Need help understanding IRS Form 8962 and Healthcare Marketplace 1095-A with zero values

It sounds like you're running into a common confusion with the Premium Tax Credit. The Form 8962 can be tricky to navigate, especially with your situation. Column B on the 1095-A represents the monthly premium amount for the second lowest cost silver plan (SLCSP) in your area. If this column shows zeros, that's likely because you weren't eligible for premium assistance at the time of enrollment based on the information you provided. However, if your income ended up being lower than expected or your situation changed, you might now qualify. The healthcare.gov calculator showing a "reasonable amount" might be calculating your potential eligibility now, rather than what was determined during enrollment. For Form 8962, line 11D shouldn't be negative. If B minus C is giving you a negative number, you might be entering something incorrectly. Remember that Column A represents what you actually paid for your plan, Column B is the benchmark plan (SLCSP), and Column C is your expected contribution based on your income. Try double-checking your entries and maybe use tax software that can help guide you through this calculation. You might also qualify for free tax assistance through VITA or the TCE program.

After dealing with a similar nightmare last year, I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that literally saved me hours of frustration with my Premium Tax Credit calculations. My 1095-A was also messed up but in a different way - some months had values and others were blank. The tool analyzes your tax documents and actually explains what's wrong with them. I uploaded my 1095-A and it immediately flagged that my Column B values were inconsistent with my location and coverage type. It gave me the correct SLCSP values to use for each month based on my zip code and coverage level. What's cool is it walks you through exactly how to complete Form 8962 with step-by-step instructions. It explained where my numbers should go and why I was getting calculation errors. Definitely worth checking out for anyone dealing with health insurance tax forms.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it immediately identified my problem! Turns out I was using the wrong SLCSP values because the marketplace had my county incorrect. The tool generated a complete explanation of exactly what went wrong with my 1095-A and Form 8962. It showed me I was actually eligible for an additional $2,800 in Premium Tax Credits that I missed. It even created a letter explaining the discrepancy that I could include with my amended return. The step-by-step guidance made filing an amendment so much easier than I expected. I was dreading having to figure this out on my own, especially after how complicated it was the first time around. Definitely recommend giving it a try if you're hitting a wall with these forms!

If you're getting nowhere with the Marketplace support line, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to someone higher up who can actually fix your 1095-A issue. I was in the exact same situation last year with zeroes in Column B when there shouldn't have been. After wasting hours on hold over multiple days, I used Claimyr to connect with the Marketplace support team. Their system holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When I finally got through, I asked to speak to a supervisor who specialized in 1095-A corrections. Turns out there was a system error that affected some accounts where people opted out of advance payments. The supervisor was able to trigger a corrected 1095-A within minutes, and I had the updated form in my online account within 3 days.

I just had to come back and say THANK YOU for suggesting Claimyr. After weeks of frustration, I finally got through to the Marketplace yesterday. Turns out my 1095-A had an error code in their system that was preventing the correct SLCSP values from showing up. The supervisor I spoke with explained that when you opt out of advance payments but are eligible for the credit, Column B should NOT be zeros - it should show the benchmark plan amounts for your area. She submitted an urgent correction request and said I should have the updated form within 5 business days. She also gave me the option to use the SLCSP lookup tool to manually find the correct amounts to enter on Form 8962 if I didn't want to wait for the corrected form. I'm so relieved to finally have this resolved. Never would have gotten through without that service!

I'm a tax preparer and see this issue quite often. Here's what's probably happening: When column B shows zeros on Form 1095-A, it typically means one of three things: 1. Your plan wasn't purchased through the Marketplace 2. You weren't eligible for premium assistance based on your application 3. There's an error in your 1095-A Since you mentioned seeing reasonable amounts on healthcare.gov, #3 seems most likely. Here's what I recommend: First, go to the healthcare.gov SLCSP tool and print out the monthly benchmark premiums for your county, zip code, and coverage family size. Use these amounts for Column B when completing Form 8962. Second, call the Marketplace again and specifically request a "corrected 1095-A" due to missing SLCSP values in Column B. Be very clear that you're eligible based on your income and that you chose to claim the credit at tax time rather than receive advance payments. If they still insist it's correct, ask for a written explanation you can provide to the IRS if your return is questioned. Document the date, time, and representative name when you call.

Has anyone actually had success getting their 1095-A corrected? Mine's been wrong for over a month and despite three calls to the Marketplace, nothing has changed. I'm near the filing deadline and getting desperate.

I went through this exact same situation last year and can relate to your frustration! After weeks of back-and-forth with the Marketplace, I discovered that declining advance payments doesn't disqualify you from the Premium Tax Credit - you should absolutely still be eligible to claim it when filing. The key issue is that your 1095-A Column B (SLCSP amounts) shouldn't be zeros if you're income-eligible for the credit. This sounds like a system error on their end. Here's what finally worked for me: 1. Use the SLCSP lookup tool on healthcare.gov to find your correct monthly benchmark amounts 2. Enter those amounts in Column B when completing Form 8962 (not the zeros from your 1095-A) 3. Keep documentation showing you looked up the official SLCSP rates Don't let the incorrect 1095-A prevent you from claiming the credit you're entitled to. The IRS allows taxpayers to use the correct SLCSP amounts when the 1095-A is wrong. Just make sure to save screenshots of your lookup results and any communication with the Marketplace for your records. You're not doing anything wrong - this is a known issue that affects people who chose to receive their credit at tax time instead of monthly advance payments.