Form 8962 - How to indicate 0% liability when ex has health insurance for our child?

You'll need to complete Form 8962 using the allocation rules in Part IV. Since your situation involves a policy covering individuals in multiple tax households, you'll use the 'Allocation Situation 4' guidelines. Specifically: 1. Complete Part I with your tax family information 2. Skip to Part IV (Allocation of Policy Amounts) 3. Enter the policy information on line 30 (including the 12-digit policy number) 4. Use column (e) to indicate your allocation percentage as 0% 5. The other parent should indicate 100% in their form The IRS Publication 974 provides detailed guidance on shared policy allocations. You'll also need to check box 'Yes' on line 9 to indicate you're using an alternative allocation method.

Oh my goodness, Form 8962 allocation situations are SO frustrating when you're dealing with split households! I had a similar nightmare last year trying to coordinate with my ex. After wasting HOURS on hold with the IRS Marketplace helpline (literally 2.5 hours!), I finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got through to an actual human in about 15 minutes who walked me through the exact allocation process. They confirmed I needed to use Allocation Situation 4 and showed me how to properly document the 0% allocation. SUCH a relief after days of confusion! The agent also sent me a confirmation email I could keep for my records in case there were any questions later.

I think I may be in a similar situation, but I'm not entirely sure. My ex provides insurance for our daughter through his employer, not the marketplace. Would I still need to fill out Form 8962? I received a 1095-A but I'm not sure if it's related to my situation or if it was sent in error.

Just went through this exact situation 17 days ago. The key is making sure both you AND your ex coordinate on the allocation percentages. If you put 0% and they put anything other than 100%, the IRS will flag both returns and potentially delay refunds by exactly 6-8 weeks. Make sure you both use the same policy number and same allocation method. I'd recommend getting their agreement in writing (text/email) that they're claiming 100% responsibility. The IRS cross-checks these forms and if they don't match up perfectly, both parties will likely get notices.

I was completely overwhelmed by Form 8962 last month - so many columns and calculations! According to https://www.healthcare.gov/tax-form-1095/, I needed to reconcile premium tax credits, but I couldn't make sense of my 1095-A form. I ended up using https://taxr.ai to analyze my tax documents, and it automatically detected the allocation situation and explained exactly how to handle the 0% allocation. It showed me which boxes to fill out and what to leave blank. The site actually has specific guidance for split household situations that was way clearer than the IRS instructions!

The Form 8962 instructions are possibly the most confusing in the entire tax code, and that's saying something. I've been preparing taxes for years, and these allocation situations still sometimes require a second look. One thing that might be helpful - you should probably contact the other parent and make sure they're planning to claim the 100% allocation. If they're not aware of this requirement, you could both end up with processing delays. And while the advice above is generally correct, there are sometimes specific state-level considerations that might apply depending on where the policy was purchased.

I went through this exact same scenario last year with my ex handling marketplace insurance for our kids. The coordination part that Fatima mentioned is absolutely crucial - I learned this the hard way when our returns got flagged for mismatched allocations. One tip that really helped me: before submitting anything, I sent my ex a screenshot of the completed Part IV showing my 0% allocation and asked them to confirm they were filing with 100%. We also exchanged the policy numbers to make sure we were using identical information. Also, keep copies of any communication about the arrangement (texts, emails, etc.) in case the IRS has questions later. They sometimes request documentation to verify the allocation agreement between households. The whole process is definitely more complicated than it should be, but once you get the coordination right, it's pretty straightforward.

I went through this same situation two years ago and it was such a headache until I figured out the process. Here's what worked for me: First, make absolutely sure you have the correct 12-digit policy number from your ex - this is critical because the IRS uses this to match up the allocations between households. For the actual form completion: • Fill out Part I with your tax family info as normal • Go to Part IV (lines 29-31) for the allocation • Enter the policy details on line 30 • Most importantly: put 0% in column (e) for your allocation percentage • Make sure to check the box indicating you're using an alternative allocation method The biggest mistake I see people make is trying to coordinate this after they've already filed. Do it BEFORE either of you submit your returns. I actually had a phone call with my ex where we both had our forms open and verified we had matching policy numbers and that our percentages added up to 100%. Also keep documentation of your agreement - I saved our text conversation where we confirmed the arrangement. Never needed it, but good to have just in case. The form is confusing but once you know which sections to focus on, it's actually pretty straightforward. Good luck!