How Do I Get Proof of Health Insurance For Taxes?
An IRS Form 1095 will give you proof of health insurance for your taxes.
- What is it? A 1095 form or letter is your health coverage tax form. It includes the health insurance details to help you file your taxes. You can use it to calculate tax credits or add up expenses for deductions.
- How do you get it? It's often sent automatically by your job, insurance company or the marketplace where you bought insurance.
- What do you do with it? You don't need to include the 1095 form with your tax return because the IRS already has a copy.
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Do I need to prove I have health insurance for my tax returns?
No, you no longer need to prove you have health insurance on your federal tax returns. This change happened in 2019 when Congress ended the tax penalty for not having health insurance.
You may still get one of three types of tax forms, which show your health insurance information for the 2024 tax year. The type of health insurance tax form you receive is based on how you obtained health insurance coverage.
1095 health insurance tax forms
- Form 1095-A: For marketplace health insurance bought on HealthCare.gov or your state exchange
- Form 1095-B: For plans you bought directly from an insurance company, health insurance through the government (Medicare, Medicaid or CHIP), or plans through your job if you work for a small business
- Form 1095-C: For job-based health insurance if you work for a large company
All 1095 forms will have basic information about your health insurance coverage, including the coverage dates and how much you paid for insurance.
The 1095-A, 1095-B, and 1095-C aren't the same, but they are similar.
Of the three types of 1095s, Form 1095-A is the only one that will have information about discounts that most people with a marketplace plan receive on their health insurance bill, which are called premium tax credits.
If you received these health insurance discounts, you'll need your 1095-A to fill out your income tax return.
You won't need to attach the 1095 to your tax returns. That's because the IRS already got a copy of the form. However, it is a good idea to keep your 1095 with your tax records for reference.
You can use the information on your 1095 to help you fill out your tax return. For example, you can use it to itemize health care expenses or calculate if you can deduct health insurance premiums.
Yes, your health insurance premiums are on the W2 you get from your job, but the health information on your W2 is an annual summary and a 1095 tax form has more detail.
Form 1095-A
You'll receive Form 1095-A if you were enrolled in a marketplace health plan during the tax year. The form is sent by the health insurance marketplace (either the HealthCare.gov federal marketplace or your state's health care exchange) acknowledging you were enrolled in medical insurance coverage and has information about your policy.
The 1095-A includes:
- Who in your household had a plan
- Subsidies you received (Also called advance payments for premium tax credits)
- The monthly premiums you paid
- The dates of coverage
Learn more from the IRS:
If you received advance premium tax credits or want to submit the tax credits on your return, you will need the 1095-A information to file your taxes.
Using the 1095-A as proof you have health insurance, you can then complete Form 8962 to file with your tax returns. This will calculate the final amount in premium tax credits you're eligible for to see if you can qualify for more money back.
You will only get a 1095-A for health insurance plans that are Bronze level or above. You won't get a 1095-A for Catastrophic health plans or dental plans.
You have up to two years to file your 1095-A with your taxes, instead of needing to file each April.
That means if you received discounted health insurance in 2024, you'll have more time to compare the premium tax credits you received to the amount you're eligible for based on your final income for the year.
- File the 1095-A about your 2024 health insurance before the usual tax deadline on April 15, 2025
- Get a tax extension, and file your 1095-A with your 2024 tax return before the October 15, 2025 deadline
- Skip a year if you would otherwise not need to file taxes, and file your 1095-A with the following year's taxes
Form 1095-B
Form 1095-B is sent to people who get health insurance that's not through a large employer or the marketplace. For example, you may receive a 1095-B if you bought health insurance coverage directly from an insurance company or participated in a government program, such as Medicare or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Learn more from the IRS:
Even when you're eligible for a 1095-B, you may not receive one automatically because it's no longer required to be filed with your tax return. However, you can usually download it from your insurance provider or request a paper copy.
In states that require health insurance, you may still receive a copy of your 1095-B to include in your state's income tax return. The insurance company may also send the paperwork directly to the state.
Form 1095-C
Employers may send you tax form 1095-C to confirm that you participated in an employer health insurance plan. The form provides information about the policy and who was covered under the plan.
Learn more from the IRS:
Generally, companies with 50 or more employees will send employees Form 1095-C to keep as a tax record. As with Form 1095-A, you don't need to attach Form 1095-C to your tax return.
How do 1095 forms relate to my tax returns?
If you received premium tax credits to pay for your marketplace health insurance costs, these are listed on your Form 1095-A.
Your 1095-A will show your advance premium tax credits, which are the subsidies you got each month to lower the cost of your health insurance plan. The amount of your subsidy was set when you signed up for insurance using the income you expected to earn in the year.
When you file your taxes, you'll compare the premium tax credits you received to the total amount you are eligible for based on the income information in your tax return. The 1095-A has the numbers you'll need to calculate your final tax credits.
- If you were getting more tax credits than you were ultimately eligible for, you could have to pay more when you file your taxes at the end of the year.
- If you used less than you were eligible for, you could receive a tax refund for the difference.
