PCORI Fees Due by August 2

Employers who sponsor self-insured coverage—including level funded plans and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs)—are responsible for filing and paying the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee by July 31st of the calendar year following the end of the applicable plan year. Fees for plan years that ended in 2020 are due by Monday, August 2, 2021 (as the normal July 31st deadline falls on a Saturday this year). 

The fee is paid as an excise tax, submitted to the IRS once per year on the second quarter Form 720. The fee amount is based on the average number of covered individuals for the applicable plan year. The per-participant fee is adjusted each year for inflation.

In late 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-84, which increases the fee amount for plan years ending on or after Oct. 1, 2020, and before Oct. 1, 2021. As such, the PCORI fee amounts for 2021 filings are as follows:

• For plans ending January 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020, the fee is $2.54 per covered life
• For plans ending October 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, the fee is $2.66 per covered life

The current Instructions to Form 720 are available here, and the IRS website has a page dedicated to the PCORI fee, here.

Please note: Marshall & Sterling will provide participant counts and detailed instructions for making payment to our affected clients to assist with this filing. You will be contacted directly with this information shortly, if applicable.