NEW ACA AGENT GUIDE · VERIFIED AUGUST 14, 2026
Short answer: For PY2027, CMS says a new Marketplace agent—or an agent who did not complete PY2026 Individual Marketplace registration and training—must take the full PY2027 Individual Marketplace training once it becomes available. Before that, verify the required state health-related license and NPN, determine the exchange model, and prepare the correct official account. CMS has not published a PY2027 training opening date on its current registration page.
Official sources: CMS: Marketplace agent and broker registration and training · NIPR: state licensing requirements · CMS: state-based exchange directory and PY2027 transitions
Use this official-source checklist to move from a state health-related producer license to the federal or state Marketplace process assigned to your market.
By NHP University Editorial Team · Review method · CMS, HealthCare.gov, NIPR, and Covered California sources reviewed August 14, 2026
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Follow the new-agent path for licensing, NPN verification, exchange routing, account setup, annual training, agreements, and issuer access.
This worksheet stores nothing. Do not write passwords, consumer information, identity documents, or other sensitive data in it.
CURRENT FEDERAL STATUS
As of August 14, 2026, the CMS registration page says PY2026 Marketplace registration and training is closed and the Marketplace Learning Management System is offline for scheduled maintenance while CMS prepares the PY2027 process.
CMS says PY2027 Individual Marketplace training will be available in English and Spanish. It does not list an opening date on the current page. Do not treat an estimated launch date, an old PDF, or an outside course calendar as an official CMS date; monitor the live CMS page.
| Your prior status | PY2027 federal training path | What you can do now |
|---|---|---|
| New to the Marketplace | Full PY2027 Individual Marketplace training once available | Verify license/NPN, identify the exchange, and prepare the correct official account |
| Did not complete PY2026 registration and training | Full PY2027 Individual Marketplace training once available | Recover or verify any existing CMS account before creating another one |
| Completed PY2026 Individual Marketplace registration and training | Eligible for the shorter returning-agent PY2027 training plus optional review modules | Use the returning-agent guide and preserve the existing portal account |
Sources for this section: CMS: Marketplace agent and broker registration and training
GATE 1 · STATE AUTHORITY
CMS says an agent without an approved health-related line of authority from the resident state cannot access federal Marketplace systems or assist with Marketplace enrollment. The license name, application steps, education, exam, fingerprints, fees, and continuing requirements come from the state—not from CMS or NHP University.
Use NIPR's state-requirements directory to reach the responsible regulator, then confirm that the official record shows the correct name, active status, line of authority, and National Producer Number. Add nonresident authority where the planned activity and state rules require it.
| Record | Minimum verification | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Resident license | Active health-related line of authority accepted for Marketplace validation | A life-only or unrelated license qualifies |
| NPN | Correct NPN tied to the producer record | An agency NPN can replace the individual producer's record |
| Nonresident authority | Active authority where solicitation, sale, or service requires it | Remote work removes state licensing duties |
| Appointments/contracts | Confirmed separately with the applicable issuer or organization | A state license automatically creates product access |
Sources for this section: CMS: Marketplace agent and broker registration and training · NIPR: state licensing requirements
GATE 2 · FEDERAL PLATFORM
For a state using HealthCare.gov, the current federal quick-start guide organizes the official work. Interface labels can change, so follow the live portal prompts when PY2027 opens.
Create a CMS Enterprise Portal account only if you do not already have one. HealthCare.gov specifically tells existing account holders not to create a duplicate.
Use the FFM training access path in the portal and request the FFM Agent Broker role. Complete identity proofing with information that matches official records.
When CMS makes PY2027 available, access the Marketplace Learning Management System through the portal, update the profile, enroll in the assigned Individual Marketplace curriculum, and finish every required item.
Launch and electronically accept the privacy, security, and Marketplace agreements assigned to the annual curriculum. Training completion alone is not the whole registration process.
Retain the completion record and check the current Registration Completion List. CMS notes that the RCL contains NPNs for agents who completed current annual registration and can be updated frequently.
