What Is Considered Poverty Income? 2026 Guidelines by Household Size

In 2026, the federal government considers a single person in the 48 contiguous states to be at poverty income if they earn less than $15,960 a year. For a family of four, that line is $33,000. Those numbers come from the Federal Poverty Guidelines, published each January by the Department of Health and Human Services, and they are what agencies use to decide who qualifies for Medicaid, subsidized health insurance, free legal aid, and dozens of other programs.¹

2026 Poverty Income by Household Size

The guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia in 2026:

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

For households larger than eight, add $5,680 for each additional person. Every step up in family size raises the poverty line by that same $5,680, because more people need more food, housing, and clothing.¹

These figures represent 100% of the federal poverty level, sometimes shortened to FPL. Program applications and benefit calculators often refer back to that percentage, so it is worth knowing which number in the table applies to your household before you start any eligibility check.

Higher Poverty Guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii

Because food, fuel, and housing cost significantly more in Alaska and Hawaii, HHS publishes separate and higher poverty guidelines for those two states. A single person in Alaska has a 2026 poverty guideline of $19,950, and a family of four reaches $41,250, roughly $8,250 above the same family in a contiguous state. Hawaii sits in between: $18,360 for a single person and $37,950 for a family of four.²

For households larger than eight, each additional person adds $7,100 in Alaska and $6,530 in Hawaii. Any federal program that uses FPL for eligibility applies the Alaska or Hawaii figure when evaluating applicants in those states, so identical earnings can produce different results depending on where you live.¹

You Can Earn Above the Poverty Line and Still Qualify for Help

Most programs do not cut off benefits at 100% of the poverty guideline. Agencies set eligibility at a multiple of the FPL, so a household earning well above the raw poverty number can still qualify. The percentage depends entirely on the program.

Medicaid in expansion states: Adults in the 41 states (including the District of Columbia) that have expanded Medicaid can qualify with household income up to 138% of the poverty level. The statute sets the cutoff at 133%, but a built-in 5% income disregard effectively raises the threshold to 138%.³
Marketplace health insurance subsidies: Premium tax credits for plans purchased through the ACA Marketplace are available to households earning between 100% and 400% of the poverty level. For a family of four in 2026, that range runs from $33,000 to $132,000.⁴
Free legal services: Programs funded by the Legal Services Corporation generally serve people with incomes at or below 125% of the poverty level.⁵
Immigration sponsorship: Sponsors filing an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) for a family-based visa must show household income of at least 125% of the poverty guidelines. Active-duty military members petitioning for a spouse or child need only meet the 100% threshold.⁶

SNAP, Head Start, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program each set their own cutoffs, often at 130%, 150%, or 200% of the guidelines.⁷ Two people with the same paycheck can get very different answers from two different programs, and it is the percentage the agency uses, not the raw poverty number, that decides.

What Income Counts Toward the Poverty Line

The official calculation looks at gross cash income before taxes. Regular, recurring cash coming into the household generally counts:

Wages, salaries, and self-employment earnings
Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, unemployment compensation, workers’ compensation, veterans’ payments, and public assistance
Interest, dividends, rent, royalties, and income from estates or trusts
Pensions, survivor benefits, alimony, child support, educational assistance, and regular help from someone outside the household⁸

The key word is regular. Predictable cash inflows count; one-time windfalls and paper gains generally do not.

What Does Not Count as Income

Several major categories sit outside the official income calculation, which matters when you are estimating whether you fall above or below the line:

Non-cash benefits, including SNAP (food stamps), housing subsidies, Medicaid, and energy assistance
Capital gains and losses from selling investments, property, or other assets
Refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which can deliver thousands of dollars to low-income families⁸

A family receiving substantial SNAP benefits and a large EITC refund has real purchasing power that never shows up when their income is compared against the poverty line.

Poverty Guidelines vs. the Official Poverty Rate

The dollar figures above are the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and they are what agencies use to decide eligibility. A separate set of numbers called poverty thresholds is maintained by the Census Bureau for a different purpose: producing the official poverty rate that tracks how many Americans are counted as poor. In 2024, that rate was 10.6%, representing 35.9 million people.⁹

The thresholds are more granular than the guidelines, varying by family size, the age of the householder, and the number of children, which produces 48 different figures.⁸ If you are trying to figure out whether you qualify for a benefit, the thresholds are not the number you want. The guidelines are.

1
Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – Detailed Tables
3
HealthCare.gov. Medicaid Expansion and What It Means for You
4
Internal Revenue Service. Eligibility for the Premium Tax Credit
5
Federal Register. Income Level for Individuals Eligible for Assistance
6
USCIS. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
7
HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) – Glossary
8
United States Census Bureau. How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty
9
United States Census Bureau. Poverty in the United States: 2024