Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) FAQs

The HIRD is administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and DOR through MassTaxConnect. Here you will find answers regarding HIRD reporting requirements and specific information about completing the HIRD online form.

Updated: November 21, 2022

Table of Contents

General HIRD reporting requirement FAQs

What is the HIRD form?

The Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form is a state reporting requirement in Massachusetts, which launched in 2018. The HIRD form collects employer-level information about your employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) offerings. The HIRD reporting is administered by MassHealth and the Department of Revenue (DOR) through the MassTaxConnect web portal. The HIRD form will assist MassHealth in identifying its members with access to qualifying ESI who may be eligible for the MassHealth Premium Assistance Program. The HIRD form will be available to be filled out electronically starting November 15 and must be completed by December 15 of the reporting year. 

Who is required to complete the HIRD form?

State lawrequires every employer with six or more employees to annually submit a HIRD form. If you are an in-state or out-of-state employer who had six or more employees within Massachusetts during the past 12 months, you are required to complete the HIRD form. An individual is considered to be your employee if you as the employer included such individual in your quarterly wage report to the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) during the past 12 months. You are required to complete the HIRD form if you reported six or more employees (includes all employment categories) in any DUA wage report during the past 12 months. If you are an out-of-state employer that is not required to file a quarterly wage report to the DUA, an individual is considered to be your employee if they are hired for a wage or salary in Massachusetts to perform work, regardless of full-time or part-time status. Employers that are no longer in business are not required to file the HIRD form.

1See M.G.L. Chapter 118E, Section 78: Employer Healthcare Coverage Form.

What is the difference between this HIRD reporting requirement and the old HIRD form?

This HIRD form is different from the old HIRD form that was passed into law in 2006, and later repealed in 2014. The old HIRD form consisted of an employer form and an employee form, which required separate forms completed and signed by each employee who declined to enroll in ESI or the Employer’s Section 125 Cafeteria Plan to pay for health insurance.  In contrast, the new HIRD form only consists of a single employer form, which only needs to be completed once annually for your company. The new HIRD form does not contain any personal information about your employees. The new HIRD form will be used to inform MassHealth about employers’ ESI offerings and allow more MassHealth members to enroll in Premium Assistance.

How do I submit the HIRD form?

The HIRD reporting is administered by DOR through the MassTaxConnect (MTC) web portal. The MTC is where employer-taxpayers register to file returns, forms, and make tax payments. To file your HIRD form, login to your MTC account and select the Withholding tax account then select the File health insurance responsibility disclosure hyperlink. This form is to be completed electronically and paper forms or any substitution of the form will not be accepted.

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 (https://mtc.dor.state.ma.us/mtc/_/) or contact the DOR at (617) 466-3940. (The HIRD form is only available electronically. Paper forms will not be processed.)

How should I file the HIRD form if I use a payroll company to file tax information on MTC?

The HIRD form may be filed electronically on MTC by either you or your payroll company; however, it is your responsibility as the employer to ensure that the HIRD form is timely filed.  If you use a payroll company to file on MTC, you should coordinate HIRD reporting between the payroll company and your record keeper for health insurance information. The HIRD form collects information about employers’ health insurance offerings. This information is typically kept by the employers’ human resources department and/or a benefits coordinator.    

How should I file the HIRD form if I use a PEO (Professional Employer Organization)?

The HIRD form may be filed electronically on MassTaxConnect by either you or your PEO; however, it is your responsibility as the employer to ensure that the HIRD form is filed on time. The HIRD form collects information about employers’ health insurance offerings, which is typically kept by the employers’ human resources department and/or a benefits coordinator. If you do use a PEO, you should coordinate HIRD reporting between the PEO and your record keeper for health insurance information. For more information on filing the HIRD form as an employer that uses a PEO, please visit the DOR’s web page on filing HIRD forms for PEOs: (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/information-about-filing-hird-forms-for-professional-employer-organizations).

When do I submit the HIRD form?

The HIRD reporting is required annually. The HIRD reporting period will be available to be filed starting November 15 of the filing year and must be completed by December 15 of the filing year. This form is to be completed electronically on MTC and paper forms or any substitution of the form will not be accepted.

Could I be penalized based on the information I report in the HIRD form?

The HIRD form will not be used to impose any new fines or penalties related to employers’ ESI offerings (or lack thereof).  There are no fines or penalties related to your completed HIRD form.     

How will the HIRD form information be used?

The HIRD form will assist MassHealth in identifying its members with access to qualifying ESI who may be eligible for the MassHealth Premium Assistance Program. 

