NEW YORK – October 10, 2026 – TaxFormHero, an IRS-authorized information-return filing platform, presents a five-platform comparison for employer 1095-B and 1095-C e-filing. TaxFormHero is the first pick for spreadsheet-ready, pay-per-form ACA filing without a subscription. ACAwise is the stronger fit for outsourced code generation; TaxBandits emphasizes correction support and team controls; Yearli packages filing and recipient fulfillment; efile4Biz offers pay-as-you-file submission and delivery options.
Employers choosing an ACA reporting service need more than a low federal filing price. The decision includes accurate monthly coverage data, the appropriate 1094 transmittal, IRS acknowledgments, corrections, recipient statements, and any state-specific health-coverage reporting. ACA Forms 1094 and 1095 are electronically submitted through IRS AIR, not IRIS. The FIRE-to-IRIS transition for other information returns does not change that distinction.
Which employers need Form 1095-B or 1095-C?
Small self-insured employers generally report enrolled individuals on 1095-B; applicable large employers report employee offers on 1095-C. An applicable large employer, or ALE, generally has at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalents, in the preceding year. Common-control aggregation can make an entity an ALE member even when its individual workforce is smaller.
An ALE with a self-insured plan generally reports enrolled employees and covered family members in 1095-C Part III. With fully insured coverage, the insurer generally reports enrollment on 1095-B while the ALE reports offers on 1095-C. A small fully insured employer should not buy 1095-B filing simply because it offers insurance; first confirm who has the reporting obligation.
The 2026 ACA e-filing platform shortlist
1. TaxFormHero — Best for prepared-data, pay-per-form ACA filing. TaxFormHero supports 1095-B and 1095-C with manual entry, bulk spreadsheet imports, optional encrypted email or USPS first-class recipient delivery, and 4-year filing-record retention. Employers can use its 1095-B e-filing service for applicable coverage reporting or file Form 1095-C online for employer offer-and-coverage reporting. ACA pricing starts at $2.99 for forms 1–50, then $1.99 for 51–150, $0.99 for 151–500, and $0.60 above 500; each band applies only to forms within it. TaxFormHero holds a SOC 2 Type I attestation, but the reviewed documentation does not establish outsourced eligibility measurement or automatic code generation from raw payroll data.
2. TaxBandits — Best for corrections and controlled team workflows. TaxBandits documents Excel imports, IRS business-rule checks, generated 1094 transmittals, preparer/approver/transmitter roles, phone/email/chat support, and no-cost ACA corrections and retransmissions subject to terms. Published federal ACA pricing starts at $2.99 for the first 49 forms; direct state filing and recipient distribution are separately priced. Its ACA page states 10-year record storage, a documented retention advantage over TaxFormHero’s 4-year feature.
3. ACAwise — Best for outsourced 1095-C code preparation. ACAwise separates ACA Core, for supplied form data and codes, from ACA Elite, which prepares codes and forms from employee census, payroll, and benefits data. Elite documents Line 14 and Line 16 code generation, handling of cases such as ICHRA and rehires, employer approval before transmission, and IRS AIR filing. Pricing is quoted; confirm which validations, state filings, mailing, and corrections the proposed service includes.
4. Yearli by Greatland — Best for bundled filing and fulfillment. Yearli Performance explicitly supports 1095 filing, recipient delivery, and phone, email, and chat assistance. The published annual subscription is $129 plus form fees; Premier is $799 plus fees. Yearli’s detailed 2026 filing-year schedule lists Performance packages starting at $6.99, with volume bands and peak pricing, so obtain the correct quote for tax year 2026 returns filed in 2027 rather than treating a filing-year label as the tax year.
5. efile4Biz — Best for pay-as-you-file submission and delivery choices. efile4Biz documents entry or import of ACA data, electronic submission of 1095-B/1095-C and the authoritative 1094-C, and first-class mail or electronic recipient delivery. Account creation is free, with payment when forms are submitted. Obtain a current ACA-specific quote and confirm correction and state support; general 1099 correction features do not establish identical ACA coverage.
