Money in America, explained in plain English.
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Bills & Contracts

How ACA Marketplace Subsidies Are Calculated — and Why Your Tax Return Gets the Last Word

The premium tax credit is two numbers subtracted from each other, set in November on a guess about your income and settled in April on the truth. The formula, the 400% cliff, and the 2026 repayment change.

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Five explainers that cover the basics, if you're new here.

  1. Your Paycheck, AnnotatedPaychecks & Taxes · 7 min readA black financial calculator and a silver pen resting on a sheet of handwritten figures.
  2. How Credit Scores Actually WorkBanking & Credit · 6 min readA worn black leather wallet folded on a light table.
  3. "Free" Checking Isn't AlwaysBanking & Credit · 7 min readA close-up of mixed coins seen through the side of a glass jar.
  4. Renting an Apartment: Your Actual RightsBills & Contracts · 7 min readA white multi-story apartment building with balconies and palm trees under a blue sky.
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  • 32plain-English explainers published so far, each showing when it was last updated
  • 130links to official sources — CFPB, IRS, FTC, SSA and more — cited inside those explainers
  • 0affiliate links or product picks. One Plata explains how the system works and never tells you what to do with your money.

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Runs the Social Security Administration's rounding rules on your own benefit. Everything is calculated in your browser.

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Scams & Protections

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