If my 1095A has all $0 values in column B, Do I need to look up the Monthly applicable SLCSP premium and enter it in form 8962 in Column B ?

[DawnC · Accepted solution]

Look at Part III, column B of your 1095-A, titled “Monthly second lowest cost silver plan (SLCSP) premium.” It should show figures for each month any household member had the Marketplace plan. 

The SLCSP premium is incorrect if:

• Part III, Column B has a “0” or is blank for any month someone in your household had the Marketplace plan
• You had changes in your household that you didn’t tell the Marketplace about — like having a baby, moving, getting married or divorced, or losing a dependent

If either applies to you, you’ll use the government's tax tool to get the premium for your second lowest cost Silver plan.

[goehring_kate-ya]

Thanks for your fast response! Exactly what information I needed to finish my 1040. 

[chxrlenes]

I called the California Marketplace and was told that the reason that column B shows "0" is because that is the month that the insurance coverage ended.  The system will not take "0" as an answer.  I am not sure what the next step is.  Any information that you can give would be a great help.

Thank you

[Vanessa A]

If there is nothing in column a then you would leave column b blank.  Do not enter 0 or it will give you an error. 

[chxrlenes]

Hello Vanessa,

Column A shows "0" and Column B shows "0".  Column C has an amount.  Should I just leave Column A and Column B blank?

Thank you

[TeresaM]

You will need entries for Column A and B if there are numbers in Column C. They are usually there but sometimes come blank. 

For Column A, that is the monthly cost of your health insurance plan from the Marketplace. What you paid + Column C = Column A.

The second lowest cost Silver plan (SLCSP) premium can be found in Column B of your Form 1095-A, but sometimes it may be missing or incorrect. 

Click this link for the Marketplace calculator tool to determine what number should go in Column B.

If there are any months with a 0 in Column C, just leave A, B, and C all blank for those months. 

[chxrlenes]

Hello Teresa, 

I live in California and called the marketplace.  They informed me that the columns are showing "0" because that is the month that the coverage ended.  They stated that if the coverage continued, that it would be the same amount as the previous month.  I am not sure what the next steps would be.  It would be inaccurate to input the previous month's amount as the 1095-A lists "0" in both column A and column B for the month in question.

Thank you

[TeresaM]

If the coverage had ended, then they did not pay the Advanced Premium Tax Credit in Column C. That usually goes straight to the insurance company, so if there was no coverage, they would not have accepted a partial payment. 

It sounds as if the California Marketplace thinks the form is correct that way but the IRS will not accept the form that way.   

At the end of the day, the return will most likely be researched at the IRS if the form does not match their database.  After it is researched, they will find that there was no coverage for that month, and no premium for that month, and no need for Column B for that month. 
So if you leave all 3 columns blank for that month when there was no coverage, that should calculate the correct amount for the Form 8962 to reconcile the Premium Tax Credit. 

Obviously that is not ideal, but it should allow you to e-file, and to have the correct tax calculation, and it will most likely need to be researched in any case. 

If you would just like extra time and file an extension, it will waive failure-to-file penalties until October 18th. However, if you would have owed tax on April the 18th, the IRS will assess monthly late payment penalties and interest until you pay.

I recommend to extend your return with a TurboTax Extension and also pay your best guess of anything you may owe. If you overpay, it will be refunded. If you underpay, it will only calculate penalties on the part that was not paid.

The states vary according to their due dates and if you have to file an extension or if it is automatic. You can look it up on this TurboTax Help article and if a state extension needs to be filed, it should be an option at the bottom of the federal extension screen. 

TurboTax has a tool called TaxCaster to give you an idea of your tax liability and/or refund. You can vary different items and see how that could impact your return. Click for TaxCaster at the IRS in any event. 

 

[BrianHo]

After entering the requested information in the HC Marketplace Tool, I could not activate "continue," although I tried repeatedly to do so. A red circle with a diagonal line appears. 

[DaveF1006]

Instead of a zero, leave these values blank.  if this doesn't work, try putting 01 in all the spaces that have zero. See if you can now move on in your return.

[BrianHo]

Unfortunately, despite my repeated attempts, the HC Marketplace tool would not process my information: I could not engage the "continue" button. This requirement -- column B cannot be "$0 -- appears to be new to TurboTax this year. We received a 1095A in prior tax years that showed $0 in column B, and TurboTax accepted that value. Other than the the initial year when I was unemployed for most of the year, we have never received a credit and therefore column C also showed "$0," which should make the amount in column B irrelevant, and which, in turn, I assume, made the amount in column B irrelevant. Why the change? 

[LeticiaF1]

Do not enter zero, instead leave the entries blank.  

@BrianHo