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What the 1095 Tax Form Is and Why You Might Receive One

The 1095 form is a tax document that reports information about health insurance coverage. There are actually three types of 1095 forms used for different purposes, but the most common ones people encounter are the 1095-B and the 1095-C. These forms track whether you had health insurance during the year and provide details about your coverage to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

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You may receive a 1095-B form if you had health insurance through a marketplace plan, Medicaid, Medicare, or certain other government health programs. Insurance companies and government agencies send this form to you and to the IRS by March 2nd each year. The form shows which months you had coverage during the previous year.

The 1095-C form serves a different purpose. Employers with 50 or more full-time employees must send this form to workers who had health insurance through their workplace. This form gives details about the employer's health plan, including what the coverage costs and whether it meets certain standards under tax law.

Since 2014, federal tax law has required most people to have health insurance coverage or pay a penalty when filing their taxes. However, the penalty amount has changed over time, and as of recent years, the penalty is $0 for most taxpayers. Even though the penalty is currently $0, the IRS still requires people to report their coverage status. Receiving these forms helps prove to the government that you had insurance coverage during the year you're reporting.

Practical Takeaway: If you had any health insurance during the year—whether through an employer, the marketplace, Medicaid, or another program—you should expect to receive a 1095 form by early March. Keep these forms with your tax records, as you'll need the information when you file your return.

How to Obtain Your 1095 Forms If You Haven't Received Them

If you had health insurance during the year but haven't received your 1095 form by mid-March, you have several options to locate the document. The process differs depending on where you got your coverage.

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For marketplace coverage obtained through Healthcare.gov or your state's health insurance marketplace, log into your account on the marketplace website. Most marketplaces allow you to view and print your 1095-B form directly from your account portal. You can typically find this in a section labeled "Tax Documents," "Forms," or "1095-B." If you signed up through a state marketplace rather than the federal site, visit your state's specific marketplace website. Some states operate their own marketplaces, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

For employer coverage, contact your company's human resources or benefits department. They handle distribution of 1095-C forms and can provide copies if yours is lost or if you need another. Give them your complete name and the year you're asking about, and they should be able to send you the form promptly. Many employers now provide these forms electronically through employee benefits portals.

For Medicaid coverage, contact your state's Medicaid agency. Each state runs its own Medicaid program, so you'll need to reach out to your specific state. You can find your state's Medicaid office through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website (CMS.gov). Have your Medicaid identification number and Social Security number ready when you contact them.

For Medicare coverage, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE. You can create an account on the Medicare website to view your coverage information and download tax documents. Medicare sends 1095-B forms to all beneficiaries but can also provide copies if needed.

Practical Takeaway: Start by checking your online account with whoever provided your coverage—your marketplace, employer, or government program. Most organizations now offer online document retrieval, which is faster than calling or visiting in person. If you can't find your form online, a direct phone call to the organization usually gets results within a few business days.

Understanding the Information Shown on Your 1095 Form

Your 1095 form contains several pieces of information that the IRS uses to verify your tax filing. Understanding what each section means helps you catch errors and ensures accurate tax reporting.

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The top of the form shows your personal information: your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. It also lists the name and identification number of the insurance company or organization that provided your coverage. Double-check that your name and Social Security number are spelled and numbered correctly. Even small errors can cause problems when the IRS processes your return.

The main section of a 1095-B form shows the months you had coverage. The form displays 12 boxes representing January through December. Your insurance company marks an "X" or similar indicator in each month where you had qualifying coverage. A qualifying health plan is one that meets minimum standards under federal law—basically, real health insurance rather than limited coverage like dental-only or vision-only plans. If you had a gap in coverage (say, you were uninsured for two months), you'll see those months unmarked.

A 1095-C form contains more detailed employer information. It shows the name and address of your employer, your employer's identification number, and details about the health plan offered. It includes the cost of employee-only coverage (the lowest tier of insurance your employer offered) and shows whether the coverage met federal standards. It also indicates whether the employer offered coverage to you and your family members.

Both forms include codes and footnotes that provide additional context. For example, a code might indicate that you were covered under a certain type of plan or that coverage was terminated on a specific date. These codes help the IRS understand your situation more completely. The back or bottom of the form usually includes a legend explaining what each code means.

Some 1095 forms show coverage through multiple sources. For instance, if you had employer coverage for part of the year and marketplace coverage for another part, you might receive both a 1095-C and a 1095-B. This is normal and expected.

Practical Takeaway: Review your 1095 form carefully against your own records. If you know you had coverage in a month that appears unmarked, or if you see an error in your personal information, contact the organization that issued the form. Most organizations will issue a corrected form (called an amended or corrected 1095) if you catch mistakes before you file your tax return.

When Your 1095 Information Is Needed for Tax Filing

Your 1095 form information becomes relevant during tax filing, particularly on IRS Form 8965, which is used to report health insurance coverage. However, most people filing taxes will never actually need to fill out Form 8965 or directly reference their 1095.

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Here's why: The IRS receives copies of all 1095 forms that organizations send to people. The agency matches this information against tax returns to verify that filers had coverage. If your records show you had qualifying health insurance for all 12 months of the year, you typically don't need to do anything special on your return. Your coverage is verified automatically when the IRS matches your 1095 information against your filing.

You only need to file Form 8965 if you had a gap in coverage during the year. This form allows you to report months when you didn't have insurance and explain any exemptions that might apply. Examples of exemptions include hardship situations, religious objections, or membership in certain health-sharing organizations. However, since the federal penalty for not having coverage is currently $0, filing Form 8965 has minimal tax impact for most people.

If you received coverage through the marketplace and got a tax credit (a reduction in what you paid for monthly premiums), you'll need to complete Form 8962, which reconciles the credits you received during the year against what you were actually owed based on your final income. Your 1095-B information helps verify the coverage you had when you received those credits.

If you're self-employed or a business owner, your 1095-C information might be relevant for health insurance deductions. Self-employed people can deduct health insurance premiums, and the 1095-C helps document your coverage situation.

You should keep your 1095 forms with your tax records even if you don't reference them directly on your return. Tax records are typically kept for at least three years in