For 2026 coverage, help paying for a Massachusetts Health Connector plan runs from 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level, which is $15,650 to $62,600 a year for one person and $32,150 to $128,600 for a family of four. Those dollar figures come from the 2025 poverty guidelines, which are the ones the Health Connector uses for the plan year that runs January 1 through December 31, 2026. Below 100% of poverty, most residents belong in MassHealth instead. Above 400%, there is no premium tax credit and no ConnectorCare plan.
Massachusetts does not use HealthCare.gov. The state runs its own exchange, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and it layers a state subsidy called ConnectorCare on top of the federal premium tax credit. That makes the income bands here more detailed than in a federal marketplace state, because the band you land in decides your exact premium and copays, not just the size of your credit.
2026 ACA Income Limits in Massachusetts by Household Size
These are the income ranges used for 2026 coverage. They are built on the 2025 poverty guidelines, as the Health Connector's own 2026 subsidy guide states.
| Household size | 100% FPL (floor) | 150% FPL | 200% FPL | 250% FPL | 300% FPL | 400% FPL (ceiling) |
|---|
| 1 | $15,650 | $23,475 | $31,300 | $39,125 | $46,950 | $62,600 |
| 2 | $21,150 | $31,725 | $42,300 | $52,875 | $63,450 | $84,600 |
| 3 | $26,650 | $39,975 | $53,300 | $66,625 | $79,950 | $106,600 |
| 4 | $32,150 | $48,225 | $64,300 | $80,375 | $96,450 | $128,600 |
| 5 | $37,650 | $56,475 | $75,300 | $94,125 | $112,950 | $150,600 |
| 6 | $43,150 | $64,725 | $86,300 | $107,875 | $129,450 | $172,600 |
For households larger than six, add $5,500 per extra person at 100% of poverty, which works out to $22,000 per extra person at the 400% ceiling.
ConnectorCare Income Bands and Premiums for 2026
ConnectorCare is the part that is specific to Massachusetts. If your income falls between 100% and 400% of poverty and you meet the other rules, you get the federal premium tax credit plus a state subsidy, and your plan has no deductible. There are five plan types in 2026, and your income decides which one you get. The income ranges below are the ones published in the Health Connector's 2026 Consumer Guide to Subsidies.
| Household size | Type 2A (100 to 150% FPL) | Type 2B (150 to 200%) | Type 3A (200 to 250%) | Type 3B (250 to 300%) | Type 3C (300 to 400%) |
|---|
| 1 | $15,650 to $23,475 | $23,476 to $31,300 | $31,301 to $39,125 | $39,126 to $46,950 | $46,951 to $62,600 |
| 2 | $21,150 to $31,725 | $31,726 to $42,300 | $42,301 to $52,875 | $52,876 to $63,450 | $63,451 to $84,600 |
| 3 | $26,650 to $39,975 | $39,976 to $53,300 | $53,301 to $66,625 | $66,626 to $79,950 | $79,951 to $106,600 |
| 4 | $32,150 to $48,225 | $48,226 to $64,300 | $64,301 to $80,375 | $80,376 to $96,450 | $96,451 to $128,600 |
| For each extra person, add | $8,250 | $11,000 | $13,750 | $16,500 | $22,000 |
| Lowest monthly premium per person | $0 | $53 | $103 | $152 | $235 |
Those premium figures are the lowest-cost plan in each tier. Picking a different carrier in the same tier can cost more, and the benefits are standardized across carriers within a plan type, so the practical difference between carriers is the provider network and the drug list.
Out-of-pocket costs are set by plan type too. In 2026, Plan Types 2A and 2B have a medical out-of-pocket maximum of $750 for an individual and $1,500 for a family, with a $500 individual prescription maximum. Plan Types 3A, 3B and 3C have $1,500 individual and $3,000 family on the medical side, with $750 individual for prescriptions. Primary care visits, preventive care, lab work and outpatient behavioral health are $0 in every ConnectorCare plan type.
What Happens at Each Income Line
Below 100% FPL (under $15,650 for one person): You almost certainly belong in MassHealth, the state Medicaid program. Massachusetts expanded Medicaid, so adults 19 to 64 qualify up to 138% of poverty, which is about $22,025 a year for one person and $45,540 for a family of four on the 2026 guidelines. If you cannot get MassHealth because of your immigration status and your income is under 100% of poverty, you no longer get a premium tax credit. That exception in federal law ended for 2026, and ConnectorCare Plan Type 1 is no longer offered. MassHealth Limited and the Health Safety Net are the remaining options in that situation.
