Blue Cross Blue Shield is no longer required to automatically mail you a Form 1095-B. Starting with the 2024 tax season, insurers satisfy the rule by posting a notice that the form is available on request, so if January passes and nothing arrives, you’ll usually need to ask for it yourself. To get your 1095-B from Blue Cross Blue Shield, log in to your regional BCBS member portal, call the member services number on the back of your ID card, or send a written request to the service address on the card. Once you make the request, BCBS has 30 days to send the form.1Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1094-B and 1095-B
How to Request the Form
Blue Cross Blue Shield operates as a federation of independent regional companies, so the exact steps depend on which BCBS plan you have. The pattern is the same across affiliates: sign in to the member portal and look for a tax documents or secure messaging section, or contact member services by phone.
For the Federal Employee Program, you can request your 1095-B through your MyBlue account, by calling the number on the back of your member ID card, or by mailing a written request to the service address listed on the card.2FepBlue. Tax Information Request Form 1095-B Some BCBS affiliates still mail the form proactively, but many do not, so the absence of a mailed copy does not mean anything is wrong with your coverage record.
A few practical points. The electronic copy through the portal is usually available within days, while a mailed paper copy can take the full 30-day window. Confirm your mailing address and contact details in the BCBS system before you make the request. And if you plan to use a paper copy for state tax purposes, ask early rather than the week you sit down to file.
Check Part IV When the Form Arrives
The section that matters for your records is Part IV, which lists every person on the policy and includes a month-by-month grid showing when each person was insured. If someone was covered for even a single day during a month, that entire month should be checked, and a separate column indicates whether the individual was covered for all twelve months.3Internal Revenue Service. Form 1095-B – Health Coverage
Common problems are missing dependents, a misspelled name, an incorrect Social Security number, or coverage months that don’t match your actual enrollment. If you added a newborn mid-year or dropped a dependent, verify those changes appear correctly. To fix an error, contact member services at the number on your ID card, or use the secure messaging feature in the online portal. Explain the specific discrepancy, and BCBS will issue a corrected 1095-B. Note the date you reported the error and who you spoke with, since corrections can take time.
BCBS files the same data with the IRS that appears on your copy, so an uncorrected error means the agency has the wrong information too. That mismatch will not affect your federal return today, but it can cause problems in a state that still enforces an individual mandate.
Do You Actually Need It to File Your Federal Return?
For most people, no. Since tax year 2019, Form 1040 no longer includes a health coverage checkbox, and Form 8965 (the old exemption form) was retired.4Internal Revenue Service. Gathering Your Health Coverage Documentation for the Tax Filing Season The federal individual mandate penalty is zero, so there is nothing to calculate from the form.
You do not attach the 1095-B to your return, and you do not need to wait for it before filing.5Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers About Health Care Information Forms for Individuals That is the opposite of Form 1095-A, which Marketplace enrollees need before they can complete Form 8962. If BCBS is your only insurer and you have a 1095-B (not a 1095-A), you can file on your normal schedule using whatever records you have.
Keep the form with your other tax documents. The IRS recommends holding tax records for at least three years from the date you file.6Internal Revenue Service. How Long Should I Keep Records? Hold on to the 1095-B for at least that long, and longer if you live in a state with its own mandate.
When the Form Matters for State Taxes
The 1095-B carries real weight if you live in a jurisdiction that still enforces an individual health insurance mandate. The month-by-month grid in Part IV is exactly the data your state form asks for.
- California residents who lack coverage owe a penalty equal to the greater of a flat dollar amount per household member or 2.5 percent of household income above the state filing threshold. Coverage and any penalty are reported on Form FTB 3853, using the month-by-month data from your 1095-B.7California Franchise Tax Board. Instructions for Form FTB 3853
- New Jersey accepts a fully completed federal Form 1095-B as proof of coverage. Insurers file the same forms with the state that they file with the IRS.8New Jersey Department of the Treasury. NJ Health Insurance Mandate – Employers and Coverage Providers
- Massachusetts runs its own mandate and issues a separate Form 1099-HC. You may receive both a federal 1095-B and a state 1099-HC; the 1099-HC is what you need for your Massachusetts return.9Massachusetts.gov. 1095-B and 1099-HC Tax Form
- Rhode Island residents who lacked coverage may need to file Form IND-HEALTH with the state return.10Rhode Island Division of Taxation. Health Insurance Mandate
- In the District of Columbia, coverage providers file federal Forms 1095-B and 1095-C with the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, and furnishing the federal form to you satisfies the D.C. requirement.11D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. FAQ Reporting SRP Update
- Vermont law requires residents to carry coverage, but the state does not currently impose a financial penalty for noncompliance.
If you live in one of these places, request the 1095-B early and review Part IV carefully. A missing dependent or a wrong coverage month can translate directly into an incorrect state penalty.