Current Federal Poverty Guidelines by Household Size

The federal poverty guidelines by household size for 2026 start at $15,960 a year for a single person in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. and climb to $55,720 for a household of eight, with $5,680 added for each additional person. Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures. The Department of Health and Human Services publishes these numbers, and federal programs use them, usually as a percentage rather than the raw amount, to decide who qualifies for assistance.

2026 Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and D.C.

If your household’s annual gross income falls at or below the figure for your household size, you meet the 100% poverty-level standard.¹

1 person: $15,960
2 people: $21,640
3 people: $27,320
4 people: $33,000
5 people: $38,680
6 people: $44,360
7 people: $50,040
8 people: $55,720

Add $5,680 for each additional person beyond eight. A nine-person household, for example, comes to $61,400.¹

Guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii

Both states get their own, higher figures. A single person in Alaska has a poverty guideline roughly 25% above the mainland number.

Alaska

1 person: $19,950
2 people: $27,050
3 people: $34,150
4 people: $41,250
5 people: $48,350
6 people: $55,450
7 people: $62,550
8 people: $69,650

Add $7,100 for each additional person beyond eight.¹

Hawaii

1 person: $18,360
2 people: $24,890
3 people: $31,420
4 people: $37,950
5 people: $44,480
6 people: $51,010
7 people: $57,540
8 people: $64,070

Add $6,530 for each additional person beyond eight.¹

Applying an FPL Percentage to Your Household Size

Almost no program uses the raw guideline as its cutoff. Instead, eligibility is set at a percentage of the federal poverty level, such as 130%, 138%, 200%, or 400%. The math is simple: multiply the guideline for your household size by the percentage.

For a family of four on the mainland in 2026, the base guideline is $33,000. Common multiples come out as:

100% FPL: $33,000
130% FPL: $42,900
138% FPL: $45,540
150% FPL: $49,500
200% FPL: $66,000
250% FPL: $82,500
400% FPL: $132,000

The same multiplication works for any household size. In Alaska and Hawaii, use the higher state figures as the starting point.

Which Programs Use Which Cutoffs

Each program pegs its income limit to a different FPL percentage. That’s why a household can qualify for one benefit and not another even though both are described as “poverty-based.”

Health Coverage

In states that expanded Medicaid, adults qualify up to 138% of the guidelines.² The Children’s Health Insurance Program starts at 200% FPL and states can go higher; CHIP limits currently range from 170% to 400% FPL depending on the state.³

Affordable Care Act marketplace premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions are available to households with income between 100% and 400% FPL for 2026.⁴ The temporary expansion that removed the 400% cap expired at the end of 2025, so households above that line no longer qualify unless Congress reinstates the enhanced credits.

Food and Nutrition

SNAP applies two income tests. Gross household income generally cannot exceed 130% of the guideline, and net income after deductions cannot exceed 100%.⁵ For a mainland family of four in 2026, that’s gross income under roughly $42,900 and net under $33,000.

Early Childhood Education

Head Start primarily serves families at or below 100% FPL. Programs may enroll up to 35% of their children from families between 100% and 130% FPL when certain conditions are met.⁶

Energy Assistance

LIHEAP eligibility is capped at 150% of the guidelines or 60% of a state’s median income, whichever is higher, and states cannot set the floor below 110% FPL.⁷

Legal Aid

Federally funded legal aid through the Legal Services Corporation is available up to 125% FPL. The ceiling can rise to 200% FPL for people seeking help obtaining government benefits or for applicants with hardship factors such as medical debt or high fixed expenses.⁸

Who Counts in Your Household

Every additional person raises the income limit by thousands of dollars, so getting the count right matters. A household generally includes you, your spouse, and any dependents living in the home for whom you provide more than half of their financial support. Agencies usually verify these relationships through tax returns or guardianship documentation.

Some programs define the household more broadly to include everyone who shares food and living expenses under one roof, regardless of legal relationship. Domestic partners or unrelated adults who split costs as a single economic unit may be counted together under those rules. Miscounting can push an eligibility decision the wrong way in either direction, so the application instructions for the specific program you’re applying to are the place to confirm exactly who counts.

Non-Citizen Waiting Period

Non-citizens with “qualified alien” status, which includes lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees, generally face a five-year wait before accessing most federal benefits tied to the poverty guidelines. The clock starts on the date they received qualified immigration status, not the date they entered the country.⁹

Refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and veterans with an honorable discharge can access benefits immediately. Active-duty service members and their spouses and unmarried dependent children are also exempt. Several programs sit outside the waiting period regardless of immigration timing: Emergency Medicaid, disaster relief, school lunch, immunizations, Head Start, and food assistance for children under 18.⁹

Guidelines vs. Thresholds

People mix these up, and the names don’t help. The poverty guidelines, the numbers used throughout this article, are published by HHS and used by agencies to decide whether you qualify for a benefit. They give one figure per household size, updated each January.

Poverty thresholds are a separate set of numbers produced by the Census Bureau as a statistical tool for measuring how many Americans live in poverty.¹⁰ Thresholds vary by household size, the ages of household members, and whether the householder is over 65. They are calculated from prior-year data and are never used to determine eligibility for benefits. If you’re applying for a federal program, the guideline figures are the ones that apply.¹¹

1
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
2
HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level
3
Medicaid.gov. CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment
4
IRS. Questions and Answers on the Premium Tax Credit
5
USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
6
HeadStart.gov. Head Start FAQs
7
LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories
8
eCFR. 45 CFR Part 1611 – Financial Eligibility
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 U.S. Code 1613 – Five-Year Limited Eligibility of Qualified Aliens for Federal Means-Tested Public Benefit
10
United States Census Bureau. How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty
11
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior HHS Poverty Guidelines and Federal Register References