100% to 138% FPL: Most adults in this range are eligible for MassHealth rather than a Connector plan, and someone eligible for MassHealth cannot also take the premium tax credit. Children and pregnant residents qualify for MassHealth at considerably higher incomes than adults, so a household can have a parent on a ConnectorCare plan and children on MassHealth at the same time.
138% to 400% FPL: This is the main ConnectorCare range in practice. The federal credit is set as a share of income, and the state subsidy brings the premium down to the fixed figures in the table above.
Above 400% FPL (over $62,600 for one person, over $128,600 for a family of four): No premium tax credit and no ConnectorCare plan. You can still buy a Health Connector plan at the full price. The enhanced credits created in 2021 that removed this ceiling expired on December 31, 2025, and they were not extended, so the cliff is back for 2026. The two-year state pilot that stretched ConnectorCare up to 500% of poverty through Plan Type 3D also ended, because that tier depended on the federal credit reaching that high.
Income Limits for 2027 Coverage
Open enrollment for 2027 coverage in Massachusetts opened October 23, 2026 and runs through January 23, 2027, which is earlier and longer than the usual November 1 start. If you are shopping now, you are shopping for 2027, and 2027 uses the 2026 poverty guidelines published by HHS.
| Household size | 100% FPL | 150% FPL | 200% FPL | 250% FPL | 300% FPL | 400% FPL |
|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $23,940 | $31,920 | $39,900 | $47,880 | $63,840 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $32,460 | $43,280 | $54,100 | $64,920 | $86,560 |
| 3 | $27,320 | $40,980 | $54,640 | $68,300 | $81,960 | $109,280 |
| 4 | $33,000 | $49,500 | $66,000 | $82,500 | $99,000 | $132,000 |
| 5 | $38,680 | $58,020 | $77,360 | $96,700 | $116,040 | $154,720 |
| 6 | $44,360 | $66,540 | $88,720 | $110,900 | $133,080 | $177,440 |
Add $5,680 per extra person at 100% of poverty, or $22,720 at the 400% line. The 400% ceiling stays in place for 2027. In its May 2026 budget update, the Health Connector projected that what ConnectorCare enrollees pay for the lowest-cost plans would rise about 3.5% on average for 2027, so the plan type premiums you are quoted during this enrollment period may differ from the 2026 figures above. The Health Connector's Get an Estimate tool shows your actual 2027 number.
Who Qualifies Beyond the Income Test
Income is one of several conditions. To get ConnectorCare or a premium tax credit in Massachusetts, you must:
- Live in Massachusetts and shop through the Health Connector
- Be a US citizen, national, or otherwise lawfully present
- Not qualify for MassHealth, Medicare, or other public coverage
- Not have access to affordable, comprehensive employer coverage, including a plan you were offered and turned down
- Not be incarcerated
For 2026, employer coverage counts as unaffordable if the employee-only premium costs more than 9.96% of your yearly household income. If it costs more than that, an employer offer does not block you from help at the Connector.
One change worth flagging if you are not a citizen: starting January 1, 2027, federal law narrows who can get the premium tax credit and therefore ConnectorCare. Lawfully present people can still buy a plan, but help paying for it is limited to green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau. Refugees, people granted asylum, Temporary Protected Status holders and visa holders lose the credit for 2027. The Health Connector estimates roughly 35,000 current enrollees are affected. DACA recipients have not been able to enroll through any state marketplace since August 25, 2025, though they can buy directly from an insurer.
What Income the Health Connector Counts
The test uses modified adjusted gross income for the whole tax household, projected across the full calendar year. That includes:
- Wages, tips and self-employment income after business expenses
- Unemployment compensation
- Interest, dividends and capital gains
- Rental and retirement income, including taxable IRA and pension distributions
- All Social Security benefits, including the portion that is not taxable
- Alimony from agreements finalized before 2019
It does not include SSI, child support received, most veterans' benefits, workers' compensation, or gifts and inheritances.
