how to claim the health insurance penalty exemption for USVI residents?

we do not partake of the aca so why would you need to pay a penalty unless you were in the states 6 months or more?

So how does the health care sysytem work in the USVI? The only way to get insurance is to work for a company that provides it workers with the option?? thanks!!

You will file your personal income taxes in the USVI as a resident and will therefore be exempt.

Thanks, vicanuck. My understanding is that this tax penalty will be a line on the 1040 that we file - which is the same form we use, even though we turn ours in locally - so I wasn't sure what VI residents were supposed to do. Maybe it's not going to be on the 1040? I guess we will find out.

The same way you claim the exemption in the states.

MissJustice, the point is, I would qualify for (and would love to purchase) an individual health care plan, such as is available in the states. But no such plan is available for me as a VI resident. Since it doesn't exist, I have no idea whether its cost would fall above or below the 8% income threshold, and hence my initial question.

On IRS Form 1040 for Tax Year 2014 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf , in the Other Taxes section, on line 61, it wants a dollar amount for "Health care: individual responsibility (see instructions)".

Since the USVI is not participating in the ACA the way that the states are, I'm making an educated guess that you would put a zero in line 61. I don't see how we'd owe a tax for failing to have health insurance, when most individuals here can't buy it.

Here are the 1040 draft instructions, if anybody wants to study it further: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/i1040gi--dft.pdf

What I meant was that you file the health insurance exemption form like statesiders. I guess we would fill out that we are not residents (of the United States), but rather territorial colonists.

fdr, don't worry about it. As several knowledgeable posters have said, the law does not apply to VI residents filing taxes in the VI.

Just remember if you choose to report your world wide income as taxable in the USVI you need to file an IRS Form 8938 with the IRS.

Also if you have self employment income in the USVI check with an accountant on how to handle it. Under no circumstances do you want to include self employment taxes with your return filed in the USVI. The funds must be sent directly to the US Treasury reporting them using a form 1040SS in addition to filing a 1040 with the USVI.

You will need to use an accountant located in the USVI as most US accountants/ tax preparers are not familiar with the unique situation of living in a US Territory. Also in the past computerized tax preparation software has not handled the unique situation of earning income in the USVI.

Do it correctly for mistakes made are sometimes difficult if not impossible to get fixed in the USVI. I still have issues with the BIR regarding my 2006 return. I finally hired a lawyer in 2010 to see if they could solve the problem. Nothing has happened or probably ever will.

fdr, don't worry about it. As several knowledgeable posters have said, the law does not apply to VI residents filing taxes in the VI.

Please ignore the rude reference to knowledgeable posters. Your question was not whether you need to file it but how to file it. If you lived in the states for some portion of the year, you will be asked for that form if you were there for more than 3 months this calendar year. You will need to file that form for that portion of your stateside income.