Last year's Schedule C
Net profit, not gross receipts. That is where the Marketplace number starts.
Who we help · Self-employed
You are the HR department
Most of the people we help file a 1099. Photographers, stylists, framers, drivers, developers, physical therapists on contract. The plan choice is the easy part. The income estimate is the part that decides what you pay.
How do I get covered when my income moves every month?
When you work for yourself, the Marketplace asks you to predict your modified adjusted gross income for a year that has not happened yet. That estimate sets your advance premium tax credit, which is the money applied to your premium every month. Guess low and you get a bigger credit now and a bill at tax time. Guess high and you overpay all year and get it back as a refund.
Neither extreme is the goal. We build a range with a floor and a ceiling using your Schedule C, your signed work and your honest read on the rest, then pick a number inside it. Then we book two check-ins, June and October, to move the number before it costs you.
The other 1099-specific lever is what you can legally subtract. Retirement contributions to a SEP-IRA or solo 401(k) lower your modified adjusted gross income, which raises your credit. Late in the year that is sometimes the only lever left, and it is worth knowing about in October rather than in April.
Work already signed for next year
Retainers and contracts you can count on give you the floor of your range.
Your prescriptions, with doses
One maintenance drug can decide which plan is cheapest across the whole year.
Your doctors, by name and office
Networks are plan-specific, not carrier-specific. We check the office, not the logo.
Any spouse employer offer
An affordable family offer from a spouse's job can block your credit entirely.
Whether an HSA appeals
If yes, we only look at plans that legally qualify as high-deductible.
Where it goes wrong
The mistakes we see most often
- 01
Reporting a good year late. Tell the Marketplace within 30 days and the credit adjusts gradually instead of arriving as one repayment.
- 02
Buying the lowest premium without checking the drug list. That is how a $40 saving becomes a $900 cost.
- 03
Assuming a short-term plan is the same product. It can exclude pre-existing conditions and is not required to cover essential health benefits.
- 04
Forgetting that the repayment of excess credit is capped for some income levels and uncapped above 400% of the federal poverty level.
Free tool · subsidy estimate
What a credit would do at your income
Two inputs, the same two the Marketplace starts from.
Include everyone you claim, even someone who does not need coverage.
Self-employed? Start from Schedule C net profit, not gross receipts.
235% of the federal poverty level
$20,440 is the guideline for a household of 2.
Silver CSR applies
No CSR above 250%
Rough monthly premium tax credit
$879
applied straight to the premium, before you are billed
- Benchmark silver premium
- $1,015 a month
- Your expected contribution
- 3.4% of income
- Benchmark silver, after the credit
- $136 a month
200% to 250% FPL. Roughly 2% to 4% of income. This is the last band where silver cost-sharing reductions apply at all.
What the federal poverty level bands actually do
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Band | Expected contribution | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 150% FPL | 0% | Your expected contribution is effectively zero, so the benchmark silver plan can land at $0 a month. |
| 150% to 200% FPL | 0% to 2% | You are expected to pay from nothing up to about 2% of income. Silver plans also carry the strongest cost-sharing reductions here. |
| 200% to 250% FPL | 2% to 4% | Roughly 2% to 4% of income. This is the last band where silver cost-sharing reductions apply at all. |
| 250% to 300% FPL | 4% to 6% | Roughly 4% to 6% of income. Cost-sharing reductions have stopped, so the silver advantage disappears. |
| 300% to 400% FPL | 6% to 8.5% | Roughly 6% to 8.5% of income. Bronze and gold both become worth a serious look here. |
| Above 400% FPL | 8.5% | Your contribution is capped at about 8.5% of income under the current enhanced rules. If those rules lapse, this band loses its credit entirely. |
An estimate for planning, not a quote. HealthCare.gov sets your real credit.
How these figures are built
The Marketplace applies the guideline for the year your coverage starts.
Your real benchmark depends on your county, the ages on the application and the plan year.
Questions from self-employed clients
Not if you report it. Update your income with the Marketplace, the monthly credit drops, and you settle the difference on Form 8962 instead of repaying a year's worth at once.
Self-employed people often can, above the line, with limits and interaction with the credit. We flag it; your CPA confirms it.
Very low projected income in Tennessee can leave you in the coverage gap, since Tennessee has not expanded Medicaid. We will tell you plainly where you stand and what your options are, including TennCare screening.
Twenty minutes usually settles it
Bring your prescriptions, the doctors you want to keep and a rough income number. We do the rest.
Our help is free to you. We are paid by the carrier you choose, and the premium is the same whether you use us or enrol on your own.