If you purchased health insurance through the health insurance marketplace, you will receive a 1095-A Form. The 1095-A Form gives you information about the amount of advanced premium tax credit (APTC) that was paid during the year to your health plan to reduce your monthly premium. This information was also reported to the IRS by the marketplace.

The 1095-A Form consists of three parts. Each part of the form provides you information necessary to fill out Form 8962 and claim your premium tax credit or report your premium tax credit if you used it during the prior year each month you had marketplace health insurance.

The first part of your 1095-A Form contains information about you and your insurance coverage. Specifically:

• Basic household information
• Name of the Insurance company that provided you with coverage 
• Health insurance policy start date 
• Health insurance policy termination date 
• Marketplace policy number

Part II provides you with a list of individuals in your household who are covered under a health insurance marketplace plan. Part II of the 1095-A Form lists:

• Covered individual name and Social Security number
• Coverage start date 
• Coverage termination date

Part III of the 1095-A Form provides more details about your coverage during the year. It reports the following information:

• Monthly premiums: This includes total insurance premiums you paid and any advance payments that were paid on your behalf.
• Dates of insurance coverage: shows the coverage amount for every month you (or a family member) were enrolled in a health insurance marketplace plan. 
• Second-lowest-cost silver plan premium (SLCSP): The SLCSP that applies to you, based on where you live and when you enrolled. It may not be the plan you enrolled in. You need to know your SLCSP premium to figure out your final premium tax credit. You can use the HealthCare.gov tax tool to find your SLCSP or to verify the number reported on your 1095-A Form. This number is used to compute your premium tax credit.
• Advance payments of premium tax credit (APTC):  The amount of advance payments that were submitted on your behalf to cover the cost of monthly insurance premiums.

How do I get a 1095-A form?

The health insurance marketplace will provide you with the 1095-A Form if you had a Marketplace plan in the prior year. You’ll also receive the1095-A form if a member of your household was covered under a marketplace insurance plan in the prior year. You should be on the lookout for the 1095-A Form around mid-February if you received marketplace coverage at any time during the previous year. You may receive more than one 1095-A Form if your family members enrolled in different Marketplace plans or if you reported a change in marital status or permanent residence.

Perhaps you misplaced or did not receive your 1095-A Form—or you wish to start preparing your taxes in January or early February. You can download your 1095-A Form from the internet by logging into your Healthcare.gov account.

1. Click on the application associated with the current tax year
2. Select tax forms
3. Click on “Form 1095-A” for tax filing
4. Save as a PDF file and print or download to your computer
5. Print Form 8962 and instructions
6. Use the information from your 1095-A form to complete Part II of Form 8962

Be sure to review the 1095-A Form information carefully. If you discover any errors, contact the Marketplace to discuss and make necessary corrections. Thereafter you will receive a corrected 1095-A Form.

How does a 1095-A form affect my taxes?

The APTC paid on your behalf during the year was based on the annual income you estimated you would earn when you signed up for Marketplace coverage. Now you must file a federal income tax return to compute your actual income for that coverage year. You will have to include Form 8962 with your return. Instructions for this form will help you calculate how the APTC compares to the amount of premium tax credit you were eligible to receive.

If your actual income was lower than what you estimated, you are eligible for a larger premium tax credit and can claim the difference as a refund when you file your tax return. If your income was higher than what you estimated, you are eligible for less premium tax credit and might have to pay back some or all the difference when you file your return.

Do you want to learn more about your health insurance options?

We invite you to visit our Individual and Family Insurance home page. You can use the eHealth plan finder to see all individual and family health insurance plans available where you live. eHealth makes it convenient for you to compare and enroll in health insurance on the federal and state marketplaces or through insurance companies directly. Also, eHealth’s licensed insurance agents and brokers are available to help you and provide the expertise you may need. eHealth services are free of charge, and you are under no obligation to purchase.

This article is for general information and may not be updated after publication. Consult your own tax, accounting, or legal advisor instead of relying on this article as tax, accounting, or legal advice.