In most instances, the HIRD form will eliminate the need for employers to complete a separate Premium Assistance application for the employee.  In other instances, MassHealth may request additional information from the employer in order to confirm an individual’s eligibility for Premium Assistance. 

Note that employees enrolled in ESI, including but not limited to those enrolled in MassHealth’s Premium Assistance Program, are not included in the calculation of their employer’s obligation under the Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) Supplement (i.e., employees receiving MassHealth coverage as a secondary payer are not included in their employer’s obligation under the EMAC Supplement) (see 430 CMR 21.03(2)). The HIRD form will not be used in connection with any determinations regarding the employer’s EMAC obligation. For more general information and Frequently Asked Questions about EMAC, please visit the EMAC website (https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-the-employer-medical-assistance-contribution-emac-supplement), or call the Department of Unemployment Assistance EMAC call center at (617) 626-5075.

What is MassHealth’s Premium Assistance Program?

The MassHealth Premium Assistance program helps eligible working individuals and families pay for qualifying ESI coverage. Eligible MassHealth members with access to qualifying ESI are required to enroll in available ESI.  Members who are determined eligible for Premium Assistance may enroll in ESI without regard to any enrollment periods or other restrictions that apply to late enrollees for any group plan, as the MassHealth eligibility determination is considered a qualifying event. 

For more information on the MassHealth Premium Assistance Program, please visit the MassHealth Premium Assistance web page: (https://www.mass.gov/service-details/other-health-insurance-and-masshealth-premium-assistance). 

Note that employees enrolled in ESI, including but not limited to those enrolled in MassHealth’s Premium Assistance Program, are not included in the calculation of their employer’s obligation under the Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) Supplement (i.e., employees receiving MassHealth coverage as a secondary payer are not included in their employer’s obligation under the EMAC Supplement) (see 430 CMR 21.03(2)). For more general information and Frequently Asked Questions about EMAC, please visit the EMAC website (https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-the-employer-medical-assistance-contribution-emac-supplement), or call the Department of Unemployment Assistance EMAC call center at (617) 626-5075.

Where do I find the health plan information necessary to complete the HIRD form?

Your human resources and/or benefits department should have access to all of the information necessary to complete the HIRD form.

Some information will be readily available in the summary of benefits prepared by the health plan(s) your company offers, such as the employee monthly contribution, in-network deductible and in-network out-of-pocket maximum.

Some information will likely be policies set by your company. For instance, the minimum probationary period and hours worked per week to qualify for health insurance, as well as any employment-based categories that determine access to health insurance, are generally policies set by your company.

Some information, such as the Plan Year (a.k.a. Rate Year) and the total monthly cost of the plan, will be agreed upon between your company and the health plan. Your human resources and/or benefits department should have access to this information.

Is there any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) about my employees included in the HIRD form?

No. The HIRD form only collects employer-level information about your company’s health plan offerings. It does not collect any personal information about employees.
My company does not offer health insurance. Do I need to complete the HIRD form?

Yes. Employers who do not offer health insurance are required to log into MTC and submit the HIRD form. Once you have entered your company contact information, the next question on the form will be “Does the employer offer Group Health Insurance?” You should answer “No” to this question and submit the HIRD form. 

Specific HIRD form completion FAQs

I am having technical difficulties accessing the HIRD form or completing the HIRD form, what should I do?

If you experience technical difficulties while trying to access or complete the HIRD form, please contact the HIRD DOR call center at (617) 466-3940.

My company has multiple Federal Employer Identification Numbers (FEINs); do I have to report a separate HIRD form for each FEIN?

Yes, employers must report a separate HIRD form for each FEIN. MTC login credentials are tied to FEIN, so the employer must log into each FEIN MTC account they have and complete a HIRD form for each account.

Employer-sponsored health plan information for my company’s upcoming Plan Year (a.k.a. Rate Year) is not yet available. Should I wait until it is available to fill out and submit the HIRD form?

If health plan information for your upcoming Plan Year (a.k.a. Rate Year) is not yet available, please submit the HIRD form using the current Plan Year information for your health plan(s). However, if your current Plan Year ends prior to December 31, of the current filing year, you must submit the HIRD form using your upcoming Plan Year information for your health plan(s) instead of using the current Plan Year information.

My company’s health insurance offerings vary depending upon an employee’s employment-based category or union affiliation. How should I report health plan information if it may vary for employees in different categories?

