In 2026, 150 percent of the federal poverty level is $23,940 a year for a single person in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, with the threshold rising by $8,520 for each additional household member. The Department of Health and Human Services publishes new poverty guidelines every January, and a long list of federal benefits, from home energy assistance to Medicare prescription drug subsidies to the deepest Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reductions, uses 1.5 times those figures as an income cutoff.
2026 Income Thresholds for the 48 States
HHS published the 2026 poverty guidelines in the Federal Register on January 15, 2026. At 150 percent, the annual pre-tax income limits for the 48 contiguous states and DC are:1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
- 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 of more than eight, add $8,520 for each additional person.2HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level FPL If your household’s annual income falls at or below the figure for your size, you meet the 150 percent cutoff for programs that use it.
Higher Thresholds for Alaska and Hawaii
HHS publishes separate, higher guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii to reflect the higher cost of living. At 150 percent for 2026 in Alaska:1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
- 1 person: $29,925
- 2 people: $40,575
- 4 people: $61,875
- 8 people: $104,475
Alaska adds $10,650 per additional person beyond eight. Hawaii’s 150 percent figures sit between the mainland and Alaska:
- 1 person: $27,540
- 2 people: $37,335
- 4 people: $56,925
- 8 people: $96,105
Hawaii adds $9,795 per additional person beyond eight. U.S. territories other than Hawaii generally use the 48-state figures.
What Qualifying at 150 Percent Gets You
Several federal programs peg eligibility directly to this threshold. Meeting it doesn’t automatically enroll you in anything, but it opens the door to substantial help.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
LIHEAP helps cover heating and cooling costs. Federal law sets 150 percent of the poverty level as the baseline income ceiling, but states may go higher if 60 percent of state median income exceeds that figure.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 US Code 8624 – Applications and Requirements No state may set its cutoff below 110 percent, and none may exceed the greater of 150 percent of poverty or 60 percent of state median income.4LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories Some states also apply asset tests; others look only at income.
Medicare Part D Extra Help
Extra Help, also called the Low Income Subsidy, reduces Medicare prescription drug costs. Starting in 2024, Congress raised full-subsidy eligibility from 135 percent to 150 percent of the poverty level.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 US Code 1395w-114 – Premium and Cost-Sharing Subsidies for Low-Income Individuals People who qualify pay no premium, no deductible, and no more than $12.65 for a brand-name prescription or $5.10 for a generic in 2026.6Medicare.gov. Help With Drug Costs
ACA Cost-Sharing Reductions
If you buy health coverage through the ACA marketplace and choose a silver-level plan, income at or below 150 percent of the poverty level qualifies you for the strongest cost-sharing reductions. Silver plans at this income level cover roughly 94 percent of average healthcare costs, which lowers copays, deductibles, and coinsurance sharply.7HealthCare.gov. Cost-Sharing Reductions You have to pick a silver plan specifically; bronze or gold forfeits the reduction even at qualifying income.
How Your Income Is Measured
Most programs tied to the 150 percent line use Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). Start with your Adjusted Gross Income from your federal return, then add back:8HealthCare.gov. How to Estimate Your Expected Income and Count Household Members
- Foreign earned income excluded from tax
- Non-taxable Social Security benefits
- Tax-exempt interest, such as municipal bond interest
AGI already reflects wages, self-employment earnings, investment income, retirement distributions, and above-the-line deductions like student loan interest.9Internal Revenue Service. Adjusted Gross Income MAGI doesn’t strip those deductions back out; it only adds the three categories above.
Definitions vary by program. MAGI is the standard for ACA marketplace subsidies, most Medicaid determinations, and CHIP. Medicare Extra Help uses its own income and resource test run by the Social Security Administration. LIHEAP definitions vary state by state. Check the specific program’s rules before assuming MAGI applies.
Counting Your Household
Household size decides which threshold applies, so it matters as much as the income figure. Under MAGI-based rules, your household generally includes everyone on your federal tax return: you, a spouse if filing jointly, and any tax dependents.8HealthCare.gov. How to Estimate Your Expected Income and Count Household Members
Two adults sharing a home who file separately and don’t claim each other are two separate households. An adult child living with parents who files her own return and isn’t claimed as a dependent is a household of one. Married couples generally must file jointly to claim ACA premium tax credits.
For people who don’t file taxes and aren’t claimed as dependents, the household is defined by family relationships. A non-filing adult’s household includes their spouse and any children under 19 living with them. A non-filing minor’s household includes parents and siblings under 19 in the home. Unrelated roommates don’t count toward each other.
Asset Limits That Can Still Disqualify You
Meeting the income threshold isn’t the whole story for every program. Medicare Part D Extra Help caps countable resources at $18,090 for an individual and $36,100 for a married couple in 2026.6Medicare.gov. Help With Drug Costs Countable resources include bank accounts, stocks, and bonds. Your primary home, one vehicle, personal belongings, life insurance, and burial plots are generally excluded.
ACA marketplace subsidies have no asset test at all; income and household size decide everything. LIHEAP asset rules vary by state.
If Your Income Changes During the Year
The threshold is applied to projected annual income, so a raise, job loss, or hours change mid-year can move you across the line.
For ACA coverage, report income changes to the marketplace so your advance premium tax credit can be adjusted. If your actual income comes in higher than what you estimated, you reconcile the difference on IRS Form 8962 when you file. Starting with the 2026 tax year, the repayment caps that once limited how much lower-income enrollees had to pay back have been eliminated, and you’re responsible for repaying the full excess credit regardless of income.
For Medicare Extra Help, income or resource changes affect eligibility at the next redetermination by the Social Security Administration, and you can also report changes yourself. Rising above 150 percent may cost you the full subsidy but can still leave you eligible for partial help.
Because HHS updates the guidelines each January, the dollar thresholds shift slightly every year. An income that sat just above the line last year may fall below it this year. If you’re within a few thousand dollars of the cutoff, run the current numbers before assuming you don’t qualify.