1095-A Form Has 0s in Column B - What to Do Next?
So I've run into a frustrating issue for the second year in a row. Just received my 1095-A form and column B shows all zeros. Last year this same problem put my refund in limbo, and I'm worried about history repeating itself. For background, I filed my 2022 taxes on time (was expecting a refund) but then this 1095-A issue came up with zeros in column B. When I tried entering them, the tax software gave me errors. Someone told me to use the tax tool on healthcare.gov to look up the SLCSP (Second Lowest Cost Silver Plan). I've been paying my premiums in full each month. When I looked up the SLCSP based on what the website asked, the SLCSP amount was higher than what I actually pay (I pay around $340 monthly, but the website showed $465 for SLCSP). After entering this information, my refund jumped dramatically from like $400 to nearly $2700! Two things seemed off to me: 1) Column B being higher than Column A 2) Getting a much bigger refund than expected I went ahead and filed with those numbers since that's what the IRS guidance seemed to indicate. But here I am, still haven't received that refund or any communication from the IRS. The "Where's My Refund" tool just says they're still processing it. Now I'm facing tax year 2023 with the exact same issue. Should I hold off on filing my 2023 return (which I know will have a refund just from my W-2) until the 2022 situation gets resolved? I'm still new to all this marketplace insurance stuff and don't want to make things worse.
23 comments


CosmicCommander
This is actually a common issue with 1095-A forms, so don't worry too much! The zeros in Column B mean you weren't enrolled in a plan with premium tax credits applied during the year (you paid full price). When Column B has zeros, you're supposed to use the SLCSP amount from the tax tool on healthcare.gov. And yes, it's completely normal for the SLCSP (Column B) to be higher than what you actually paid (Column A). This is because the premium tax credit is calculated based on the benchmark plan (SLCSP), not what you actually paid. The big jump in your refund makes sense if you were eligible for premium tax credits but paid full price during the year. You're essentially getting those credits back as a lump sum in your refund. As for your 2023 taxes, you don't need to wait for the 2022 return to be resolved. File your 2023 return normally, using the same healthcare.gov tool to find your SLCSP amounts. The IRS processes each tax year separately, so one won't affect the other. The long processing time for your 2022 return is probably just because the Premium Tax Credit portion triggers additional review, especially for first-time marketplace insurance users. This is pretty standard and doesn't mean anything is wrong.
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Giovanni Colombo
•Thanks for the explanation, but I'm still confused. If I paid full price for my insurance, why would I get a credit back? And is there any way to check the status beyond the "Where's My Refund" tool? It's been almost a year now!
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CosmicCommander
•You might get a credit back even if you paid full price because the premium tax credit is based on your income, not what you paid. If your income falls within certain limits, you qualify for assistance regardless of whether you took the advance payments or not. Unfortunately, the "Where's My Refund" tool is your best resource. You could try calling the IRS directly, but wait times can be extremely long. The Premium Tax Credit does often trigger longer processing times, especially for first-time marketplace users. I've seen returns with this situation take 6-8 months to process in some cases.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
After struggling with 1095-A zeros in Column B for TWO years, I finally found an amazing solution through taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). I was stuck in the exact same situation - full price premiums, zeros in column B, and totally confused about how to handle it. I uploaded my 1095-A and healthcare.gov info to taxr.ai and they immediately identified the problem. Turns out many marketplace plans issue 1095-As with zeros in Column B when you pay full premium, but you're still eligible for premium tax credits based on your income! The tool walked me through finding the correct SLCSP values and explained exactly why my refund was increasing so much. Their system even helped me create proper documentation to include with my return that explained why I was using SLCSP values different from my 1095-A, which apparently helps avoid the long processing delays you're experiencing.
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Dylan Cooper
•Does taxr.ai work with other marketplace issues too? I have a situation where I had coverage for only part of the year and I'm completely lost on how to fill that out.
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Sofia Ramirez
•I'm skeptical about using third-party services for tax documents. How does it actually work? Do you have to give them all your personal info and tax documents? Seems risky to me.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•Yes, it definitely works for partial-year coverage too! I know because my sister had marketplace insurance for just 7 months last year, and the system walked her through exactly how to handle the monthly calculations and partial-year credits. Regarding privacy concerns, I totally understand being cautious. The way it works is you upload just the specific document you need help with - in this case just the 1095-A form. They use document analysis technology to interpret the form and guide you, but you don't have to upload your full tax return or anything like that. They explain this on their site, but basically they help interpret the documents rather than filing for you.
