Employees will receive new health insurance tax forms

PULLMAN, Wash. – Many Washington State University employees will receive new tax forms for the 2015 tax year that are related to their health insurance coverage. The forms will start arriving late this month and should be delivered by the end of March.

The 1095-B and 1095-C forms are “proof of insurance” for the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and should be maintained with other important tax documents. The information may assist in preparing tax returns but is not required for filing, and the forms should not be attached to tax returns. The forms are sent by WSU in compliance with the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.

The 1095-C form will be issued on behalf of WSU by the Health Care Authority (HCA) to all employees who worked 130+ hours per month (full time as defined by ACA) for at least one month, no matter which health insurance plan they signed up for or if they waived coverage in 2015. The 1095-C Decoder at http://www.mytaxform.com/form-1095-decoder provides details about the information on the form.

Additionally, those enrolled (not as dependents) in the Uniform Classic or Uniform CDHP health insurance plans will receive a 1095-C even if they did not work 130 hours or more in a month in 2015. And non-employees, such as retirees or former employees enrolled through COBRA, will receive a 1095-C from HCA.

Employees enrolled in a Kaiser medical plan or a Group Health medical plan will receive the 1095-B form directly from the insurance carrier. This form will provide similar information to the 1095-C. Some employees will receive both the 1095-B and 1095-C forms.

WSU employees who worked for another employer in 2015 may also receive 1095 forms based on that employment. And some individuals enrolled in Medicare A may receive a 1095-B form.

Kaiser will send 1095-B forms between Jan. 21 and Feb. 5. Group Health will send 1095-B forms for delivery on or around Feb. 19. HCA plans to have 1095-C forms available by the end of the February. Delivery of all WSU insurance-related forms should occur before the IRS deadline of March 31.

A brief video and frequently asked questions are available on the WSU Human Resource Services (HRS) website at http://hrs.wsu.edu/ACAForm1095. This site will be updated as information becomes available.

Tax questions should be directed to a tax professional; WSU HRS does not provide tax advice. Also visit the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/Affordable-Care-Act/Questions-and-Answers-about-Health-Care-Information-Forms-for-Individuals.