How To Avoid Common Mistakes in Completing Form 8962

Mistakes in completing Form 8962 can cause you to pay too much tax, delay the processing of your return or refund, or cause you to receive correspondence from the IRS. To avoid making common mistakes on your Form 8962 and on your income tax return, carefully review all of the following before attaching Form 8962 to your tax return.

Entering amounts from Form 1095-A. Form 8962 and the IRS electronic filing program provide for entries of dollars only. Your Form 1095-A may include amounts in dollars and cents. You should round the amounts on Form 1095-A to the nearest whole dollar and enter dollars only on Form 8962. If you file a paper return and do not round amounts to whole dollars, be sure to enter the decimal point to separate dollars and cents.

Line 2b. Complete line 2b only if your dependent(s) is required to file an income tax return. You enter your and your spouse’s (if filing a joint return) modified AGI on line 2a. If you are not required to complete line 2b, enter your modified AGI from line 2a on line 3.

Line 5. Review your entries on Worksheet 2 for accuracy. An incorrect entry on this line will impact the amount of your PTC.

Check your math. Check your math, especially when completing line 11, or lines 12 through 23, and entering the totals on lines 24 and 25. Review your entries on line 11, or lines 12 through 23, if your entries on lines 24 and 25 seem higher than expected (for example, greater than $25,000). Examples of math errors include the following.

• Dollar and cents amounts from Form 1095-A entered as dollars on Form 8962.

• Transposition of numbers or errors in amounts (for example, line 12, column (a), monthly enrollment premium of $1,200 entered as “$12,000”).

• Annual totals from Form 1095-A, line 33, entered as monthly amounts on Form 8962, lines 12 through 23.

22 Instructions for Form 8962 (2025)

Line 11. Use the amounts shown on Form 1095-A, line 33 (columns A, B, and C), for completing line 11. Do not use monthly amounts from Form 1095-A, lines 21 through 32 (columns A, B, and C). If you are instructed to complete line 11, do not complete lines 12 through 23.

Lines 12 through 23. Use the monthly amounts from Form 1095-A, lines 12 through 32 (columns A, B, and C), when completing lines 12 through 23. Do not use total amounts from Form 1095-A, line 33. If you are instructed to complete lines 12 through 23, do not complete line 11.

Line 24. If your filing status is married filing separately and you are not eligible to check the box for item A above Part I on Form 8962, your entry on line 24 should be -0-. If you enter an amount greater than -0-, the IRS will reduce your entry to -0-.

Line 26. If you have an amount on line 26 (other than -0-), be sure to enter that amount on Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line 9.

Line 29. If you have an amount on line 29, be sure to enter that amount on Schedule 2 (Form 1040), line 1a.

Part V—alternative calculation for year of marriage election. Confirm your entries for alternate start and stop months. These months should be inclusive of all months you are using a reduced monthly contribution. Either you or your spouse should have a start month that is the same as the first month you claim the PTC on lines 12 through 23. For example, if your first monthly entry in Part II is on line 14 for March, either you or your spouse should enter “03” as the alternate start month in Part V.

Instructions for Form 8962 (2025) 23

Index

A Abandonment 7 Advance payment of the premium

D Domestic abuse 7

E Employer-sponsored coverage 5

H Household income 4

Minimum essential coverage

(MEC) 5 Modified AGI 4 Monthly credit amount 4

P Premium tax credit (PTC) 2

Q Qualified health plan 5

S Spousal abandonment 7

T Tax family 3

tax credit (APTC) 2 Alien lawfully present in the

United States 9 Allocating policy amounts 12 Allocation policy amounts :

Divorced or legally separated 18 Married but not filing a joint

return 19 No APTC 20 Two or more tax families 20 Alternative calculation for year of

I Individuals who are

present 6

incarcerated 6 Individuals who are not lawfully

marriage 12 Applicable SLCSP premium 4 Applicable taxpayer 6

M Married filing separately 7 Married taxpayers 6

C Coverage family 4

24