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The More You Know

The Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010 and mandates health insurance reforms that impact small businesses. This section is dedicated to providing Paysmart clients with our current understanding of some of the key points of the ACA and how they may affect your business’s payroll reporting requirement.

This legislation’s rules and regulations change often so Paysmart recommends you discuss ACA provisions with your accountant, attorney, or HR rep.

When it comes to payroll and the ACA, there are two main questions that employers have to answer.

Are You a Controlled Group?

This controlled group exists when one or more businesses are connected through stock ownership with a common parent corporation (i.e. a chain), and

  • 80% of each corporation’s stock (except the common parent) is owned by one or more corporations in the group.
  • The parent corporation must own 80% of at least one other corporation.

This controlled group occurs in cases of two or more corporations where five or fewer common owners (individual, trust, estate) own directly or indirectly a “controlling interest” of each group and have “effective control.”

  • Controlling interest: Generally, this means 80 percent or more of the stock of each corporation (but only if such common owner owns stock in each corporation).
  • Effective control: Generally more than 50 percent of the stock of each corporation, but only to the extent such stock ownership is identical with respect to such corporation.

This controlled group consists of three or more organizations that are organized as follows:

  • Each organization is a member of either a parent-subsidiary or brother-sister group. 
  • At least one corporation is the common parent of a parent-subsidiary, and also a member of a brother-sister group.

What Size Employer Are You?

Plan Requirement: Employers who employ less than 25 full-time equivalent employees are not required to offer a plan.

Reporting Requirement:

  • Employers who offer an employer-sponsored plan are not required to meet any reporting requirements at this time.
  • Effective March 10, 2014, employers offering a self-insured plan must file section 6055.

Tax Credit: Employers with less than 25 FTEs may qualify for a tax credit.

  • To be eligible for the credit a small employer must pay premiums on behalf of its employees enrolled in a qualified health plan offered through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace.
  • The credit is available to eligible employers for two consecutive taxable years.
  • For more information on the tax credit visit www.IRS.gov.

Plan Requirement: Employers who employ less than 50 full-time equivalent employees are not required to offer a plan.

Reporting Requirement:

  • Employers who offer an employer-sponsored plan are not required to meet any reporting requirements at this time.
  • Effective March 10, 2014, employers offering a self-insured plan must file section 6055.

Plan Requirement: Employers with more than 50 FTEs are required to offer a plan to FTEs and may face a penalty if one is not offered.

Reporting Requirement:

  • Employers who offer an employer-sponsored plan are required to report the value of employer and employee cost in box 12 of form W-2.
  • Employers offering a self-insured plan must file section 6055.
  • ALEs need to provide Form 1095-C to their employees by January 31 every year to use when filing tax returns. Form 1094-C needs to be provided to be filed with the IRS as a summary of aggregate employer-level data, including FTE counts by month. Contact your payroll vendor for help with the monthly tracking.

Employer-Sponsored Plan

An employer-sponsored plan is group health insurance. Employer-sponsored plans can include a range of plan options including HMO and PPO as well as additional coverage such as dental, disability, and life. Some coverage under employer-sponsored plans must be reported on employee’s W-2s. For a list of what to report on the W-2 visit, Form W-2 Reporting of Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage.

Self-Insured Group Health Plan

Some employers choose to operate their own health insurance plan instead of going through an insurance carrier to purchase a fully-insured plan. The employer pays a third-party administrator to manage the plan while keeping the premium and paying the cost of claims and administration themselves.

Applicable Large Employer (ALE)

An employer that had an average of at least 50-full time employees (include full-time equivalent employees) during the prior year. For more information, visit www.IRS.gov.

Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC)

Qualifying health care coverage under an employer-sponsored plan.

Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC)

Qualifying health care coverage under an employer-sponsored plan.

Employer-sponsored coverage

  • Group health insurance coverage for employees under a governmental plan, plan offered in the state’s small or large group market, or grandfathered health plan)
  • Self-insured group health plan for employees
  • COBRA coverage
  • Retiree coverage

Individual health coverage

  • Insurance you purchase directly from an insurance company
  • Insurance purchased through the Marketplace
  • Insurance provided through a student health plan or university-funded student health plan
  • Catastrophic plans

Coverage under government-sponsored programs

  • Most Medicaid coverage
  • Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
  • TRICARE coverage (most types)
  • Comprehensive programs offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs
For a complete list of minimum essential coverage, visit Individual Shared Responsibility Provision.

Employer Shared Responsibility

ALEs must either offer affordable minimum essential coverage that provides minimum value to their full-time employees (and dependents) or potentially make an employer shared responsibility payment to the IRS if at least one of its full-time employees receives a premium tax credit for purchasing individual coverage on one of the new Affordable Insurance Exchanges, also called a Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace). The employer shared responsibility provisions are sometimes referred to as “the employer mandate” or “the pay or play provisions.” The vast majority of employers will fall below the ALE threshold number of employees and, therefore, will not be subject to the employer shared responsibility provisions. For more information, visit www.IRS.gov.

ACA Tools and Resources

Helpful Resource Links

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Emily Gooding

Payroll Specialist

Emily is graduating in May with a BA in Business Administration from Lander University. She has gained valuable experience as a payroll intern for BMW. We are so excited to have her on the team and  to see her excel in her role as a Payroll Specialist.

Madison Capps​

Payroll Specialist

Madison received a BS in Psychology from Southern Illinois University in 2019. Since then, she has been working as a supervisor at Starbucks and earning her second degree, a BA in Administration and Accounting, from USC Aiken in the fall. She will be joining us as a Payroll Specialist and a valuable addition to our Paysmart team.

