Tax Tales: One Customer’s Journey Through Health Insurance Reporting

Many taxpayers are starting to feel the heat of the April 15 deadline for filing 2014 taxes. And those who didn’t have health insurance in 2014 might still have some questions as this is the first time taxpayers will have to pay a tax penalty, known as the individual mandate shared responsibility payment. However, filing this year doesn’t need to be daunting because of this.

“I wasn’t worried because knew I was taken care of” is how Brittany White, a Kentucky born, Los Angeles resident, described her experience with filing her 2014 taxes. “Not having health insurance didn’t really impact my filing process – I was prepared to report it, and when I sat down to do my taxes, it was nice to have TurboTax help me through it.”

Filing her taxes isn’t something Brittany ever worries about, even with this year’s changes due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She knows that it is a law that she must comply with each year. “I know it needs to get done, so I just do it.” Brittany has been using TurboTax for years and has thankfully never felt the stress some taxpayers experience. “I’ve been using TurboTax since I first start filing my own taxes. It is so simple to file because my information is already saved from the previous year – the process is always only going to get easier.”

Change is something Brittany has become accustomed to after moving from Kentucky to New York to pursue theater, and now to Los Angeles to pursue film. And, after years of filing taxes the same way, she faced a penalty because she wasn’t enrolled in a health insurance plan in 2014. But, with the ACA forms already included in TurboTax for free, Brittany was thrilled to learn that there were no extra steps necessary for her to take before filing. “I was aware of the changes and knew I was going to have to pay a penalty for not having health insurance, but TurboTax really helped me understand how the penalty was broken out and how much it was going to be.”

The best part? The tax refund! Brittany did receive a refund this year, and will plan to put it toward some of her credit card payments.