Year End Filing

Year-End Filing

Year-end filing is a separate workflow from quarterly filing. It supports the year-end forms and tasks made available for the selected company and year.

Select a year-end filing

1. Select Company. -> The available year-end form types are loaded.
2. Select Form Type. -> The available years are loaded.
3. Select Year. -> ZenTax loads the year-end task list for that selection.

If you see Valid Year-end filing batch not found, process the year-end batch in Zenople and ensure that it contains at least one employee. Return to ZenTax after processing.

Form-specific task paths

The exact task list depends on the selected form:

Use the tasks displayed for your selected form as the authoritative order. A task that is not shown is not part of that filing path.

Year-end task status

The task list is shown on the left side of the year-end filing screen. Tasks may vary by form type.

• Company Setup
• SSA Verification or Employee Information Validation
• Warning & Exceptions
• Summary
• Print and Mail / Distribute
• State File
• Local File
• Federal File
• TIN Verification
• Current task: the task currently open on the right side.
• Processed: the task has loaded or has data available, but it has not been marked complete.
• Completed: the task was marked complete and the completion date is shown.
• Uncompleted task: the task is available but still requires review or action.
• Green check: the task is completed.

Selecting Mark as Complete records the task as complete. Mark a task complete only after reviewing its information and completing any required action.

Set up submitter information

Submitter information is required for the year-end filing forms that request it.

1. Select Click here to set up submitter when the warning is shown, or select the edit icon beside the submitter name. -> The submitter information window opens.
2. Select Edit Submitter. -> The contact fields become editable.
3. Enter Contact Name, Contact Email, and Contact Phone. -> The phone field uses the displayed phone format and the email field checks the email format.
4. Keep the Contact Name within the displayed 27-character limit. -> The name remains within the filing specification accepted by the form.
5. Select Save Changes. -> ZenTax saves the submitter information and displays the contact name on the year-end screen.

The submitter contact is not shown for every form type. If the form does not display a submitter section, follow the tasks shown for that form.

Company Setup

Company Setup fields vary by form type. Complete the sections shown for the selected form.

Contact information

For Form 1095-C setup:

1. Enter the responsible person's First Name and Last Name. -> Required names are accepted when they are entered.
2. Enter the Contact Number. -> The number is checked against the displayed phone format.
3. Select Yes or No for the designated government entity question. -> Selecting Yes opens the designated entity information fields.
4. If applicable, enter the entity name, EIN, address, country, city, state, postal code, and contact information. -> The required fields for the designated entity are validated before saving.

Health Plan Start Date

1. Enter or select the Health Plan Start Date. -> The date picker limits the available date range and accepted dates.
2. Select No health plan was offered when that statement applies to the health plan year. -> The form uses the corresponding no-plan value for the filing.
3. Select Assign this health plan start date to all Form 1095-C records only when the same date applies to all records. -> The date is applied to all eligible records.
4. Select Update Form 1095-C records with this health plan start date, except those manually modified when manually changed records must remain unchanged. -> Records that were manually modified are excluded from the update.

The date selector may prevent a date from a previous calendar year or another date outside the allowed filing range. Use the date range accepted by the screen and verify the correct filing year.

Offer methods and transition relief

1. Review the available offer method options. -> The options explain which method will be reported.
2. Select every option that applies. -> ZenTax requires at least one option when this section is required.

Do not select an option solely to pass validation. Confirm the applicable method with your tax or benefits advisor.

Aggregated ALE Group

1. Select Yes or No for the aggregated ALE group question. -> ZenTax displays additional group member fields when applicable.
2. If Yes is selected, complete the group member information. -> The group information becomes part of the company setup.
3. If you are not electronically filing Form 1094-C, follow the on-screen instruction about selecting No. -> The setup matches the filing path selected for your organization.

Monthly employee counts and other sections

Complete the monthly counts, self-insured settings, country and state selections, and any other fields displayed for your form. Required fields must be completed before saving.

1. Review each section from top to bottom. -> You can identify required fields before submitting the setup.
2. Select Save or the available save action. -> ZenTax validates the entire setup and either saves it or highlights the fields that need attention.

SSA Verification or Employee Information Validation

The task label depends on the form. For some forms it is SSA Verification; for Form 1095-C it is shown as Employee Information Validation.

