A raise, lower business income or another annual-income change can alter the credit allowed for all eligible coverage months. This simulator separates the final annual credit from advances already paid, so the comparison shows both premium cost and repayment exposure. It does not determine eligibility or update a Marketplace application.

Use annual income, even for partial-year coverage

The forecast helper adds year-to-date MAGI, projected remaining-month amounts and a remaining one-off amount. The revised annual total feeds the contribution calculation for every eligible month. It does not apply the higher income only to months after a raise.

Do not mix 2025 and 2026 methods

The 2025 method follows the supported ordinary Form 8962 arithmetic, with the 2024 poverty guideline and form rounding. The 2026 planning method uses 2025 guidelines, the Revenue Procedure 2025-25 percentage bands, an income ceiling above 400%, and full excess-advance repayment. Its continuous figures are planning estimates, not final 2026 form lines.

Verify the monthly premiums before interpreting a result

The tool cannot infer the right benchmark from an address or plan name. Check Form 1095-A corrections and the official Marketplace tax tool. A coverage flag is a confirmed input, not the result of an employer-affordability, Medicaid, immigration or premium-payment eligibility assessment.

Read repayment and net cost together

A supported 2025 repayment limitation can leave some excess advances unrepaid. The final modeled cash cost therefore uses actual premiums less actual advances plus repayment, less any additional credit. The calculation trail also shows the simpler gross-premium-minus-credit amount so the distinction is visible.

Treat exclusions as a stop, not a guess

Below-100%-of-poverty cases, married filing separately, shared-policy allocations, marriage alternatives, HRA/QSEHRA coordination, self-employed health-insurance deduction feedback and special eligibility cases need separate work. A blocked result is not a determination that no credit exists. Review the appropriate instructions with a qualified professional for your case.