The HIRD form includes questions that address this issue and allow employers to enter information about different health insurance offerings. Employers should follow the instructions on the HIRD form and enter all applicable information about different employment-based categories and union affiliation as they relate to health insurance offerings.  For example, employment-based categories may include, but are not limited to: regular full-time; regular part-time; temporary full-time; temporary part-time; management; non-management; wage based; exempt; non-exempt; salaried; hourly; union; non-union; and intern. The HIRD form allows an employer to report different health insurance offerings for all applicable types of employees.

If an employer offers multiple versions of the same health plan (with different premiums, deductibles, or out of pocket maximums) to different categories of employees, the employer should enter a new plan entry for each version of the health plan. 

A health plan offered by my company has multiple Group Numbers. Should I enter multiple entries for this health plan?

If a health plan offered by your company has multiple Group Numbers, but otherwise does not vary in terms of the benefits and rates provided, please include the multiple Group Numbers under an individual entry for that plan. If the health plan has variable benefits or rates depending on the Group Number, please enter a new health plan entry for each version of the plan, detailing the different rates for each version.

My company offers vision and dental insurance as plans separate from our comprehensive medical health insurance coverage. Do I have to report on these vision and dental plans?

No. You must report only on comprehensive medical health insurance plans offered to Massachusetts employees. Do not report plan information for any dental or vision plans.

My company offers health insurance plans in other states that are not available to our Massachusetts-based employees. Do I have to report on these non-Massachusetts plans?

No. You must report only on health insurance plans offered to Massachusetts employees. Do not report plan information for plans that are not offered to Massachusetts employees.

I answered “No” to the question: “Do the benefits provided under the health insurance plan satisfy the Minimum Creditable Coverage (MCC) requirements of 956 CMR 5.03(1)(a)”. Now I cannot enter any additional information about this plan(s). Why not?

Any health plan that does not meet the MCC requirements does not meet the eligibility requirements for the MassHealth Premium Assistance Program. Therefore, the HIRD web portal does not allow further information to be entered for a health plan once an employer selects that the plan does not meet MCC requirements. The employer should simply select “No” on the question and continue reporting information for the next health plan, if any.

I don’t know if my company’s health plan(s) meets the Minimum Creditable Coverage (MCC) requirements of 956 CMR 5.03(1)(a). How should I report on this plan?

Note that most health plans offered in Massachusetts satisfy the Minimum Creditable Coverage requirements.

If you are unsure whether a health plan meets MCC requirements, please select “Unknown” under the question regarding MCC for that plan, and then enter the rest of the plan information as usual. If the employer’s answer is “Unknown” for any plan, the employer must submit an insurance summary of benefits for each such plan. To submit your insurance summary of benefits, log in to MTC and select the “Send a message” link under the “I Want To” menu. For more information on the MCC requirements, please visit the Commonwealth’s MCC web page: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/health-care-reform-for-individuals#minimum-creditable-coverage-(mcc)-

My company’s health plan(s) does not have levels of coverage that match the names of the levels of coverage listed on the HIRD form. How should I report the information for this plan?

The names of a plan’s levels of coverage can vary. The “Individual” level of coverage on the HIRD form refers to any plan that only covers the employee themselves. The “Employee Plus One” level of coverage on the HIRD form refers to any plan that covers the employee plus one other adult, such as a spouse. The “Employee Plus Child/Children” level of coverage on the HIRD form refers to any plan that covers the employee plus their child or children. The “Family” level of coverage on the HIRD form refers to any plan that covers an entire family (employee, spouse, and child/children).

Where do I report copayment information on the HIRD form?

Employers are not required to report copayment information on the HIRD form.

Where do I report information about Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), Flexible Spending Arrangements, and Health Savings Accounts (HSA)?

Employers are not required to report information about HRAs, Flexible Spending Arrangements, or HSAs on the HIRD form. 

I realized that I made a mistake when completing the HIRD form. Can I amend my submission?

Yes. After you have submitted your HIRD form during the annual reporting period, you are able to edit the form. To amend your submission:

  • Log in to your MassTaxConnect account
  • Locate the Withholding account and select the “File Amended Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure” hyperlink.

Selecting this link will take you to a copy of your previously submitted HIRD form, where you can amend your responses. To save your changes, you must re-submit your HIRD form using the “Submit” button on the final page of the form. Note that you may only submit one amended HIRD form per day. If you want to make further amendments to your HIRD form at a later date, you may only edit your most recent previously edited submission.

Contact

For all further questions regarding the HIRD reporting requirement, please contact DOR’s customer service center at (617) 466-3940 and choose the option to speak with a HIRD representative.

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