Check your numbers
I'm Mary Jones, a licensed independent broker. I'll check this against the real plans near you, and the call is free.
How the cap works
The premium tax credit starts from your income, not from the plan. The IRS sets the share of your household income you're expected to pay for the benchmark plan, which is the second-cheapest silver plan where you live. The credit pays the rest of that plan's price.
So your share works as a ceiling. After the credit, a benchmark silver plan costs you that amount at most. If the plan's full price is already lower than your share, you pay the lower price. That happens more often for younger people and in cheaper parts of a state.
The credit is a set dollar amount, and you can use it on other plans too. A cheaper plan then costs you less than the benchmark, and a pricier one costs you more.
The 2026 percentages
These are the shares of income the IRS set for 2026 coverage in Rev. Proc. 2025-25. Inside each row, the share rises evenly from the first number to the second.
| Household income, as a share of the poverty line | Your expected share of income |
|---|---|
| Under 133% | 2.10% |
| 133% to 150% | 3.14% to 4.19% |
| 150% to 200% | 4.19% to 6.60% |
| 200% to 250% | 6.60% to 8.44% |
| 250% to 300% | 8.44% to 9.96% |
| 300% to 400% | 9.96% |
| Over 400% | No premium tax credit |
For 2026 coverage the poverty line is $15,650 a year for one person, plus $5,500 for each added person. Those are the 2025 HHS poverty guidelines, which the IRS uses for 2026 plans.
Say a couple earns $60,000 a year. For 2026 plans the poverty line for two is $21,150, so $60,000 is 283.69% of it. That puts them in the 250% to 300% row, where their share comes to 9.46% of income: $5,676 a year, or about $473 a month. After the credit, the benchmark silver plan costs them that at most.
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-25 (PDF) and the 2025 HHS poverty guidelines.
This check counts the federal tax credit only. For 2026 coverage, California, Colorado and New Mexico add their own help at some incomes, so people there may pay less. I can tell you what applies where you live.
The 400% line
Above 400% of the poverty line there is no premium tax credit in 2026. The larger credit that reached past that line ended with 2025.
For 2026 coverage the line falls at:
- One person $62,600 a year
- A household of 2 $84,600 a year
- A household of 3 $106,600 a year
- A household of 4 $128,600 a year
Above it, there is no federal help. In most states a marketplace plan then costs its full price, which your age and ZIP code set. New Mexico adds its own help above the line through BeWell, so people there may pay less.
If you're healthy, a plan priced on your health may cost less. Those plans aren't ACA plans, so I compare both with you before you choose anything.
Private health plans are medically underwritten, aren't ACA plans, and may not cover pre-existing conditions. Coverage and prices depend on age, health, and location.
The 2027 percentages
These are the shares of income the IRS set for 2027 coverage in Rev. Proc. 2026-26. Inside each row, the share rises evenly from the first number to the second.
| Household income, as a share of the poverty line | Your expected share of income |
|---|---|
| Under 133% | 2.15% |
| 133% to 150% | 3.23% to 4.30% |
| 150% to 200% | 4.30% to 6.78% |
| 200% to 250% | 6.78% to 8.66% |
| 250% to 300% | 8.66% to 10.22% |
| 300% to 400% | 10.22% |
| Over 400% | No premium tax credit |
For 2027 coverage the poverty line is $15,960 a year for one person, plus $5,680 for each added person. Those are the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines, which the IRS uses for 2027 plans.
Say a couple earns $60,000 a year. For 2027 plans the poverty line for two is $21,640, so $60,000 is 277.26% of it. That puts them in the 250% to 300% row, where their share comes to 9.51% of income: $5,706 a year, or about $476 a month. After the credit, the benchmark silver plan costs them that at most.
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-26 (PDF) and the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines.
This check counts the federal tax credit only. For 2027 coverage, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Virginia add their own help at some incomes, so people there may pay less. I can tell you what applies where you live.
The 400% line
Above 400% of the poverty line there is no premium tax credit in 2027. The larger credit that reached past that line ended with 2025.
For 2027 coverage the line falls at:
- One person $63,840 a year
- A household of 2 $86,560 a year
- A household of 3 $109,280 a year
- A household of 4 $132,000 a year
Above it, there is no federal help. In most states a marketplace plan then costs its full price, which your age and ZIP code set. New Mexico adds its own help above the line through BeWell, so people there may pay less.
If you're healthy, a plan priced on your health may cost less. Those plans aren't ACA plans, so I compare both with you before you choose anything.
Private health plans are medically underwritten, aren't ACA plans, and may not cover pre-existing conditions. Coverage and prices depend on age, health, and location.
What this check can't know
A plan's full price depends on your age and your ZIP code, and in most states on whether you use tobacco. If you use tobacco, a plan can cost you more than the ceiling here, because the credit doesn't cover the tobacco charge. This page asks for none of that. It also can't see the plans sold where you live, and it works from an income range, not your exact income.
That's why the number is a ceiling for one plan, not a quote. On a call I can check the real plans near you and what each would cost you.
If you ask me to call
Nothing you type here is saved or sent unless you tap Have Mary call me and send your number. Then your answers and the estimate come to me with it, so I'm ready when I call.
This tool is for general educational purposes only. It is not insurance, tax, legal, or medical advice, and it does not determine your eligibility for any program or guarantee any savings or coverage.
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