What income counts for ACA subsidies?

Start with adjusted gross income and add back tax-exempt interest, excluded foreign income and the untaxed portion of Social Security benefits. It covers everyone on your tax return, so a working teenager's wages can matter and a roommate's salary does not. Child support and most means-tested benefits are excluded.

The figure the Marketplace wants is a forecast for the year ahead, which is exactly why self-employed households find it awkward. Build it from your last twelve months, adjust for what you already know has changed, and update the Marketplace when something significant moves.

An estimate for planning, not a quote. Medicare and the Marketplace set your real figures.