Estimate your Affordable Care Act premium tax credit from your household size, your income, and the benchmark premium where you live. Built on the official 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines and the IRS 2026 applicable percentage table.
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The federal poverty guidelines are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
Count yourself, your spouse, and the dependents you claim on your tax return.
Use your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI): AGI plus tax-exempt interest, excluded foreign income, and nontaxable Social Security benefits.
The benchmark is the second-lowest-cost silver plan (SLCSP) in your area. Find it on HealthCare.gov or your state Marketplace when you compare plans.
The premium tax credit is the federal subsidy that lowers what you pay each month for a health plan bought on the ACA Marketplace. The whole formula fits in one sentence: your credit equals the monthly premium of the benchmark plan in your area minus the amount the IRS says your household should contribute. The benchmark plan is the second-lowest-cost silver plan sold where you live. The amount you are expected to contribute is your annual household income multiplied by an applicable percentage the IRS sets each year, divided by twelve. The applicable percentage rises as your income rises relative to the federal poverty level, from 2.10 percent at the lowest incomes to 9.96 percent near the top of the eligibility range. A household at 200 percent of the poverty level is expected to contribute about 6.60 percent of its income toward the benchmark premium, while a household at 380 percent contributes 9.96 percent. You can take the credit in advance, month by month, to lower your bill now, or claim it later on your tax return. When you file, the IRS reconciles what you received against what your final income says you deserved, and too much advance credit can mean repaying the difference. Eligibility runs from 100 to 400 percent of the federal poverty level under current law, and the credit can never exceed the benchmark premium itself. Because the math depends on three moving parts, your income, your household size, and the benchmark price in your zip code, an estimate is only useful when all three are current.
The figures below come from the HHS notice published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2026 (effective January 13, 2026). Poverty guidelines published in January govern Marketplace eligibility for the coverage year that follows, so these 2026 guidelines apply to plan year 2027.
| Household size | 48 contiguous states + DC | Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $19,950 | $18,360 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $27,050 | $24,890 |
| 3 | $27,320 | $34,150 | $31,420 |
| 4 | $33,000 | $41,250 | $37,950 |
| 5 | $38,680 | $48,350 | $44,480 |
| 6 | $44,360 | $55,450 | $51,010 |
| 7 | $50,040 | $62,550 | $57,540 |
| 8 | $55,720 | $69,650 | $64,070 |
| Each additional person | +$5,680 | +$7,100 | +$6,530 |
Revenue Procedure 2025-25 sets these percentages for tax years and plan years beginning in calendar year 2026. Within each bracket the percentage rises in even steps, so the calculator interpolates between the initial and final values. The IRS rounds the result to the nearest 0.01% and drops any fraction when computing income as a percent of the poverty level.
| Income as % of poverty level | Initial % | Final % |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 133% | 2.10% | 2.10% |
| At least 133% but less than 150% | 3.14% | 4.19% |
| At least 150% but less than 200% | 4.19% | 6.60% |
| At least 200% but less than 250% | 6.60% | 8.44% |
| At least 250% but less than 300% | 8.44% | 9.96% |
| At least 300% but not more than 400% | 9.96% | 9.96% |