ACA subsidies question

[johnQ13]

My sister is planning to retire at 62, and her husband will be 65 very soon and going on Medicare. She'll use COBRA for now, but we're wondering, if he keeps working and their income is too high for ACA subsidies, can she file taxes separately to qualify? Does the ACA go by joint income for married couples? I've only filed single so yeah I'm not sure how that works.

 

[Shades]

What happens if a married couple files separately, does that disqualify one spouse from ACA subsidies entirely, even if their individual income is low?

 

[Alan]

@johnQ13 I think married filing separately usually disqualifies you from ACA premium tax credits, they really want married couples filing jointly to access subsidies. There are some very specific exceptions involving domestic abuse or spousal abandonment, but I really doubt income level isn't one of them