Health coverage exemptions for the 2016 tax year only

If you’re interested in claiming exemptions for the 2016 tax year only, select the links below.

2016 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 don’t have to file a tax return because your income is below the level that requires you to file

2016 health coverage-related exemptions

• You were uninsured for no more than 2 consecutive months of the year
• You lived in a state that didn’t expand its Medicaid program but you would have qualified if it had
• You enrolled a child in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the 2016 Open Enrollment period and didn’t have coverage for the child earlier in the year

2016 group membership exemptions

• You’re a member of a federally recognized tribe or eligible for services through an Indian Health Services provider
• You’re a member of a recognized health care sharing ministry
• You’re a member of a recognized religious sect with religious objections to insurance, including Social Security and Medicare

Other 2016 exemptions

• You’re incarcerated (serving a term in prison or jail)
• You’re a U.S. citizen living abroad, a certain type of non-citizen, or not lawfully present (learn more about the definition of “lawfully present”)
• You experienced one of the hardships below

2016 hardship exemptions and forms

In addition to the exemptions above, you may qualify for a “hardship” 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:

1. You were homeless
2. You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure
3. You received a shut-off notice from a utility company
4. You recently experienced domestic violence
5. You recently experienced the death of a close family member
6. You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property
7. You filed for bankruptcy
8. You had medical expenses you couldn’t pay that resulted in substantial debt
9. You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member
10. You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent who’s 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.
11. As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, you’re 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 weren’t enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace
12. You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state didn’t expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act
13. Your individual insurance plan was canceled and you believe other Marketplace plans are unaffordable
14. If you experienced another hardship in obtaining health insurance, download the hardship exemption application