You do not need to file a tax return because you received either Form 1095-B or 1095-C. For instance, if you are enrolled in Medicaid, you may receive the 1095-B. If you had no other tax-filing obligations, there's no need to file a tax return.
During the first years of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), 1095 forms were more important because they allowed the IRS to verify you had health insurance coverage. If the IRS identified gaps in health coverage, then you would be required to pay a tax penalty for not having minimum essential coverage. But as of the 2019 tax year (filed in 2020), the penalty for lacking coverage is no longer in effect.
When do I receive my Form 1095 and how do I get a copy?
You can usually get tax form 1095-A as early as January or early February because you'll need that information to file your taxes.
Tax forms 1095-B and 1095-C can be sent as late as March 3 because the information usually isn't needed for your tax return.
Where to get a 1095-A tax form for marketplace plans
- By mail: The 1095-A is usually sent automatically from HealthCare.gov or the state marketplace where you bought insurance. The IRS mailing deadline for Form 1095-A is Jan. 31, 2025. You should receive the form by mail before mid-February.
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Online download: If your federal income tax requires a 1095-A and you don't have one, you can download your 1095-A starting mid-January from the marketplace where you bought your insurance. You usually won't be able to get a 1095-A from your health insurance company.
Start by logging in to your HealthCare.gov account or your state's health insurance marketplace. On HealthCare.gov, go to "Your Existing Applications" and select the year you want. Then select "Tax Forms" in the menu on the left to download your 1095-A.
How to get a copy of your 1095-B or 1095-C form online
You can get your 1095-B and 1095-C tax forms form your workplace, the insurance company or the government agency that provides your insurance
- Online download: You may be able to download your 1095-B or 1095-C through the member portal of the insurance company or through your online account with Medicare or Medicaid.
- Request a copy: Not all companies have a way to get your 1095-B or 1095-C online. So you may need to request the tax form by contacting your insurance company, employer or government agency that provides your health insurance.
- By mail: The deadline for you to receive a 1095-B and 1095-C tax form is March 3, 2025, if you're due to get one.
The information in the 1095-B or 1095-C is usually not used for filing your taxes. That means you can do your taxes before you get your health insurance tax forms.
However, if you plan to itemize your health expenses, you can either wait for the 1095 or calculate how much you spent on health insurance using your W-2s or financial records.
What to do if your 1095-B is missing months of payments
If your 1095-B is missing months of payments or has other issues, start by checking the insurance coverage you had during the year. In many cases, your insurance information could be split across two 1095-B forms.
- Did you change jobs or insurance plans that would cause you to get two forms?
- Did your job change its type of health plan between a fully-insured plan and a self-insured plan ?
If your coverage didn't change, contact the company that provided your 1095-B to get it fixed. The new 1095-B you get will be marked as "corrected" in the checkbox at the top.
Health insurance premiums on your W2
Your health insurance premiums will usually be on your W2 under Box 12.
Box 12, code DD: Cost of employer-sponsored health coverage
Box 12, code DD on your W2 is the annual cost of your health insurance plan that includes the total of what's paid by your job and what's paid by you. It will always include the cost of your medical plan, and it may include the cost of dental and vision insurance, depending on your employer.
Learn more from the IRS:
W2 Box 12-DD usually isn't used to prove that you have health insurance because it's an annual summary that doesn't have the details that are in tax form 1095.
For example, the insurance premiums on your W2 won't break down if you had coverage for a few months or for the whole year.
Box 12 code FF: Qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement
If you work for a small company that reimburses some of your medical costs if you buy your own insurance, then the payments made by your job will be on your W2 in Box 12 code FF.
This type of coverage is called QSEHRA (qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement).
You'll use the information from Box 12 code FF, along with the rest of your W2, when you're filling out your federal income taxes. This will help you calculate your total tax amount for the year.
Box 12, code W: Employer contributions to your HSA
If you have a HSA (health savings account), the amount your employer has contributed to your HSA is reported on your W2 in Box 12, code W.
Box 12, code W may also include any HSA contributions you make through a cafeteria health insurance plan, which is also called a salary reduction plan.
If you have HSA information on your W2 in box 12, code W, you'll usually also need to complete IRS Form 8889 which calculates if payments to your HSA are tax-deductible.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a 1095-A to file my taxes?
If you purchased your health insurance through the ACA marketplace, you need the information provided on the 1095-A to complete your taxes. But you're not required to send the form when you file your return.
What do I do if I don't have a 1095-A?
If you bought insurance through the marketplace and don't receive a 1095-A form either by mail or online, contact the marketplace where you bought the plan. You'll usually need to wait to receive your 1095-A before filing your taxes.
Do I need a 1095-C to file my taxes in 2025?
No, you don't need to include a 1095-C with your tax return. However, you can use the information that your employer sent on the 1095-C if you want to itemize your health expenses. You can also keep it for your records to prove you had health insurance.
Is there a tax penalty for not having health insurance?
There is no longer a tax penalty to the IRS for not having health insurance. That's because the national health insurance mandate ended in 2018. However, some states still require health insurance. There is a tax penalty for not having health insurance in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C.
Sources
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- HealthCare.gov and state health insurance marketplaces
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
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