1. Review the verification notice. -> The notice explains whether the verification is separate from filing the return.
2. Choose Yes to authorize ZenTax to submit the verification request, or No to submit it yourself. -> The selected choice controls whether ZenTax starts the request or provides a download for manual submission.
3. Select Start Verification or Save Consent. -> ZenTax records your choice and begins the available workflow.
4. If you selected manual submission, select Download SSN File. -> ZenTax downloads the file needed for manual verification.
5. Review the status and correction records. -> ZenTax displays the processing result and identifies records that require correction.

The screen currently warns that verification may take up to three business days. Verification does not file the return. Complete the applicable filing task separately and follow current agency guidance.

Verification statuses

• Pending: the request has not started.
• In Process: the request is being processed and is waiting for a response.
• Processed: the request has been processed and result counts are available.
• Invalid or a correction result: one or more records require attention; review the correction grid and update the source information.

TIN Matching

TIN Matching is used when it is shown for the selected form.

1. Review the TIN matching notice. -> The notice explains whether ZenTax or you will submit the request.
2. Select Yes to authorize ZenTax, or No to submit the request yourself. -> ZenTax enables the corresponding workflow.
3. Select Start Verification or Save Consent. -> ZenTax records the choice and begins the request or prepares the manual path.
4. If you selected manual submission, select Download TIN File. -> ZenTax downloads the file needed for manual TIN matching.
5. Review the matching status and correction records. -> ZenTax displays successful and invalid result counts when processing is complete.

The screen currently warns that results may take up to 24 hours. TIN Matching does not file the 1099-NEC return. Complete the applicable filing task separately.

Summary

1. Open the Summary task. -> ZenTax displays totals for the selected form and company.
2. Compare the totals with your payroll and year-end records. -> You can verify wages, taxes, state totals, local totals, or employee totals as applicable.
3. For Form 1095-C, review monthly coverage-code and safe-harbor-code totals. -> The tables show the monthly values and totals used in the summary.
4. Select Verify 1094-C Totals when the button is shown. -> ZenTax opens a read-only verification window.
5. Review the 1094-C values and confirm the verification. -> ZenTax records the confirmation and allows the summary task to proceed.
6. Select Download Summary File when you need a copy. -> ZenTax downloads the summary workbook or file offered for the form.

For Form W-2C, the summary shows only fields and jurisdictions where corrections were made.

Federal File

The Federal File task provides a choice between authorization and manual submission.

1. Review any high-priority exception notice. -> You can open the Exceptions task before filing.
2. Select Yes to authorize ZenTax to submit the federal file, or No to submit it yourself. -> ZenTax enables the selected filing path.
3. If manual filing is selected for W-2 or W-2C, enter the required eight-character BSO User ID. -> The value is accepted only when it contains eight characters.
4. If manual filing is selected for Form 1095-C, enter the required five-character Transmission Control Code. -> The value is accepted only when it contains five characters.
5. Select Save or the available submission action. -> ZenTax records the consent and displays the available file action.
6. Select Submit when the file is ready for submission, or select E-File to download the file for manual filing. -> ZenTax records the submission or downloads the file.

The destination shown by ZenTax depends on the form. W-2 and W-2C files are associated with SSA filing; 1099-NEC and 1095-C files are associated with IRS filing.

State File

1. Open the State File task. -> ZenTax displays the state filing rows available for the selected form.
2. Review state exceptions before downloading. -> Exceptions identify information that may need correction.
3. Select the available download action. -> ZenTax downloads the file required for the applicable state filing.
4. Complete the filing with the applicable state agency when the workflow is manual. -> The agency receives the filing outside ZenTax.
5. Return to ZenTax and select Submit for the row. -> ZenTax records and tracks the submission status.

Local File

1. Open the Local File task. -> ZenTax displays local filing rows and available file types.
2. Review any exception notice. -> You can open the Exceptions task before downloading.
3. Open the E-File menu for a row. -> ZenTax shows the file extensions available for that locality.
4. Select the required file type, such as .txt or .csv. -> ZenTax downloads the selected local file.
5. Complete the filing with the applicable locality. -> Local filing is completed outside ZenTax unless the screen explicitly provides another option.
6. Return to ZenTax and select Submit. -> ZenTax records and tracks the local submission.

The screen displays an additional-cost warning for local file generation. Review your organization's applicable charges before downloading.

Print and Mail / Distribute

The Print and Mail / Distribute task directs you to the Zenople Year-End Filing module. ZenTax does not itself print or mail the documents from this task.

1. Open Print and Mail / Distribute. -> ZenTax provides the redirect to the Zenople year-end area.
2. Follow the instructions in Zenople. -> You can manage the available printing, mailing, or distribution options there.