Health coverage exemptions for the 2017 tax year only
If youâre interested in claiming exemptions for the 2017 tax year only, select the links below.
2017 income-related exemptions
- The lowest-priced coverage available to you, through either a Marketplace or job-based plan, would cost more than 8.05% of your household income
- You donât have to file a tax return because your income is below the level that requires you to file
2017 health coverage-related exemptions
- You were uninsured for no more than 2 consecutive months of the year
- You lived in a state that didnât expand its Medicaid program but you would have qualified if it had
- You enrolled a child in the Childrenâs Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the 2017 Open Enrollment period and didnât have coverage for the child earlier in the year
2017 group membership exemptions
- Youâre a member of a or eligible for services through an Indian Health Services provider
- Youâre a member of a recognized health care sharing ministry
- Youâre a member of a recognized religious sect with religious objections to insurance, including Social Security and Medicare
Other 2017 exemptions
- Youâre incarcerated (serving a term in prison or jail)
- Youâre a U.S. citizen living abroad, a certain type of non-citizen, or not lawfully present (learn more about the definition of âlawfully presentâ)
- You experienced one of the hardships below
Â
2017 hardship exemptions and forms
In addition to the exemptions above, you may qualify for a âhardshipâ exemption. Hardships are life situations that keep you from getting health insurance.
To claim a hardship exemption, you must fill out a paper application and mail it to the Marketplace. For details and forms, follow the links below.
Hardships that qualify you for exemptions include:
- You were homeless
- You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure
- You received a shut-off notice from a utility company
- You recently experienced domestic violence
- You recently experienced the death of a close family member
- You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property
- You filed for bankruptcy
- You had medical expenses you couldnât pay that resulted in substantial debt
- You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member
- You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent whoâs been denied coverage in Medicaid and CHIP, and another person is required by court order to give medical support to the child. In this case, you don't have the pay the penalty for the child.
- As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, youâre eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan (QHP) through the Marketplace, lower costs on your monthly premiums, or cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you werenât enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace
- You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state didnât expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act
- If you experienced another hardship in obtaining health insurance, download the hardship exemption application