Federal Poverty Level 2026: The Full HHS Poverty Guidelines Chart
Every 2026 HHS poverty guideline for the 48 contiguous states plus DC, Alaska, and Hawaii — by household size, as a percentage-of-poverty table, and with the one rule almost every other chart gets wrong: which year's guidelines actually govern your ACA premium tax credit.
Want your actual Marketplace subsidy, not just the poverty-line inputs?
Estimate your premium tax credit →2026 federal poverty level chart — 48 contiguous states & DC
This is the 2026 FPL chart most federal program eligibility rules point to for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Every row below is the poverty level income for 2026 at that household size.
| Household size | 2026 poverty guideline |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 |
| 2 | $21,640 |
| 3 | $27,320 |
| 4 | $33,000 |
| 5 | $38,680 |
| 6 | $44,360 |
| 7 | $50,040 |
| 8 | $55,720 |
| Each additional person | +$5,680 |
Source: HHS/ASPE Poverty Guidelines, published 2026-01-15, effective 2026-01-13.
Alaska and Hawaii 2026 poverty guidelines charts
HHS publishes separate, higher guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii each year rather than adjusting the 48-state chart with a regional multiplier.
Alaska
| Household size | 2026 guideline |
|---|---|
| 1 | $19,950 |
| 2 | $27,050 |
| 3 | $34,150 |
| 4 | $41,250 |
| 5 | $48,350 |
| 6 | $55,450 |
| 7 | $62,550 |
| 8 | $69,650 |
| Each additional person | +$7,100 |
Hawaii
| Household size | 2026 guideline |
|---|---|
| 1 | $18,360 |
| 2 | $24,890 |
| 3 | $31,420 |
| 4 | $37,950 |
| 5 | $44,480 |
| 6 | $51,010 |
| 7 | $57,540 |
| 8 | $64,070 |
| Each additional person | +$6,530 |
Source: HHS/ASPE Poverty Guidelines, published 2026-01-15, effective 2026-01-13.
What is 138% or 200% of the federal poverty level for 2026?
Different federal programs gate eligibility at different multiples of the same base guideline — this 2026 FPL chart applies the most common multiples to the 48-contiguous-states schedule for household sizes one through eight. 100% is SNAP's net-income test and 130% is its gross-income test; 130% and 185% are also the free and reduced-price school meal thresholds, which USDA sets by multiplying these same 2026 guidelines by 1.30 and 1.85. 138% is the ACA Medicaid expansion-adult eligibility ceiling, and 200% and 250% are common Marketplace cost-sharing-reduction breakpoints.
400% matters again for 2026. The enhanced premium tax credit subsidies expired on 31 December 2025 and were not extended, so the pre-2021 applicable-percentage table and its hard 400% cutoff are back in force for the 2026 plan year — above 400% of the poverty line there is no premium tax credit at all, rather than the 8.5% cap that applied through 2025. Remember that the figure to test against is the 2025 guideline, not the 2026 one, for the reason set out above.
| Household size | 100% | 125% | 130% | 133% | 138% | 150% | 185% | 200% | 250% | 400% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $19,950 | $20,748 | $21,227 | $22,025 | $23,940 | $29,526 | $31,920 | $39,900 | $63,840 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $27,050 | $28,132 | $28,781 | $29,863 | $32,460 | $40,034 | $43,280 | $54,100 | $86,560 |
| 3 | $27,320 | $34,150 | $35,516 | $36,336 | $37,702 | $40,980 | $50,542 | $54,640 | $68,300 | $109,280 |
| 4 | $33,000 | $41,250 | $42,900 | $43,890 | $45,540 | $49,500 | $61,050 | $66,000 | $82,500 | $132,000 |
| 5 | $38,680 | $48,350 | $50,284 | $51,444 | $53,378 | $58,020 | $71,558 | $77,360 | $96,700 | $154,720 |
| 6 | $44,360 | $55,450 | $57,668 | $58,999 | $61,217 | $66,540 | $82,066 | $88,720 | $110,900 | $177,440 |
| 7 | $50,040 | $62,550 | $65,052 | $66,553 | $69,055 | $75,060 | $92,574 | $100,080 | $125,100 | $200,160 |
| 8 | $55,720 | $69,650 | $72,436 | $74,108 | $76,894 | $83,580 | $103,082 | $111,440 | $139,300 | $222,880 |
Computed from the 2026 federal poverty guidelines above; e.g. 138% of the one-person guideline is $22,025 and 400% of the one-person guideline is $63,840.
