I’m a young adult, newly independent from my parents, and I have never filed my own federal income tax return before. Can I apply for premium tax credits this year? Will that pose any problems?

Yes, you can apply for premium tax credits this year.  One challenge a young adult may face in their first year of financial independence from her parents can be verifying income.  The Marketplace verifies an applicant’s estimated income in real time, during the application process, using IRS data from recent federal income tax returns, and sometimes other data sources.

Because you’ve never filed an income tax return before, if the Marketplace cannot verify your income right away, you will receive a provisional (temporary) eligibility determination based on the income information you entered in your application.  The Marketplace will then give you a period of time (usually 90 days) to provide additional documentation of income.  Current pay stubs, bank deposit records, or other documentation may be appropriate, depending on your situation.