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rsykes1
New Member

Why is turbotax asking why my husband had a lapse in insurance coverage - he didn't?

(under the HSA questions).  My husband was covered under my HDHP all year
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Accepted Solutions
BillM223
Expert Alumni

Why is turbotax asking why my husband had a lapse in insurance coverage - he didn't?

Your issue is with the question that asks "What type of High Deductible Health Plan did [name] have on December 1, 2020?"

 

Unfortunately, the question does not clarify that it is only for a small group of taxpayers and that all other taxpayers should answer "NONE".

 

NOTE: each spouse can have an HSA. The use of "you" below refers to whichever spouse's name was in the question above.

 

This question is trying to determine if you utilized the "last-month" rule in 2020 (yes, 2020). The last-month rule lets you use the full annual HSA contribution limit if you had HDHP coverage on December 1, even if you were not covered by an HDHP for all of the year.

 

However, the catch is that if you used the last-month rule, the IRS requires that you stay under HDHP coverage for all of the following year (2021).

 

***NOTE*** This question occurs on the taxpayer who does not have an HSA, so never had a chance to tell TurboTax in the HSA interview what their HDHP coverage was for 2021.

 

So, the fix is this: go back to the question (at the end of the HSA interview), and:

 

  • If you had HDHP coverage for all of 2020 , then enter NONE 
  • If you had no HDHP coverage for all of 2020, then enter NONE.
  • If you did not have an HSA in 2020, then enter NONE.
  • If you had an HSA in 2020 but did not contribute to it in 2020, then enter NONE.

 

Only taxpayers who had their own HSA in 2020 AND who contributed to their own HSA in 2020 should answer “Family” or “Self” or “None” (which can be the right answer in some cases).

 

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"

View solution in original post

3 Replies
BillM223
Expert Alumni

Why is turbotax asking why my husband had a lapse in insurance coverage - he didn't?

Your issue is with the question that asks "What type of High Deductible Health Plan did [name] have on December 1, 2020?"

 

Unfortunately, the question does not clarify that it is only for a small group of taxpayers and that all other taxpayers should answer "NONE".

 

NOTE: each spouse can have an HSA. The use of "you" below refers to whichever spouse's name was in the question above.

 

This question is trying to determine if you utilized the "last-month" rule in 2020 (yes, 2020). The last-month rule lets you use the full annual HSA contribution limit if you had HDHP coverage on December 1, even if you were not covered by an HDHP for all of the year.

 

However, the catch is that if you used the last-month rule, the IRS requires that you stay under HDHP coverage for all of the following year (2021).

 

***NOTE*** This question occurs on the taxpayer who does not have an HSA, so never had a chance to tell TurboTax in the HSA interview what their HDHP coverage was for 2021.

 

So, the fix is this: go back to the question (at the end of the HSA interview), and:

 

  • If you had HDHP coverage for all of 2020 , then enter NONE 
  • If you had no HDHP coverage for all of 2020, then enter NONE.
  • If you did not have an HSA in 2020, then enter NONE.
  • If you had an HSA in 2020 but did not contribute to it in 2020, then enter NONE.

 

Only taxpayers who had their own HSA in 2020 AND who contributed to their own HSA in 2020 should answer “Family” or “Self” or “None” (which can be the right answer in some cases).

 

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"

Why is turbotax asking why my husband had a lapse in insurance coverage - he didn't?

WHEN are they gonna fix this stupid glitch?

Why is turbotax asking why my husband had a lapse in insurance coverage - he didn't?

I see this still hasn't been corrected - after all this time.  You need to reword these questions or change the way this section asks the questions on this whole topic to make this make sense on exactly what you are asking, who you are asking it about and why you are asking it.

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