In 2026, 500% of the federal poverty level is $79,800 a year for a single person and $165,000 for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C.1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States The Department of Health and Human Services publishes updated guidelines each January, so the dollar figure at any FPL percentage shifts a bit every year.2Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines The 500% mark is less common than the 100%, 138%, or 400% thresholds that anchor Medicaid, CHIP, and marketplace subsidies, but it appears in certain patient assistance foundations and state programs.
2026 Income at 500% FPL by Household Size
The math is straightforward: take the base poverty guideline for your household size and multiply by five. For the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., that produces these annual income figures for 2026:1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
- 1 person: $79,800
- 2 people: $108,200
- 3 people: $136,600
- 4 people: $165,000
- 5 people: $193,400
- 6 people: $221,800
- 7 people: $250,200
- 8 people: $278,600
For each additional person beyond eight, add $28,400. That figure comes from the per-person increment in the base guideline, $5,680, multiplied by five.1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
Alaska and Hawaii Use Higher Guidelines
Alaska and Hawaii have their own poverty guidelines because living costs there consistently run above the national average. In 2026, the single-person base is $19,950 in Alaska and $18,360 in Hawaii, with per-person increments of $7,100 and $6,530.1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States At 500% FPL, that works out to:
- Alaska, 1 person: $99,750
- Alaska, 4 people: $206,250
- Hawaii, 1 person: $91,800
- Hawaii, 4 people: $189,750
If you live in either state, make sure any calculator or application you use is running the Alaska or Hawaii table. The 48-state figures will understate your threshold by thousands of dollars.
How to Calculate Your Own Number
The poverty guideline is built as a base amount for one person plus a fixed dollar increment for each additional household member. In the contiguous states for 2026, that’s $15,960 plus $5,680 per additional person. So a household of four sits at $33,000 at 100% FPL ($15,960 plus three increments of $5,680), and multiplying by five gives the $165,000 figure at 500%.1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
The same base-plus-increment structure lets you compute any other threshold a program might use, such as 138% for Medicaid expansion or 250% for cost-sharing reductions. Each program decides for itself how to round and which types of income to count, so the raw multiplication is only a starting point.
Where 500% FPL Is Actually Used
Most of the well-known federal programs cut off eligibility well below 500% FPL. Medicaid expansion covers adults up to 138% FPL. CHIP varies by state and reaches about 400% FPL at its most generous.3Medicaid.gov. CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment Marketplace premium tax credits, in 2026, are tied to 400% FPL.
The 500% mark shows up mainly in patient assistance foundations that help cover costly medications. Several national disease-fund organizations set their income ceiling somewhere between 300% and 500% FPL depending on the condition and the treatment involved. If you’re applying for copay assistance or a drug manufacturer’s patient support program, 500% FPL is often the figure you’ll be measured against.
Some state and local programs also reference 500% FPL for utility discounts, housing help, or supplemental health benefits, but these vary widely. Before assuming you qualify or don’t, pull the current eligibility chart from the specific program rather than treating 500% FPL as a universal cutoff.
What 500% FPL Means for Marketplace Coverage in 2026
If you’re looking up 500% FPL because you’re shopping for health insurance, the key point for 2026 is that the enhanced premium tax credits that let households above 400% FPL receive subsidies expired at the end of 2025.4Congress.gov. Enhanced Premium Tax Credit and 2026 Exchange Premiums Those enhanced credits, first enacted under the American Rescue Plan and extended through the Inflation Reduction Act, had capped anyone’s premium contribution at 8.5% of household income no matter how far above 400% FPL they earned.
With that provision gone, the old subsidy cliff at 400% FPL is back. For 2026, 400% FPL is $63,840 for a single person and $132,000 for a family of four. A household earning at 500% FPL sits well above that line and will receive no federal marketplace premium tax credit for 2026.1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States