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The individual shared responsibility provision requires you and each member of your family to either have basic health insurance coverage (also known as minimum essential coverage), qualify for an exemption, or make an individual shared responsibility payment when you file your federal income tax return. Click Here for more information.
In this newsletter, if you do not have minimum essential coverage or qualify for an exemption, we will provide you with some information on what the individual shared responsibility payment is and what it means for you.
If you must make an individual shared responsibility payment with your return, the annual payment amount is the greater of a percentage of your household income or a flat dollar amount, but is capped at the national average premium for a bronze level health plan available through the Marketplace. You will owe 1/12th of the annual payment for each month you or your dependent(s) don't have either coverage or an exemption.
Household income is the adjusted gross income from your tax return plus any excludable foreign earned income and tax-exempt interest you receive during the taxable year. Household income also includes the incomes of all of your dependents who are required to file tax returns. For this reason, we recommend that all of your dependent children file their returns with our office. Look for an email later this year to describe how we will implement this. Remember, when we prepare your tax return your dependent returns (Federal and Arizona and W-2's only) are free.
For 2014, the annual payment amount is the greater of:
1 percent of your household income that is above the tax return filing threshold for your filing status
or
Your family's flat dollar amount, which is $95 per adult and $47.50 per child, limited to a family maximum of $285,
But capped at the cost of the national average premium for a bronze level health plan available through the Marketplace in 2014. For 2014, the annual national average premium for a bronze level health plan available through the Marketplace is $2,448 per individual ($204 per month per individual), but $12,240 for a family with five or more members ($1,020 per month for a family with five or more members).
2014 Federal Tax Filing Requirement Thresholds
Tax return filing threshold is the amount of gross income an individual of your age and with your filing status (e.g., single, married filing jointly, head of household) must make to be required to file a tax return.
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Filing Status
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Age
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Must File a Return If Gross Income Exceeds
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Single
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Under 65
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$10,150
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65 or older
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$11,700
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Head of Household
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Under 65
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$13,050
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65 or older
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$14,600
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Married Filing Jointly
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Under 65 (both spouses)
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$20,300
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65 or older (one spouse)
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$21,500
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65 or older (both spouses)
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$22,700
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Married Filing Separately
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Any age
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$3,950
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Qualifying Widow(er) with Dependent Children
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Under 65
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$16,350
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65 or older
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$17,550
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Examples
The examples below, from the IRS website, are used only to represent the mechanics of calculating the payment and are not estimates of current or future health insurance premium costs. For information on the cost of bronze level plans, visit Healthcare.gov.
Example 1:
Single individual with $40,000 income
Jim, an unmarried individual with no dependents, does not have minimum essential coverage for any month during 2014 and does not qualify for an exemption. For 2014, Jim's household income is $40,000 and his filing threshold is $10,150.
To determine his payment using the income formula, subtract $10,150 (filing threshold) from $40,000 (2014 household income). The result is $29,850. One percent of $29,850 equals $298.50.
Jim's flat dollar amount is $95.
Jim's annual national average premium for bronze level coverage for 2014 is $2,448. Because $298.50 is greater than $95 and is less than $2,448, Jim's shared responsibility payment for 2014 is $298.50, or $24.87 for each month he is uninsured (1/12 of $298.50 equals $24.87).
Jim will make his shared responsibility payment for the months he was uninsured when he files his 2014 income tax return, which is due in April 2015.
Example 2:
Married couple with 2 children, $70,000 income
Eduardo and Julia are married and have two children under 18. They do not have minimum essential coverage for any family member for any month during 2014 and no one in the family qualifies for an exemption. For 2014, their household income is $70,000 and their filing threshold is $20,300.
To determine their payment using the income formula, subtract $20,300 (filing threshold) from $70,000 (2014 household income). The result is $49,700. One percent of $49,700 equals $497.
Eduardo and Julia's flat dollar amount is $285, or $95 per adult and $47.50 per child. The total of $285 is the flat dollar amount in 2014.
The family's annual national average premium for bronze level coverage for 2014 is $9,792 ($2,448 x 4). Because $497 is greater than $285 and is less than $9,792, Eduardo and Julia's shared responsibility payment is $497 for 2014, or $41.41 per month for each month the family is uninsured (1/12 of $497 equals $41.41).
Eduardo and Julia will make their shared responsibility payment for the months they and their children were uninsured when they file their 2014 income tax return, which is due in April 2015.
For FAQ's on the Individual Responsibility Payment Click Here
We hope you have found this information useful and as always if you have questions please do not hesitate to give our office a call!
Sincerely,
Cheryl Wilson, EA, CFP®
CD Tax & Financial LLC
480-354-1040 Phone
480-354-1041 Fax
Cheryl@cdtax.com
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