Help with Form 8962 and 1095-A: Reconciling Premium Tax Credit for International Student in 2025

This situation is actually pretty common with international students and marketplace health insurance. What likely happened is that there was some change in her enrollment or eligibility status that triggered this issue, even if she didn't realize it. When the Monthly Enrollment Premium (Column A) and SLCSP (Column B) drop to zero while the Advance PTC (Column C) shows an amount, it typically means the Marketplace paid the insurance company for a month when your friend either wasn't enrolled or wasn't eligible for marketplace coverage. The most common reasons this happens: - Her immigration/visa status changed - She became eligible for other coverage (like university insurance) - There was a reporting error where she didn't respond to a Marketplace request for verification - She may have temporarily lost her status as a tax resident Since she traveled back home in November, but the changes started in July, I'd suggest checking if her university automatically enrolled her in their student health plan starting in July (beginning of fall semester). This would make her ineligible for marketplace subsidies. You should definitely look into appealing this. Have her contact the Marketplace directly to explain the situation and ask what changed in her account in July. They can often provide insight that's not clear from just the 1095-A form.

I had almost this exact situation last year with my tax form 8962 and 1095-A! I was so stressed when I saw I owed $600+ for the premium tax credit. After trying to figure it out myself for days, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that analyzes tax documents and finds issues or errors. I uploaded my 1095-A and other documents, and they immediately spotted that my marketplace coverage had been incorrectly terminated when I had a reporting change. It turned out my income verification hadn't processed correctly, even though I sent everything they asked for. The report from taxr.ai explained exactly what happened with my premium tax credit and gave me step-by-step instructions for getting a corrected 1095-A issued. The marketplace had made an error on their end but wouldn't have fixed it if I hadn't known exactly what to ask for and how to explain the issue.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing this thread! My sister's situation with her 1095-A and Form 8962 was driving us crazy - she had zeros in columns A and B for three months but amounts in column C, similar to the original post. The service immediately identified that her marketplace coverage had been terminated incorrectly due to an address change that got flagged in their system. We never would have figured this out on our own. The report explained exactly what happened and gave us specific instructions for requesting a corrected 1095-A. We called the marketplace using the exact wording from the report, and the person we spoke to immediately understood the issue. They admitted there was a processing error and issued a corrected 1095-A. My sister went from owing $420 to actually getting a small refund! Definitely worth it if anyone else is dealing with confusing Premium Tax Credit issues.

I went through something similar with marketplace insurance last year and spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at the healthcare.gov call center who could actually help. Every time I called, I'd wait on hold for 1-2 hours only to get disconnected or transferred to someone who couldn't help. I finally found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual human at the marketplace in less than 10 minutes! They have this system that navigates the phone tree for you and holds your place in line, then calls you when a representative is about to pick up. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When I finally got to speak with someone who could help, they explained that there was an error with my immigration status verification that triggered the change in my 1095-A form. They issued a corrected form after I provided the right documentation. Saved me having to repay almost $550 in premium tax credits!

I need to apologize for being skeptical about Claimyr. After commenting here, I decided to try it since I was desperate to resolve my 1095-A issue for an international student I'm helping. I had been trying to reach the marketplace for THREE MONTHS with no success. Using Claimyr, I got through to an actual marketplace specialist in about 15 minutes. The specialist immediately identified that there was an error with the student's immigration verification process that caused the sudden change in their Premium Tax Credit eligibility. They're issuing a corrected 1095-A that should arrive within 7-10 days, and the repayment amount should drop from $530 to around $75 based on what the specialist told me. I'm honestly stunned at how quickly this got resolved after months of frustration. For anyone dealing with marketplace insurance issues, especially international students with complicated tax situations, being able to actually speak with someone makes all the difference.

One thing no one has mentioned yet that might be helpful - international students can sometimes qualify for Form 8843 exemptions which impact their health insurance requirements. If your friend was covered by insurance from their home country that meets certain criteria, they might have a case for reducing that tax credit repayment. Also, check if she qualifies for any hardship exemptions. With an income that low, she might be eligible for some relief based on financial hardship. Form 8962 has provisions for income below 400% of the federal poverty level that can cap repayment amounts.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of 1095-A issue using TurboTax or H&R Block software? I'm trying to help my cousin with almost the exact same problem (international student, changed coverage mid-year), and when I enter the 1095-A information with zeros in some months, the software seems confused.