Contributed by: KelliP, FreeTaxUSA Agent, Tax Pro
When you receive a tax form, it’s important to know whether it needs to be included on your tax return. Some forms must be reported, while others are for informational purposes only. Forms 1095-B, 1095-C, and 5498-SA are informational forms that document health insurance coverage and health savings account activity for tax purposes. They aren’t reported on your federal tax return.
Health insurance forms
Forms 1095-A, 1095-B, and 1095-C are health insurance forms that provide details of health insurance coverage. They were created when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in 2010. Under the ACA, individuals were required to have health insurance or pay a penalty when filing their tax return. However, the federal requirement for health insurance ended after the 2018 tax year, and Forms 1095-B and 1095-C are now informational for federal tax purposes. In some states, you may still need to provide information from Form 1095-B or 1095-C.
If the health insurance you receive is through the Marketplace, information about your coverage is still required to be included on your federal tax return. The form you’ll receive is Form 1095-A.
1095-B
Form 1095-B is sent by your insurance provider. It shows the provider, which could be a government program (like Medicaid or Medicare), an insurance company (if coverage was purchased from them directly), or an employer (for a small business with less than 50 employees). The form lists the insurance company, the covered individual(s), and months of coverage.
This form isn’t required to be included in your federal tax return.
Coverage providers are still required under the ACA to provide these details, but the form doesn’t have to be mailed automatically. Many insurance companies still send the form each year, but if you don’t receive it, there’s no need to panic. You can request a copy through your insurance provider’s portal or by calling the provider directly.
💡Note: Some states require this information to be reported on the state tax return. In such a case, you’ll want to retrieve a copy.
1095-C
Form 1095-C is health insurance information provided by your employer. This form is issued when an employer has 50 or more full-time employees. The form notifies the IRS of health insurance coverage received under the plan. You’ll see the details of the provider, coverage months, amounts you may have paid, as well as who was covered under the plan.
This form is informational only and isn’t required to be included with your federal tax return.
Coverage providers are still required under the ACA to make the coverage details available to you, but they aren’t required to automatically send the information. If received, this form should be kept with your tax records.
If you didn’t receive this form in the mail, you can typically access it from your account portal or by calling the provider and requesting a copy.
💡Note: Some states will require this information to be reported on the state tax return. In such a case, you’ll want to retrieve a copy.
5498-SA
Form 5498-SA is a tax document used to report contributions, rollovers, and the year-end fair market value of a Health Savings Account (HSA), Archer MSA, or Medicare Advantage MSA. This is also an information-only form and isn’t entered in FreeTaxUSA software. However, the information may be useful when entering your HSA details. It can help you and the IRS determine if an excess contribution was made.
5498-SA Box 2 will include all contributions made to the HSA for the year, so if you contributed $3,000 through your employer (which would be on the W-2) and $2,000 directly to the HSA using your own funds, the 5498-SA Box 2 would show $5,000.
Even though Form 5498-SA isn’t reported on the tax return itself, it can still be useful for:
- confirming how much was contributed to the account,
- checking whether contributions stayed within IRS limits, or
- making sure your tax return matches the information reported to the IRS.
This form may not be available until after the April 15th tax filing deadline, since HSA contributions can still be made up to that date. However, many providers will make the information available in your online account if you need it before receiving the form.
Conclusion
The 1095-B, 1095-C, and 5498-SA forms provide important information to you but aren’t required to be included on your federal tax return. Some states still mandate health insurance coverage, so the 1095-B or 1095-C information may be requested on the state screens. If you receive any of these forms, keep them in your records in case you need to provide clarification to the IRS or your state.