Form 1095-A and Form 8962, explained
If you had a Marketplace plan, these two forms settle your tax credit when you file. Here is what each one does.
Last checked October 14, 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
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.3
- By February 1Get Covered Illinois sends your 1095-A (HealthCare.gov: by mid-February)
- Form 8962Copy the monthly numbers into Part II (key step)
- 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.45
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, the months of coverage or the benchmark price is off, ask the Marketplace for a corrected 1095-A before you file. 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
- Download it from your Marketplace account, or call the Marketplace
- Don’t file without it if you had a tax credit
- Ask for a corrected 1095-A before you file
- 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.6
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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Obamacare Hotline and/or Medicare Po Polsku are private companies not affiliated with any local, state, or federal government agency. This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice.