ACA open enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1, 2026, and the date that matters most for your budget is December 15. Pick a plan by then and it starts January 1. Wait until the last day, January 15, and you’re paying for a month with no coverage at all.
I get health insurance through work, so this window was never my problem. Then Marisol, who has cut my hair for six years, left the big salon, started renting a chair, and texted me a screenshot of the Marketplace with three words: “help me understand.” I’m the friend who turns paperwork into budget lines, so we sat in her empty salon on a Monday, when it’s closed, and figured it out.
Below is what we worked out: the real dates, what happened to the extra subsidies (read on October 9, 2026, quoted as the sources put it), the income line that suddenly matters, and how a Marketplace plan becomes monthly budget lines. I’m not an insurance agent and I won’t pick a plan for you.
ACA open enrollment dates for 2027 coverage
These come straight from HealthCare.gov’s dates and deadlines page, which I read on October 9, 2026. They’re for the federal Marketplace.
- November 1, 2026: open enrollment starts. You can apply, renew, or switch.
- December 15, 2026: last day to enroll or change plans for coverage that starts January 1.
- January 1, 2027: coverage starts for anyone who picked a plan by December 15 and paid the first premium.
- January 15, 2027: open enrollment ends.
- February 1, 2027: coverage starts for people who enrolled December 16 through January 15.
If your state runs its own marketplace, check its website, because state dates can be different. And if you have insurance through a job, your employer sets its own window. Mine is two weeks in November, announced in one HR email.
The part I’d circle in red: enrolling on December 20 feels like you made it. You did. But coverage won’t start until February, so January is a month with no insurance while you’re still cutting hair and climbing ladders to hang holiday lights.
What happened to the extra ACA subsidies
Marisol asked this first. Be careful with it, because plenty of 2025 articles still float around saying the bigger tax credits are here.
I read the sources on October 9, 2026. KFF, the health policy research group, published an update on October 6, 2026 saying the enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025 and were not extended. KFF also found that what enrollees paid after tax credits rose about 58% on average in 2026, and that effectuated enrollment fell from 21.8 million to 19.2 million.
For 2027, I couldn’t find anything saying they’re coming back. HealthCare.gov itself says “Coming Nov 1: 2027 income levels and savings,” and until then it tells people to estimate 2027 savings using 2026 amounts. My read of the status today: the regular premium tax credit still exists, the extra boost does not, and the exact 2027 numbers aren’t posted yet.
Prices are also moving. Peterson-KFF found insurers proposed a median increase of about 15% for 2027 premiums, across 276 insurers in all 50 states and D.C. Those are proposed rates, and final ones can land lower. On a Marketplace plan now? I’d budget for a higher sticker price anyway.
Marisol, after reading the KFF numbers: “So I didn’t mess up my taxes. Everyone’s bill went up.” Yep.
The 400% income line, in real dollars
With the enhanced credits gone, the old income rule is back. The IRS says that to qualify for the premium tax credit your household income must be at least 100% and, for years other than 2021 and 2022, no more than 400% of the federal poverty line.
That 400% line is where things get sharp. Go a little over it and you can lose the credit completely, not just part of it. KFF’s wording: higher-income enrollees who are no longer eligible for financial assistance pay the full premium.
HealthCare.gov says the previous year’s poverty guidelines set Marketplace savings for the next year, so 2027 coverage leans on the 2026 guidelines. I multiplied them by four in the table further down.
For a single person, 400% of $15,960 is $63,840 a year. That’s $5,320 a month before taxes. Plenty of self-employed people land near there in a good year, which is why the income estimate on your application deserves more attention than the plan name.
Your income estimate is the biggest number on the application
When you apply during ACA open enrollment, the Marketplace asks what you expect to earn next year. Your tax credit is based on that guess, and HealthCare.gov is clear that savings use your income estimate for the year you want coverage, not last year.
That’s easy if you get a W-2 with the same number every two weeks. It’s hard if you rent a chair and November is your busiest month.
Marisol learned this the expensive way the year before. She estimated $38,000, had a great spring, and finished at $44,000. When she filed her taxes she owed $540 back, because, as HealthCare.gov puts it, you pay the difference between the credit you used and the credit you actually qualify for. Her refund disappeared.
What we changed for this year:
- She used her real number from the last 12 months, not her best month times twelve or her worst month times twelve.
- She set a reminder to update her application any time her income moves a lot. HealthCare.gov says to report changes as soon as possible, because they can raise or lower your savings.
- She opened a small “tax credit cushion” sinking fund at $45 a month, so if she guesses low again the repayment comes from savings instead of a credit card.
My opinion: if you’re self-employed and near the 400% line, that cushion matters more than which plan you pick.
Bronze, Silver, Gold: what each one does to your budget
The metal tiers sound like a ranking. They’re a trade. HealthCare.gov estimates the plan’s share of covered costs at 60% for Bronze, 70% for Silver, 80% for Gold, and 90% for Platinum. Lower share means a lower premium and a bigger bill when you actually need care.
