Filing with 1095-B instead of 1095-A in TurboTax? Need help with healthcare forms

The good news is you can absolutely file with just the 1095-B! The sidebar in TurboTax is correct - you don't need to enter any information from the 1095-B form into your tax return. Let me explain the difference: The 1095-A form is only for people who had Marketplace (Healthcare.gov or state exchange) coverage and possibly received premium tax credits. Since your wife had Medicaid and then employer coverage, she correctly received a 1095-B instead. The 1095-B is basically proof that she had qualifying health coverage and won't face any penalties. You just need to keep it with your records - there's no information from it that needs to be entered on the return. You can simply indicate that she had full-year coverage when TurboTax asks about health insurance. If TurboTax is stuck on a screen asking for 1095-A information, look for an option like "I don't have this form" or "Skip this section" - there should be a way to indicate she didn't have Marketplace coverage.

I went through the exact same nightmare last year trying to figure out these healthcare forms! After hours of frustration, I finally discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much stress. It's a tool that can analyze your tax documents and explain exactly what you need to do with them. I uploaded my 1095-B and some other tax forms I wasn't sure about, and it clearly explained that the 1095-B was just for my records and didn't need to be entered in TurboTax at all. It also walked me through exactly which buttons to click in TurboTax to bypass those screens that kept asking for 1095-A info that I didn't have. Might be worth checking out if you're still confused or have other tax documents you're unsure about. Way easier than trying to decipher IRS instructions!

Just wanted to update after trying out that taxr.ai site that was mentioned. It was actually super helpful! I uploaded my 1095-B and a couple other forms I was confused about, and it gave me really clear explanations about each one. For the 1095-B specifically, it confirmed what was said above - that I don't need to enter anything from it into my tax software, it's just proof of coverage that I should keep with my records. It also explained exactly how to navigate past those confusing healthcare screens in my tax software. What was really helpful was that it explained WHY the 1095-B is different from the 1095-A (something about Medicaid vs Marketplace insurance). Makes way more sense now. If anyone else is confused about which healthcare forms need to be entered, I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

If you're struggling to get through to the IRS to ask about these healthcare forms, I had success using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in the same boat last year with these healthcare forms and needed to confirm whether my 1095-B needed to be reported. After being on hold with the IRS for over an hour and getting disconnected twice, I was ready to throw my phone through a window! Then I found Claimyr which basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to answer. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I got through to an actual IRS agent who confirmed that the 1095-B is just for my records and explained exactly how to handle it in TurboTax. Saved me hours of hold music and frustration!

I need to eat my words about Claimyr from my previous comment. After another failed 3-hour attempt to reach the IRS yesterday about my tax issue, I decided to try it out of pure frustration. It actually worked exactly as described. I entered my number, and about 2.5 hours later (during which I was able to actually get work done instead of listening to that awful hold music), I got a call connecting me to an IRS agent who was already on the line. The agent confirmed what others have said here about the 1095-B form - it's just for your records and doesn't need to be entered in your tax software. You only need to enter information from a 1095-A if you had Marketplace insurance with premium tax credits. I asked about several other tax questions I had while I had them on the line too. Definitely a better use of my time than being stuck on hold myself.

I'm a volunteer tax preparer, and we see this confusion ALL THE TIME with the healthcare forms. Here's a quick breakdown that might help others: 1095-A: Marketplace insurance (Healthcare.gov or state exchanges) - MUST be entered in tax software 1095-B: Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, or certain employer plans - Just keep for your records 1095-C: Large employer health insurance - Just keep for your records (unless Parts II and III are filled out) TurboTax and other tax software programs are designed primarily around people who need to reconcile premium tax credits with the 1095-A. If you didn't get insurance through the Marketplace, you can just indicate you had full-year coverage and move on.

Has anyone else noticed that TurboTax's free edition keeps trying to upsell you to deluxe when you hit the healthcare screens? I swear they made this part confusing on purpose so people would upgrade thinking they need the paid version to handle these forms correctly.

I just went through this exact same situation last month! My husband had Medicaid for the first half of 2024, then switched to my employer plan. We got so confused by TurboTax asking for 1095-A information that we almost paid for an accountant. What finally worked for us was being very literal with the questions. When TurboTax asks "Did you have health insurance from the Marketplace?" the answer is NO for Medicaid coverage. When it asks "Did you have qualifying health coverage?" the answer is YES for both Medicaid and employer plans. The key is not overthinking it. Both types of coverage satisfy the ACA requirement, so you just indicate full-year coverage. Keep that 1095-B form with your tax records but don't stress about entering any numbers from it. The IRS already knows you had Medicaid coverage from their own records anyway. One tip: if you get stuck on a screen that seems to require 1095-A info, look for tiny links that say "I don't have this form" or "Continue without entering" - they're easy to miss but they're usually there somewhere!