Report income and household changes to the Marketplace when they happen

If you have a Health Insurance Marketplace plan, the savings you receive are based on what you told the Marketplace about your income and household. When life changes, that estimate stops matching reality — and the fix is simple: report the change as soon as it happens.

Why it matters

Your premium tax credit is calculated from your estimated annual household income. Report changes promptly and the Marketplace adjusts your savings straight away. Leave it, and one of two things happens at tax time:

• You took more credit than you qualified for — and you may have to pay some of it back.
• You took less than you qualified for — and you've been overpaying all year, waiting on a refund you could have had monthly.

Neither is fun. Both are avoidable with a five-minute update.

Changes worth reporting

• A raise, a new job, job loss, or a change in self-employment income
• Marriage or divorce
• A birth or adoption
• Someone joining or leaving your household
• A move — especially to a different state or county, since plans and pricing are local
• Gaining other coverage, such as an employer plan or Medicare

How to report a change

Log in to your Marketplace account at HealthCare.gov and update your application, or call the Marketplace directly. If we helped you enroll, call us instead and we'll walk through it with you — that's part of the service, and there's no charge for it.

A change may also open a special enrollment window

Some life events do more than adjust your savings: losing coverage, moving, marriage, or a new baby can qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period, generally giving you 60 days to enroll in or change plans outside the annual window. Documentation requirements for special enrollment have tightened in recent years, so keep the paperwork that proves the event.

Outside of those events, Marketplace enrollment happens during Open Enrollment. The window is shorter than it used to be — for coverage starting January 1, 2027, it runs November 1 through December 15, 2026 on HealthCare.gov, so it's worth putting in the calendar now.

We're here to help

Not sure whether a change is worth reporting, or what it does to your premium? Ask us. We'll check your situation against the current rules and tell you plainly what to do — no spam calls, no pressure.