150% of Federal Poverty Guidelines: Income Limits and Benefits

In 2026, 150 percent of the federal poverty level is $23,940 for a single person in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, and it rises by $8,520 for each additional household member.¹ That line matters because federal programs use it as a specific cutoff: home energy assistance, the strongest tier of ACA cost-sharing reductions, TRIO education programs, USCIS fee waivers, and the protected-income floor for most income-driven student loan payments all key off it. The Department of Health and Human Services updates the underlying poverty guidelines each year based on the Consumer Price Index, and other agencies apply their own multiples of those numbers.²

2026 Income Limits at 150 Percent (48 States and DC)

If your annual household income is at or below the amount for your household size, you meet the 150 percent test.¹

1 person: $23,940
2 people: $32,460
3 people: $40,980
4 people: $49,500
5 people: $58,020
6 people: $66,540
7 people: $75,060
8 people: $83,580

For households larger than eight, add $8,520 per additional person. That increment is the base per-person figure of $5,680 multiplied by 1.5.¹

Alaska and Hawaii Have Higher Limits

HHS publishes separate guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii to reflect higher costs of food, housing, and utilities. The 150 percent figures track those elevated baselines.

Alaska

1 person: $29,925
2 people: $40,575
3 people: $51,225
4 people: $49,500
5 people: $72,525
6 people: $83,175
7 people: $93,825
8 people: $104,475

Add $10,650 for each additional person beyond eight.³

Hawaii

1 person: $27,540
2 people: $37,335
3 people: $47,130
4 people: $56,925
5 people: $66,720
6 people: $76,515
7 people: $86,310
8 people: $96,105

Add $9,795 for each additional person beyond eight.³

What the 150 Percent Threshold Gets You

The dollar figures are only useful once you know which programs treat them as a cutoff. Several major ones do.

LIHEAP (Home Energy Assistance)

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps households pay heating and cooling bills. Federal law caps eligibility at 150 percent of the poverty guidelines, unless 60 percent of a state’s median income is higher, in which case the state may use that instead.⁴ Most states set their LIHEAP cutoff at or near 150 percent for at least some benefits.⁵

ACA Cost-Sharing Reductions

If you buy a Silver plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace and your household income is at or below 150 percent of the poverty level, you qualify for the strongest tier of cost-sharing reductions. Your plan’s actuarial value rises to 94 percent, meaning the insurer covers nearly all of your medical costs and your deductibles and copays drop sharply.⁶ Between 150 and 200 percent, the plan covers 87 percent. That gap can translate to hundreds or thousands of dollars over the year, so which side of the 150 percent line you land on has real weight here.

Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment

Most income-driven repayment plans for federal student loans define “discretionary income” as earnings above 150 percent of the poverty guidelines for your household size and state. Under Pay As You Earn (PAYE), your monthly payment is 10 percent of that discretionary income. Under Income-Based Repayment (IBR), it is 10 or 15 percent depending on when you first borrowed. If your income sits below 150 percent, your calculated payment is zero.

Federal TRIO Programs

Federal TRIO programs, including Upward Bound and Talent Search, define a “low-income individual” as someone whose family income did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level in the preceding year.⁷

USCIS Fee Waivers

Applicants filing immigration forms can request a fee waiver on Form I-912 if household income is at or below 150 percent of the poverty guidelines. USCIS publishes its own 150 percent table each year for this purpose.³

Other Common Thresholds That Are Not 150 Percent

Not every assistance program uses this line, and mixing them up leads to wasted applications. SNAP uses 130 percent of the poverty level for gross income eligibility.⁸ Medicaid expansion covers adults up to roughly 138 percent in participating states.⁹ The Weatherization Assistance Program sets its ceiling at 200 percent.¹⁰ Federally funded legal aid through the Legal Services Corporation is limited to people at or below 125 percent.¹¹

How Income and Household Are Measured

The HHS poverty guidelines are just dollar thresholds. Each program decides on its own what counts as income, who counts as a household member, and which deductions apply.¹

For ACA marketplace coverage, the income measure is modified adjusted gross income (MAGI): your AGI plus untaxed foreign income, non-taxable Social Security benefits, and tax-exempt interest. Supplemental Security Income is not counted.¹² For income-driven student loan repayment, the measure is the adjusted gross income on your most recent tax return. LIHEAP and similar programs often use gross income before deductions, though some states allow certain exclusions.

Household definitions shift too. Marketplace coverage counts everyone on your tax return, including a spouse filing jointly and all tax dependents. LIHEAP typically counts everyone living together who shares income and expenses. Getting household size wrong changes which row of the table applies, which can push you over or under the line even when your income is unchanged.

Calculating Your Own Percentage

To find where you sit relative to 150 percent, divide your annual income by the 100 percent poverty guideline for your household size, then multiply by 100. For a single person in the 48 contiguous states, the 2026 base guideline is $15,960.¹ If you earn $20,000, the math is $20,000 ÷ $15,960 × 100, or roughly 125 percent. That puts you below the 150 percent line and potentially eligible for programs that use it.

You can also skip the calculation and compare your income directly to the 150 percent tables above. The percentage math is mainly useful when an application asks for your exact poverty-level figure rather than a yes-or-no box. Use whichever income measure the specific program requires; your adjusted gross income from last year’s tax return (Form 1040, line 11) is a reasonable starting estimate for most programs.

1
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
2
GovInfo. 42 USC 9902 – Definitions
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Poverty Guidelines
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 8624 – Applications and Requirements
5
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 18071 – Reduced Cost-Sharing for Individuals Enrolling in Qualified Health Plans
7
U.S. Department of Education. Federal TRIO Programs Current-Year Low-Income Levels
8
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
9
HealthCare.gov. Medicaid Expansion and What It Means for You
10
U.S. Department of Energy. Weatherization Program Notice 25-3 – Federal Poverty Guidelines
11
eCFR. 45 CFR Part 1611 – Financial Eligibility
12
HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level