If you are offered employer coverage, whether you are able to get a subsidy depends on whether your offer is considered “affordable.” Specifically, your contribution towards employer health coverage must be less than 9.12% of your household income (as of 2023; this number changes every year, so be sure to double check the current calculation.)

Prior to the 2023 Open Enrollment period, if a worker’s individual coverage offer was considered affordable, the entire family was considered to have “affordable” employer coverage — even if adding a spouse or kids to the plan drove up the price way above the 9.12% threshold. This was called the Family Glitch and affected millions of people nationwide. Thankfully, new rules mean that if the coverage for the individual worker is under the threshold, but coverage for the household exceeds 9.12% of household income, other household members are considered not to have an affordable offer of coverage and can shop for coverage with subsidies.

For more information, please see Healthcare.gov’s explanation of the rules.