Medicaid Income Limits by State (2026)

As of 2026, 41 states plus the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid under the ACA. The remaining 10 states have not expanded; in those states childless adults typically do not qualify for Medicaid regardless of income, and parents only qualify at a much lower threshold — often below 50% of the federal poverty level.

In expansion states, a family of 4 qualifies up to 138% of the federal poverty level — about $45,540 per year, or roughly $3,795 a month, in 2026. Children and pregnant women qualify at much higher thresholds, often 200% to 380% of FPL, depending on the state.

Medicaid eligibility is set state by state within federal floors, and it is decided group by group. Expansion states cover adults at 138% FPL; non-expansion states have no adult ceiling at all — only a much lower standard for parents and caretakers. Children and pregnant women are covered at higher levels in every state, which is why a child can qualify while a parent does not.

Yes, in dollars. The percentage standards rarely move — a state has to file a federal amendment to change them — but the dollar ceiling changes every January when HHS publishes the new poverty guidelines, because the percentage is applied to that table. The 2026 expansion ceiling is $22,025 a year for a household of one; the 2027 equivalent will not be known until HHS publishes the 2027 guidelines in early 2027. What is confirmed for January 1, 2027 is not an income limit but a work requirement: expansion adults must document 80 hours a month of work or qualifying activity.

From the CMS national Medicaid eligibility table, cross-checked against each state's own publication where the state publishes one that can be read directly. Dollar figures are computed from the official 2026 HHS poverty guidelines with the 5% MAGI disregard applied, so a state whose base standard is 133% appears as 138%.