- Bronze keeps the monthly line small and makes the “someday” line big. It’s a bet on a quiet year.
- Silver is the only tier where you can get extra savings on deductibles and copays, called cost-sharing reductions. HealthCare.gov says you must pick a Silver plan to get them, and with those savings the plan’s share can run 73% to 96%.
- Gold and Platinum cost more each month and less when something happens.
There’s also a ceiling, and I love a ceiling. For plan year 2027, HealthCare.gov’s out-of-pocket maximum page says no more than $12,000 for an individual or $24,000 for a family. In 2026 it was $10,600 and $21,200. Your plan’s own limit can be lower, and it’s printed in the plan details.
For the bigger picture on premiums, I broke down the average health insurance cost per month. This post is the “enroll and budget it” half.
How to budget your plan before ACA open enrollment closes
We did this on the salon’s front counter with a legal pad. It took an hour, mostly because her dog wanted attention.
- Write the after-credit premium for each plan you’re considering. Use the number HealthCare.gov shows after your tax credit, not the full price.
- Add the deductible and the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum next to it. Those three numbers together tell you more than the plan name does.
- Put the premium on your fixed bills. If you pay the Marketplace yourself, it’s like rent. It goes near the top of the budget and gets paid first.
- Divide the deductible by 12 and fund it monthly. A $5,000 deductible is $416.67 a month. Marisol couldn’t do all of that, so she started at $150 and agreed to raise it after her holiday rush.
- Add the tax credit cushion if your income moves around. Even $30 to $50 a month softens tax season.
- Put December 15 on your calendar. Not January 15. That one date keeps January covered.
Her medical line and her tax cushion now sit with her other sinking fund categories, right next to “shears and supplies.” She called the medical one “Ankle Fund,” after hearing my urgent care story. Fair.
Cozy tip: Before November 1, pull your last 12 months of income and write it on a sticky note. That single number decides more of your 2027 health bill than any plan you’ll scroll past. My free budget printable has a sinking fund page with room for the deductible and a tax-time cushion.
Before you click enroll: the 400% check by household size
This table takes the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and D.C. (the ones HealthCare.gov lists and says feed into next year’s Marketplace savings) and multiplies them by four. Find your household size and compare it to your income estimate.
| Household size | 2026 poverty guideline | 400% line, per year | 400% line, per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $15,960 | $63,840 | $5,320 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $86,560 | $7,213 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $109,280 | $9,107 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $132,000 | $11,000 |
Within a few thousand dollars of your row? Estimate carefully and keep the cushion. A self-employed person putting extra into a retirement account can sometimes lower the income that counts, but that’s a question for a tax pro, not for me.
For context on how other households spend, my budgeting statistics page keeps sourced numbers in one place, and the rest of my budgeting guides show the monthly system this plugs into.
Common mistakes during ACA open enrollment
- Treating January 15 as the deadline. It’s the last day to enroll, but anything after December 15 starts February 1. That’s a month of no coverage.
- Guessing income low to get a bigger credit. You pay the difference back when you file. A realistic estimate plus a small cushion beats a tax-season surprise.
- Letting the plan renew without looking. Prices, your credit, and the extra-subsidy situation all changed. Log in, check the new after-credit premium, and confirm your income.
One last thing if you’re helping a parent too. People on Medicare don’t use this window at all. Their dates are different, and I covered them in my Medicare open enrollment guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is ACA open enrollment for 2027?
On the federal Marketplace it runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1. If you enroll between December 16 and January 15, coverage starts February 1. States with their own marketplace can set different dates.
Are the enhanced ACA subsidies still available in 2027?
As of October 9, 2026, no. KFF reported on October 6, 2026 that the enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025 and were not extended. The regular premium tax credit still exists, and HealthCare.gov says 2027 income levels and savings will be posted November 1.
What is the income limit for ACA subsidies?
The IRS says household income must be at least 100% and, outside of 2021 and 2022, no more than 400% of the federal poverty line. Using the 2026 guidelines, 400% is $63,840 for one person and $132,000 for a family of four. Confirm with the official 2027 numbers once they’re posted.
Can I sign up for ACA coverage after open enrollment ends?
Only with a Special Enrollment Period. HealthCare.gov lists life events like losing job-based coverage, moving, getting married, or having a baby. After losing job-based coverage you generally have 60 days to enroll. Medicaid and CHIP applications are open any time.
What happens if my income ends up higher than I estimated?
If you used more advance tax credit than you qualified for, you pay the difference when you file your federal tax return. HealthCare.gov recommends updating your application as soon as your income changes, which keeps that gap smaller.
If you do one thing this week, find your last 12 months of income and your household row in the table. Then put December 15 on the calendar. Marisol taped hers to the salon mirror, right where she’d see it between clients.
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