Kristen Wilby

Payroll Specialist

Before moving to South Carolina with her husband, Kristen worked as a Sales & Marketing Specialist for Premium King in Feasterville, PA, where she gained valuable experience in strengthening the brand and generating new business. Kristen also brings to our team several years of professional experience as an Executive Assistant and as an Office Manager, where she was first introduced to payroll. Kristen’s knowledge and her innate ability to establish genuine relationships contribute greatly to the team as we continue to grow and serve our clients.

Meg Whitaker

Payroll Specialist

Meg brings nearly twenty years of professional experience to the team. Most recently, she worked as a Payroll & Benefits Specialist in Centennial, Colorado. She and her husband recently moved back to the Carolinas for his job, and we were fortunate to find her! Before Colorado, Meg worked at CPI Security Systems in Charlotte, NC, for twelve years as a Billing Coordinator and Senior Administrative Assistant. She also gained three years of experience as an HR Assistant for a law firm in Fayetteville, NC. Her expertise significantly adds to our team and benefits our clients as we continue to grow!

Rachel McClaran, EA

Partner

Rachel plays a crucial role in developing Paysmart’s core processes and procedures, as well as overall strategy within the company. Rachel graduated from Bob Jones University and is an active member of the Junior League of Greenville and the South Carolina Association of CPAs. Her desire to serve her community has led her to become involved with several nonprofit organizations and to serve as the past Vice President of Finance for the Junior League of Greenville. Outside of the office,Rachel enjoys spending time on the water and traveling with her husband and their two children.

Hina Rogers

Payroll Specialist

Hina joined the Paysmart team in August 2022. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, before moving to Greenville, SC. She earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education. After college, she represented her alma mater as an enrollment counselor in the Southeast and Western states. She enjoys traveling, road trips, cooking, and quality time with her family. Hina looks forward to serving your company’s needs! 

Sharon Quantrille

Payroll Specialist

Sharon has spent several years in the accounting industry and has completed courses to hone her skills as a Payroll Specialist. Her background as an educator, professional musician, and Human Resources Generalist has contributed to her communication skills, commitment to professionalism, and organizational skills that make her a tremendous benefit to her Paysmart clients and colleagues. A graduate of Bob Jones University with a B.S. degree in Music Education, a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and a Human Resources Generalist Certificate, Sharon spends her free time gardening, hiking, playing the piano, and spending time with her four adult children.

Haleigh Bates

Payroll Specialist

Haleigh joined our team in May of 2022 as a payroll specialist. Haleigh has over eight years of experience helping personal and small business clients with their financial needs. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia Southern University. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children, Caden, Addie, and Mason.  She likes to go hiking, spend time at the beach, and volunteer at her church in the children’s ministry. 

Courtney Rossello

Payroll Tax Manager

Courtney joined the team at Paysmart Payroll Services in September 2020.  She was raised in Simpsonville, SC, and graduated from Clemson University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a concentration in public administration.  Courtney began her payroll career in 2011 and currently works in the payroll tax department at Paysmart.  She strives to make every client feel comfortable knowing their payroll taxes and tax returns are handled accurately and efficiently.  Courtney is also a volunteer Treasurer for a local middle school in Greenville County.  In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with special needs children, road trips, and spending time with her two daughters. 

Emily Hargrave

Senior Payroll Specialist

Emily received her bachelor’s degree in music from West Coast Baptist College. Since her college days, Emily has gained nearly 18 years of experience in office operations and project management. Emily joined Paysmart in 2017 and enjoys using her skills to support clients and the Paysmart team.

 At heart, Emily is a small-town country girl from the Midwest but is happy now to call the Upstate home, where she doesn’t have to endure harsh winters. Emily’s favorite ways to spend her free time are reading a good book, challenging herself with puzzles, and doing her best not to kill the plants in her garden.

Julie Shull

Client Success Specialist

Julie is the Client Success Specialist for Paysmart Payroll.  She joined the team as a Payroll Specialist in March of 2020. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from NC State University and earned an MBA from Gardner-Webb University while playing on the GWU women’s tennis team. After starting her career with Wilson Sporting Goods as a Financial Analyst, she took a few years off to raise twin boys until she began working for Greenville County Schools in 2014.  Julie enjoys spending time with her family and outdoor activities.

Brad Detandt

Payroll Administrator

A graduate of Northland International University with a BA in Counseling, Brad Detandt leads the day-to-day operations of the Paysmart team. He is eager to grow the firm’s client portfolio. He brings a diverse employment background in retail, manufacturing, nonprofit ministries, and business development, with
a specialized focus on team development and process improvement. Brad’s professional – and personal – mission is to “Be Great. Serve!” Brad enjoys spontaneous activities and weekend trips to state parks with his wife Miranda and his three children.

Stephen C. Stokes

Managing Partner

Stephen has more than 14 years’ experience working with individuals and businesses to meet their tax, accounting, and payroll needs. He has been the managing partner of Paysmart Payroll Services since January 2009. He is a licensed certified public accountant in South Carolina and Georgia. Stephen is also a member of the South Carolina Association of CPAs, the Georgia Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, and the Professional Association of Small Business Accountants. He has a bachelor’s degree from Bob Jones University and a master’s degree from Georgia State University. Stephen was born and raised near Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Greenville, South Carolina, several years ago. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Tiffani, and daughters, Madeline and Julianna. He is actively involved in his church and enjoys reading, sports, and other outdoor activities.