The health insurance mandate penalty was reduced to zero with the 2018 Tax Act and you no longer have to prove that you had health insurance for the year on your federal tax return. However, if you received the premium credit issued through the marketplace or exchange, you are required to file a tax return. The premium credit is reconciled on your tax return to determine if you indeed are eligible to receive the credit. The credit is based on your income and some complicated calculations to determine how much credit, if any, you may be entitled to.

If you were covered by health insurance at any time last year, you will receive at least one of the following forms:

1095-A - issued to people who purchased insurance through the government exchange.

1095-B - issued to people covered by Medicare or who purchased a policy directly from an insurance company, rather than through an exchange.

1095-C - issued to people who were covered by a plan through their employers.

If you or any of your dependents received health care coverage through the marketplace at any time last year, please remember to include your 1095-A with your tax documents because you may need to file a tax return.

These 1095 forms are required to be sent to consumers by January 31.

Some states, like Massachusetts, do require health insurance coverage so you may need to include certain information with your tax documents in order to complete your state returns as well.