🧭 The ICHRA Guide

Your employer gives you the money. You pick the plan.

An ICHRA replaces the one-size-fits-all group plan with a monthly allowance and your own choice of coverage. It's a good deal for most people — once someone explains it in normal language. That's this page.

No forms. No sign-ups. Nothing collected. Every tool runs on your device.

I don't even know where to start.

Pick the sentence that sounds most like you.

"I just got a notice and I'm lost."Start with what an ICHRA is — five minutes. "Do I take this or the tax credit?"Run the affordability check. "I need to pick a plan and it's due."How to shop, in four questions. "I bought a plan — now what?"What to submit, and does it count. "Something's wrong and I don't know who to call."Route your problem to the right desk. "We used to have a normal plan. What changed?"The honest side-by-side.

Three tools for the three hard moments

The affordability decision, the reimbursement paperwork, and the "who handles this?" maze. Each one takes about a minute.

The decisionICHRA or the tax credit?Four numbers, the IRS affordability test, and a plain answer with the math shown. → The paperworkWill this get reimbursed?Does your coverage count, what qualifies, and exactly what proof to upload. → The mazeWho do I call?HR, administrator, carrier, Marketplace, or Medicare — routed, with a script. →

The guides

Fourteen short, honest explainers. Read the top row first if you're new.

Start here

🧭 What Is an ICHRA? Your employer gives you a monthly amount instead of a group plan. You pick your own insurance and get reimbursed. Here's the whole idea in one page. 🔄 ICHRA vs. a Group Plan: What Actually Changed If you moved from a traditional employer plan to an ICHRA, here's an honest side-by-side of what got better, what got harder, and what's the same. ✅ Your First-Year ICHRA Checklist Everything to do, in order, from the day you get the notice to your first reimbursement. Print it.

The money

💵 How the Allowance Works Where the number comes from, why your coworker's might be different, and what happens to what you don't use. 🔁 How Reimbursement Works Proof, attestation, timing, and the two ways your premium actually gets paid. This is the part people get wrong. 🏦 HSAs & Your ICHRA You can generally keep contributing to an HSA under an ICHRA — but only if the ICHRA is set up one specific way. Here's the catch.

The rules

⚖️ Affordability & the Premium Tax Credit The one decision an ICHRA forces on you: take the employer's money, or take the government's? Here's how to tell which is bigger. 🚪 Can I Say No to the ICHRA? Yes — once a year, or when your situation changes. When it makes sense, when it doesn't, and how to do it without losing anything. 📅 Enrollment, Deadlines & Special Enrollment Periods Getting an ICHRA opens a window to buy an individual plan — but the window closes. Here's the calendar.

Shopping & life stages

🛒 How to Choose an Individual Plan Metal tiers, networks, and the four questions that get you to a good plan without a spreadsheet. 👨‍👩‍👧 Covering a Spouse & Kids How the family allowance works, whether your spouse's job plan counts, and how to split coverage without losing money. 🎂 Medicare & Your ICHRA If you're 65+ (or on Medicare for another reason), the ICHRA can pay your Medicare premiums. Here's what counts and what to watch. 🚶 What Happens When I Leave My Job Your plan stays. The allowance doesn't. Here's what changes — and why it's often simpler than leaving a group plan. 📖 ICHRA Terms, Decoded Every word you'll hit in an ICHRA notice, defined in one line each.
A note on wording: ICHRA rules have exceptions, and your employer's plan document is the source of truth. Where we say "generally" or "typically," we mean it — check your notice, and when in doubt, ask. Nothing here is tax, legal, or benefits advice.