About
An independent COBRA tool, built for the decision — not just the clock.
cobradeadline.com shows your COBRA election deadline and compares electing now, waiting and electing only if you need it, and the ACA marketplace — honestly, including the catches. It's free, runs entirely in your browser, and is kept calm and current.
Who runs this
cobradeadline.com is published by Red Goggles LLC, an independent operator of free web calculators and reference tools. We are not an insurer, a broker, a benefits administrator, a government agency, or affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor, CMS, or any health plan or employer. We don't sell insurance, we don't collect leads, and we don't take your information — the calculator runs on your device and nothing you type is sent to us.
Why this site exists
Most "COBRA deadline" pages online just print a 60-day clock. The decision after a job loss is harder than that. Two things almost no tool models: the wait-and-see gamble — because COBRA is retroactive, a healthy person can decline to pay during the election window and elect only if a medical need arises — and the Special Enrollment Period trap, where choosing COBRA can quietly forfeit access to a cheaper subsidized marketplace plan. In 2026 the math is live again: the enhanced ACA subsidies lapsed January 1, 2026, so the COBRA-vs-marketplace comparison shifted. This tool exists to model that decision — with the friction spelled out, so it's never misleadingly rosy.
How it's calculated
The estimate uses the common federal rules, applied in the open:
- The election clock (~60 days) — counted from the later of the date your job-based coverage ends or the date your COBRA election notice is provided, per U.S. Department of Labor COBRA guidance.
- The first-payment window (~45 days) — the initial premium is generally due about 45 days after you elect. Until you both elect and pay, coverage isn't active, but you also aren't locked out.
- Retroactivity — if you elect inside the window, coverage snaps back to the day your old plan ended, with no gap; you owe all back-premiums from that date. This is what makes the wait-and-see path possible.
- The marketplace comparison — a rough estimate from 2026 subsidy math following the lapse of the enhanced premium tax credits, using HealthCare.gov's rules. It's an estimate, not a live plan quote.
The full method is on the calculator page under How it works, and every figure is shown as a guide to verify against your own COBRA election notice.
How we stay calm and current
Just-laid-off users are stressed, so we present deadlines and the gamble matter-of-factly — no panic copy, no "don't lose your coverage!" framing. We model the common federal COBRA counts and the current ACA SEP rules, state the 2026 subsidy context factually, and flag when smaller-employer state "mini-COBRA" rules likely apply rather than pretending to model all fifty states. Day-counts, SEP windows, and subsidy figures update, so we link to primary sources — the U.S. Department of Labor and HealthCare.gov — and replace estimates with confirmed figures as guidance updates.
How the site is funded
cobradeadline.com is free and supported by display advertising. Advertising is kept calm and never mixes with your inputs — see our privacy page for exactly what is and isn't collected.
Questions or corrections? We take accuracy seriously on a decision this consequential — reach us on the contact page.