How to Get a Copy of Your 1095-C Form Online

To get a copy of your 1095-C form online, start with your employer’s payroll or HR portal, where the form sits alongside your W-2 and pay stubs. If that route is closed to you, the IRS Individual Online Account gives you a Wage and Income Transcript containing the same data your employer reported.¹

Downloading It From Your Employer’s Portal

Most large employers distribute 1095-C forms through the same online system that hosts pay stubs and W-2s. Common platforms include ADP, Workday, and Paychex. If you’re not sure which one your employer uses, check old emails for paystub notifications or new-hire onboarding messages; those almost always include a direct link to the login page. Your company intranet is another good place to look, and HR can send you the link if nothing turns up.

First-time login usually asks for your Social Security number or an employee ID from HR, plus a password you set during registration. Setup often requires verifying your legal name, date of birth, and zip code, and some systems add a security question tied to payroll data, such as the exact amount of a recent direct deposit.

Once you’re in, look for a section labeled “Tax Documents,” “Payroll,” or “Benefits.” You should see a list of available tax years. Pick the year you need and the form will either open as a preview or download as a PDF. If nothing downloads automatically, look for a download or print icon on the preview. Check your Downloads folder to confirm the file saved before closing the browser.

Portals generally keep tax documents available for at least three years, sometimes longer, which is useful if you need an older form for an amended return or an audit.²

If You Worked for More Than One Employer

Each Applicable Large Employer that had you as a full-time worker for any month of the year must issue a separate 1095-C.³ If you changed jobs, plan on logging into portals for both the current and former employer. Former-employer portals usually stay accessible for departed workers, though some require a separate self-service login rather than the one you used while employed.

Using the IRS Individual Online Account as a Backup

When the employer portal isn’t an option, whether because a former employer is out of business, your access has lapsed, or the form simply isn’t there, the IRS lets you pull the underlying data yourself. Through your IRS Individual Online Account you can view, print, or download a Wage and Income Transcript that includes what your employer reported on your 1095-C.¹

Setting up the account requires identity verification through ID.me, the IRS credential provider. You’ll need a photo of a government-issued ID (driver’s license, state ID, or passport) and either a selfie or a video chat with a live ID.me agent.⁴ The first verification takes some time; after that, signing in is quick.

Once you’re signed in, click “Tax Records,” then “Transcripts,” and select the Wage and Income Transcript for the year you need. Data for the current processing year usually doesn’t appear until early February.⁵ Seeing “No record of return filed” before then just means the employer’s filing hasn’t populated yet.

One thing to understand about the transcript: it’s a summary of the reported data, not a copy of the original formatted 1095-C. You’ll get the coverage offer codes and months of coverage, which is what tax preparation actually needs. If you specifically need the original form as your employer issued it, you have to go back through the employer.

Prefer not to set up online access? Request a transcript by mail through the IRS automated phone line at 800-908-9946. Allow five to ten business days for delivery.¹

When To Expect Your 1095-C

Employers now have a permanent deadline of March 2 (or the next business day if March 2 falls on a weekend or holiday) to distribute 1095-C forms to employees. For tax year 2025, the deadline is March 2, 2026.⁶ If early March passes and nothing has appeared in your portal or your mailbox, ask HR before assuming the form was lost.

You Don’t Have To Wait for the Form To File

The IRS does not require you to attach Form 1095-C to your federal return, and you can file without it in hand using other documentation of your coverage, such as your insurance card, an explanation of benefits, W-2s or pay stubs showing premium deductions, or records of any marketplace advance payments.⁷ Keep the 1095-C with your tax records once you receive it. If it turns up later and contradicts what you reported, you can file an amended return, but for most workers with year-round employer coverage the form doesn’t change anything on the return.

Checking the Form for Errors

When you do have the form, spend a few minutes on Part II, which uses codes to describe the coverage your employer offered each month. The ones that come up most often:

Code 1A: A qualifying offer of minimum-value coverage to you, your spouse, and your dependents, with your share of the premium at or below 9.5% (adjusted) of the federal poverty line for a single person.
Code 1E: Minimum-value coverage offered to you, your spouse, and your dependents.
Code 1C: Minimum-value coverage offered to you and your dependents, but not your spouse.
Code 1H: No coverage offered to you that month.

These codes come from the IRS instructions for the form.³ The mistake most likely to cause you trouble is 1H showing up for a month when you were actually offered coverage. That can make the IRS think you lacked an affordable offer, which affects premium tax credit calculations.

If a code looks wrong, contact HR or the benefits department in writing so you have a paper trail. The employer is required to file a corrected form with the IRS and send you an updated copy marked “CORRECTED.”⁸ Get the correction on record quickly rather than waiting for tax season.

State Coverage Mandates

The federal individual mandate penalty has been zero since 2019, but several jurisdictions enforce their own. As of 2026, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia impose penalties on residents without qualifying coverage. Vermont requires coverage but does not currently charge a penalty. If you live in a mandate state, your 1095-C is the proof of employer coverage your state return may ask for, which is a good reason to keep the downloaded copy somewhere you can find it later.

1
Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Types for Individuals and Ways to Order Them
2
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C (2025) – Section: Where To File
3
Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C
4
Internal Revenue Service. How to Register for IRS Online Self-Help Tools
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Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Services for Individuals – FAQs
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C (2025) – Section: When To File
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Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers About Health Care Information Forms for Individuals
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C (2025)