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Sofia Ramirez
I have to admit I was totally wrong about taxr.ai! After expressing my skepticism in the thread, I decided to give it a try with my 1095-A that also had zeros in Column B. The service was incredibly helpful and didn't require nearly as much personal information as I feared. Within minutes, I had a complete breakdown of my SLCSP values and why they were different from what I paid. The best part was the explanation document they created for me to attach to my return - it laid out exactly why I was claiming premium tax credits despite having zeros in Column B. What really surprised me was discovering I was eligible for about $3,200 in premium tax credits that I had no idea about! No wonder my refund calculation jumped so much. The tax software I was using couldn't properly explain this, but taxr.ai made it crystal clear.
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Dmitry Volkov
Listen, I've been in the exact same situation with the 1095-A zeros for TWO tax seasons. After waiting 9 MONTHS for my refund last year, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and it completely changed my life. I was at my wit's end trying to get answers from the IRS about my delayed refund. Their service basically gets you through to an actual IRS agent instead of waiting on hold forever. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and was like "no way this works" but I was desperate. Within 45 minutes I was talking to a real IRS person who explained exactly what was happening with my return and when I could expect my refund. Turns out my return was flagged for review specifically because of the 1095-A situation, but wasn't actually "problematic" - they were just backlogged with similar cases. The agent put notes on my account and my refund was released two weeks later after sitting in limbo for months!
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StarSeeker
•Wait, how does this actually work? The IRS phone system is notoriously impossible to get through. Are they just calling repeatedly for you or something?
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Ava Martinez
•Yeah right. Sounds like a scam to me. Nobody can magically get through to the IRS faster than anyone else. They probably just take your money and tell you to keep waiting.
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Dmitry Volkov
•It works through a pretty clever system that monitors the IRS phone lines and calls at precisely the right moment to get in queue. They don't just repeatedly call - they have technology that identifies when the IRS phone system is accepting new calls rather than giving the "due to high call volume" message. Definitely not a scam! I was super skeptical too, which is why I mentioned watching their video first. They only charge if they successfully get you connected to an agent. In my case, the IRS agent told me exactly what was happening with my return and when to expect it. After months of uncertainty, just having a clear answer and timeline was worth every penny. They can't change how the IRS processes your return, but they can get you the information you need about what's happening.
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Ava Martinez
I need to publicly eat my words. After calling Claimyr a scam, I decided to try them anyway out of desperation (my 1095-A issues had my refund held up for 6+ months). Within an hour of using Claimyr, I was talking to an actual IRS representative. The agent explained that my return was flagged for review because the premium tax credit calculation with the zeros in Column B triggered an automatic verification process. The agent was able to verify that everything was in order and expedite the final review. They told me exactly when to expect my refund (10 business days) and - this is the crazy part - it showed up EXACTLY when they said it would. I've spent literal months trying to get through to the IRS on my own. Claimyr had me talking to someone within an hour. For anyone else stuck with this 1095-A Column B issue and wondering about their refund status, I highly recommend this service.
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Miguel Ortiz
Just wanted to add - if column B on your 1095-A shows zeros, make sure you're using the right zip code when looking up the SLCSP on healthcare.gov. I made this mistake and used my current zip instead of the one I had when enrolled, and it gave me completely wrong values! Also, keep in mind that the SLCSP tool on healthcare.gov only shows monthly amounts. You'll need to add these up for the months you had coverage to get your annual total for tax purposes.
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Zainab Omar
•Does the 1095-A also show the coverage months? Mine just has the total premium amount for the year but doesn't break it down by month. Should I just divide by 12?
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Miguel Ortiz
•Your 1095-A should definitely show a monthly breakdown! It typically has 12 rows (one for each month) showing your premium amount in Column A, the SLCSP amount (or zeros) in Column B, and any advance premium tax credit in Column C for each month. Don't just divide by 12, as your coverage or premium might have changed during the year. If your 1095-A doesn't show monthly amounts, there's a good chance you received an incorrect form and should contact your marketplace to request a corrected one.
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Connor Murphy
Has anyone had success getting a corrected 1095-A from the marketplace? Mine has the same issue with zeros in Column B, but when I called, they said the form is correct and I just need to use the tax tool. Seems strange they would send forms they know will cause problems!