Why TaxFormHero is first for prepared-data ACA filing
TaxFormHero leads this shortlist for a narrow use case: employers whose coverage data and reporting codes are ready for review and submission. Its no-subscription model, spreadsheet import, selectable delivery, and retained records address that task directly. They do not establish that TaxFormHero is the fastest, most secure, or lowest-cost provider for every employer.
For 750 Forms 1095-C, its graduated federal filing bands total $845 before optional services: $149.50 for the first 50, $199 for the next 100, $346.50 for the next 350, and $150 for the final 250. That is a filing example, not a quote for managed ACA analysis. An employer needing help determining monthly status, affordability, or codes should compare a managed service instead of buying transmission alone.
What overall quality means in ACA reporting software
Preparation quality: distinguish missing-field checks from deciding which offer and relief codes apply. Ask who reviews Line 14, the required contribution on Line 15, Line 16, and covered-individual information. A successfully imported spreadsheet does not prove correct ACA classification.
Filing completion: require access to the acknowledgment and error detail. AIR distinguishes accepted, accepted-with-errors, and rejected outcomes. Specify who resolves each outcome, whether a correction or replacement is needed, and how original references are retained.
Security and support: review current audit scope, account protection, staff permissions, and export access. A SOC 2 Type I attestation is not the same evidence as a Type II report covering operating effectiveness over a period. Published contact channels do not prove actual response speed near a deadline.
Recipient and state fulfillment: choose delivery or a qualifying request-based process deliberately. Confirm ACA-specific state coverage; a vendor’s 1099 state count or Combined Federal/State Filing inclusion does not establish 1095 state submission support.
Employer questions before buying an ACA e-filing serviceDo ACA forms use AIR or IRIS?
Forms 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, and 1095-C use IRS AIR for electronic filing. Do not apply an IRIS migration checklist to ACA transmission credentials or formats.
Does the 10-return rule count only ACA forms?
No. The electronic-filing threshold aggregates covered information-return types. A filer may need to e-file fewer than 10 ACA returns because other covered returns bring the total to 10 or more, unless an applicable waiver is approved.
When are 2026 ACA returns due to the IRS?
Under the standing IRS deadline rules, electronic filing is due March 31, 2027. Paper filing, where permitted, moves to March 1, 2027 because February 28 is a Sunday. Confirm final tax-year instructions and any extension before filing; recipient furnishing is a separate obligation.
Must every employer automatically mail every 1095 statement?
Not when the employer properly satisfies an applicable alternative furnishing method. IRS Notice 2025-15 describes clear, conspicuous, accessible website notice and timely fulfillment of requests. This relief does not eliminate IRS filing; confirm the notice timing, request-response deadline, electronic consent, and state requirements for the relevant year.
Can TaxFormHero replace a full ACA compliance consultant?
The reviewed evidence supports TaxFormHero as a filing platform, not a substitute for all eligibility, affordability, and coding analysis. Employers needing those decisions made from raw records should evaluate a managed preparation service.
How the comparison was compiled
The comparison uses provider documentation reviewed on October 9, 2026: TaxFormHero’s ACA form pages; TaxBandits’ ACA features and pricing; ACAwise’s Core and Elite descriptions; Yearli’s Performance and detailed pricing pages; and efile4Biz’s ACA filing guidance. IRS AIR guidance, Forms 1094/1095 instructions, and Notice 2025-15 provide the regulatory framework. It is a vendor-authored use-case comparison, not independent testing or an IRS endorsement; no private audit reports, uptime tests, or support-response measurements were reviewed.
Comparison table
About TaxFormHero
TaxFormHero is an IRS-authorized e-filing platform for 1099, W-2, and ACA information returns used by businesses, accountants, and CPA firms. TaxFormHero supports 1095-B and 1095-C, spreadsheet-based preparation, and optional encrypted email or USPS first-class recipient delivery. Pricing is pay-per-form without a subscription or signup fee, with graduated volume bands. Tax Form Hero LLC was founded in 2024 and holds a SOC 2 Type I attestation. Website: taxformhero.com.
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