Your Guide to Premium Tax Credits

Premium tax credits are based on the federal proverty level (FPL), your household size, your ZIP code and your annual income. If your savings changed, it might be that:

• The FPL changed since last year.
• You got married or separated, or have more children in your home.
• You moved to a different area.
• Your income went up or down because you changed jobs.

In 2026, Enhanced Premium Tax Credits expired. These tax credits were made broader during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping more people have higher savings. If you had Enhanced Premium Tax Credit savings, you may have seen a change to your subsidy amount.

When you're shopping for a BCBSIL health insurance plan, enter your ZIP code, family size and annual income to check if you qualify for premium tax credit savings.

If you qualify, you'll continue on to Get Covered Illinois℠, the Illinois state Marketplace. There, you'll choose a plan and finish enrolling to get your savings.

You can choose to apply your savings a dew different ways:

1. Apply all your savings to your monthly premium payment. This means you'd pay less each month to keep your health insurance plan active.
2. Keep your savings until the end of the year and apply them to get a higher refund or lower you taxable amount.
3. Choose to put a part of your savings towards your monthly premium and the other towards your end-of-year taxes.

If you have premium tax credits and your income went up, you may end up getting more savings upfront than you should. You might have to repay the extra amount you received when you filed next years' taxes.

If you have premium tax credits and your income went down, you might want to check if you could save even more. You might be able to:

• Check if you qualify for a special enrollment period. If you do, you could choose a new health insurance plan and re-check your savings amount.
• Claim the difference when you file your taxes. You might get a higher refund than you expect or reduce what you owe.

You may be able to, but you should report your changes immediately. These changes normally make you eligible for special enrollment. During special enrollment, you can choose a new plan and re-check how much could save with premium tax credits.

Keep in mind that:

• If you go through a divorce or separation, losing a family member will likely lower the amount you could save.
• Your ZIP code impacts how much you could save. If you move to a different ZIP code, your savings might go up or down.