By continuing to access our website, you agree to our privacy policy and use of cookies.

Skip to Main Content

Press "Enter" to search

Compliance

Pay-or-Play Affordability Percentage Will Increase for 2026

It’s the highest the percentage has ever been.

August 1, 2025

On July 18, 2025, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2025-25, announcing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affordability threshold for plan years beginning in 2026. Under the ACA’s employer shared responsibility provision (commonly called the “pay-or-play” rules), employer-sponsored coverage will be considered affordable in 2026 if the employee’s required contribution for self-only coverage does not exceed 9.96% of their household income.

Affordability Test

The ACA’s pay-or-play rules require applicable large employers (ALEs) to offer affordable, minimum-value health coverage to their full-time employees (and dependents) or risk paying a penalty. The affordability of health coverage is a key point in determining whether an ALE may be subject to a penalty. An ALE’s health coverage is considered affordable if the employee’s required contribution to the plan does not exceed 9.5% (as adjusted annually) of the employee’s household income for the taxable year. This percentage is adjusted each year based on health plan premium growth rates in relation to income growth rates.

In recent years, the affordability percentage has been adjusted to:

  • 9.12% for plan years beginning in 2023,
  • 8.39% for plan years beginning in 2024,
  • 9.02% for plan years beginning in 2025, and
  • 9.96% for plan years beginning in 2026.

For purposes of the pay-or-play rules, the affordability test applies only to the portion of the annual premiums for self-only coverage and does not include any additional cost for family coverage. Also, if an employer offers multiple health coverage options, the affordability test applies to the lowest-cost option that provides minimum value.

Because an employer generally will not know an employee’s household income, the IRS has provided three optional affordability safe harbors that ALEs may use to determine affordability based on information that is available to them: the Form W-2 safe harbor, the rate of pay safe harbor and the federal poverty level safe harbor.

Affordability Percentage for 2026

For 2026, the affordability percentage increases to 9.96%. This means that an ALE’s health coverage for the 2026 plan year will be considered affordable if a full-time employee’s required contribution for self-only coverage under the lowest-cost option does not exceed 9.96% of their income. This is a significant increase from the affordability contribution percentage for 2025 and the highest this percentage has ever been. As a result, employers may be able to increase employee contributions while still meeting the ACA’s affordability requirement.

Reach out to your Hylant representative for further information. Don’t have one? Contact us here.

The above information does not constitute advice. Always contact your employee benefits broker or trusted advisor for insurance-related questions.

Authored by

Lorenna Siegrist
Lorenna Siegrist

EB Compliance Practice Leader

Orlando

With more than 32 years of industry experience, Lorenna helps clients understand and keep abreast of complex healthcare plan requirements and the ever-changing regulatory environment. She supports both clients and Hylant teams by delivering tailored communication materials, hosting seminars, and providing strategic insights that empower exceptional service delivery.

Don’t Miss Out on the Latest HR News & Tools

Get trusted updates on industry trends, compliance changes, webinars and tools designed to make benefits management easier. Subscribe to Benefits Insider and receive expert insights every month.

By entering your contact information and submitting the form, you understand that Hylant may send similar information in the future. You can unsubscribe anytime by using the link at the bottom of any Hylant email.

Related Insights