If you're a self-employed contractor, mason, roofer, plumber, electrician or painter, you have no insurance through work and probably nobody has explained that you qualify for government help. I'll explain it, and also what happens to your income if one day you can't climb the ladder.
| Your situation | What it means |
|---|---|
| How you get paid | By the job, on a 1099 or in cash |
| Insurance through work | None — you are the boss |
| If you get hurt | You don't get paid for those days |
| Qualifies for the Marketplace | Yes, like any self-employed worker |
| Cost of my help | $0 |
Estimating your income when you work job to job
Here's the problem almost everyone brings me: what do I put down if one month I make $6,000 and the next $1,200?
Don't use your best month or your worst. Add up what you've been paid so far this year, get the monthly average and multiply it by twelve. Then adjust for what you know is coming: if it rains in winter and you stop working, subtract that.
And deduct your business expenses. The income that counts for the subsidy is what's left after materials, tools, gas and liability insurance, not your gross receipts. Plenty of people report too much by not subtracting them, and end up paying a higher premium than they owed.
If you get paid in cash, it still counts
I know a good share of this work is paid in cash. That money still has to be reported, and not for the sake of a lecture: if you report less than you earn and the IRS later sees something different, they claim the subsidy back.
And starting in 2026 that repayment has no cap. There used to be a limit of between $300 and $2,800 depending on income. Now you pay back the full excess.
I explain it in detail in how to calculate your income for the Marketplace.
What health insurance doesn't cover: the days you don't work
Health insurance pays the doctor and the hospital. What it does not pay is your week without income.
If you fall off a scaffold or cut your hand, the plan covers the care. But rent, the truck payment and groceries keep coming, and you aren't billing anyone.
That's the job of the policies that pay cash directly to you: accident insurance for fractures and emergencies, and hospital indemnity for each day you're admitted. They don't replace health insurance — they cover the gap it leaves.
Your body is your work tool. If it breaks, there's nobody to bill in your place. It's the one industry where income protection isn't a luxury.
A question for your tax preparer
Self-employed people can deduct what they pay in health premiums. It's done with Form 7206 and carries over to Schedule 1 of the return. There's one detail that often gets missed: the deduction is reduced by the tax credit you already received from the Marketplace, so you don't deduct all of it.
I don't prepare taxes and I'm not going to tell you how to file. But I will tell you what to ask, because many people don't even know this exists. And the part that is my job — making sure the income we report to the Marketplace is right — that one is on me.
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Self-employed in construction?
We work out your real income, see how much help you qualify for and what would happen if you got hurt. Free of charge, in Spanish or English.
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Every trade figures its income differently. These are the other ones I've written up.
General information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. For deductions and filing, consult your tax preparer. Omar Mendoza, licensed agent — NPN 21726482.