Tax Return Rejected - IRS Says Missing 1095-A but We Only Have 1095-B Forms

This is a common issue that happens when there's a mismatch in the IRS systems. Here's what you need to do: • First, double-check that you're actually looking at 1095-B forms and not 1095-A forms. They look similar but serve different purposes. • Contact the Health Insurance Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596 to verify if a 1095-A was issued to either of you. Sometimes they're sent but never received. • If no 1095-A exists, you'll need to request a letter confirming this from the Marketplace. • When resubmitting your return, include a statement explaining the situation and attach any documentation from the Marketplace. • Consider that if either of you had Marketplace coverage for even one month in 2023, a 1095-A would have been generated.

OMG I went through this EXACT nightmare last year and wanted to pull my hair out! The issue might be that one of you had Marketplace coverage for part of the year before you got married. The system is terrible at handling mid-year changes. I spent hours on hold trying to figure this out, but eventually discovered my husband had Marketplace coverage in January before switching to his employer plan. Check your coverage history for both of you for ANY gaps where Marketplace might have kicked in, even temporarily. Don't worry though - once you track down the form or get confirmation it doesn't exist, this is totally fixable!

Have you tried calling the IRS directly? I was skeptical it would help with my similar issue, but after trying for days with no luck, I used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and actually got through to a real person in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to see exactly why my return was rejected and told me precisely what document was missing. Saved me so much guesswork - turns out my wife had Marketplace coverage for just one month during a job transition that we'd completely forgotten about. Is it possible one of you had a brief period of Marketplace coverage?

I think I might have had a somewhat similar situation last year? My return was rejected because the system thought I had a 1095-A, but I was pretty sure I only had employer insurance. It turned out that I had accidentally enrolled in a Marketplace plan during open enrollment but never actually used it or paid for it. The system still generated a 1095-A for me though! Maybe check if either of you might have possibly done something like that? Just a thought that might help.

Have you tried pulling your tax records transcript from the IRS website? It might show what healthcare coverage they think you had. I'd bet dollars to donuts that one of you is showing up in their system as having had Marketplace coverage at some point. The IRS computers are like elephants - they never forget, even when humans do! 🐘 Just wondering if either of you changed jobs or had any coverage gaps in 2023?

According to 26 CFR § 1.36B-5, the Exchange must provide Form 1095-A to each tax filer or responsible individual who enrolled in a qualified health plan through the Exchange. If you're certain neither of you had Exchange coverage, there's a regulatory discrepancy that needs to be addressed. Per IRS Publication 974, you should request a corrected form or coverage confirmation letter from the Exchange. Note that under the Affordable Care Act reporting requirements, 1095-B forms are issued for certain government-sponsored programs like Medicaid or CHIP, while 1095-C forms come from employers with 50+ employees offering self-insured coverage.

I would be very cautious about just resubmitting without resolving this first... The system might be detecting that one of you was enrolled in Marketplace coverage without realizing it. Perhaps during a job transition? Sometimes there's automatic enrollment if you previously had Marketplace coverage. I'd suggest checking both your accounts on Healthcare.gov if you ever created them, even years ago. Also, maybe check with parents if either of you were possibly on their Marketplace family plan for part of the year? This happens more often than people realize, especially with adult children under 26.

Did either of you move from another state recently? I had a similar issue when I moved from California to Texas - Covered California had issued a 1095-A that went to my old address, but my new insurance in Texas issued a 1095-B. The systems don't talk to each other across state lines very well. You might need to check with both your current state's exchange AND your previous state's exchange if you've relocated. Unlike some other tax situations, this one actually resolved pretty quickly once I found the missing form.

This is such a frustrating situation, but you're definitely not alone! I went through something similar and discovered that the IRS databases sometimes have delays or glitches that can trigger these false rejections. A few things that might help: • Check if either of you had any short-term health insurance plans, even for just a few weeks - these sometimes get reported differently than expected • Look into whether you might have had COBRA coverage that transitioned to Marketplace coverage without you realizing it • If you used a tax software, try calling their support line - they often have direct connections to resolve these specific ACA-related rejection codes The good news is that this type of rejection usually gets resolved within a few days once you have the right documentation. Don't panic about compliance issues - as long as you had qualifying coverage (which your 1095-B forms prove), you're meeting the requirements. The system just needs to match up the paperwork properly. Keep us posted on what you find out! These stories help other people going through the same thing.