Trump ACA Refund Checks: When will you get your payment and how to claim it?
Trump administration says payments are heading to eligible ACA customers across 30 states
Nearly 1 million Americans could soon find a $500 government check in their mailbox as the Trump Administration begins distributing a new round of Affordable Care Act refunds.
The White House indicated that the payments will be sent beginning in October 2026 to eligible consumers in 30 states that use the federally operated health insurance marketplace.
President Donald Trump announced the program in September, describing the money as a return of excess fees collected through HealthCare.gov.
“You have paid into this flawed System, and now you are finally getting something back,” Trump said in a letter accompanying the payments, according to material provided by the administration.
The White House says nearly 1 million people will receive $500 each, putting the overall value of the initiative at roughly $500 million. The White House
Who will receive a $500 ACA refund?
Eligibility is considerably narrower than simply having Affordable Care Act coverage.
According to the White House , recipients must have bought insurance through the federal exchange and paid their premiums without receiving premium assistance. They must also live in one of the 30 states covered by the federal marketplace refund program.
Those states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming .
Consumers in states operating their own exchanges are not included in the announced payments. The administration says the refunds come from surplus user fees charged to insurers participating in the federal marketplace.
Such fees help finance marketplace operations; CMS set the federal exchange user fee at 2.5% of monthly premiums for the 2026 benefit year.
Do you need to claim the payment?
The White House has described the money as an automatic refund and hasn't announced a separate application or claim process for eligible recipients. Checks are scheduled to begin going out during October, although officials haven't published an individual delivery timetable.
That means someone who appears to qualify shouldn't need to pay a fee or provide banking information to an unsolicited caller or message in order to receive the refund.
The payments also come during a year of broader changes for ACA consumers. Enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, and KFF found average monthly premium payments among Marketplace consumers rose from $113 in 2025 to $178 in 2026.
Trump has characterized the $500 checks as returning money that should not have remained with the federal government.
“That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now I’m returning it to you!” Trump said in his letter.
Eligible consumers should now watch for official correspondence as the October distribution gets underway.
