IRS ACA Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Fees Due July 31st.

For 2018, the annual fee to fund the federal Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), paid by employers that sponsor self-insured health plans and by commercial group health insurance providers, will go up by about 10 cents per employee or dependent enrolled in the health plan. The fees are due by July 31. The chart below shows the fees to be paid in 2018, which rose slightly from the fees owed in 2017.

The chart below shows the fees to be paid in 2018, which rose slightly from the fees owed in 2017:

Jan. 1, 2017, through Sept. 30, 2017 $2.26 (up from $2.17) per Covered Life (including spouse & children)
Oct. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2017 (including calendar year plans) $2.39 (up from $2.26) per Covered Life (including spouse & children)

For self-funded plans, the self-insured employer is responsible for submitting the fee and accompanying paperwork to the IRS. PCORI fees are reported on IRS Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return. On page two of Form 720, under Part II, the employer needs to designate the average number of covered lives under its applicable self-insured plan. Although the fee is paid annually, employers should indicate on the Payment Voucher (720-V)—located at the end of Form 720—that the tax period for the fee is the second quarter of the year. Failure to properly designate ‘2nd Quarter’ on the voucher will result in the IRS’s software generating a tardy filing notice.

The PCORI fee will not be assessed for plan years ending after Sept. 30, 2019, which means that for a calendar-year plan, the last year for assessment is the 2018 calendar year.

ATTENTION DIVERSIFIED GROUP CLIENTS:

Clients who have elected to have Diversified Group assist with PCORI fee calculation can expect an email by June 25th that will include a copy of the completed Form 720 along with the PCORI calculation worksheet with supporting documentation. Clients will need to file Form 720 with payment by July 31, 2018.

self-funding-video