Got a 1095-C from former employer I haven't worked at in over a year - what should I do?

This happens more often than you'd think! The 1095-C is just an informational form that shows what months you were offered health insurance coverage by an employer. It doesn't actually affect your tax calculations directly like a W-2 would. Since you didn't actually have coverage through them, you should definitely contact their HR department to have them correct their records. They likely made a clerical error - maybe they forgot to remove you from their system or confused you with another employee. While you're waiting for them to sort it out, just keep the form with your tax records. You don't need to file it with your tax return - it's just for your information to help you complete the health insurance section of your return accurately. The most important thing is to make sure you correctly report your actual health insurance situation on your tax return. Were you covered by other insurance during that time period?

I had almost the exact same situation happen last year and let me tell you - dealing with HR at a former company is a PAIN. I spent weeks trying to get them to fix their mistake. After all that hassle I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a lifesaver! I uploaded all my confusing tax forms including the incorrect 1095-C and it immediately flagged the discrepancy. It analyzed my situation and explained exactly how to handle the reporting on my return without having to wait for the company to fix their mistake. The tool even created a personalized letter I could send to the former employer explaining exactly what needed to be corrected. Saved me so much time and stress!

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after my skeptical question earlier. I decided to try it with my own tax situation (which included an incorrect 1099 from a client who reported double what they actually paid me). I was seriously impressed! The system flagged the discrepancy immediately, showed me the exact section of tax code that applied, and walked me through creating documentation to protect myself in case of an audit. It even highlighted a deduction I would have missed otherwise. The most helpful part was how it explained everything in simple language rather than confusing tax jargon. Definitely saved me from making a major reporting error on my return.

If you're still having trouble getting through to your former employer's HR department, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I know it sounds like it's only for IRS calls, but I actually used it to get through to a benefits administrator at my old job who kept dodging my calls about a similar 1095-C issue. I was going crazy trying to get someone on the phone until I found their service. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They basically got me to a human being who could actually help instead of me sitting on hold forever or getting bounced between departments. I got my issue resolved in one call after weeks of frustration.

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment about Claimyr. After posting that comment, I decided to try it myself because I've been trying to reach the IRS about a missing refund for WEEKS. I was shocked when they actually called me back with an IRS agent on the line! I didn't have to sit through the horrible hold music or worry about getting disconnected after waiting forever. The agent resolved my issue in about 10 minutes once I actually got to speak with them. I also used it to contact my former employer about a similar tax form issue and got through to their benefits department on the first try. Completely worth it and I feel silly for being so dismissive before.

Just wanted to add something important - check if they also contributed to an HSA or other health account on your behalf. I had a similar situation where my old company kept contributing to my HSA for 3 months after I left because of a payroll error. I didn't notice until I got the tax forms. In my case, I was legally allowed to keep the money (nice surprise!), but it affected my contribution limits for the rest of the year with my new employer. You might want to look into whether anything like that happened in your case too.

Just a heads up - don't panic, but also don't ignore this completely. The 1095-C gets reported to the IRS, so there's a mismatch between what they're reporting and your actual situation. While it's not likely to cause an audit by itself, it's better to have documentation showing you tried to get it corrected. Email is great but also send a certified letter to their HR department explaining the error. Keep a copy of everything. That way if there's ever a question, you can show you took reasonable steps to address the mistake.

I work in HR and deal with 1095-C corrections all the time. Here's what you should know: the form gets automatically generated by payroll systems, and sometimes people don't get removed from the system promptly after termination. It's a very common error. When you contact them, be specific about your termination date (November 2023) and ask them to verify when you were actually removed from their health insurance eligibility system. They should be able to see that you never enrolled and issue a corrected form showing no coverage offered for those months. Keep in mind that even if they drag their feet on the correction, you should still file your taxes accurately based on your actual situation. The 1095-C is informational - what matters is reporting your real health insurance status on your return. Since you had marketplace coverage, you're all set. One more tip: if they're unresponsive, you can also contact their benefits administrator directly (usually a third party company) rather than just HR. The contact info is often on the form itself.