What would coverage cost without the job?
How much does COBRA cost
per month?
About $793 a month for one person.
About $2,294 a month for family coverage.
Your own number follows your employer’s plan.
About $793 a month for one person. About $2,294 a month for family coverage. Both are estimates built from the 2025 national average premiums for health coverage through work. Your own number follows your employer’s plan. This page shows how to work it out.
The national averages · 2025 survey
The average premium,
plus the 2% a plan may add.
COBRA lets you stay on your employer’s health plan for a limited time after a job ends. The plan may charge you its full cost, plus up to 2% for administrative costs. So the math starts with the premium. That is the full yearly price of the plan, your share and your employer’s share together.
| Coverage | Average premium, a year | Average premium, a month | COBRA estimate, a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| One person (single coverage) | $9,325 | $777 | About $793 |
| Family coverage | $26,993 | $2,249 | About $2,294 |
The premiums come from the KFF 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey. The 102% limit comes from the US Department of Labor.
These are estimates built from a survey of employer plans. They do not measure the average COBRA bill, and they cannot quote your plan. Your plan may cost more or less.
The newest national survey is 2025. We update this page when the 2026 survey is published. Sources, math, and assumptions.
Why the bill jumps
Your employer was paying
most of the premium.
While you work, the premium is split. Your employer pays most of it. Your share comes out of your paycheck, so you may never see the full price.
On COBRA, the split ends. You pay your share, your employer’s share, and up to 2% on top.
Workers pay the other 16% and 26%. In dollars, KFF reports an average of $1,440 a year for single coverage and $6,850 a year for family coverage. The last two rows compare the COBRA estimate with those amounts.
These are survey averages from KFF 2025. The percentages and the dollar amounts are separate averages, so they don’t match to the dollar. Your own share and your plan’s cost may be higher or lower.
One thing can lower the bill for a while. Some employers pay part or all of the COBRA cost as part of a severance agreement, the US Department of Labor notes. Your paperwork would say so.
Your own number
Find your own number
in three steps.
The national figures are a place to start. Your plan has its own price. You can estimate it with papers you already have.
Box 12 of your W-2 lists letter codes with amounts. Code DD is the cost of your health coverage through work for the year. In general it includes both your share and your employer’s share, the IRS says. It is there for your information, and it is not taxed.
Where to look, and what each paper tells you
- Form W-2, box 12, code DD: the yearly cost of your coverage, both shares together. Employers that file fewer than 250 W-2s don’t have to report it, so yours may be blank
- Pay stub: your share only. It shows what you pay now, and it is too low for a COBRA estimate
- Benefits enrollment summary: your coverage tier, such as self-only or family
- COBRA election notice: sent if your coverage ends. It lists the actual premium and when payments are due
Your estimate has limits. The W-2 covers last year, and plan costs can change each year. If you changed tiers or had coverage for part of the year, the amount reflects that.
The plan’s own number always wins. You can ask your benefits office or plan administrator for the COBRA rate for your tier.
An example with made-up numbers
$24,000 on the W-2.
About $2,040 a month.
Say box 12 of a W-2 shows code DD with $24,000. The household had family coverage all year.
Now say the pay stubs show $500 a month for that coverage. $2,040 − $500 = $1,540. The estimated bill is $1,540 a month more than the household pays today.
These numbers are made up to show the arithmetic. They do not predict what your plan will charge.
Family of four, and your state
The price follows your plan
and your coverage tier.
There is no set COBRA price for a family of four. There is no set price for a state either. COBRA continues the plan you already have. So the price is what that plan costs for your coverage tier, plus up to 2%.
Family size
Plans through work price coverage by tier, such as self-only or family. Each plan sets its own tiers. Your enrollment summary shows which one you are on, and the COBRA price follows it.
Each covered family member has their own right to choose COBRA, the US Department of Labor says. If only some of you choose it, the plan can tell you which rate applies.
Your state
Federal COBRA sets the rules, and your plan sets the price. Two things do change with where you live.
- Smaller employers: federal COBRA generally covers employers with 20 or more employees. Many states have similar laws, often called mini-COBRA, that may cover smaller employers
- Other coverage: Marketplace plan prices depend on where you live, along with your age and other factors
That is why this page lists no state prices. A state figure would be a guess about your plan.
