Tax forms & resources
The following is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, tax or accounting advice.
The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) removed the individual penalty for people who don’t have insurance or who can claim a qualifying exemption, such as CHM membership. Therefore, you do not have to include Form 8965 as an attachment to your Federal Form 1040.
This applies to individuals, Medicare participants and group members. (Please note: members who are part of a group may still receive Form 1095 from their employers as part of the law’s requirement; however, these forms can be filed away with your tax records.)
Christian Healthcare Ministries is a federally certified exemption under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Visit our Affordable Care Act page for more information, including tax reform info and the exact wording in the law.
Extra giving
Other than in Missouri, which allows a tax deduction for regular monthly financial gifts CHM members cannot report their monthly financial gifts or Brother’s Keeper gifts as charitable contributions. However, members who contribute to the Prayer Page or make an extra gift above their monthly financial gift may claim these donations as tax deductions. Donations are credited to the year they’re received. Checks mailed in December but not arriving at CHM until January are credited to the new year. Members can use the Member Portal to make donations.
At the time of this writing, CHM members in 2020 gave more than $6 million in charitable donations to Prayer Page participants. Members who made these donations will receive a notice thanking them for their 2020 charitable contributions.
Christian Healthcare Ministries is an eligible option under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Visit our Affordable Care Act page for more information, including tax reform info and the exact wording in the law.
Electronic (online) filing
If you use electronic software to file your taxes, if the software should ask you the questions that appear on Form 8965, remember that with the elimination of the individual mandate you no longer have to fill out form 8965 with your tax return. You can skip this step.
*Members who were part of a group in 2020
Please contact your group administrator for tax help. Group administrators with questions should speak to an attorney knowledgeable about both taxes and the Affordable Care Act.
Important note: if you have additional questions about CHM and taxes, please contact your tax professional. Please note that each state has different tax regulations. Refer to information provided by your state for additional information regarding your taxes.
IRS form 8965
Most members* must include IRS Form 8965 'Health Coverage Exemptions when filing their 2018 taxes. Please tell your tax professional about your membership and this form to attach to your IRS Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ.
As a CHM member you have no reason or requirement to go to the health insurance marketplace or insurance exchanges. Simply file Form 8965 with your taxes and only fill out Part 3 of the form. Here is a sample of Form 8965 with Part 3 completed. (Your CHM join date appears on your membership card.)
Electronic (online) filing
If you use electronic software to file your taxes, the software should automatically ask you the questions that appear on Form 8965. Follow the prompts to claim exemptions for family members who participated in Christian Healthcare Ministries for all or at least part of the 2018 year. If your tax software asks for an ECN number, simply skip that page or window to go to the next step.
The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)
Though many provisions of the federal tax reform law went into effect in 2018, please know that the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate remains in effect. The tax penalty was not reduced to zero until Jan. 1, 2019 and thus will not affect your 2018 income tax filing.
*Members who had Medicare in 2018
Members who had Medicare for the entire year in 2018 should not file Form 8965. Since Medicare is your primary source of health cost provision, please indicate that you have health insurance when filing your taxes by mail or online. For further questions, please consult your tax professional.
*Members who were part of a group in 2018
Please contact your group administrator for tax help. Group administrators with questions should speak to an attorney knowledgeable about both taxes and the Affordable Care Act.
Extra giving
Except in Missouri, monthly financial gifts to CHM are not tax-deductible. Only extra giving (including Prayer Page donations) is considered tax-deductible. CHM mails a tax statement to all Missouri members, but only to members from other states who in 2018 contributed extra giving. If you didn’t participate in extra giving in 2018, you will not receive a tax statement.
For further questions, please contact your tax professional.
CHM is a proud sponsor of Ramsey Live Events and the only healthcare sharing company heard on The Ramsey Show.
