect, please let us know so we can update your profile and ensure you are submitting the correct 1094/1095 forms.
What tools are provided to me to help complete my ACA Reporting?
Instructional videos and other resources are available to you inside the ACA Elevate system. Log into the ACA Elevate system and locate the Training link at the top of your home page.
Does your system integrate or pull data from other sources or HRIS systems?
No. The workbook needed to process your information can be found by logging into the ACA Elevate system. You can export data from your sources to a data file, then copy and paste that information into the workbook provided in the ACA Elevate system, however we do not import data directly from other sources.
What is my ALE member number?
This information can be located on the Company Information page inside the ACA Elevate system. Log into the ACA Elevate system and click on your company name link to access this information.
Who should be the IRS contact in the ACA Elevate system? Can I have multiple people?
The IRS contact should be the individual that can sign the electronic filing documents for the company. Yes, there can be multiple client contacts listed in the ACA Elevate with varying levels of access.
We have quite a bit of turnover. Do we start reporting once we have 100 or more employees working concurrently, or when we reach 100 or more that have worked for us in a calendar year?
Generally, employers with 50 or more full-time employees (including full-time equivalents) in the prior calendar year are considered ALEs. These employers have specific obligations related to offering affordable health coverage and reporting this information. Regardless of their size, employers sponsoring self-insured health plans must report information about covered individuals under the plan.
Do I have to list all employees including part-time or seasonal?
Report all W-2 employees (full-time, part-time, interns, union and terminated employees) that worked within this calendar year. Self-insured clients will report COBRA enrolled, retirees and the dependents of active/non-active employees and/or retirees that have enrolled in coverage.
Would you create a class for seasonal employees?
Seasonal employees would be classified based on their status. If they are still considered part-time or non-eligible, leave them in that class. If they are eligible and have the same eligibility standards and offer as regular full-time eligible employees, include them in the same full-time eligible class.
Do I have to create a separate class for each health plan I offer?
Separate classes are required if you have both a fully-insured and self-insured health plan with employees enrolled in both. You need to create separate classes for those unique self-insured plans that have increased reporting requirements. However, if you have only fully-insured or only self-insured benefits and the employee eligibility and offer is the same, separate class plans are not required.
Our premiums are based on age. Would I select Age Banded and then enter the lowest cost per age group?
This depends on how the plan is set up. If each employee pays a different rate based on their actual age, then yes. If the plan is set up with age ranges (e.g., 20-25) then you would not select Age Banded. Instead, you would create a class for each age range.
What do I enter for the Monthly Lowest Cost?
This refers to the lowest self-only monthly cost for the qualified plan offered to the eligible employee. This may not be the plan they enrolled in, as they may have enrolled in a family plan or a higher level of coverage option. This should still report the lowest monthly cost for self-only coverage for the qualified plan offered, however.
What is Age Banded?
Age Banded is when the cost of coverage is based on the age of the employee. This is usually received as a chart that your insurance carrier will give you listing the premium cost by age (typically 18-64+).
What is Wage Banded?
Wage Banded is when the cost of coverage is determined by how much an employee earns in a calendar year. This is often a rate based on a percentage of the salary received.
What is a safe harbor code to determine affordability? How do you give me that?
A safe harbor code tells the method that employers use to demonstrate if their health insurance coverage is affordable under the ACA. There are three main safe harbor options: using 1) W-2 wages, 2) the employee’s rate of pay, or 3) the federal poverty line to determine affordability. We cannot determine which codes to use, however you may refer to the material in the ACA Elevate system (under Training) to review the 1095c Coding Guide and the ACA Training Guide.
Is there a way to duplicate a class but change the name so that all of the age banded rates already entered carry over? I already have one class built which will apply to most but I need to build a class for employees and terminated prior to the waiting period.
There is no way to duplicate a class automatically. Each class would have to be entered with the details pertaining to that class. A class would need to be created for employees that terminated during the waiting period.
How about seasonal employees who are now made permanent, but the eligibility time is different than employees who started off permanent?
When changing the status of an employee, you would need to change the class to reflect the update. You would then enter the appropriate dates in the correct column for the change.
Do I need to include dependents?
If your group is self-insured/funded, you will need to submit dependent information. If your group is fully-insured, you do not have to submit dependent information.
Where do I get the workbook needed to complete my ACA reporting?
Log into the ACA Elevate system and click the Workbooks button on the far right. On that page you will notice a few blue arrows: the Top arrow will download a blank workbook, and the Bottom arrow will download a pre-populated workbook with the previous reporting year’s active employees. If you do not see the Workbooks button, you may need to finish the validation steps or you may not have permission to access that page.
Can I use any spreadsheet software or application for the workbook?
The ACA Elevate system is only compatible with the latest version of Microsoft Excel.
How do I submit my ACA workbook to be processed?
Log into the ACA Elevate system and click the Workbooks button on the far right. On that page you will notice a few blue arrows: the second arrow down has a Select button which will allow you to upload your workbook (in .xlsx format) from your files. Select the Validate button below that, next to the third arrow down. This will initiate the upload and validation process.
How do I get my 1095s corrected before they are transmitted to the IRS?
If you find 1095s that need to be corrected, you will need to contact us directly for assistance. There are two options for providing the details of the corrections needed: 1) provide a list of the employees who require changes and the exact changes needed for each or 2) upload a new, corrected workbook.
How do I add or change the users in the ACA Elevate system?
In the ACA Elevate system, select your company name. Then, on the left sidebar, you will need to find and select the Employer Contact Information button. Above the list of users you will see a Add New Employer Contact option. Click the + button and enter the details for the new contact. You can select the HR/Data checkbox so they will receive system emails. The IRS checkbox is only for the primary contact to receive IRS transmission system emails. Once complete, select Insert (below the phone number) to save the contact record.
What is my IRS status? Have you transmitted my file already?
You can find your current IRS status in the ACA Elevate system to the right of your company name. There are multiple different statuses: IRS Pending means your forms are ready to be transmitted; IRS Processing means your forms are being transmitted and we are waiting on a confirmation response from the IRS; Accepted with Errors means the forms were accepted by the IRS, however there some forms need corrections; Accepted means the forms were all accepted by the IRS.
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