Pay or Play Calculator

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have released a free "pay or play" calculator for employers.

See below for more information about the "pay or play" provisions. And, as always, contact us if you need help navigating these regulations.

What are the Employer Shared Responsibility (also known as "pay or play") provisions?

Starting in 2014, employers employing at least a certain number of employees (generally 50 full-time employees and full-time equivalents, explained more fully below) will be subject to the Employer Shared Responsibility provisions under section 4980H of the Internal Revenue Code (added to the Code by the Affordable Care Act). Under these provisions, if these employers do not offer affordable health coverage that provides a minimum level of coverage to their full-time employees, they may be subject to an Employer Shared Responsibilitypayment if at least one of the full-time employees receives a premium tax credit for purchasing individual coverage on one of the new Affordable Insurance Exchanges.

To be subject to these Employer Shared Responsibility provisions, an employer must have at least 50 full-time employees or a combination of full-time and part-time employees that is equivalent to at least 50 full-time employees (for example, 100 half-time employees equals 50 full-time employees). As defined by the statute, a full-time employee is an individual employed on average at least 30 hours per week (so half-time would be 15 hours per week).