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What Is the Income Limit for ACA Subsidies in New York? (2026)
For 2026 coverage, the enhanced subsidies that briefly extended help to everyone are gone, and the original rules are back: premium tax credits phase out and stop at 400% of the federal poverty level. Above that line you pay full price.
The 2026 numbers for New York
Roughly: a single person loses the subsidy above about $62,600 of modified adjusted gross income; a couple above about $84,600; a family of four above about $128,600. These move slightly each year, and "income" means MAGI — after business expenses for the self-employed.
Why it's called a cliff
Earn one dollar over the line and the entire credit disappears. A New York couple at $84,000 might pay $300 a month; at $86,000 they pay $1,400. That's the single most expensive dollar in the tax code, and it's why self-employed New Yorkers near the line plan their income carefully.
Below 100%: the gap
Medicaid is expanded, plus the Essential Plan up to 250% of the poverty level in New York. In states that didn't expand Medicaid, adults under the poverty line can get neither Medicaid nor a subsidy. New York uses pure community rating — a 25-year-old and a 64-year-old pay the same marketplace premium — and the state restricts most non-ACA plans. Private options in New York are narrower than in other states, so the honest answer here is usually a careful comparison, not a promise of savings.
What to do if you're over the cliff
Private shared-network plans are priced on health, not income, so the cliff doesn't exist for them. For healthy people above 400% FPL in New York, a private PPO on MagnaCare PPO is often half the full marketplace price. If you're near the line, talk to your CPA about retirement contributions and the self-employed health deduction — both lower MAGI.
Check your options and we'll tell you which side of the line you're on and what each side costs.