Do you think any of these agents will get into any real trouble this year..trying to figure if playing it straight was worth it.
There is a big difference between making up numbers and trying to help someone who is self employed figure out their income one year in advance.
Let's take someone who just changed careers (I have a bunch of them) and have no clue about what they will make this year-are they supposed to estimate $0 because they haven't started earning anything yet (as an example, a new realtor) or estimate enough income to live on (which they need to do)?
Either of these is a complete guess so they might as well guess enough to receive a subsidy rather than have to pay $400-$600 for an unsubsidized plan.