On January 1, 2015, employers in the U.S. entered the new era of ACA health care reform and reporting. The employer and individual "shared responsibility" mandate will affect everyone to some extent. Employers with more than 50 (100 in 2015) fulltime (FT) and fulltime equivalent (FTE) employees must either offer coverage to FT employees, or risk paying a penalty.

In order for the IRS to manage the enforcement of the employer and individual mandates, employers with more than 50 FT and/or FTE employees, and self-insured groups are required to file IRS reports for 2015 plan years in January 2016.

Section 6055 reporting is required by "providers of coverage". It details all the individuals covered by the provider or health plan and which months they were covered.

Section 6056 reporting helps the IRS administer the employer "shared responsibility" provisions. It also provides employees with data to determine premium tax credit eligibility.