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Yara Sayegh
•I actually did get a corrected form after calling 3 times and escalating to a supervisor. The first two reps insisted the zeros were correct, but the supervisor admitted they've had issues with their system generating forms incorrectly for people who paid full price but are eligible for tax credits.
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Muhammad Hobbs
This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with the exact same 1095-A zeros issue for 2023 and was getting really worried about filing. Just to confirm my understanding: if I paid full premium all year but my income qualifies me for premium tax credits, I should use the SLCSP amounts from healthcare.gov even though my 1095-A shows zeros in Column B? And it's normal for the SLCSP to be higher than what I actually paid? I'm also curious - for those who successfully got their refunds, did you include any documentation explaining why you used different numbers than what's on your 1095-A? I want to avoid the long processing delays if possible. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with this confusing situation!
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Liam Murphy
•Yes, you've got it exactly right! Use the SLCSP amounts from healthcare.gov even with zeros in Column B, and it's completely normal for SLCSP to be higher than what you paid - that's actually how you end up eligible for the premium tax credit. Based on what others have shared here, including documentation seems really helpful. Several people mentioned that taxr.ai creates explanation documents for this exact situation, which apparently helps avoid processing delays. Even if you don't use that service, I'd recommend including a simple letter explaining that you used SLCSP values per IRS guidance since Column B showed zeros. The key thing is don't let the zeros scare you - it sounds like this is super common for people who paid full price during the year but are income-eligible for credits. Just make sure you're using the right zip code and coverage months when looking up the SLCSP amounts!
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Clay blendedgen
I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Got my 2023 1095-A last week and sure enough - all zeros in Column B again. It's so frustrating that this keeps happening year after year. What really helped me understand this better was realizing that the zeros don't mean you did anything wrong. The marketplace systems seem to default to zeros when you pay full premium, even if you're actually eligible for tax credits based on your income. It's like they're saying "we didn't give you advance credits, so figure out what you're owed when you file your taxes." For anyone still confused about the process: when you use the SLCSP tool on healthcare.gov, make sure you enter the EXACT same information that was used when you originally enrolled (same zip code, household size, etc.). The SLCSP amount being higher than what you actually paid is actually a good thing - it means you were paying less than the benchmark plan, which is why you qualify for credits. I'm definitely going to file my 2023 return soon and not wait for my 2022 situation to resolve. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like each tax year is handled separately by the IRS anyway. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and solutions - this thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding what seemed like an impossible situation!
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Eva St. Cyr
•This is exactly the reassurance I needed to hear! I'm a newcomer to marketplace insurance and was completely panicked when I saw those zeros on my 1095-A. Your explanation about the marketplace defaulting to zeros when you pay full premium makes so much sense - I was worried I had somehow enrolled wrong or missed something important. I've been putting off filing my taxes because I was scared about the SLCSP amounts being higher than what I actually pay, but reading through everyone's experiences here has really helped me understand that this is normal and expected. It's actually encouraging to know that this means I was paying less than the benchmark plan! The tip about using the exact same information from when I originally enrolled is super helpful too. I was wondering if I should use my current address or the one I had when I signed up - sounds like I need to stick with the enrollment information. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and help newcomers like me navigate this confusing process!
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Felicity Bud
As someone who went through this exact 1095-A nightmare last year, I want to emphasize something important that might help with processing delays: when you file with the SLCSP amounts, make sure your tax software is calculating Form 8962 (Premium Tax Credit) correctly. I discovered that some tax software doesn't handle the "zeros in Column B" situation properly and can miscalculate your premium tax credit. This can trigger additional IRS reviews that delay your refund for months. Here's what worked for me: Before submitting, double-check that Form 8962 line 11 shows your actual monthly premiums paid (Column A amounts), and lines 12-24 show the SLCSP amounts you looked up, NOT zeros. The difference between these should equal your premium tax credit. Also, keep records of exactly how you looked up your SLCSP amounts - screenshot the healthcare.gov tool results, note the zip code and household size you used, etc. If the IRS has questions later, having this documentation readily available can speed up the resolution process significantly. The good news is that once you get through this process once and understand how it works, future years become much easier to handle. Don't let the zeros discourage you from claiming credits you're legitimately entitled to!
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