Santa’s big job is done now, and you’d think his operations would be winding down for a long vacation. But you would be wrong to think that. There is the year-end close to worry about, and then there is the February 1st deadline for Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance. As pointed out by writers Helen Karakoudas and Wendy Pace in an article for MSDynamicsWorld.com, “the rush brought on by the first filing season for Affordable Care Act returns is adding to usual year-end pressures at the North Pole.”
Santa’s U. S. operations, you see, qualify him as an ACA “applicable large employer.” None of his various U. S. companies reach the 50 full-time employee threshold for ACA compliance, but companies that meet IRS rules for being commonly controlled or affiliated, as Santa’s do, must check their combined head count, and Santa’s combined count goes over the 50 limit (Karakoudas and Pace put his U. S. employee count at 99). This count excludes owners, veterans, and seasonal workers.
What that article doesn’t mention is that Santa is all set for ACA compliance thanks to Microsoft Dynamics GP, which has all the tools for compliance that are needed for an organization that:
- is singly owned.
- has a stable workforce with salaried employees and hourly employees with predictable schedules.
- already offers health coverage.
- has fewer than 250 full-time (as defined by the ACA) employees.
This describes Santa’s operations, so thanks to Microsoft Dynamics GP, he’s that much closer to a well-deserved vacation.