The rules, in brief
Who can get it.
How long it lasts.
These are the general federal rules, as the US Department of Labor describes them. Your plan’s notice has the dates that apply to you.
| Question | General rule |
|---|---|
| Which employers | Generally private employers with 20 or more employees, plus state and local governments |
| What opens it for an employee | Losing the job for any reason other than gross misconduct, or a cut in hours, if it ends your coverage |
| How long you have to decide | At least 60 days, counted from the election notice or the day coverage would end, whichever is later |
| When the first payment is due | At least 45 days after you choose COBRA |
| How long it lasts | 18 months after a job loss or a cut in hours. Up to 36 months for some other events |
| What it covers | The same coverage as active employees on the plan, with the same deductibles and limits |
Some cases have their own rules. A disability extension, for one, can run longer and cost more.
This is general information. It cannot tell you what applies to your plan. The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration answers questions about COBRA rights.
Comparing your options
COBRA is one option.
Here is how to compare.
The Department of Labor lists other places to look: a spouse’s plan through work, the Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicaid, and Medicare. Each has its own price and its own sign-up window.
- A spouse’s plan through work: the request for special enrollment is due within 30 days of losing your coverage
- A Marketplace plan: you can enroll within 60 days of losing coverage through your job
- Medicaid or CHIP: if you qualify, you can enroll at any time
Put the same numbers side by side
- The monthly premium
- The deductible, and whether what you have paid this year still counts
- The most you could pay in a year
- Whether your doctors and prescriptions are covered
COBRA is generally the same coverage you had before, the Department of Labor says. A Marketplace plan may cost less, especially if you qualify for savings based on your income, HealthCare.gov says.
Timing matters too. Say you end COBRA early by choice. HealthCare.gov says you would then wait for the next Open Enrollment to get a Marketplace plan, unless another life event applies.
This page cannot tell you which to pick. That depends on your health needs, your income, and the plans open to you.
What to do with the number.
A coverage figure means more next to your other bills. Add it to what you must pay each month. Then divide the cash you can reach by that total. The answer is how many months your cash would cover.
The free calculator runs that division for you. The formula is on this page: how to calculate your cash runway.
The number is most useful while you still have a paycheck. For the other half of the question, what’s changing at work, see 18 Signs You’re About to Be Laid Off, a guide with a tracking checklist. $27, one time payment only.
A few things to know.
How much does COBRA cost per month?
About $793 for one person and about $2,294 for family coverage, as national estimates. They take the 2025 average premiums for coverage through work and add 2%. Your plan sets your actual price.
How much does COBRA cost for a family of 4?
There is no set price for a family of four. The price follows the family tier of your employer’s plan. The national estimate for family coverage is about $2,294 a month, built from 2025 survey data.
Is there a set COBRA price for each state?
No. Your employer’s plan sets the price, wherever you live. State law can matter if your employer has fewer than 20 employees. Marketplace plan prices do depend on where you live.
Why does COBRA cost so much more than my paycheck deduction?
While you work, your employer pays most of the premium. The average employer share is 84% for single coverage and 74% for family coverage. On COBRA, you pay the full premium, plus up to 2%.
How long do I have to decide, and how long does COBRA last?
Plans must give you at least 60 days to choose. After a job loss or a cut in hours, coverage can last 18 months. This is general information from the US Department of Labor. Your plan’s notice has your dates.
Where can I find my own COBRA price?
Start with your Form W-2. Box 12, code DD shows the yearly cost of your coverage. Divide it by 12 and multiply by 1.02 for an estimate. If your coverage ends, the COBRA election notice lists the actual price.
Sources.
The figures and rules on this page come from these documents. We read each one in October 2026.
- KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, published October 22, 2025
- US Department of Labor, An Employee’s Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA, September 2022
- US Department of Labor, FAQs on COBRA Continuation Health Coverage for Workers, read October 2026
- Internal Revenue Service, Form W-2 reporting of employer-sponsored health coverage, page reviewed September 20, 2026
- HealthCare.gov, COBRA coverage when you’re unemployed, read October 2026
- HealthCare.gov, How insurance companies set health premiums, read October 2026
Rules and prices change. Check the current version of each document before you rely on a date or a number.
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