Federal Poverty Guidelines: 2026 Income Limits by Household Size

The federal poverty guidelines for 2026 set the income line at $15,960 per year for a single person in the 48 contiguous states and D.C., with $5,680 added for each additional person in the household.¹ The Department of Health and Human Services publishes these figures each year, and dozens of federal programs use them to decide who qualifies for assistance. Most programs don’t draw the line at 100% of the guideline. They use multiples like 130%, 138%, 200%, or 400%, so families earning well above the base figure often still qualify for meaningful benefits.

2026 Income Figures by Household Size

HHS publishes three separate tables because Alaska and Hawaii have higher costs of living. The 2026 guidelines took effect on January 13, 2026, though individual programs adopt them on their own schedules.¹

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

Calculating a Percentage of the Guideline

Because almost no program uses 100% as its cutoff, you’ll usually need to do a quick multiplication. Take the base figure for your household size and multiply by the program’s percentage.

For a single person in the 48 contiguous states, working from a $15,960 base:

125%: $19,950
138%: $22,025
150%: $23,940
200%: $31,920
400%: $63,840

For a family of four in the 48 contiguous states, working from $33,000:²

125%: $41,250
138%: $45,540
150%: $49,500
200%: $66,000
400%: $132,000

Individual agencies sometimes round these figures, so a program’s published cutoff can differ by a few dollars from a straight calculation.

Which Programs Use Which Percentage

The threshold varies significantly by program. Knowing the multiple tells you whether it’s worth applying.

SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program uses 130% of the poverty guidelines as its gross income limit and 100% as its net income limit after certain deductions.⁴ For a family of four in the lower 48, that puts the gross ceiling at roughly $42,900.

Medicaid

In states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, adults qualify with incomes up to 133% of the poverty guidelines, and a mandatory 5-percentage-point income disregard effectively raises that to 138%.⁵ For a single person in the lower 48, that’s around $22,020. Children and pregnant women often qualify at higher levels depending on the state.

CHIP

The Children’s Health Insurance Program covers kids in families that earn too much for Medicaid but can’t afford private coverage. States set their own limits, which range from 170% to 400% of the guidelines.⁶

ACA Marketplace Subsidies

Premium tax credits are available to households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level under 26 U.S.C. § 36B.⁷ A temporary expansion removing the 400% cap ran through tax year 2025. Under current law, the 400% ceiling returns for tax year 2026, so a family of four in the lower 48 would need income under $132,000 to receive credits. If Congress extends the temporary rule, that ceiling may shift. Cost-sharing reductions, which lower deductibles and copays on silver-tier plans, go up to 250%.

Head Start

Head Start early childhood programs generally serve children in families at or below 100% of the guidelines.

Legal Aid

Legal Services Corporation grantees, which provide free civil legal help, cap eligibility at 125% of the guidelines.⁸ For a single person in the lower 48 states, that’s $19,950 in 2026.

Energy and Weatherization

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps with heating and cooling bills. The Weatherization Assistance Program, run by the Department of Energy, funds home improvements to lower energy costs for households at or below 200% of the guidelines.⁹

Lifeline Phone and Internet

The FCC’s Lifeline program offers a monthly phone or internet discount to households at or below 135% of the guidelines. Enrollment in SNAP or Medicaid can also qualify you automatically.

Immigration Sponsorship

Family-based green card sponsors must file Form I-864 showing household income of at least 125% of the guidelines for a household that includes the sponsor, the immigrant, and any dependents.¹⁰ Active-duty military sponsoring a spouse or child need only meet 100%. Immigration cases use the updated guidelines starting March 1, 2026, several weeks after publication.

How Household Income and Size Get Counted

Eligibility is based on gross income before taxes, insurance premiums, and retirement contributions come out. Wages, salaries, Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, pensions, and alimony all count. Each program defines exactly what counts, so a dollar that counts for SNAP may not count for Medicaid.³

Self-employment is where applicants regularly trip up. You use net profit, not gross revenue. A freelancer who invoiced $60,000 but spent $25,000 on supplies, equipment, and overhead has $35,000 in self-employment income for these purposes.

Certain income is commonly excluded: SNAP benefits, the Earned Income Tax Credit, food grown for personal consumption, and school lunch assistance generally don’t count. Assets like your home and primary vehicle are typically left out too. The guidelines focus on cash flow, not net worth, though each program sets its own rules.

Household size is the number of people living together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption and who share financial responsibility. Spouses, biological children, and legal dependents under the same roof all count. Roommates managing their own finances do not. Pregnancy is treated specially for Medicaid and CHIP: a pregnant person counts as themselves plus the expected number of children, so a woman expecting twins counts as a household of three even if she lives alone. The larger household size makes it easier to fall below the income threshold.

When the New Figures Take Effect

HHS published the 2026 guidelines in the Federal Register on January 15, 2026, with an official effective date of January 13, 2026.¹ Individual programs decide when to adopt them. Some switch immediately, others take weeks or months. USCIS applies the updated figures to immigration cases starting March 1, 2026.¹⁰ If you’re applying during the January-to-February transition window, check which year’s numbers the specific program is using. Applying with the wrong year’s figures can produce an incorrect eligibility determination.

Poverty Guidelines Are Not the Same as Poverty Thresholds

When a benefits program refers to the “federal poverty level,” it almost always means the HHS guidelines described above. The Census Bureau also publishes poverty thresholds, but those are used for statistical purposes such as counting how many Americans live in poverty, and they vary by family composition in ways the guidelines do not.¹¹ For any eligibility question, use the HHS figures.

1
Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
2
GovInfo. Federal Register Vol. 91 No. 10 – Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
3
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
4
USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
5
eCFR. 42 CFR 435.603 – Application of Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)
6
MACPAC. CHIP Eligibility
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 36B – Refundable Credit for Coverage Under a Qualified Health Plan
8
eCFR. 45 CFR Part 1611 – Financial Eligibility
9
eCFR. 10 CFR Part 440 – Weatherization Assistance for Low-Income Persons
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
11
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Further Resources on Poverty Measurement, Poverty Lines, and Their History