Understanding Your Health Insurance Marketplace Form (Form 1095-A): A Guide

Navigating tax forms can be daunting. The 1095-A form is crucial for those with Marketplace health insurance. This form provides essential details about your health coverage. It includes premium amounts and any tax credits received, which determine the eligibility for the Premium Tax Credit. 

Without it, you might face tax filing errors or miss out on benefits. This guide will help you understand the 1095-A form. Learn how to obtain it and use it for your taxes.

1095-A vs. 1095-B vs. 1095-C: What’s the Difference?

To begin with, the IRS requires Form 1095-A to file your tax return while the other two forms are simply informational. First, the 1095-A form is for those who purchased insurance through the Marketplace. Second, the 1095-B form reports on minimum essential coverage provided by insurers, which includes Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) participants. Lastly, the 1095-C covers job-offered health coverage from employers to employees. 

Here’s a quick comparison:

• 1095-A: Marketplace insurance purchases.
• 1095-B: Insurance providers, Medicaid, CHIP.
• 1095-C: Employer-sponsored plans.

Understanding these differences helps ensure accurate tax records.

What is the 1095-A Form?

The Health Insurance Marketplace issues the 1095-A form to individuals who purchase health insurance directly through the Marketplace. It acts as a statement of your insurance coverage details. This tax form is a key document that helps determine your eligibility for the Premium Tax Credit when you file your tax return. 

It includes information about your health plan, such as your monthly premium amounts, coverage beginning and ending dates, and the total amounts to report for your Premium Tax Credit.

The Importance of the 1095-A Form 

The 1095-A form is crucial for tax filing for those with Marketplace Insurance. It determines if you qualify for the Premium Tax Credit, which can lower your tax bill or increase your tax refund. 

That being said, if you use more of the Premium Tax Credit than your taxable income, you must repay the difference when you file your taxes. On the other hand, if you use less than you qualify for, you may receive the difference as a refundable credit on your return.

If you fail to report your 1095-A form on your tax return, it can result in delays with the IRS. The IRS requires this form to complete IRS Form 8962, which reconciles any advance payments with what you were eligible for. 

How to Obtain Your 1095-A Form

The process to obtain your 1095-A form is straightforward. Generally, you should recieve your statement by mail within the timeframe of January 31st. However, if you haven’t received it, there are simple steps you can take.

You can access your 1095-A form online through your Health Insurance Marketplace account. If your 1095-A is corrected, you will need to use the corrected version to file your tax return accurately. Otherwise, the IRS can reject your tax filing, or if they accept your taxes, you may need to file an amended tax return (Form 1040X). 

Here are some directions to help you:

1. Log in to your Marketplace account and select the tax year for your application. (If you are filing your 2024 tax return, you need to select the 2024 application.) 
2. Select “Tax Forms” from the menu. Under “Your Form 1095-A,” select “Download PDF.” 
3. Enter your statement into our useful Premium Tax Credit section so our website can calculate your tax liability or refund.

You can access current and prior 1095-A statements in your online account. For more information on how to access your 1095-A directly from your Marketplace Insurance, click here. 

Plans in the 1095‑A Form

When you receive your Form 1095‑A (Health Insurance Marketplace Statement), you’ll see a section with the monthly plan numbers; understanding these numbers is key to getting your tax filing right.

What appears in Part III

• Column A – Monthly enrollment premium: This is the premium for the plan you enrolled in, for each month of coverage.
• Column B – Monthly second‑lowest cost Silver plan (SLCSP) premium: This is the benchmark premium (for the second‑lowest cost Silver plan in your area) used to determine your premium tax credit. It may not be the plan you enrolled in.
• Column C – Monthly advance premium tax credit (APTC): If you used advance payments of the premium tax credit during the year, those amounts show here.

Why these matter

These three figures work together when you file Form 8962 (Premium Tax Credit) to reconcile what you actually paid versus the credit you qualify for. You can avoid owing money or losing a refund by referring to these amounts to calculate your Premium Tax Credit accurately.

What if my 1095-A has all Zeros in Part III Column B?

