Updated October 18, 2026. Quick answer: Part III applies only when the advance payments on line 25 are larger than the credit on line 24. Line 27 is the excess, line 28 is the repayment limitation from Table 5 in the instructions, and line 29 is the smaller of the two. Line 29 carries to Schedule 2, line 1a.
What lines 27, 28 and 29 ask for
The part heading on the form is “Repayment of Excess Advance Payment of the Premium Tax Credit”. The instructions open with “Complete this part to figure the amount of excess APTC you must repay.” The general rule is that “If the APTC is more than your PTC, you have excess APTC and you must repay the excess, subject to certain limitations.” The three lines put that rule into numbers. The rest of the form is on the Form 8962 line by line guide page.
Line 27: excess advance payment of PTC
The form’s caption reads “Excess advance payment of PTC. If line 25 is greater than line 24, subtract line 24 from line 25.” The instructions say “If line 25 is greater than line 24, subtract line 24 from line 25 and enter the result.” Lines 24 and 25 are explained on the lines 24, 25 and 26 page.
Line 28: the repayment limitation
The instructions say “The excess APTC you must repay may be limited to the amounts in Table 5.” and “Enter the appropriate amount from Table 5 on line 28.” Table 5 is titled “Repayment Limitation”. It is a table that sorts by the line 5 percentage and by filing status, and it is not copied here. Open Table 5 in the 2025 instructions and read across from your line 5 entry, which is figured on the line 5 page.
When there is no limit, the instructions say “If your entry on Form 8962, line 5, is 400 or more, there is no repayment limitation.” In that case “Leave line 28 blank and enter the amount from line 27 on line 29.”
Other rules apply to some filers. For people who were married at the end of 2025 but are filing separately from a spouse, the instructions say “the repayment limitations shown in Table 5 apply to you and your spouse separately based on the household income reported on each return.” For people who are self-employed and claiming the self-employed health insurance deduction they say “see Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction and PTC in Pub. 974 for the amount to enter on line 28.” For people not lawfully present they say “the repayment limitation does not apply to APTC paid for individuals who are not lawfully present.”
Line 29: excess advance PTC repayment
The form’s caption reads “Excess advance PTC repayment. Enter the smaller of line 27 or line 28 here”. The instructions say “Enter the smaller of line 27 or line 28. If line 28 is blank, enter the amount from line 27 on line 29.”
An illustration of the arithmetic (computed illustration, not an IRS example): suppose line 25 is $3,000 and line 24 is $1,800 and so line 27 is $1,200. Suppose your Table 5 lookup gave $1,000 for line 28. Line 29 is the smaller of $1,200 and $1,000 so $1,000 goes on the line.
Where the number comes from
Line 27 comes from your own lines 24 and 25. Line 28 comes from Table 5 and your line 5 percentage, and line 29 from the first two. If you cannot take the credit because you are married filing separately and Exception 2 (domestic abuse or spousal abandonment) does not apply to you, the instructions say “You must repay some or all of the APTC entered on line 11, column (f).” For that case the instructions say to complete only column (f) and “enter the amount from line 11, column (f), on lines 25 and 27.” The Form 1095-A source of the advance payment is explained on the column C page.
Where it goes next
The form says to enter the line 29 amount “here and on Schedule 2 (Form 1040), line 1a”. The instructions say “Also enter the amount from Form 8962, line 29, on Schedule 2 (Form 1040), line 1a.” Schedule 2 is covered on the Schedule 2 page, and the repayment line on the Schedule 2 lines 1a to 1c page. The balance due on Form 1040 is explained on the Form 1040 line 37 page.
Edition and line numbers
This page reads the 2025 Form 8962 and its 2025 instructions, the current files irs.gov served on 2026-10-18. They are the files for the tax year 2025 return, filed in 2026. The form header says “Attach to Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.” Check the tax year printed on the form you are filling in and use the line numbers on that year’s form, because a different year’s form can number or word its lines differently. The whole form is walked through on the Form 8962 line by line guide page.
Common mistakes
- Missing the carry to Schedule 2. The instructions say “If you have an amount on line 29, be sure to enter that amount on Schedule 2 (Form 1040), line 1a.”
- Entering a limit when the line 5 percentage is high. The instructions say “there is no repayment limitation. You must repay the amount shown on line 27.”
- Using the larger of lines 27 and 28 instead of the smaller. Line 29 says “Enter the smaller of line 27 or line 28.”
Related: Schedule 2 lines 1a to 1c, Schedule 2, Form 1040 line 37, and Form 1040 lines 22, 23 and 24.
Sources
- Instructions for Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit (PTC) (2025): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8962.pdf
- Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit (PTC) (2025): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8962.pdf
Read from the IRS documents linked above on October 18, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.