Here's the short version. If you're covered under a parent's plan and turning 26, you need to act or you may end up with no coverage. On a parent's job-based plan, your coverage usually ends during or shortly after the month you turn 26. Aging off gives you a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period that starts 60 days before you lose coverage and ends 60 days after. On a parent's Marketplace plan, you can stay until December 31 of the year you turn 26, then enroll in your own plan during Open Enrollment. Your three main options are your own employer's plan, a Marketplace plan, or Medicaid if your income is low. Medicaid takes applications any time of year.
When your coverage actually ends
The end date depends on what kind of plan your parent has.
- Job-based plan: coverage usually ends during or shortly after the month you turn 26. Ask the plan or your parent's employer for the exact date. Some states and plans let you stay longer, so check with the employer and your state's Department of Insurance.
- Marketplace plan: you can stay on your parent's plan through December 31 of the year you turn 26, even if your birthday is mid-year (or the age your state allows).
Until then, you can stay on a parent's job-based plan even if you got married, had a child, started or left school, live away from home, aren't claimed as a tax dependent, or turned down your own employer's offer.
Option 1: Your own job's plan
If your employer offers health insurance, losing your parent's coverage at 26 lets you enroll outside the employer's yearly open enrollment, as long as you didn't sign up when it was first offered. You may have a limited time to enroll, so contact your job's human resources office before your birthday.
One warning. If your employer offers coverage that counts as "affordable" and you turn it down, you generally won't qualify for the premium tax credit or other savings on a Marketplace plan. With limited exceptions, you'd pay full price.
Option 2: A Marketplace plan and your Special Enrollment Period
Outside Open Enrollment, you can only join a Marketplace plan if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Losing coverage because you turned 26 is one of the qualifying events. When you age off a parent's job-based plan:
- Your Special Enrollment Period starts 60 days before you lose coverage and ends 60 days after.
- If you enroll before you lose coverage, your new plan can start the first day of the month after your old coverage ends. No gap.
- If you enroll after you lose coverage, your new plan starts the first day of the month after you pick a plan. That can leave a gap, so earlier is better.
You'll need documents that prove you lost coverage. If you don't provide them, you won't qualify for the Special Enrollment Period. Dropping your parent's plan on purpose, without losing eligibility, doesn't count unless your household income went down or your parent's coverage changed in a way that makes you eligible for savings.
If you're on a parent's Marketplace plan, there's no mid-year scramble. Enroll in your own plan for next year during Open Enrollment, which runs November 1 to January 15 on HealthCare.gov. If your parent will still claim you as a tax dependent, stay on their application and let them enroll you in your own plan. If not, create your own account. State-run marketplaces may use different dates. See our Marketplace guide for metal tiers and how subsidies work.
People under 30 can also choose a Catastrophic plan. These have low monthly premiums and very high deductibles, cover the same essential health benefits, and include at least 3 primary care visits a year before the deductible. If you qualify for a premium tax credit, a Bronze or Silver plan may be a better value, so compare.
Option 3: Medicaid or CHIP
If your income is low, you may qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid. You can apply any time of year. In states that expanded Medicaid, you can qualify on income alone. In other states, eligibility also depends on things like pregnancy, caring for young children, or disability, so apply even if you're not sure.
A Marketplace application checks for Medicaid at the same time. If it looks like you qualify, your information goes to your state agency. If you have children, they may qualify for CHIP even if you don't qualify for Medicaid. Our Medicaid eligibility guide explains the pathways state by state.
Former foster youth: every state must offer Medicaid until age 26 to people who were in foster care with Medicaid at 18 or aged out with Medicaid after 18. That coverage ends at the same birthday, so the options above apply to you too.
Savings depend on your tax household
Whether you get a premium tax credit or other savings depends on your household's income, and your household is defined by how you file taxes.
- If no one claims you as a dependent: you may qualify based on your own income, as long as you don't have an offer of affordable job-based coverage.
- If your parent will claim you as a dependent for the year after you turn 26: savings are based on your parent's income and everyone on their tax return. You can still buy a Marketplace plan, but you won't get savings based on your own income.
Estimating income wrong has consequences at tax time. See estimating income for Marketplace subsidies.
A checklist for the months before your birthday
- Find your end date. Ask your parent's employer or plan exactly when your coverage stops.
- Check your own job. If you have an employer offer, ask HR about the enrollment window and the cost.
- Preview Marketplace plans and prices. You can do this on HealthCare.gov without logging in or giving your name.
- Apply during the 60 days before you lose coverage so your new plan starts the day after the old one ends.
- Save proof of your lost coverage and your enrollment confirmation.
Common questions
I'm married. Can I still be on my parent's plan until 26?
Generally yes, on a job-based plan. Marriage, having a child, leaving school, and living away from home don't end your eligibility before 26.
What if I miss the 60-day window?
You'd generally have to wait for the next Open Enrollment to buy a Marketplace plan, unless another life change qualifies you. Medicaid and CHIP take applications year-round, so apply if your income might qualify.
Can my parent add me to their plan if I'm under 26 and uninsured?
Usually, if the plan covers dependents. A parent can add you to a job-based plan during the employer's open enrollment or a Special Enrollment Period. They can add you to a Marketplace plan during Open Enrollment or a Special Enrollment Period if they plan to claim you as a tax dependent.
Is this the same as losing job coverage?
It's a related rule. The Marketplace treats being removed as a dependent from a parent's job-based plan as a loss of coverage, which is what triggers your Special Enrollment Period. The site's losing coverage guide covers the other situations.
Related pages
- The Health Insurance Marketplace — metal tiers, tax credits, and how to apply.
- Medicaid Eligibility — who qualifies and how it varies by state.
- Enrollment Calendar — key dates for every program at a glance.
- Estimating Income for Marketplace Subsidies — getting the numbers right.
- CHIP — coverage for your own children.
Official sources: HealthCare.gov: Getting your own health coverage when you turn 26, HealthCare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods, and HealthCare.gov: Medicaid and CHIP.