The IRS pre-released Notice 2019-63 announcing an extension of the deadline for furnishing to individuals the 2019 Forms 1095-B / C.
Original Deadline New Deadline
January 31, 2020 March 2, 2020
IRS reporting is still due its original date of February 28, 2020 for paper and April 1, 2020 for electronic filing.
Additional Relief
Good faith relief from penalty upon a showing that the employer made good-faith efforts to comply with the reporting requirements, This relief only applies to missing and inaccurate taxpayer identification numbers and dates of birth, and other required information. Such relief is not available for missing filing deadlines or filing altogether.
Form 1095-B relief from penalty for furnishing individuals this form for purposes of the individual mandate. Since there is no longer a penalty there is relief from this penalty. This is not a repeal of the mandate. The penalty for failing to comply with the mandate was only repealed. This latest relief only provides temporary relief from penalty for failing to furnish this form.
Employers should ensure they are already well-ahead of the reporting season to ensure submission by the due date. Even with the extension of the due date for furnishing forms to individuals, the reporting deadline for IRS submission is unchanged. It is far better to submit with errors or missing information than not on time. Report on time…even if still incomplete. With the extension, no other extensions are available and the IRS considers employers to have plenty of time now to submit on time.