2027 coverage · Step by step
How to sign up for individual health insurance
Buying your own plan through the ACA marketplace takes about an hour if you have your documents ready. Pick your state to see where to enroll, then follow the steps below.
Where do you live?
Most states use HealthCare.gov. About 20 states run their own marketplace with their own website and deadlines. Choose your state to see which one you use.
Not sure individual coverage is right for you, or whether to keep your job‑based plan?
Try our healthcare decision tool →Before you start
What changed for 2027
- Subsidies end at 400% of the poverty level.Premium tax credits are generally available only to households between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. The pandemic‑era enhanced subsidies have ended.
- Overpaid subsidies are repaid in full.If you receive more help than you qualify for, you pay back the full difference at tax time. The old repayment caps are gone.
- Don’t count on automatic renewal.If you get a subsidy, log in and confirm your income and household size every year.
- File your taxes.You must have filed your federal tax return to keep receiving advance subsidies.
Gather these first
- Social Security numbers and birth dates for everyone on your tax return
- Your most recent federal tax return (Form 1040) and W‑2s
- Your two or three most recent consecutive pay stubs, covering at least one full month
- Profit and loss records for the year, if you’re self‑employed
- Details of any job‑based coverage offered to anyone in your household
- Immigration documents, if they apply to you
Who this is for: people without affordable job‑based coverage who aren’t on Medicare. If your household income is low, the same application may route you to your state’s Medicaid program instead.
Enroll in 12 steps
These steps follow HealthCare.gov. State marketplaces ask the same questions in a similar order, so the steps work there too.
Start at your marketplace
Go to HealthCare.gov or your state’s site and enter your ZIP code. You can preview plans and estimated prices before you create an account.
Create an account
Enter your name, email and a password, then click the verification link sent to your email.
Start a 2027 application
Choose your state. If you had marketplace coverage last year, open your existing application and update it rather than skipping this year.
Say yes to help paying for coverage
This one answer triggers the subsidy and Medicaid check. Answering no skips the savings check entirely.
List your tax household
Include yourself, your spouse if married, and everyone you claim as a dependent, even people who don’t need coverage.
Enter household income carefully
This is the biggest driver of your subsidy. Use the method in the next section, not your gross salary.
Answer the job‑based coverage questions
If anyone in your household is offered coverage at work, have that employer’s plan details on hand.
Tip for families: If the employer pays little toward covering a spouse or children, adding them to the work plan can be expensive. It may cost less for the employee to keep employee‑only coverage at work while the rest of the family applies here for a plan with subsidies. Family members can qualify for subsidies when family coverage through the job isn’t affordable, even if the employee’s own coverage is. Compare both options before you decide.
Review and submit
Your eligibility results appear right away, showing your subsidy or a referral to Medicaid.
Shop and compare plans
Enter your doctors and prescriptions to check networks. If you qualify for extra cost‑sharing savings, look closely at Silver plans, since those savings only apply to Silver.
Choose how much subsidy to use each month
If your income is unpredictable, consider applying only part of it to lower the risk of owing money at tax time.
Enroll and pay your first premium
Coverage doesn’t start until your first payment reaches the insurance company.
Upload any requested documents
Check your account’s messages within a few days and respond before the deadline, or your subsidy can be reduced.
Enter your income correctly
The marketplace uses modified adjusted gross income (MAGI): your adjusted gross income plus a few add‑backs. It’s lower than your gross pay but higher than your taxable income, and getting it right protects your subsidy in both directions.
| Number | Where you find it | Use it? |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | Top line of your pay stub | No. It overstates your income and can shrink or erase your subsidy. |
| MAGI (AGI plus add‑backs) | Form 1040 line 11, adjusted | Yes. This is what the marketplace asks for. |
| Taxable income | Form 1040 line 15, after the standard deduction | No. It understates your income, and you would repay the extra subsidy in full at tax time. |
How to build your 2027 estimate
- Start with wages after pre‑tax deductions. Use the year‑to‑date figures on your latest pay stub to project a full year, then subtract pre‑tax retirement contributions and anything taken through a Section 125 cafeteria plan (health premiums, HSA or FSA amounts, and preventive care plan deductions). This matches Box 1 of your W‑2.
- Add other taxable income: self‑employment profit, unemployment, taxable retirement withdrawals, rental profit, interest, dividends and capital gains.
- Enter allowable deductions on the deductions screen, such as student loan interest, deductible IRA contributions, and HSA contributions made outside payroll.
- Add back non‑taxable Social Security benefits, tax‑exempt interest and excluded foreign income.
- Leave out SSI, child support received, gifts and most veterans’ disability payments.
- Use your best estimate for 2027, not last year’s income, and report changes during the year.
Job‑based coverage matters. If your employer offers you affordable coverage, you generally can’t get a subsidy for yourself, but family members who aren’t offered coverage may still qualify. A preventive care plan that isn’t major medical coverage doesn’t count as an offer of coverage; confirm with your employer if you’re unsure.
Example: single filer
| Gross salary | $55,000 |
| Minus pre‑tax 401(k) | −$3,000 |
| Minus Section 125 pre‑tax deductions | −$15,500 |
| Wages after pre‑tax deductions (W‑2 Box 1) | $36,500 |
| Minus student loan interest | −$1,000 |
| MAGI to enter | $35,500 |
Entering $55,000 would overstate income by $19,500 and shrink the subsidy. Entering taxable income (about $32,500) would understate it by about $3,000 and create a repayment bill next spring. Quick check: the annual income on the review screen should match your MAGI estimate.
After you enroll
Report changes within 30 days
A raise, job loss, new job, marriage or new baby. Updating mid‑year keeps your subsidy accurate and avoids a tax‑time surprise.
Keep Form 1095‑A
You’ll need it to reconcile your subsidy on your 2027 tax return using Form 8962.
Get free help
HealthCare.gov’s call center: 1‑800‑318‑2596, open 24/7 except holidays, or a free local assister through “Find Local Help.” State marketplaces list their own help lines on their sites.
