topic W2 - Self-employed health insurance deduction? in Deductions & credits

W2 - Self-employed health insurance deduction?

slobdell — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:43:32 GMT

Hello, I may find myself in the situation where I become a salaried employee for a company that does not offer health insurance.

This means that I will have to purchase insurance from Healthcare.gov. Everything I see online says if you are self-employed and purchase through Healthcare.gov, you can deduct the premiums on your taxes without itemizing.

Am I stuck in a niche area where I will get stuck paying full taxes on my premiums because I'm neither self-employed, nor offered insurance through my employer?

Thanks

Steve

Re: W2 - Self-employed health insurance deduction?

Mike9241 — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 16:59:28 GMT

as an employee, except possibly as an owner-employee of an S-corporation, you can only deduct medical insurance premiums if you itemize on schedule A.

Re: W2 - Self-employed health insurance deduction?

Opus 17 — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 03:32:46 GMT

You will not be eligible for the self-employment insurance deduction. If you pay your premiums after-tax, you can take them as an itemized deduction on schedule A subject to the 7.5% threshold. You may also be eligible for a subsidy, depending on your income.