Form 1095-B for Health Coverage

Form 1095-B is the IRS document that confirms you had qualifying health insurance coverage, called minimum essential coverage, during a given tax year. Your insurance provider or employer sends it to you by January 31 each year. The form identifies who in your household was covered and for how many months. You do not need to attach it to your federal tax return, but you should keep it in your records in case a state mandate requires proof of coverage when you file your state return.

Who Sends Form 1095-B and Who Receives It

Three types of coverage providers generate Form 1095-B.

• Health insurance companies: Insurers covering individuals directly, including people who bought a plan through a marketplace and those covered by small employer-sponsored plans.
• Government programs: Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program administrators send Form 1095-B to covered members.
• Self-insured small employers: Businesses that fund their own employee health benefits instead of purchasing insurance from a carrier.

Form 1095-B vs. Form 1095-A vs. Form 1095-C

Three versions of the 1095 form exist. Each comes from a different source and serves a slightly different purpose.

• Form 1095-A: Issued by the Health Insurance Marketplace to people who enrolled through a marketplace plan. You need Form 1095-A specifically to complete Form 8962 and reconcile any premium tax credits you received during the year.
• Form 1095-B: Issued by insurers, small employers, and government programs. It confirms minimum essential coverage but does not affect premium tax credit calculations.
• Form 1095-C: Issued by applicable large employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees, reporting the health coverage they offered to each employee during the year.

When You Actually Need Form 1095-B

The federal penalty for lacking health insurance was reduced to zero starting in 2019, so Form 1095-B has no direct impact on your federal return in most cases. However, several states have their own individual mandate penalties, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington D.C. Those states may require you to show proof of coverage when filing your state return, which is where Form 1095-B becomes important to have on hand.

What to Do If You Do Not Receive Form 1095-B

Contact your insurer or program administrator directly if you were covered during the year but did not receive the form by early February. Providers are required to furnish it by January 31. If you need it for a state mandate filing, request a reissue before your state tax deadline.

Sources

• https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1095-b
• https://www.healthcare.gov/taxes/tools/forms/1095-b/