Do I really need my 1095-B form when filing my taxes?

You generally don't need to submit Form 1095-B with your tax return. The 1095-B is an informational form that shows you had qualifying health coverage (minimum essential coverage) for some or all months during the year. The main thing the IRS needs to know is whether you had health insurance coverage throughout the year. If you know this information and can confirm it with your tax preparer, you can proceed with filing your taxes without physically having the form in hand. The 1095-B is more of a record-keeping document that you should keep with your tax records in case there are any questions later about your coverage. It's similar to how you don't submit your W-2 form directly to the IRS (your tax preparer or software does that electronically), but you keep it for your records.

I was in this exact situation last year and was stressing over it. I finally tried taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) when my provider's website was down for maintenance for like a month. Basically I uploaded my previous year's 1095-B and a few recent insurance statements I had, and their system extracted all the info needed to complete my tax return. It confirmed what months I had coverage and from which provider, so I could confidently file without waiting for the actual form. The AI even caught that my coverage had switched mid-year (which I had forgotten about), which would have been a headache if I'd just guessed based on my current plan.

I decided to try taxr.ai after my initial skepticism and I'm honestly impressed. My insurance provider (Anthem) was having similar website issues, and I needed to file my taxes without further delays. The service helped me piece together my healthcare coverage information from my paystubs (which showed premium deductions) and some EOBs I had saved. It generated a detailed coverage timeline showing I had minimum essential coverage all year. My tax preparer said this documentation was actually more comprehensive than what the 1095-B would have provided. Filed my taxes last week and got my refund already. Much better than waiting around for Anthem to fix their website!

If you're really stuck waiting for your 1095-B and getting nowhere with your insurance company, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation and couldn't get through to anyone at my insurance company. Claimyr got me connected to a human at my insurance company in about 8 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The rep was able to email me a PDF of my 1095-B directly. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was surprised by how quickly they got me through - apparently they use some technology that navigates the phone trees and waits on hold for you, then calls you once a human picks up.

Well I'm eating my words right now. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still stuck without my 1095-B and getting more frustrated by the day. Decided to try Claimyr as a last resort. Got connected to an Aetna rep in 23 minutes (which is about 40 minutes faster than my previous attempts). The rep not only emailed me my 1095-B on the spot but also explained why their website was having issues and gave me a direct number to call if I had any other problems. Filed my taxes yesterday. Sometimes it pays to try solutions even when you're doubtful they'll work! Now I'm just waiting for my refund.

I'm a tax preparer and can confirm you don't absolutely need the 1095-B in hand to file. The form is more for record keeping than anything else. The key question on your tax return is whether you had minimum essential coverage for each month of the year. If you know you were covered all year through your employer, you can accurately answer that question without having the physical form. For most people with employer coverage, this is pretty straightforward. Just keep in mind if there were any gaps in coverage or changes in your insurance during the year, those are important to report accurately.

Wait nobody has mentioned that the 1095-B is not the same as the 1095-A!! If you have marketplace insurance (1095-A) you ABSOLUTELY need that form to file your taxes properly, especially if you received premium tax credits. The 1095-B (employer or private insurance) and 1095-C (large employer insurance) are less critical for filing as others have mentioned. But the 1095-A is essential because it contains information about premium tax credits.

This is super helpful everyone! I was getting really stressed about this but it sounds like I can move forward with filing. @Kara Yoshida I'm in almost the exact same boat with a different insurance company. Just to clarify - I had continuous employer-sponsored health insurance through my job all year, no gaps or changes. Based on what the tax preparer @Dallas Villalobos said, it sounds like I can confidently check "yes" for having minimum essential coverage for all 12 months without needing the physical 1095-B form. I think I'll go ahead and file this week rather than waiting for Humana to fix their website issues. Thanks for saving me from more frustration!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact frustration last year. I couldn't get my 1095-B from my insurance provider due to their system being down for maintenance right during tax season. I ended up filing without the physical form since I had continuous employer coverage all year. My tax preparer told me the same thing others have mentioned here - the 1095-B is primarily for your records, and as long as you can accurately report your coverage status, you're good to go. The one thing I'd recommend is taking screenshots or saving any emails/documents that show your coverage details, just in case you need them later. I kept my insurance cards, a few EOBs, and my paystubs showing the premium deductions as backup documentation. Filed in early March last year and got my refund without any issues. Don't let technical difficulties with insurance websites delay your filing - especially if you know you had qualifying coverage all year!

As a newcomer to this community, I really appreciate all the helpful advice here! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my insurance company's website has been "temporarily unavailable" for over two weeks now. Based on what everyone has shared, it sounds like the key takeaway is that if you had continuous qualifying health coverage (like through your employer), you can proceed with filing your taxes without the physical 1095-B form. The form is mainly for record-keeping purposes rather than something you need to submit with your return. What I'm gathering is that you just need to be able to accurately answer whether you had minimum essential coverage for each month of the year. If the answer is yes for all 12 months and you have employer-sponsored insurance, you're good to go. Thanks especially to the tax preparer who confirmed this - it's really helpful to get professional perspective on these frustrating situations! I think I'll follow the advice about keeping other documentation like paystubs and insurance cards as backup, then move forward with filing rather than waiting indefinitely for website fixes.