You can cancel a Covered California plan at any time of year, with no qualifying life event required, as long as you give at least 14 days’ notice before the date you want coverage to end. The catch is what happens after: voluntarily dropping marketplace coverage does not open a new enrollment window, and any month you go uninsured can trigger a California tax penalty. Line up your next source of coverage first, then cancel.
Yes, You Can End Coverage Whenever You Want
Enrolling in a Covered California plan is generally limited to open enrollment (November 1 through January 31 for 2026 coverage) or a qualifying life event. Canceling is not. State regulations let you terminate coverage through the exchange on your own schedule, whether you picked up a job with insurance, became eligible for Medi-Cal, or simply want out.1Cornell Law School. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 10, 6506 – Termination of Coverage in a QHP There is no penalty for the act of canceling itself. The penalty California imposes is for being uninsured, which is a separate issue covered below.
Give at Least 14 Days’ Notice
Covered California requires you to submit a cancellation request at least 14 days before the date you want coverage to end.2Covered California. Cancel Your Plan If you want coverage to end on June 30, contact Covered California by June 16. If you provide at least 14 days’ notice, coverage ends on the date you chose. If you give less, the termination date is pushed out to 14 days after the request.1Cornell Law School. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 10, 6506 – Termination of Coverage in a QHP
Need to cancel on shorter notice? Call the Covered California service center at (800) 300-1506 or contact your insurer directly. Those requests are handled case by case.2Covered California. Cancel Your Plan
Set the End Date for the Last Day of the Month
Covered California recommends choosing the final day of a month as your termination date. Insurers are not obligated to refund prorated premiums for a partial month. If you ask on June 1 for coverage to end June 15, your insurer may keep the full June premium and give you nothing back for the unused days.2Covered California. Cancel Your Plan Ending on the last day of the month means you get the full month of coverage you already paid for.
You also need to keep paying premiums through the official end date. Stopping payment early can create a lapse on your record that affects future enrollment or tax filings.
How to Submit the Request
You have three options.
Online
Log in to your account at CoveredCA.com, go to your plan management options, and follow the prompts to request termination and pick an end date. Save any confirmation number the system gives you.2Covered California. Cancel Your Plan
By Phone
Call (800) 300-1506, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Have your account information and member ID ready, and ask the representative for a reference number confirming the request was processed.3Covered California. Contact Us
By Mail
Send a written request with your full name, member ID, the date you want coverage to end, and your signature. Build in mail time so the letter arrives at least 14 days before your target end date.
After the request goes through, both Covered California and your insurer will send a written notice confirming the exact termination date. Keep it. You may need it for taxes or to prove prior coverage to a future insurer.
Canceling Does Not Reopen Enrollment
This is the detail that catches people off guard. Voluntarily canceling a Covered California plan is not a qualifying event for a Special Enrollment Period.4CMS. Special Enrollment Periods Job Aid If you cancel and change your mind, you generally cannot buy another marketplace plan until the next open enrollment window.
Do not cancel until your replacement coverage, whether an employer plan, Medi-Cal, Medicare, or a spouse’s policy, is confirmed and the start date lines up with the day your Covered California coverage ends.
The California Penalty for Going Uninsured
California requires residents to have qualifying coverage every month of the year. Any month without it can mean a penalty on your state tax return. For the 2025 tax year (filed in 2026), the penalty is at least $950 per adult and $450 per dependent child under 18. A family of four uninsured for the full year would owe at least $2,800.5Covered California. Penalty Details and Exemptions Penalty The Franchise Tax Board assesses the amount, and it adjusts yearly.
The penalty is prorated by month, so canceling partway through the year only exposes you to the portion covering uninsured months. Exemptions are available in some situations, including income below the state filing threshold, hardship, and religious grounds.
If You Received Premium Subsidies, You Must Reconcile at Tax Time
If advance premium tax credits lowered your monthly bill while you were enrolled, canceling mid-year does not end your tax obligation. You have to file IRS Form 8962 with your federal return to reconcile the subsidies you received against what you actually qualified for based on your final annual income. The form is required even if you would not otherwise need to file.6IRS.gov. 2025 Instructions for Form 8962 – Premium Tax Credit
You will need Form 1095-A, which the marketplace must send by January 31 of the year after your coverage.7Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Form 1095-A – Health Insurance Marketplace Statement Because you were enrolled for fewer than 12 months, calculate your credit month by month rather than using the annual shortcut.
If your actual income came in higher than the estimate you gave at enrollment, you may have been overpaid in subsidies and owe some back. Repayment is capped at lower income levels. A single filer under 200 percent of the federal poverty level owes no more than $375; at 300 to 400 percent, the cap is $1,625.8IRS.gov. Instructions for Form 8962 – Premium Tax Credit At 400 percent or above, the cap disappears and you repay the full excess.
Canceling When You Turn 65 or Become Medicare-Eligible
If you are moving to Medicare, time the cancellation carefully. A Covered California plan does not count as creditable coverage for Medicare Part B, so keeping it past your initial Medicare enrollment window does not shield you from the Part B late enrollment penalty.9Medicare.gov. Avoid Late Enrollment Penalties
The Part B penalty adds 10 percent to your premium for each full year you delayed enrollment. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 per month in 2026, and the surcharge generally applies for as long as you have Part B.9Medicare.gov. Avoid Late Enrollment Penalties Once you are on Medicare, you are also no longer eligible for marketplace premium tax credits, so there is no financial reason to keep both.
Dental and Vision Plans Follow Different Rules
Canceling your health plan does not automatically end a stand-alone dental plan you bought through the marketplace. You can cancel dental any time using the same process. Vision is different: Covered California does not process vision plan terminations, so you have to call the vision insurer directly.2Covered California. Cancel Your Plan