ACA compliance isn’t just a check-the-box task—it’s a high-stakes responsibility that public sector HR leaders can’t afford to push off. And yet, every year, many districts, municipalities, and state agencies find themselves scrambling to pull together scattered data across payroll, benefits, and HRIS systems, racing against reporting deadlines with spreadsheets and guesswork.
At Bentek, we work with public sector employers every day to eliminate that scramble. From K–12 school districts and colleges to counties and special taxing districts, our platform was purpose-built to simplify ACA compliance at every step.
Here’s how you can use the months ahead to prep smarter and avoid costly penalties come filing time.
💸 Understand What’s at Stake
ACA reporting requirements aren’t going away. In fact, enforcement is getting stricter, with penalties increasing annually for noncompliance.
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According to the IRS, employers with 50+ full-time equivalent (FTE) employees must offer affordable coverage or face penalties under Section 4980H.
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For 2024 tax year filings, failing to file ACA Forms 1094/1095 correctly and on time can result in penalties up to $630 per return, per employee (IRS, 2024).
In a large school district or mid-sized city government, these fines can quickly reach six figures—especially if inaccurate or incomplete data leads to a wave of corrections or late filings.
🏛 Public Sector Complexities Demand Specialized Solutions
ACA reporting is never simple, but it’s uniquely complicated in the public sector. Here’s why:
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Seasonal and variable-hour workers (substitute teachers, bus drivers, custodial staff, etc.) make eligibility tracking a moving target.
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Union contracts and collective bargaining agreements may create overlapping or non-standard benefit rules.
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Retiree populations may remain on payroll or coverage, triggering additional form requirements.
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Multiple data systems (payroll, HRIS, timekeeping, and more) often don’t sync well, making manual tracking error-prone.
Generic HR software wasn’t designed to handle this level of complexity. Bentek was.
📊 Most ACA Errors Are Data Errors
Filing forms isn’t the hard part. Getting the data right is. Over and over, we see employers tripped up by:
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Incorrect hire dates
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Misclassified employees (FT vs. variable-hour)
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Missing dependent SSNs
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Inconsistent measurement and stability period tracking
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Data mismatches between systems
ACA reporting isn’t a January task, it’s a year-round discipline. That’s why Bentek centralizes your benefits data and validates it with Benchek, our real-time auditing engine that catches errors before they turn into penalties.
🧠 Start Early. File With Confidence.
The best way to survive ACA season? Don’t wait for it.
Public sector employers should begin preparing as early as Q3 to:
✅ Review employee eligibility based on look-back and measurement periods
✅ Audit data across benefits, payroll, and timekeeping systems
✅ Generate preview forms to identify and resolve issues
✅ Align with your broker and finance teams on filing responsibilities
✅ Confirm EDI connections and test file transmissions with your ACA vendor
The earlier you start, the more confident you’ll be—especially when leadership starts asking about risk exposure and budget impact.
🛠 Why Bentek Is Different
Bentek’s ACA module isn’t an add-on or afterthought. It’s an essential component of our purpose-built public sector platform designed to reduce the friction, guesswork, and risk tied to benefits administration and compliance.
Here’s how we help:
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Automated eligibility tracking for full-time, variable, and seasonal employees
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Measurement and stability period reporting built for public employment patterns
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Real-time auditing to flag data mismatches and missing fields before submission
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Electronic filing and form generation for IRS Forms 1094-C and 1095-C
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Audit logs and historical records in case of IRS inquiries or legal reviews
No more spreadsheets. No more scrambling. Just smarter ACA compliance.
✅ Don’t Let ACA Season Catch You Off Guard
Your compliance readiness in Q1 starts with the systems you put in place now. Whether you’re a school district with hundreds of part-time staff or a county agency managing diverse bargaining units, Bentek can simplify ACA reporting from start to finish.
Schedule a demo to see how we can help you stay audit-ready and penalty-free without drowning in paperwork.
