No, Medicaid does not send Form 1095-A. That form goes only to people who enrolled in a private health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace. If Medicaid was your coverage, the tax document you should expect is Form 1095-B, issued by your state Medicaid agency. The one situation where a Medicaid recipient also receives a 1095-A is a mid-year switch between a Marketplace plan and Medicaid.
Why the 1095-A Doesn’t Apply to Medicaid
Form 1095-A exists to help people reconcile the Premium Tax Credit. Each Marketplace must report enrollment details, monthly premiums, and any advance credit payments to both the IRS and the enrollee.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 36B – Refundable Credit for Coverage Under a Qualified Health Plan The IRS uses that data to check whether the enrollee received the right amount of premium assistance during the year.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1095-A (2025)
Medicaid works differently. You pay no private premium, and no premium tax credit is involved. With nothing to reconcile, the 1095-A has no role. If your only coverage during the year was Medicaid, no 1095-A is coming, and none is needed.
Form 1095-B: The Form Medicaid Actually Sends
Federal law requires any provider of qualifying health coverage, including state Medicaid agencies, to report that coverage to the IRS and to the covered individuals on Form 1095-B.3Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Forms 1094-B and 1095-B The form lists every household member who was covered and the specific months each person was enrolled.
State Medicaid agencies must furnish Form 1095-B by March 2 for the prior tax year. Employers were given the option to post a website notice instead of mailing forms automatically, but government agencies administering Medicaid did not receive that exemption.3Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Forms 1094-B and 1095-B Delivery still varies in practice. Some states mail paper copies; others direct enrollees to an online benefits portal. If your form hasn’t arrived by mid-March, contact your state Medicaid agency or check your online account.
You do not attach Form 1095-B to your return. Keep it with your tax records in case the IRS requests verification later.4Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers About Health Care Information Forms for Individuals
CHIP Follows the Same Rule
If your child was covered through the Children’s Health Insurance Program, expect a 1095-B, not a 1095-A. CHIP reporting works the same way as Medicaid, and the same state agency usually handles both.5HealthCare.gov. 2025 Federal Tax Return Info for Non-Marketplace Health Insurance
When You Might Get Both Forms in the Same Year
A household can receive a 1095-A and a 1095-B for the same tax year when someone moves between Marketplace coverage and Medicaid mid-year. This is common when an income change shifts eligibility. Someone enrolled in a Marketplace plan with advance premium tax credits from January who qualifies for Medicaid starting in June is a typical example.
The Marketplace issues a 1095-A covering the months of private plan enrollment, and the state Medicaid agency issues a 1095-B for the remaining months.6Internal Revenue Service. Health Insurance Marketplace Statements Both are needed to file accurately: the 1095-A to reconcile premium tax credits on Form 8962, and the 1095-B to document the Medicaid months.7Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 8962 (2025)
Retroactive Medicaid and Prior Premium Credits
Medicaid can be granted retroactively, covering months when you were already in a Marketplace plan receiving advance premium tax credits. You are not treated as having minimum essential coverage through Medicaid until the first day of the first calendar month after your application is approved.8Internal Revenue Service. Publication 974 (2025) – Premium Tax Credit The premium tax credits you received for months before that date stay with you.
For example, if you apply for Medicaid on April 10 and are approved on May 15 with retroactive coverage back to April 1, your Medicaid is not treated as minimum essential coverage until June 1. You would not owe back credits for April or May.
Filing Without a 1095-B, or Fixing an Error
You do not have to wait for Form 1095-B to file. The IRS accepts other documentation to verify Medicaid coverage:4Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers About Health Care Information Forms for Individuals
- Insurance cards showing your Medicaid coverage
- Explanation of benefits statements
- Eligibility notices or enrollment letters from your state agency
- Any other records confirming coverage for you or your family
Keep the documents with your tax records; you don’t send them in with the return.
If your 1095-B has errors, such as missing months of Medicaid coverage or wrong household details, contact your state Medicaid agency. The agency also reports this data to the IRS, so resolving discrepancies quickly prevents mismatches.9IRS.gov. Affordable Care Act – Return Preparer Best Practices Resolving Information Form 1095 Conflicts If you already filed before a corrected form arrived, you may need to amend your return.
If you did also receive a 1095-A and it contains wrong months, premium amounts, or household details, contact the Marketplace directly. For plans through HealthCare.gov, call 1-800-318-2596.10CMS: Agent and Brokers FAQ Home. How Can I Help My Clients Make Corrections to Their Form 1095-A The Marketplace will issue a corrected form and report the update to the IRS. Corrected forms are also available through your HealthCare.gov account. One narrow exception: if only demographic information is wrong, such as a misspelled name or incorrect Social Security number, you can fix that on your tax return without a new form.
State Mandates Still Ask for Proof of Coverage
The federal penalty for going uninsured has been zero dollars since 2019.11Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers on the Individual Shared Responsibility Provision Several states and D.C. enforce their own individual mandates with real penalties. As of 2025, that includes California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. Vermont requires coverage but imposes no penalty.
State penalties generally follow a similar structure: you owe the greater of a flat dollar amount per uninsured adult (with a reduced amount per child) or a percentage of household income above the state’s filing threshold. Annual penalties can range from a few hundred dollars to over $2,000 per person depending on the state and your income. If you live in one of these states and had Medicaid all year, your 1095-B is your proof of compliance. If you had a coverage gap during a transition, check whether your state offers a short-gap exemption before assuming you owe.