How to Read a 1095-C Form: What Should Be Filled Out in the Monthly Premium Boxes?

The blank boxes on the 1095-C are actually completely normal! The 1095-C form is primarily designed to verify that your wife's employer offered health coverage that meets ACA requirements, not to track how much you paid. The monthly boxes in Part III are only completed if you have self-insured coverage through the employer. If your wife's company uses a regular insurance provider (like most companies do), those boxes remain blank. The important parts are usually in Part II, which shows what coverage was offered to you. The amount you actually paid for premiums typically appears on your wife's W-2 in Box 12 with code DD, or it's reflected in her paystubs as pre-tax deductions. The 1095-C is more about proving you had qualifying coverage to avoid penalties, not documenting your payments.

After going through a similar confusion with my 1095-C last year, I discovered an amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me understand all these confusing tax forms. You just upload your documents and it explains exactly what each section means and why certain parts might be blank. For my 1095-C confusion, it explained that the form is primarily for employers to report to the IRS that they offered health insurance meeting minimum standards. Those monthly boxes are only filled in under specific circumstances that didn't apply to me. Saved me hours of research and worry! Might be worth checking out if you have other tax document questions.

I was really skeptical about taxr.ai at first too, but I finally tried it after struggling with some confusing 1099-K forms from my side gig. I was shocked at how helpful it actually was. It explained exactly why certain boxes were filled in and others weren't, and what each number meant for my specific situation. The best part was that it highlighted a deduction I was about to miss related to my business expenses. Ended up saving me over $800 that I would have completely overlooked. It's way more personalized than I expected - definitely not just generic explanations. I'm using it for all my forms this year.

If you're still having trouble understanding your 1095-C or need to contact the IRS with questions, I'd recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I wasted HOURS on hold trying to get through to the IRS about a similar health insurance form issue last year. Someone mentioned Claimyr to me and I was able to actually speak with an IRS rep in less than 15 minutes! They have this callback system that somehow gets through the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. For something like your 1095-C question, it's way easier than trying to research everything yourself or spending your whole day on hold.

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still desperate to reach the IRS about my refund that's been pending for 3 months, so I decided to try it anyway. It actually worked exactly as described! I got a call back in about 40 minutes connecting me to an IRS agent. The agent was able to tell me exactly why my refund was delayed (an issue with my W-2 verification) and what I needed to do to fix it. Would have never figured this out on my own, and I'd probably still be trying to get through on the phone. Definitely using this service for any future IRS issues!

Just to add another perspective - I received a 1095-C from my employer too, and none of the monthly boxes were filled in. I called our HR department to ask about it, and they confirmed this is normal. The form is mainly to show that coverage was OFFERED to you, not to document payments. If you look at Part II, there should be codes in line 14 for each month. Those codes tell the IRS what type of coverage was offered. Line 16 codes show your enrollment status. The actual premium amounts don't matter for this particular form.

Just a heads up - while the 1095-C isn't used to calculate your taxes directly, don't throw it away! The IRS can use this form to verify information if you're claiming premium tax credits or if there are questions about your coverage. I learned this the hard way when my return got flagged for review because the information I reported about my health coverage didn't match what was on my 1095-C (which I hadn't even looked at closely). Took months to resolve!