Vision Payroll

2019 Massachusetts HIRD Form

The Department of Revenue has made the new 2019 Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form available to taxpayers through the MassTaxConnect (MTC) web portal.

What is the HIRD Form?

The HIRD form is a state reporting requirement for Massachusetts Employers in 2019. The HIRD form collects employer level information about your employer sponsored insurance (ESI). The HIRD reporting is administered by MassHealth and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) through the MTC web portal. The HIRD form will assist MassHealth in identifying members with access to an ESI who may be eligible for the MassHealth Premium Assistance Program.

Who is required to complete the HIRD Form?

State law requires every employer in Massachusetts with six or more employees to submit the HIRD form annually. If you are an employer who currently has or had six or more employees in any of the past 12 months, you are required to complete the form.

When will the form be due?

The form became available beginning November 15 and must be completed by December 15. The form must be filed electronically through your MTC account and the state will not accept paper forms.

How do I submit the HIRD form?

The HIRD reporting is administered by the DOR through the MTC web portal. The MTC is where employer-taxpayers file returns, forms, and make tax payments. To file your HIRD form, login to your MTC withholding account, on the Accounts tab choose Withholding Tax, and select the “File health insurance responsibility disclosure (HIRD)” hyperlink under the “I Want To” column. If you do not have an MTC account, or if you forgot your password or username, you may follow the instructions provided on the MTC web page or contact the DOR at (617)466-3940.

Can Vision Payroll help me with this filing?

The HIRD Form contains very specific information regarding your employer sponsored health insurance plan including eligibility criteria, employment categories, enrollment periods, and plan year dates. Unfortunately, Vision Payroll does not have access to the required benefit information. Furthermore, as we are a bulk filer of Massachusetts taxes, we do not have access to individual MTC login information. For help with your login credentials, please call the DOR at (617)466-3940.

If you do need assistance with the electronic filing of the form we are offering two options to our clients:

1. If you are required to file the HIRD Form (any employer with more than 6 employees at any time over the past 12 months) but do not offer an employer sponsored plan, we will file the form electronically on your behalf. Please complete all of Part 1 and Part 2, Question 1 of the 2019 HIRD Paper Form. Sign and date the form.
2. If you are required to file the HIRD Form and do offer an employer sponsored plan, Vision Payroll will file the electronic version of the form with all the relevant information about your employer sponsored health plans that you provide to us on the 2019 HIRD Paper Form.

Please note: the state will not accept a paper copy of this form.

The fee schedule to have Vision Payroll file on your behalf is on the 2019 HIRD Paper Form.

For more information about the 2019 HIRD form reporting requirements, please contact us at (978)840-1635.

Thursday, November 28, 2019 will be Thanksgiving Day, a federal holiday. The offices of Vision Payroll will close Thanksgiving Eve, November 27 at 3 pm EST and re-open Friday November 29. Most banks will also be closed in observance of the holiday. Payroll changes and hours must be submitted before the processing deadlines listed below:

Payroll Dates May Be Affected by Thanksgiving Day

Payrolls dated November 28 will be paid November 27 unless a previous change in schedule has been submitted. Payrolls submitted after these processing deadlines will be pushed back until the next available processing day. No changes are required for payrolls dated December 3.

Bank Withdrawal Dates Will Change for Some Payrolls

For payrolls dated November 27, including those normally paid on Thursdays, ACH withdrawals from clients’ accounts will occur on Tuesday, November 26. For payrolls dated November 29, ACH withdrawals from clients’ accounts will occur on Wednesday, November 27. This is necessary to ensure timely crediting of employees’ accounts on the proper day.

Christmas Day Is Next Federal Holiday

There will be UPS ground delivery on November 27, BUT we strongly recommend submitting payrolls during this time as early as practicable. The next federal holiday will be Wednesday, December 25, 2019, Christmas Day. Contact Vision Payroll as soon as possible to make changes to or for questions on your processing schedule.