The Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) is a state reporting requirement in Massachusetts, which launched in 2018. State law (M.G.L. c. 118E, section 78) requires every in-state and out-of-state employer who had 6 or more employees within Massachusetts at any time during the past 12 months to annually submit a HIRD form, which collects information about your employer-sponsored insurance offerings. The HIRD reporting requirement is administered by MassHealth and the Department of Revenue through your MassTaxConnect (MTC) account.

Even if you do not offer health insurance to your employees, you still must fulfill this requirement from the DOR.

Businesses with fewer than 6 employees can ignore the HIRD requirement.

The HIRD form will be available to be filled out electronically starting November 15 and must be completed by December 15, 2023.

PayPlus can complete this form for our clients, at your request, for a fee. As you know, unlike most payroll bureaus, we don’t charge extra for many of the services we provide to our clients. However, for us to complete this form for you by the deadline requires substantial additional resources on our part.

You can complete the form yourself, at NO charge.

To file the HIRD form yourself

To file your HIRD form, login to your MTC account, then click on the Withholding tax account and select the File health insurance responsibility disclosure hyperlink under the “I Want To” section. The HIRD form must be completed electronically. Paper forms or any substitution of the form will not be accepted. The HIRD form will be available to be filled out starting November 15 and must be completed by December 15, 2023.

Among the information you would need to supply: 

·    name of group plan

·    group number

·    eligibility requirements

·    start date

·    percentage of premium paid by employee

·    enrollment period start and end dates

·    policy year information

·    levels of coverage if different plans offered

·    plan’s total cost

·    maximum out of pocket expenses

·    network annual deductibles

·    does the insurance satisfy minimum coverage requirement set form by the IRS?

·    does the employer offer its employees wellness coverage

You can get this information from the insurance agency that handles your health insurance.