1.21- What is Health Coverage Tax Credit?

The benefit of the Health Coverage Tax Credit will be offered monthly. If you qualify, you can choose to have 72.5 percent of your qualified health insurance premiums paid in advance directly to your health plan administrator each month on your behalf to lower your out-of-pocket payments for your monthly premiums.

• Enrolling in Advance Monthly Payments of the Health Coverage Tax Credit

• Questions and Answers about enrolling in Advance Monthly Payments of the Health Coverage Tax Credit

If you don’t request advance monthly payments and instead pay 100 percent of your health insurance premiums, you can claim your HCTC when you file your federal income tax return. This may increase your refund or lower the amount of tax that you would otherwise owe.

Advance Monthly Payments eligibility requirements

If you were an eligible trade adjustment assistance recipient, alternative TAA recipient, reemployment TAA recipient, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) payee, or a qualifying family member, you may be able to receive the benefit of the Health Coverage Tax Credit on a monthly basis through the Advance Monthly Payments of the Health Coverage Tax Credit program. The PBGC, the Department of Labor or a State Workforce Agency should have notified you by letter. You, your spouse and eligible family members must be enrolled in qualified health insurance coverage to receive the benefit of an AMP.

If the TAA, ATAA, or RTAA recipient or PBGC pension payee is deceased or finalized a divorce with you, you are eligible to receive the benefit of an AMP for up to 24 months from the month of the event if you were a qualifying family member immediately before the event.

Advance Monthly Payments Registration

You must complete and mail Form 13441-A, HCTC Monthly Registration and UpdatePDF, with all required supporting documents to the IRS to enroll. Keep a copy of the completed HCTC Monthly Registration and Update form and all required documents for your records.

Once your registration is complete and you are enrolled in the AMP HCTC program, you must pay 27.5 percent of your health insurance premiums in advance to the HCTC program through the US Bank Lockbox system by the 10th day of each month. The HCTC program then adds the 72.5 percent advance portion of the HCTC and sends the full payment to your health plan administrator each month.

If your issue cannot be resolved online, use the HCTC toll free line: 1-844-853-7210 to check on the status of your registration or if you need general help claiming the credit.

Enroll Now Using Form 13441-A, HCTC Monthly Registration and Update

You must complete and mail Form 13441-A, HCTC Monthly Registration and UpdatePDF, with all required supporting health plan documents to the IRS to enroll. An incomplete form or missing documents will delay the processing of your registration. Keep a copy of the completed HCTC Monthly Registration and Update form and all required documents for your records.

You must provide required supporting health plan documents with your registration. Include a copy of your health insurance bill dated within the last 60 days that includes all of the following:

• Your name

• Monthly premium amount

• Dates of coverage

• Health Plan Administrator name and phone number

• Health plan identification numbers

• Address for mailing your payments

Usually, your health insurance bill will have all of this information on it. If it does not, you will need to contact your Health Plan Administrator for a letter or another document that includes this information.

Mail the completed Form 13441-A, HCTC Monthly Registration and Update PDF and all required supporting documents to:

Internal Revenue Service

Stop 6098 AUSC

Austin, Texas 78741

If your form is incomplete or you are missing supporting documents, the IRS will mail you a letter asking for more information. Please respond promptly to complete your registration. If you have questions, call the number at the top of the letter or visit IRS.gov/HCTC for more information.

Until You Receive Your Enrollment Letter

Once you mail the HCTC Monthly Registration and Update form, it can take up to six weeks, if all requirements are met, before you receive registration confirmation. During this time, you must continue to pay 100 percent of your health insurance premiums directly to your health plan and keep records of your payments. You can claim the HCTC on your federal income tax return for months that you met all eligibility requirements and made payments directly to your health plan administrator for qualified health insurance coverage.

Once your registration is complete and you are enrolled in the AMP HCTC program, you must pay 27.5 percent of your health insurance premiums in advance to the AMP HCTC program through the US Bank Lockbox system by the 10th day of each month. The AMP HCTC program then adds the 72.5 percent advance portion of the HCTC and sends the full payment to your health plan administrator each month.

Processing Your Registration

After the IRS receives your Form 13441-A, HCTC Monthly Registration and UpdatePDFand the supporting documents, the Secretary of Labor, your state workforce agency, your employment office, or the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation will certify your eligibility for the HCTC.

After you are certified, the IRS will mail you a letter explaining that you are enrolled and certified for advance monthly payments of the HCTC. The letter will also include your HCTC Participant Identification Number (PIN) that you must add to your payment information.

Once your registration is complete and you are enrolled in the AMP HCTC program, you must pay 27.5 percent of your health insurance premiums in advance to the AMP HCTC program through the US Bank Lockbox system by the 10th day of each month. The AMP HCTC program then adds the 72.5 percent advance portion of the HCTC and sends the full payment to your health plan administrator each month.

Making Changes to Your Health Plan Information

If the information changes after your enrollment form is processed, including any premium changes, you will need to submit an updated Form 13441-A, HCTC Monthly Registration and Update PDF with the corrections.