Version 7.61.355 has been released with additional validation features when generating the electronic ACA report file. This version is available for download right now via the Check for Updates option on the Tools menu.
The program will now check additional required items and report problems on the exception reports that could lead to the file being rejected by the IRS. You will likely want to correct these errors if possible before uploading your file.
Also, additional fields are checked for invalid characters and these are removed automatically. For instance, periods in the address line will be removed (“P.O. BOX” will be changed to “PO BOX” and “ST.” to “ST”).
The biggest problem with initial files uploaded to the IRS was with missing or incomplete employee addresses. The address, city, state, and zip are all required fields on the 1095-C form. If any of these are missing, the employee account #, name and full address will be listed on the exception report.
In some cases it may be impossible to obtain a correct/valid address for an employee that is no longer working. A checkbox has been added to the Generate Electronic ACA Files window to tell the program to substitute the employer address for employees that have a missing or invalid address.
We recommend all customers update to this version before generating their files for upload to the IRS.