My tax refund was denied - need 1095-A but I only have 1095-C from my employer

This is actually a pretty common confusion during tax season. The IRS system sometimes flags returns incorrectly when there's been a change in your insurance situation. Here's what's likely happening: The IRS database shows you had marketplace coverage in 2023, and their automated system is expecting you to continue reporting that information for 2024. Since you switched to employer coverage, you're correct that you should only need the 1095-C. You have a few options. First, double-check your tax software entries to make sure you didn't accidentally indicate you had marketplace coverage. If that's not the issue, you'll need to contact the IRS directly to explain the situation. Have your 1095-C ready as proof of your employer coverage. You can also request a verification letter from healthcare.gov confirming you didn't have coverage through them in 2024, which can help resolve this quickly.

I had a similar nightmare situation last year that took forever to resolve until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). The site analyzes your tax documents and helps identify exactly what's causing rejections or delays. In my case, I had switched from marketplace to employer insurance like you, but there was some overlap in January that was causing my return to get flagged. The tool spotted the discrepancy immediately and showed me exactly what to fix on my return. It also created a letter I could send to the IRS explaining the situation. Their document analysis found issues my tax preparer missed completely. Might be worth checking out if you're still having trouble after amending your return.

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai. I was super frustrated with my dependent healthcare coverage rejection and decided to give it a try. The system identified that my dependent's SSN had a transposition error on one form but was correct on another, which was causing the healthcare coverage validation to fail. What's crazy is I had reviewed those forms three times and never caught it! They also explained exactly how to correct the issue on my amended return. My refund was approved last week after I submitted the correction. Saved me from having to pay a tax pro for what turned out to be a simple fix.

If you're still waiting for resolution after amending your return, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually get someone at the IRS on the phone. I was stuck in a similar situation where my return was rejected for healthcare form issues, and I needed to speak to a human. I spent DAYS trying to get through the IRS phone tree only to get disconnected. Claimyr got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with was able to see that there was a flag on my account from the previous year's marketplace coverage and removed it right there while I was on the phone. Sometimes these systems just need a human override.

I have to apologize for being so skeptical about Claimyr in my earlier comment. After getting another rejection notice yesterday and being desperate, I decided to try it. I had been trying to call the IRS for THREE WEEKS with no success. Claimyr got me through to a real person in about 25 minutes. The agent confirmed there was a system flag linking my account to a 1095-A requirement from previous years that needed to be manually removed. Issue resolved in one phone call after weeks of frustration. My amended return is now being processed correctly. Sometimes you really do need to speak to a human who can override these automated systems.

Hey, tax preparer here. This is a system flagging issue that happens a lot. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: check if your state tax return is also affected. Sometimes the healthcare marketplace flags cascade to state returns too. Also, make sure your W-2 Box 12 code DD (if present) correctly shows employer-provided health insurance. This helps validate you had employer coverage.

has anyone actually received a 1095-a BEFORE filing their taxes? i swear they always come late and then the irs gets mad when you file without it. such a broken system lol.

I've been through this exact scenario! The key thing to understand is that the IRS computer systems often have "sticky" flags from previous years. Since you had marketplace coverage in 2023, their system is still expecting 1095-A documentation even though you correctly switched to employer coverage. Here's what worked for me: First, call the IRS practitioner priority line if you can get through (or use one of those callback services others mentioned). Explain that you switched from marketplace to employer coverage and only have a 1095-C for 2024. They can often remove the flag immediately. Also, when you file your amended return, include a statement explaining the insurance change. Write something like "Taxpayer had employer-provided health insurance for all of 2024 as evidenced by Form 1095-C. No marketplace coverage in 2024." Attach it to your 1040-X. The $2,800 refund will come through once this gets sorted - just takes patience with their system!