Still waiting for my 1095-B. Do I need it to file and avoid penalty for not having minimum qualifying health insurance?

You can actually file your taxes without waiting for Form 1095-B. The IRS doesn't require you to attach or send in the 1095-B with your tax return - it's primarily for your records to verify your health coverage. Regarding the penalty for not having minimum essential coverage (the "individual mandate penalty"), there's good news! This federal penalty was effectively eliminated starting with the 2019 tax year when the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced the penalty amount to $0. So for your 2024 federal tax return that you'll file in 2025, there is no federal penalty for gaps in health coverage. However, you should be aware that some states have their own individual mandate requirements and penalties, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C. If you live in one of these states, you might still face a state tax penalty for those two months without coverage.

I was in the exact same situation last year with my 1095-B form and gap in coverage! After going around in circles trying to figure out what to do, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much stress. They have this document analysis tool that helped me understand exactly what I needed to do with my missing 1095-B and my coverage gap. I uploaded screenshots of my insurance information and they explained that I could file without the 1095-B form and that I qualified for an exemption for my coverage gap (which was about 70 days). The site walks you through everything step by step and explains all the health insurance requirements in plain English. Much better than the confusing IRS instructions!

I was really skeptical about using taxr.ai when I saw it mentioned here, but I decided to give it a try since I was completely stuck with a similar health insurance reporting issue. I'm actually amazed at how helpful it was! The analysis showed me that I qualified for an affordability exemption I didn't even know existed, and it generated all the documentation I needed. The system asked really specific questions about my insurance situation and then provided crystal-clear guidance. What impressed me most was how they explained exactly what to do with or without my 1095 forms. Turns out I was overthinking the whole thing. My tax return has already been accepted by the IRS, and I didn't have to wait around for that form to arrive in the mail after all.

For those still waiting on health insurance forms or trying to reach the IRS about coverage penalties, I feel your pain! I spent TWO WEEKS trying to get someone at the IRS to answer questions about my health insurance reporting situation. Always busy signals or "call back later" messages. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). They basically hold your place in line with the IRS so you don't have to keep calling back. I was seriously doubtful it would work, but within a few hours, I was actually talking to a real IRS agent who answered all my questions about the 1095-B and state penalties. The agent confirmed everything about filing without the form and explained exactly how the state exemptions work. Saved me from making a mistake on my return that could have delayed my refund.

Ok I need to eat crow here. After being super skeptical about Claimyr, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about my health insurance penalty situation, so I reluctantly tried it. I figured it wouldn't work but I was out of options. I'm honestly shocked - I got a call back within about 3 hours saying they had an IRS agent on the line. The agent was able to confirm exactly what I needed to know about filing without my 1095-B and helped me understand which exemptions I qualified for with my coverage gap. I've literally never been able to get through to the IRS before without spending an entire day on hold. So yeah, I was wrong about this service. It actually works exactly as advertised, and I was able to file my taxes with confidence instead of guessing about the health insurance requirements.

Just want to add that if your insurance is through your employer, you can usually access your 1095-B form online through your insurance company's portal. I was waiting for mine in the mail too but then realized I could just download it from my Aetna account. Might be worth checking if you have online access! Also, if you're really in a hurry to file, you can actually use your insurance cards and coverage start/end dates from your HR documents to verify your coverage months. The 1095-B is just documentation of what you already know about when you were covered.

One thing nobody mentioned yet - if your coverage was through Medicaid or CHIP, some states don't send 1095-B forms automatically. You might need to specifically request one from your state Medicaid office. I learned this the hard way last year when I was waiting forever for a form that was never going to come unless I asked for it! Check your state's Medicaid website as some states now have portals where you can download the form yourself.