Sources for this section: HealthCare.gov: five-step agent and broker quick-start guide · CMS: Marketplace agent and broker registration and training · Data.HealthCare.gov: FFM registration status lists
GATE 3 · MARKETPLACE MODEL
Do not choose the training system from memory. CMS's current state directory lists 21 state-based exchanges and three state-based exchanges using the federal platform for PY2026, and it separately identifies Oregon as seeking a transition for PY2027. That is exactly why the state and plan year must be checked before you register.
A fully state-based exchange can operate its own agent account, certification, agreement, and renewal process. Covered California, for example, publishes its own training, exam, agreement, and account steps. That example is not a national checklist; the official exchange serving the consumer's state controls.
| Marketplace model | Starting source | New-agent action |
|---|---|---|
| Federally-facilitated Marketplace | CMS registration page and Enterprise Portal | Complete the full PY2027 federal process once available |
| State-based exchange on the federal platform | CMS plus the state exchange's official agent page | Confirm which steps belong to the federal platform and which belong to the state |
| State-based exchange | The exchange's own official agent/broker portal | Complete its current certification, agreements, systems, and deadlines |
Sources for this section: CMS: state-based exchange directory and PY2027 transitions · CMS: states by Marketplace type for Plan Year 2026 · Covered California: certified insurance agent steps
PY2027 SALES CALENDAR
CMS finalized a November 1 through December 15, 2026 Open Enrollment Period for PY2027 coverage on exchanges using the federal platform, with January 1 coverage for enrollments made during that window.
State exchanges may set their own periods within the federal rule's parameters: each period must start no later than November 1, end no later than December 31, last no more than nine calendar weeks, and produce January 1 coverage. Verify the state's published dates before giving a consumer a deadline. Training availability and open enrollment are different dates; one does not establish the other.
Sources for this section: CMS: 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Final Rule fact sheet · CMS: state-based exchange directory and PY2027 transitions
FINAL OPERATING CHECK
Verify agency, employer, issuer, direct-enrollment, or web-broker relationships, appointments where applicable, compensation terms, product access, system credentials, and required product training.
Use the current CMS or exchange procedure before accessing information or assisting with an application. A purchased lead or general marketing response is not blanket authorization to enroll or change a plan.
Use approved systems, safeguard personally identifiable information, review the application and plan selection with the consumer, and retain records under the current platform and organizational procedure.
NHP University can provide supplemental education, but it cannot issue a state license or NPN, open CMS systems, complete Marketplace registration, certify an agent for a state exchange, or create an issuer appointment.
Sources for this section: HealthCare.gov: five-step agent and broker quick-start guide · CMS: Marketplace agent and broker registration and training · Covered California: certified insurance agent steps
COMMON QUESTIONS
CMS places both first-time Marketplace agents and agents who did not complete PY2026 Individual Marketplace registration and training on the full PY2027 training path once it becomes available.
CMS has not posted an opening date on its current registration page as of August 14, 2026. The page says PY2026 is closed while CMS prepares PY2027 and that the new training will be available in English and Spanish.
Do not automatically create another account. HealthCare.gov tells people with an existing CMS Enterprise Portal account not to create a duplicate. Use the official account-recovery or help process as needed.
No. Some states operate their own exchanges and agent-certification systems, while others use the federal platform wholly or partly. Check the CMS marketplace-type directory and the official state exchange before starting.
No. NHP education is supplemental. You must independently satisfy the state license, official federal or state exchange process, agreements, and applicable issuer or organizational requirements.
SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATION
Explore NHP University's current course catalog for supplemental insurance education. CMS, the state regulator, the exchange, and the applicable issuer or organization—not NHP—control the credentials required to assist consumers.
This guide is educational and does not guarantee a license, job, appointment, client, income, or regulatory outcome. Requirements and programs change; confirm current rules with the responsible regulator, agency, employer, exchange, or carrier.
Published 2026-08-14. Last modified 2026-08-14. CMS, HealthCare.gov, NIPR, and Covered California sources reviewed August 14, 2026.
Launch review: verified CMS's new-agent definition, PY2027 training status, federal open-enrollment dates, state-exchange branching, and the boundary between NHP education and official certification.
See the editorial and corrections policy.