If your Form 1095-A shows all zeros in Part III Column B, it means that the Health Insurance Marketplace did not have the necessary information needed to complete your form. Since this information is required to complete your tax return, your first step should be to log into your Marketplace account and check if a corrected 1095-A is available. 

The IRS indicates that this may be due to having no advance premium tax credit paid for your coverage or a change in circumstances affecting your SLCSP. At times, taxpayers may forget to report life circumstances to the Marketplace, which can lead to missing or incorrect SLCSP information. 

Here are some circumstances that may lead to this error: 

• You moved during the coverage period
• A new family member, such as a newborn, is under your plan
• There are gaps in coverage for a family member under your plan
• You initially planned on covering a family member, but you did not do so
• A family member under your plan became eligible for or lost eligibility for employer coverage or other main essential coverage
• An individual in your plan passed away 

Nonetheless, if a corrected form is unavailable, ensure to contact the Marketplace directly and request your SLCSP details. In most cases, you can also use the official SLCSP Lookup Tool to calculate your correct information. 

We advise that you avoid filing your tax return with the zeros present in your initial Form 1095-A as it can cause processing delays, incorrect tax refunds, and repayment amounts. 

Do I File My Dependent’s 1095-A Form?

The short answer is, yes, as long as the individual is under your policy, qualifies as a dependent, and cannot file an individual tax return. As a reminder, a dependent is someone who lives with you for more than half of the year, does not meet the income limitations for your specific tax year, and does not provide more than half of their own financial support. If a parent is the primary policyholder, the taxpayer can report this as normal within their Premium Tax Credit information. 

What if your dependent has a policy of their own?

Some tax situations may differ for dependents who are a part of more than one household. When a dependent is covered under a Marketplace plan outside of a taxpayer’s primary household and gets a Form 1095-A, here are some important details:

• The person whose name is on the Form 1095-A is responsible for entering the information on their tax return.
• If the dependent is claimed on your return and the dependent’s coverage is included on your household’s Marketplace plan, you’ll include the plan’s Form 1095-A data when you file. In many cases, you will need to allocate the premiums, SLCSP amounts, and credits between the taxpayer (you) and the dependent if both file or if the dependent files separately.
• If the dependent files their own return and is the “tax filer” on the Form 1095-A, then they must use the form to file their return even if you claim them as a dependent. (This depends on exactly how the plan was set up and how the Marketplace listed the recipient.)

Tips to File the 1095-A Form

We highly advise organizing your documents and locating the 1095-A form prior to filing. Ensure to check that the details match your records before tax filing, along with Social Security numbers and coverage dates.

Consider these strategies for managing your 1095-A form:

• Verify: Check for errors as soon as you receive the form.
• Contact: Reach out to the Marketplace if the form is missing.
• Store securely: Keep it with your tax documents for future use.

Following these steps can prevent tax issues and streamline the filing process. You can utilize our tax professional services if you are uncertain whether you are reporting your 1095-A correctly. 

The IRS Rejected My Tax Return – What’s Next?

A common e-file rejection from the IRS is F8962-070, which indicates that you, your spouse, or dependent is missing Form 1095-A. You will need to locate the missing statement and report it on your tax return. 

However, when it comes to family members under different policies, ensure to adjust the shared policy allocation percentages. This ensures that you don’t pay the tax liability for your portion. 

Here are the steps to tackle common issues:

• Mismatch in details: Verify all personal and coverage information.
• Missing form: Contact the Health Insurance Marketplace if you haven’t received your form by late February.
• Incorrect premiums: Check the premium amounts listed with your records.

If you find errors with your coverage, contact the Marketplace immediately. They can issue a corrected form promptly. 

Can I E-file the 1095-A Form?

Luckily, we can work with you to electronically file your individual tax return going back three tax years! However, we suggest you act fast before the IRS closes electronic filing in December. We currently offer e-filing going back two prior tax years. 

For example, in 2025, we currently offer e-filing for 2024, 2023, and 2022. As a friendly reminder, this is the last year to e-file your 2022 tax return. We recommend that you file now to claim your possible tax refund before it expires. 

Reach out to our live tax experts if you have any questions on filing. We’re here to help! 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 at 2:39 pm and is filed under Tax Deductions and Credits, Tax Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.