The benefit of the Health Coverage Tax Credit will be offered monthly. If you qualify, you can choose to have 72.5 percent of your qualified health insurance premiums paid in advance directly to your health plan administrator each month on your behalf to lower your out-of-pocket payments for your monthly premiums.
Do you have to pay back the tax credit for health insurance?
If at the end of the year you've taken more premium tax credit in advance than you're due based on your final income,
you'll have to pay back the excess when you file your federal tax return
.
Premium tax credits are available to people who buy Marketplace coverage and whose income is at least as high as the federal poverty level.
For an individual, that means an income of at least $12,880 in 2022
. For a family of four, that means an income of at least $26,500 in 2022.
For tax years 2021 and 2022,
the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) temporarily expanded eligibility for the premium tax credit
by eliminating the rule that a taxpayer with household income above 400% of the federal poverty line cannot qualify for a premium tax credit.
For the 2021 tax year,
you must repay the difference between the amount of premium tax credit you received and the amount you were eligible for
. There are also dollar caps on the amount of repayment if your income is below 4 times the poverty level.
Should I use all of my tax credit for health insurance?
You can use all, some, or none of your premium tax credit in advance to lower your monthly premium
. If you use more advance payments of the tax credit than you qualify for based on your final yearly income, you must repay the difference when you file your federal income tax return.
Another way to avoid having to repay all or part of your premium assistance is to
elect to have all or part of your premium assistance sent to you as a tax refund when you file your tax return
, instead of paid in advance to your health insurer during the year.
Tax Year 2020:
Requirement to repay excess advance payments of the premium tax credit is suspended
. ARPA suspended the requirement to repay excess advance payments of the premium tax credit (called excess APTC repayments) for tax year 2020.
The self-employed health insurance deduction and premium tax credit
can work together
. If you do qualify for both, remember this key rule: Your combined insurance premium deductions and premium credits cannot be more than your total eligible insurance premiums.
For the 2021 and 2022 tax years, The American Rescue Plan expanded eligibility for premium tax credits to people at all income levels.
If your income for 2022 turns out to be greater than the amount you estimated when you sign up, you may have to repay some or all of the excess credit.
What is it? A premium is
the amount of money charged by your insurance company for the plan you've chosen
. It is usually paid on a monthly basis, but can be billed a number of ways. You must pay your premium to keep your coverage active, regardless of whether you use it or not.
The law extends eligibility to taxpayers with household income above 400 percent of the federal poverty line by lowering the upper premium contribution limit to
8.5 percent of household income
. All household income levels will experience a boost in premium credits for 2021 and 2022.
If you didn't receive all of the premium tax credit you're entitled to during the year,
you can claim the difference when you file your tax return
. If you're uncertain about your income for the coming year, remember that you can modify the amount of premium tax credit during the year if your income changes.
Why do I need Form 8962?
Form 8962 is used
to estimate the amount of premium tax credit for which you're eligible if you're insured through the Health Insurance Marketplace
. You need to complete Form 8962 if you wish to claim a premium tax credit on your tax return, or you received advance payments of premium tax credits during the year.
