If you buy health insurance on the ACA marketplace, the government may pay part of your premium for you — a "premium tax credit," usually applied as an advance discount on your monthly bill. But the amount depends on a chain of moving parts: your household income compared to the Federal Poverty Level, your household size, and the benchmark premium in your state.
This free estimator runs that chain in seconds. Enter your household income, household size and state and you'll see a rough monthly and annual subsidy estimate for 2026, the expected premium you'd pay after the subsidy, and the income bands that moved the number most. It takes less than a minute — and it tells you whether the marketplace is worth a closer look before open enrollment.
Your income is below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, so in most states that expanded Medicaid you would typically qualify for Medicaid (often with little or no premium) instead of a marketplace premium tax credit. In the handful of states that did not expand Medicaid, check your state's marketplace for your options.
This estimate assumes the enhanced premium tax credits are extended — they cap what you pay at 8.5% of income even above 400% of the poverty level. But those enhanced credits were scheduled to expire after 2025. If they are not extended, households above 400% of the poverty level would generally receive no subsidy at all ($0/month), and this estimate would drop to zero.
What moved your estimate most
This is a simplified planning model: benchmark premiums, the exact contribution schedule and eligibility rules all vary by state, ZIP code, age and plan. Treat the result as a ballpark before applying on HealthCare.gov or your state's marketplace.
How we estimate
The ACA premium tax credit follows one core formula, and this tool implements a simplified version of it:
Estimated subsidy = benchmark Silver premium − (household income × expected contribution %)
Each input drives part of the math:
- Income as % of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL): the 2026 FPL is roughly $15,650 for one person, $21,150 for two, $26,650 for three and $33,150 for four (about $5,500 more per additional person). Your income divided by the FPL for your household size gives your "FPL percentage" — the number everything else keys off.
- Expected contribution % (sliding scale): the ACA caps what you are expected to pay for the benchmark plan as a share of income, from roughly 0% near 138–150% of FPL, rising through about 2% at 200%, 4.5% at 250%, 6.5% at 300% and about 8.5% from 400% up (enhanced schedule). The tool interpolates between these points.
- Benchmark premium: the real subsidy is pegged to the second-lowest-cost Silver plan in your area. The tool uses an approximate 2026 benchmark of about $560/month for one adult, scaled up for household size (larger households cost more to insure) and adjusted by a state factor of roughly 0.9–1.6, since benchmark premiums run much higher in states like Alaska and lower in states like Ohio or Texas.
- The 400% cliff warning: if your income is above 400% of FPL, the estimate assumes the enhanced credits continue. If Congress lets them expire, the estimate would be $0 instead — check the warning above.
The result is shown as a flat central estimate rather than a range, because eligibility bands matter more here than insurer-to-insurer variation.
Frequently asked questions
How does this ACA subsidy estimator work?
It is a planning estimate, not an official determination. The tool compares your household income to the 2026 Federal Poverty Level, works out the approximate share of income the ACA expects you to pay toward a benchmark Silver plan (a sliding scale from 0% to 8.5%), and subtracts that expected contribution from an approximate benchmark premium for your state and household size. The remainder is the estimated monthly premium tax credit.
What income counts for an ACA subsidy estimate?
The ACA uses modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) — roughly your adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt Social Security, foreign earned income and tax-exempt interest — for everyone in your tax household who must file a return. Enter your best estimate of total 2026 MAGI for your household.
What if my income is below 138% of the poverty level?
In most states that expanded Medicaid, households below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level generally qualify for Medicaid rather than a marketplace subsidy, so this tool shows a Medicaid path instead of a subsidy number. In the handful of states that did not expand Medicaid, coverage options are much more limited — check your state's marketplace.
Do enhanced ACA subsidies still apply in 2026?
The enhanced premium tax credits, which removed the old 400%-of-poverty-level cutoff and capped costs at 8.5% of income for higher earners, were scheduled to expire after 2025. This estimator assumes they are extended, which Congress was debating. If they expire, households above 400% of the poverty level would generally receive no subsidy — compare your situation on HealthCare.gov before relying on the estimate.
Keep reading: health insurance guides
An estimate is a starting point — these guides help you turn it into real coverage:
- Health Insurance for Self-Employed Americans (2026 Guide) — how freelancers use ACA subsidies, estimated taxes and MAGI planning.
- Idaho Health Insurance Rates 2027 — how benchmark premiums and rate changes vary by state and what that means for your subsidy.