If I cannot afford my employer coverage, can I apply for premium subsidies through individual or family ACA plans?

Use our 2025 Employer Health Plan Affordability Calculator to see if you might be eligible for ACA premium subsidies – and your potential savings if you qualify.

Employer Health Plan Affordability Calculator

Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)

For most taxpayers, your MAGI is close to AGI (Line 11 of your Form 1040).

$150,000

Cost of employee only coverage

0.0 %

Cost of family member coverage

0.0 %

Includes your spouse, and children claimed as dependents on your taxes. To calculate this value subtract the cost of employee coverage from the cost of family coverage.

Calculate

You and your family may qualify for a premium subsidy through individual ACA plans! Please provide the following information for a premium subsidy estimate.

Your family members may qualify for a premium subsidy and could save you premiums through individual ACA plans! Your "employee only" coverage is considered affordable thus you will need to retain your employer plan for self-coverage. Please provide the following information for a premium subsidy estimate for your spouse and/or dependents.

ZIP Code

County

Your age

Add ages of other family members to be insured.

Household Size

Include yourself, your spouse, and children claimed as dependents on your taxes.

You may be able to avoid the "family glitch" which used to prevent an employee's spouse and dependents from qualifying for premium subsidies even if the employer provided little or no contribution to premiums for family members. Now, if the total family premiums (including the employee, spouse, and/or dependents) are more than 9.02% of MAGI, the employee's family members may qualify for premium subsidies via an ACA Marketplace plan even if the employee's coverage is deemed affordable. If employee-only premiums are more than 9.02% of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), then the employer coverage is deemed unaffordable, and the employee and any family members are eligible to pursue savings via an individual ACA plan during open enrollment. Depending on income, some families will find that some family members are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, which is available regardless of an offer of coverage from an employer.