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Form 1095-A and Form 8962, explained

Form 1095-A shows your Marketplace coverage and any advance tax credit for the year. Use it to fill out Form 8962 and file that with your tax return.

Illustration of a tax form, like Form 1095-A and Form 8962.

Last checked October 24, 2026 · Written by licensed advisors · Sources are numbered and listed under Notes and sources

What Form 1095-A is

Form 1095-A is the statement the Marketplace sends everyone who had a Marketplace plan during the year. It lists, month by month, your premium, the price of the benchmark silver plan, and the advance tax credit paid to your insurer.

Get Covered Illinois sends it by February 1, by mail and in your online account. HealthCare.gov mails it by mid-February, and it is often in your online account earlier.12

One month on a 1095-A (Part III)Example, not a quote
Column A: monthly premium for your plan$450.00
Column B: benchmark silver plan (SLCSP) price$520.00The price the credit is measured against
Column C: advance tax credit paid to your insurer$231.00You paid the rest of the premium: $219
Illustrative numbers. Your form lists each month you had coverage.

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Where the key boxes are

This drawing shows where things sit on the form. It is a mockup, not the official form, so use the numbers on your own 1095-A.3

Mockup of Form 1095-A, not the official form A simplified drawing of Form 1095-A with numbered markers: 1 Part I, your details and policy; 2 Part II, everyone covered; 3 Part III column A, the monthly premium; 4 column B, the benchmark silver plan price; 5 column C, the advance tax credit paid; 6 line 33, the yearly totals. Form 1095-A Health Insurance Marketplace Statement MOCKUP Part I · Recipient information (lines 1-15) Marketplace, policy number, your name, address, start and end dates Part II · Covered individuals (lines 16-20) Everyone on the plan, with the dates each person was covered Part III · Coverage information Month A · Premium B · Benchmark C · Credit Line 21 · JanuaryLine 22 · FebruaryLine 23 · March…Line 32 · December Line 33 · Annual totals Simplified drawing for finding your way around the form. Use the numbers on your own form. 123456
  1. Part I, lines 1 to 15: the Marketplace, your policy number, your details and the dates the policy started and ended.
  2. Part II, lines 16 to 20: everyone covered, with each person’s coverage start and end dates.
  3. Column A: the monthly premium for your plan.
  4. Column B: the price of the benchmark silver plan (SLCSP), which the credit is measured against.
  5. Column C: the advance tax credit paid to your insurer each month.
  6. Line 33: the totals for the year. Form 8962 uses these, or the monthly lines 21 to 32.

Do you need to report it?

Yes, if anyone in your household had a Marketplace plan. Use the 1095-A to fill out Form 8962 and file it with your tax return. This matters most if a tax credit was paid in advance: the IRS will hold or reject your return without Form 8962, and skipping it can cost you the credit in future years.4

From form to tax return
  1. By February 1Get Covered Illinois sends your 1095-A (HealthCare.gov: by mid-February)
  2. Form 8962Copy the monthly numbers into Part II (key step)
  3. Your tax returnFile Form 8962 with it. If a tax credit was paid in advance, the IRS will hold or reject a return without it

What Form 8962 does

Form 8962 compares the credit you received during the year, based on your income estimate, with the credit you actually qualify for, based on your real income. If you got too little, the difference adds to your refund. If you got too much, you pay it back. From the 2026 tax year there is no cap on how much you may have to repay.56

What Form 8962 settles
Credit you received during the year, compared with the credit your real income qualifies you for
You got too littleThe difference adds to your refund.
You got too muchYou pay it back. From tax year 2026 there is no cap.
Settling a year on Form 8962Example, not a quote
Advance credit paid during the year (column C, line 33)$2,772$231 a month for 12 months
Credit your final income qualifies for$2,400Worked out on Form 8962 from your real income
DifferenceYou pay back $372Added to your tax bill. From tax year 2026 there is no cap.
Illustrative numbers. If the credit you qualify for is higher than what was paid, the difference adds to your refund instead.

What to do: Copy the monthly numbers from your 1095-A into Part II of Form 8962, or let your tax software or preparer do it from the form.

If it is missing or wrong

Missing: log in to your Marketplace account and download it, or call the Marketplace. Don’t file without it if you had a tax credit.

Wrong: if the people covered or the months of coverage are off, ask the Marketplace for a corrected 1095-A before you file. If only the benchmark price in column B is off, HealthCare.gov’s tax tool gives you the right figure; in Illinois, ask Get Covered Illinois. A misspelled name, a wrong address or a wrong date of birth doesn’t need a new form; use the right details on your tax forms. If you already filed with a wrong form, you may need to amend.1

Missing or wrong?
Missing
  • Download it from your Marketplace account, or call the Marketplace
  • Don’t file without it if you had a tax credit
Wrong people or months
  • Ask for a corrected 1095-A before you file
Only the benchmark (column B) is off
  • Get the right figure from the HealthCare.gov tax tool or Get Covered Illinois
Wrong name, address or birth date
  • No new form needed
  • Use the right details on your tax forms

If your return keeps getting rejected

The most common reason is a missing Form 8962. When the IRS sees that advance credit was paid for you, it rejects an e-filed return without it. Add the form with your 1095-A numbers and file again.7

What to do: Stuck? Call us with your 1095-A in hand. We can help you read it, and point you to a tax professional for the return itself.

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Notes and sources

  1. HealthCare.gov, Form 1095-A. Checked October 24, 2026.Back
  2. Get Covered Illinois help, Form 1095-A. Checked October 24, 2026.Back
  3. IRS, Instructions for Form 1095-A. Checked October 24, 2026.Back
  4. IRS, reconciling advance payments of the credit. Checked October 24, 2026.Back
  5. IRS, about Form 8962. Checked October 24, 2026.Back
  6. Public Law 119-21, sec. 71305. Checked October 24, 2026.Back
  7. IRS, returns rejected for a missing Form 8962. Checked October 24, 2026.Back

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