Report changes as they happen. A federal change that takes effect with tax year 2026 removes the cap on how much excess advance credit a household has to repay at tax time. Under the old rules a household under 200% of poverty repaid no more than $375 for a single filer. For 2026, there is no cap, and a household that ends the year above 400% of poverty after taking advance credits repays all of them. If your income is close to 400% or likely to rise, you can choose to take less credit each month and settle up on your return instead.
How to Apply Through the Health Connector
Step 1: Gather documents. Social Security numbers for everyone applying, immigration documents for non-citizens, last year's federal tax return or recent pay stubs, and your employer's answers about whether its plan meets minimum value and what the employee-only premium is.
Step 2: Apply at MAhealthconnector.org. One application covers MassHealth, ConnectorCare and standard Connector plans. You do not need to guess which program you want. You can also apply by phone at 1-877-623-6765.
Step 3: Read your eligibility result. It names the program and, for ConnectorCare, the plan type and your maximum tax credit. If the result looks wrong, the usual cause is an income figure that is out of date.
Step 4: Send any proof requested. Missing verification documents are the most common reason an approval stalls.
Step 5: Compare plans within your tier. Use the Plan Finder to check that your doctors and prescriptions are covered. Benefits are identical inside a plan type, so networks and drug lists are what differ. For 2027, Tufts Health Plan is leaving Berkshire County and Fallon Health is leaving several counties, so some current members need to pick a new carrier.
Step 6: Pay the first premium. Coverage does not start until that payment clears. Pay by the 23rd of the month before you want coverage to start. December 23, 2026 is the deadline for coverage starting January 1, 2027, and January 23, 2027 is the deadline for coverage starting February 1.
Free in-person help is available statewide from certified Enrollment Assisters and Navigators, listed at MAhealthconnector.org/here-to-help. For more Massachusetts program details, see our Massachusetts benefits page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the income limit for ACA subsidies in Massachusetts in 2026?
400% of the federal poverty level, which is $62,600 a year for one person, $84,600 for two, and $128,600 for a family of four. Above those figures there is no premium tax credit and no ConnectorCare plan for 2026, because the enhanced credits that removed the ceiling expired at the end of 2025.
What is the minimum income for ConnectorCare?
100% of poverty, or $15,650 for one person and $32,150 for a family of four for the 2026 plan year. Below that, adults 19 to 64 generally qualify for MassHealth, which costs less than any ConnectorCare plan. The one group that loses out is people who cannot get MassHealth because of immigration status, who no longer qualify for the credit under 100% of poverty.
Why are the 2026 limits based on 2025 poverty guidelines?
Premium tax credit eligibility is measured against the poverty guidelines in effect when open enrollment for that coverage year began. Open enrollment for 2026 began in the fall of 2025, so 2026 coverage uses the 2025 guidelines. Coverage for 2027, which you are shopping for now, uses the 2026 guidelines.
Does ConnectorCare have a deductible?
No. ConnectorCare plans have no deductible in any plan type, which is the main structural difference from a standard marketplace plan at the same premium. Copays are fixed by plan type, and primary care, preventive care and outpatient behavioral health visits are $0.
Can I get ConnectorCare if my job offers insurance?
Only if the employer plan is unaffordable or fails the minimum value standard. For 2026, affordable means the employee-only premium is no more than 9.96% of household income. An offer you declined still counts as an offer, so check the actual employee-only figure with your employer before applying.
What if my income is between 400% and 500% of poverty?
You qualify for unsubsidized Health Connector plans only. ConnectorCare Plan Type 3D, the pilot tier that covered 400% to 500% of poverty in 2024 and 2025, is not offered for 2026 because it depended on the federal credit extending above 400%.
Can I enroll outside open enrollment?
MassHealth accepts applications year round. You can also enroll in a ConnectorCare plan outside open enrollment if you newly qualify for it after not qualifying before, if you are applying for dental coverage, if you are a member of a federally recognized tribe or an Alaska Native shareholder, or if you have a qualifying life event such as losing job coverage, moving, marriage, or a new child. The special enrollment period that let anyone under 150% of poverty enroll year round ended August 25, 2025.
Does Massachusetts still penalize people for going uninsured?
Yes. Massachusetts has had its own individual mandate since 2006, separate from the federal one, and adults who can afford coverage but go without it may owe a penalty on their state return. The amount depends on income and how many months you were uninsured. The Department of Revenue publishes the schedule each year.
