Medicaid Asset Limits

Most states let a single person applying for nursing-home Medicaid keep about $2,000 in countable assets. A handful allow far more. But the limit matters less than the word "countable": your home, your car and your personal belongings usually don't count at all, which is why families who assume they're disqualified often aren't.

Income is judged separately and under different rules, so read how Medicaid income limits work too. If your worry is what happens to the house, go straight to whether Medicaid can take your house.

Figures shown are 2026 amounts, last verified July 21, 2026. Source: each state's own Medicaid agency.

What assets does Medicaid count?

Countable assets are the things you could reasonably turn into money to pay for care. That means checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks and bonds, mutual funds, most retirement accounts depending on the state, a second property, and cash value inside a whole life insurance policy.

Both spouses' assets count when one applies, no matter whose name is on the account. This catches people out constantly. Moving money into the healthy spouse's name alone does nothing, because Medicaid looks at the couple's combined resources on the date care begins.

What assets are exempt?

Exempt assets aren't counted at all. The usual list is your primary home (within an equity limit), one vehicle, household goods and personal effects, a prepaid irrevocable burial plot and funeral arrangement, and term life insurance with no cash value.

The home exemption has a ceiling. Federal law sets a band, and each state picks its figure inside it, currently between $752,000 and $1,130,000 of equity. Equity means what the home is worth minus what you still owe on it, so a large mortgage works in your favor here.

The home's exemption also depends on circumstances, not just value. It generally stays exempt while a spouse, a minor child, or a disabled child lives there, and in many states while the applicant intends to return home, even when returning is unlikely in practice.

Medicaid asset limits by state

The $2,000 figure is the common one, but it is not universal, and the gap between states is enormous. Never assume your state uses the standard number.

Countable asset limit for nursing-home Medicaid, by state

State	Single applicant	Married, both applying
California	$130,000	$195,000
Florida	$2,000	$3,000
Georgia	$2,000	$3,000
Illinois	$17,500	$17,500
Michigan	$2,000	$3,000
New York	$33,038	$44,796
North Carolina	$2,000	$3,000
Ohio	$2,000	$3,000
Pennsylvania	$8,000	Same limit per person; the at-home spouse is covered by the CSRA
Texas	$2,000	$3,000

Last verified: 2026-07-21. Source: Each state's own Medicaid agency; per-figure sources are listed in the site's data file

What can the at-home spouse keep?

When one spouse enters care and the other stays home, the at-home spouse is not required to spend down to the applicant's limit. They keep a protected share of the couple's countable assets, called the community spouse resource allowance.

Federal law sets that protection between $32,532 and $162,660, and states choose how they apply the band. Some protect half the couple's assets up to the maximum; others protect the full maximum regardless. The at-home spouse also keeps the house and the car.

What if you're over the asset limit?

Being over the limit delays eligibility; it doesn't bar you forever. You become eligible once countable assets come down to the limit, and there are legitimate ways to get there that don't involve giving money away.

Spending on the applicant's own benefit is the straightforward route: paying off a mortgage or credit cards, making needed home repairs, buying a more reliable car, prepaying funeral and burial costs, or paying for medical and dental work that's been put off.

What does not work is giving assets to family. Medicaid reviews transfers made in the years before you apply and can impose a penalty period when it won't pay for care. The rules on protecting assets cover where that line sits.

Common questions

Does my house count as an asset for Medicaid?

Usually not while you or a spouse lives there and your equity is under your state's limit. It's exempt for eligibility, which is a separate question from whether the state later recovers costs from your estate after death.

Do retirement accounts count?

It depends on the state and on whether the account is paying out. Some states exclude an account in payout status while counting one that isn't. This is one of the biggest state-to-state differences, so confirm it for your state specifically.

Can I move money to my children to qualify?

No. Transfers for less than fair value during the look-back period trigger a penalty, and the penalty is calculated from the amount transferred. Gifts made with good intentions and no knowledge of the rules are penalized the same as any other.

Do both spouses' assets count if only one needs care?

Yes. Medicaid counts the couple's combined countable assets regardless of whose name they're in. The at-home spouse then keeps their protected share, described above.

Sources

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "Updated 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards," CMCS Informational Bulletin, April 27, 2026.
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "2026 SSI, Spousal Impoverishment, and Medicare Savings Program Resource Standards," CMCS Informational Bulletin, December 9, 2025.
• Each state's own Medicaid agency for the state limits in the table above. Per-figure sources and check dates are recorded in the data file behind this page.

Written and reviewed by Owen Hastings. Last reviewed July 30, 2026. Read our editorial policy for how we source and check these figures.