Medicaid Income Limits

In most states, a single person applying for nursing-home Medicaid can have monthly income up to $2,982. But about half the states use no hard cap at all. They let you qualify by spending your income down on care instead. Which kind of state you're in changes how you apply, and whether being over the limit matters.

This page covers income only. Your savings and property are judged separately, and that's usually the harder test, so read what Medicaid counts as your assets next. If you're not yet sure your parent or spouse qualifies at all, start with who qualifies for Medicaid long-term care.

Figures shown are 2026 amounts, last verified July 17, 2026. Source: CMS, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services; Social Security Administration.

What's the income limit for nursing-home Medicaid?

Federal law lets a state set a special income limit for people in nursing homes at up to 300% of the basic Supplemental Security Income payment. For 2026 that works out to $2,982 a month for one person. States that use it are usually called "income cap" states.

Here's the part that surprises families: in an income-cap state, being one dollar over the line disqualifies you outright. It doesn't shrink your benefit, and there's no sliding scale. That's the whole reason the trust described below exists.

What if my state doesn't use a cap?

The other group of states are called "medically needy" or "spend-down" states. They don't turn you away for having too much income. Instead nearly all of your monthly income goes toward your cost of care each month, and Medicaid pays the remaining bill.

You keep only a small personal needs allowance for things like haircuts and a phone. New York, Illinois, North Carolina and California all work this way. So someone with high income can still qualify in these states. They just won't keep much of that income once care starts.

Does the Medicaid income limit change if you're married?

Yes, and this is where families most often find the wrong answer online. There's no federal couple figure for the nursing-home income cap at all. CMS prints no couple standard in its published charts, so when both spouses apply, each is measured against the single-person limit on their own.

You'll see a doubled couple figure quoted elsewhere. That's arithmetic somebody did, not a federal standard. Some states do publish their own couple figure, and where that happens it's the state's number rather than a national one.

When only one spouse needs care, the rules work in your favor. The spouse staying home isn't expected to go broke, and two separate protections exist for them:

• A minimum monthly income allowance. The at-home spouse can keep at least $2,705 a month, and in some cases up to $4,066.50, taken from the applicant's income when their own income falls short.
• A protected share of savings. Separately, the at-home spouse keeps between $32,532 and $162,660 in countable assets.

What counts as income for Medicaid?

Medicaid counts money you actually receive each month. That normally means Social Security, pensions, annuity payments, VA benefits, regular withdrawals you take as payments, rental income and dividends.

What it generally doesn't count is the value of what you already own. Your house and your savings are assets, judged under the asset rules instead. Families often count the same money twice by mistake and talk themselves out of applying when they would have qualified.

What happens if my income is over the Medicaid limit?

Being over the cap isn't the end of the road, and this is the most useful thing on this page. In income-cap states the standard tool is a qualified income trust, often called a Miller trust.

The mechanics are narrower than the name suggests. Income above the cap goes into the trust each month, which keeps it from counting against you, and that money still has to be spent on your care. It doesn't shelter anything for your family. It changes how the money is counted, and nothing else.

Not every state uses the same name for it, and a few don't allow it at all, so the local term matters when you call. It's a legal document with strict rules about what may go in it, which makes this one of the points where an elder law attorney earns their fee.

Medicaid income limits by state

These are the monthly income limits for nursing-home Medicaid in the ten largest states. Where a state has no cap, the table says so instead of showing a blank, because "no cap" and "we don't know" mean very different things for your application.

Monthly income limit for nursing-home Medicaid, by state

State	Single applicant	Married, both applying
California	No income cap; share of cost applies	No income cap; share of cost applies
Florida	$2,982	$5,964
Georgia	$2,982	$5,964
Illinois	No income cap; spend-down applies	No income cap; each spouse counted separately
Michigan	Not confirmed	Not confirmed
New York	No income cap; spend-down applies	No income cap; each spouse counted separately
North Carolina	No income cap; spend-down applies	No income cap; each spouse counted separately
Ohio	$2,982	Not confirmed
Pennsylvania	$2,982	Each spouse counted separately
Texas	$2,982	$5,964

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

Some cells read "Not confirmed." That means we couldn't verify that figure against the state's own published rules, and we won't print a number we can't stand behind. Call your state's agency and ask directly.

Common questions

Does Social Security count toward the Medicaid income limit?

Yes. Social Security retirement and disability payments count as income, and for most applicants they're the largest part of it. Once you're in a nursing home, nearly all of that income goes toward your care, and only a small personal needs allowance is left to you.

If I'm one dollar over the limit, am I really denied?

In an income-cap state, yes, on income grounds. That's the exact situation a qualified income trust is built to solve, and it's a common one. In a spend-down state the question never arises, because there's no cap to be over in the first place.

Can I give money away to get under the Medicaid income limit?

No, and trying usually backfires. Medicaid reviews transfers you made in the years before you applied and can impose a penalty period when it won't pay for your care. See what you can and can't do to protect assets for the rules that actually apply.

Do Medicaid income limits change every year?

Yes. The federal figures track the Supplemental Security Income payment amount, which is adjusted each January, and some state figures move at other points in the year. That's why every figure on this page carries the date we last checked it against the source.

My spouse is staying at home. Will they lose their income?

No. The at-home spouse keeps their own income. If it falls below the monthly allowance described above, they can receive part of the applicant's income to bring them up to it. The couple's savings are protected separately under the asset rules.

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.
• Social Security Administration, "SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026."
• Each state's own Medicaid agency for the state figures above. Per-figure sources and check dates are recorded in the data file behind this page.
• Justice in Aging, "H.R. 1 Reduces Medicaid Retroactive Eligibility Starting in 2027" and "H.R. 1 Imposes New Limit on Home Equity for Medicaid LTSS Effective 2028," April 9, 2026.

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