Federal Poverty Guidelines: 2026 Amounts and Program Limits

The 2026 federal poverty guidelines set the income line at $15,960 for one person and $33,000 for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C.¹ Issued each January by the Department of Health and Human Services, these figures are the yardstick dozens of federal programs use to decide who qualifies for assistance. When an application asks whether your income falls under a certain percentage of the “federal poverty level,” this is the number behind that math.

The 2026 Amounts by Household Size

HHS publishes three separate sets of guidelines. Alaska and Hawaii get higher figures because everyday costs there run above the national average.²

48 Contiguous States and D.C.

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
Each additional person: add $5,680

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
Each additional person: add $7,100

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
Each additional person: add $6,530

Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands are not covered by the HHS guidelines. Territories that run federal programs tied to these figures must specify in their own plans which poverty standard they will use.³

How Programs Turn the Guideline Into an Income Limit

Almost no federal program cuts off eligibility exactly at 100% of the poverty line. Instead, programs use a multiple. If eligibility runs to “200% FPL,” you take the guideline for your household size and double it. For a single person in 2026, 200% of FPL is $31,920. For a family of four, it’s $66,000.¹

Program Thresholds for 2026

SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program uses 130% of the poverty guideline as its gross income limit for most households. A family of four would need gross monthly income at or below roughly $3,575 to qualify on income alone, and SNAP also applies a net income test at 100% of the guideline after certain deductions.⁴

Medicaid and CHIP

In states that have expanded Medicaid, adults aged 18 to 64 qualify if household income falls below 138% of the federal poverty level. The statute reads 133%, but a built-in income disregard pushes the effective threshold to 138%.⁵ Children typically qualify at higher income levels through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with thresholds ranging from roughly 200% to 400% of FPL depending on the state and the child’s age.⁶

ACA Marketplace Coverage

The guidelines also determine help with health insurance bought through the ACA marketplace. Households with income between 100% and 400% of FPL qualify for premium tax credits that lower monthly premiums.⁷ For 2026, 400% of FPL is $63,840 for one person and $132,000 for a family of four.¹ Households up to 250% of FPL can also get cost-sharing reductions that lower deductibles and copays on Silver-tier plans, with the largest reductions going to households under 150% of FPL.

Free and Reduced-Price School Meals

Children in households at or below 130% of the poverty guideline qualify for free school breakfast and lunch. Families between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price meals, which are capped at $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch.⁸

Head Start

Head Start serves children from birth through age five in families earning below 100% of the poverty guideline.⁹ A family of three would need to earn under $27,320 to qualify on income alone in 2026.

Energy Bills and Weatherization

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps cover heating and cooling costs. Federal law caps the income ceiling at 150% of the poverty guideline, though states can set their own cutoffs as low as 110%.¹⁰ The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, which funds insulation and efficiency upgrades, uses a broader 200% of FPL threshold.¹¹

Legal Aid

Many legal aid organizations set their own income cutoffs using FPL percentages, commonly between 125% and 200%. Each provider sets its own threshold, so the limit depends on where you live and which office you contact.

How Programs Count Income and Household Size

Here is the point that catches most people. The poverty guidelines themselves are just dollar amounts tied to household size. They do not define what counts as “income” or who counts as part of your “household.” Each program makes those calls on its own rules. Someone who counts as a household member for SNAP may not count for Medicaid, and income one program ignores can matter to another.

Most programs start with gross cash income before taxes, covering wages, Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, and similar payments. Non-cash benefits like SNAP itself or housing subsidies are generally not counted. Many programs also exclude student aid provided under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, including Pell Grants and federal student loans.

Household size definitions also vary. Some programs count everyone living together who shares meals and expenses; others look only at people related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Foster children, roommates, and live-in aides are often excluded from the household count, with their income disregarded, but the specifics depend on the program. When you apply for a specific benefit, use that program’s definitions rather than a generic one.

Guidelines vs. Poverty Thresholds

The poverty guidelines are not the same as the Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds, and mixing them up causes confusion. The Census thresholds are a detailed matrix that varies by family size, number of children, and whether elderly members are present, and they exist for statistical purposes: counting how many Americans live in poverty and tracking trends.

The HHS poverty guidelines are a simplified version of those thresholds. They vary only by household size and geography, and their purpose is administrative. When a benefits application asks about the “federal poverty level,” it means the guidelines.

When the Numbers Change and Where to Verify Them

HHS publishes updated guidelines in the Federal Register each January. The 2026 guidelines took effect on January 13, 2026.² Once published, the new numbers apply immediately to most programs, but agencies can specify a different effective date, and programs with their own cycles, like school meals running July through June, phase in the new figures on their own schedule.

The most reliable source for current figures is the ASPE site at aspe.hhs.gov, which publishes a detailed PDF showing dollar amounts at various FPL percentages for every household size.¹ If you need the number for a specific program, go to that program’s own income eligibility page. USDA for SNAP and CMS for Medicaid publish tables that translate the raw guideline into program-specific limits, including the deductions and disregards the base figure does not show.

1
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
2
Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
3
Department of Energy. Poverty Income Guidelines
4
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
5
HealthCare.gov. Medicaid Expansion and What It Means for You
6
Medicaid.gov. Medicaid, Childrens Health Insurance Program, and Basic Health Program Eligibility Levels
7
HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
8
Food and Nutrition Service. Child Nutrition Programs – Income Eligibility Guidelines (2025-2026)
9
Head Start. Poverty Guidelines and Determining Eligibility for Participation in Head Start Programs
10
LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Income Eligibility
11
Department of Energy. How to Apply for Weatherization Assistance