Form 1095d vs. 1095-A, B, & C for Your Taxes

People searching for “Form 1095-D” may be looking for a tax document they expect to receive. However, Form 1095-D is an internal IRS form and is not sent to individuals. Instead, taxpayers receive one of three other versions: 1095-A, 1095-B, or 1095-C. These documents are information returns detailing your health insurance coverage for the previous year.

The purpose of the Form 1095 you receive is to communicate details about your health plan to both you and the IRS. While the federal penalty for the individual mandate is zero, these forms are used to verify coverage and are necessary for anyone who received financial assistance to purchase insurance through a government marketplace.

Understanding the Different Form 1095 Versions

The version of Form 1095 you receive depends on how you obtained your health insurance coverage. Each form originates from a different entity and serves a distinct purpose in tax reporting.

If you enrolled in a health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you will receive Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement. This form is sent by the Marketplace, not the IRS. It provides a month-by-month breakdown of your plan’s premiums and details any advance premium tax credits that were paid on your behalf to lower your monthly costs.

Form 1095-B, Health Coverage, is sent by health insurance providers, such as insurance companies or government-sponsored programs like Medicare or Medicaid. Small employers with fewer than 50 full-time employees who provide self-insured coverage also use this form. Its function is to report that you and any covered dependents had Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) for some or all of the year.

Applicable Large Employers (ALEs), which are companies with 50 or more full-time employees, send Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage. You will receive this form if you were a full-time employee of an ALE for any month, regardless of whether you accepted the health insurance offered. The form details the coverage that was available to you, your spouse, and dependents.

Information Reported on Form 1095

While the versions of Form 1095 come from different sources, they share a similar structure divided into three parts. Part I of each form identifies the people involved, including your name, address, and Social Security number. It also lists the name and contact information for the entity that issued the form.

Part II describes the coverage itself. On Form 1095-C, this part is particularly detailed, as it documents the offer of coverage made by an employer. It uses a series of codes to specify the type of coverage offered and whether it was considered affordable under ACA guidelines.

Part III is present on all forms and lists the covered individuals and the specific months they had health insurance. This section includes the names and Social Security numbers of everyone covered under the policy, including the primary subscriber and any dependents. For each person, a checkbox for each month of the year is marked if they were covered for at least one day in that month.

Using Form 1095 for Your Tax Return

The actions you need to take with a Form 1095 depend on which version you receive. For those with Marketplace insurance, the form is an active part of filing your return, while for others, it is primarily a document to be kept for your records.

If you receive Form 1095-A, you must use it to complete and file Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit. The information from your 1095-A, including monthly premiums and advance credits, is transferred to Form 8962. This process reconciles the advance credit you received based on your estimated income with the actual premium tax credit you qualify for based on your final income. This can result in either an additional credit on your return or a requirement to repay a portion of the advance credit.

For individuals who receive Form 1095-B or Form 1095-C, the process is much simpler. Since the federal penalty for not having health insurance is zero, there is no need to report specific coverage details on your federal return. You do not need to file these forms with your taxes but should keep them with your tax records as proof of coverage.

Some states have implemented their own individual health insurance mandates that require residents to have coverage. If you live in one of these states, you may need the information from your Form 1095-B or 1095-C to complete your state tax return.

Correcting Errors and Handling Missing Forms

If you find incorrect information on any version of Form 1095, such as a misspelled name or wrong coverage dates, you must contact the entity that sent it to you. The IRS cannot make corrections to these forms. The sender can issue a corrected form, which will be indicated by a “CORRECTED” checkbox at the top.

The deadline for the Health Insurance Marketplace to send Form 1095-A is January 31. Insurers and employers have until March 2 to send Forms 1095-B and 1095-C. If you have not received your form by the applicable deadline, you should follow up with the sender.

If you are expecting a Form 1095-A, you cannot file your tax return accurately without it, as the information is required for completing Form 8962. You can often access a copy through your online Marketplace account.

For those waiting on a Form 1095-B or 1095-C, the situation is less urgent for federal tax purposes. You can file your federal return without it if you are confident about your coverage history and can verify it through other documents, such as insurance statements or pay stubs.