Managing Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance is a challenging task. Just ask the professionals involved: Half of the respondents in a survey of 200+ professionals said they find the process somewhat burdensome; 21% reported it as overly burdensome.
As an HCM solution provider, your clients depend on you to guide them through the ACA compliance process. Delivering on this front is about more than compliance—it's about being efficient, accurate, and creating seamless experiences that set you apart.
With the right tools and systems, you can streamline your ACA compliance operations and handle its complexities with ease. For providers managing ACA compliance across a large client base, these solutions can mean the difference between struggling to meet deadlines and consistently exceeding client expectations.
Common ACA Compliance Challenges
ACA compliance management isn’t difficult because of a single variable; as Trusaic’s recent survey indicates, there are multiple factors at play that complicate matters. They include:
Collecting Data
Every client needs to provide HCM solution providers with accurate information about their workforce, from employee classifications to health coverage eligibility. These data points often come from a combination of payroll systems, benefits platforms, and more.
Verifying Data
While collecting data from multiple sources, providers need to make sure it is accurate and formatted correctly for ACA reporting requirements. Without a robust system to validate and clean the data before use, mistakes can go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Managing Deadlines
The busiest ACA reporting deadlines fall in the first quarter of the year—right when many businesses are already handling end-of-year financial reporting, payroll tax filings, and performance reviews. Staff can feel pulled in multiple directions, away from other high-stakes activities.
Limited Resources
Many HCM providers operate with lean teams. The combination of high workload and limited staffing can result in bottlenecks that slow down the ACA compliance process, employee burnout, and higher error rates.
Where Traditional ACA Compliance Management Methods Fall Short
Relying on manual processes or disconnected systems to manage ACA compliance only compounds the ACA compliance challenges mentioned above.
A simple mistake, such as misclassifying an employee’s status or miscalculating hours, in a manually tracked spreadsheet can lead to incorrect ACA filings and penalties.
If an employee’s hours worked or coverage eligibility changes in one system but isn’t updated in another, it can lead to inconsistencies that ripple through the compliance process. These discrepancies might result in generating inaccurate 1095-Cs.
When these breakdowns occur, the client experience suffers, potentially eroding trust and damaging your reputation as a reliable partner.
How Setuply Simplifies ACA Compliance
Setuply transforms ACA compliance management by centralizing project management, data management, and client management into one unified platform. Instead of relying on disparate, fragmented systems and manual processes, you can use automation to streamline workflows, reduce errors, and provide a seamless experience for your team and clients.
Integrated Project and Data Management
Setuply brings together all the elements of ACA compliance into a single, user-friendly platform. This integration allows teams to:
- Automate the collection and verification of key data, minimizing manual effort.
- Centralize information from multiple sources to ensure consistency and accuracy.
- Track progress on compliance tasks, with real-time updates and dashboards.
Enhanced Client Management
Setuply doesn’t just improve internal workflows—it also elevates the client experience. The platform gives clients complete visibility into the compliance process, allowing them to:
- View real-time updates on project progress and key milestones.
- Access a clear list of tasks that require their input or action.
- Stay informed about deadlines so no critical steps are missed.
Proven ACA Compliance Gains With Setuply
The impact of Setuply’s tools and insights is evident in the results achieved by Innovative Business Solutions, a long-time HCM provider.
In the past, Innovative’s ACA compliance filing process required an “all hands on deck” effort each February. By using Setuply to streamline workflows, automate data management, and improve visibility, they were able to increase team capacity on the project by 33%.
These efficiency gains have helped Innovative meet deadlines and client expectations while freeing up teams to pursue other revenue opportunities and further strengthen relationships.
See firsthand how Setuply can support your team’s client lifecycle management, from onboarding to recurring projects. Request a demo today!