When I filed my tax return with TurboTax online, I tried getting a four-month exemption for when we couldn't afford health care coverage.
I selected the box next to "A hardship or other situation kept one or more of us from getting insurance" on the page for "Did anyone have a situation that waives the tax penalty for being uninsured?" It also noted:
"You may qualify for a penalty exemption, but you'll need to submit an application after you file your taxes to get back the penalty for not having health insurance. You can apply for an exemption at www.healthcare.gov."
In the learn more section, it said:
"If one of the following hardships or situations kept you from getting health insurance in 2018, you can apply for a penalty exemption after you file your taxes. If approved, you'll qualify to get back all or some of your penalty. It works like a rebate."
So I did exactly that, and filled out all the other information correctly, and filed my taxes. Then, I filled out the exemption application on the Health Care website and turned it in as TurboTax requested.
But I just got a response back from the Healthcare.gov saying that the only way to get an exemption for months in 2018 is to submit IRS Form 8965 with the federal tax return, and that the application I submitted was basically useless.
So, I went back into my TurboTax stuff to try and file an amendment and to see if there was a way to fill out Form 8965 for a "hardship exemption" but there was no way to. The options under the "Couldn't afford insurance" are very specific, and the only applicable option for us is "Had a hardship." But again, it just says you need to file the application with the health care market, who already told me that's not the way it works and I have to fill out Form 8965, but TurboTax will not let me.
How do I do this and amend the return? Is there a way to do it manually without the walkthrough portion?
(Note: Posted this on the old community site but someone deleted it for some reason like a week later.)