The ACA timing rule almost every other chart gets wrong
A 2026 FPL chart is not automatically the right chart for 2026 ACA Marketplace coverage. Treasury regulation 26 CFR §1.36B-1(h) sets the rule in plain terms:
"The Federal poverty line means the most recently published poverty guidelines … as of the first day of the regular enrollment period for coverage by a qualified health plan offered through an Exchange for a calendar year. Thus, the Federal poverty line for computing the premium tax credit for a taxable year is the Federal poverty line in effect on the first day of the initial or annual open enrollment period preceding that taxable year."
Open enrollment for 2026 coverage runs in the fall of 2025 — before HHS had even published the 2026 guidelines. So premium-tax-credit math for 2026 coverage runs on the 2025 poverty guidelines, not the 2026 figures in the charts above:
| Household size | 2025 guideline (use for 2026 ACA coverage) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15,650 |
| 2 | $21,150 |
| 3 | $26,650 |
| 4 | $32,150 |
| 5 | $37,650 |
| 6 | $43,150 |
| 7 | $48,650 |
| 8 | $54,150 |
The same regulation also fixes what happens across state lines: if a taxpayer's primary residence changes during the year between states with different guidelines, or spouses on the same return live in separate states with different guidelines (say, one spouse in Alaska or Hawaii and the other in a contiguous state), the higher of the applicable guidelines governs for the whole household.
Run your own numbers — with the correct year's guideline already applied — on the ACA premium tax credit calculator.
Poverty guidelines vs. poverty thresholds — not the same number
HHS is explicit that its poverty guidelines and the Census Bureau's poverty thresholds are two different things. The guidelines are an administrative simplification of the thresholds, reissued every year specifically so federal agencies have one clean number to test program eligibility against — that's the chart on this page. The Census thresholds are the original, more finely broken-out statistical measure used mainly for counting how many people are in poverty in official statistics, not for eligibility screening.
Guidelines are also named for the year they're issued, not the year their underlying prices reflect. The 2026 guidelines were published in January 2026, but — because HHS builds them from the prior year's Census thresholds updated for inflation — they reflect price changes only through calendar year 2024. A guideline set is always one step behind the cost-of-living reality of the year it's named for.
Which programs use the federal poverty guidelines
Use the guidelines
- ACA premium tax credit (subject to the one-year-back timing rule above)
- Medicaid and CHIP
- SNAP (food stamps)
- Head Start
- National School Lunch Program
- LIHEAP (home energy assistance)
Do NOT use the guidelines
- TANF (state-set income rules instead)
- SSI (its own federal benefit-rate and resource tests)
- The Earned Income Tax Credit — a common misconception on a tax site; EITC eligibility runs on its own income and investment-income limits, not a percentage of the poverty line
Source: HHS/ASPE Poverty Guidelines FAQ page.
Where these guidelines feed into ustax.tools
This 2026 FPL chart is the shared input behind several other calculators on this site:
- ACA premium tax credit calculator — Marketplace subsidy math, correctly using the one-year-back guideline from the rule above.
- Medicaid income limits 2026 — the 138% MAGI expansion-adult threshold and non-expansion state limits, by state.
- SNAP benefits calculator — gross- and net-income tests built on this same base guideline.
- Student loan repayment calculator — the discretionary-income formula behind IDR plans subtracts a multiple of this guideline from your income.
- SSI calculator — if you're searching for federal poverty level figures because you're checking SSI eligibility, note SSI does NOT use this chart at all (see above) — use the dedicated SSI calculator instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is the federal poverty level for 2026?
For 2026, the HHS federal poverty guidelines (the practical version of "the federal poverty level" used for program eligibility) run from $15,960 for a household of one up to $55,720 for a household of eight in the 48 contiguous states plus DC, adding $5,680 for each additional person. Alaska and Hawaii each use higher, separately published guidelines — see the two dedicated charts below. These are the 2026 poverty guidelines: published mid-January 2026 and used for most federal benefit-eligibility determinations made during 2026.
What is the poverty level income for 2026?
The poverty level income for 2026 depends on household size and region: $15,960 for one person and $33,000 for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states, $19,950 for one person in Alaska, and $18,360 for one person in Hawaii. See the full household-size-by-household-size chart above for all three regions and sizes one through eight.
What is the FPL for 2026 in Alaska and Hawaii?
Alaska's 2026 FPL starts at $19,950 for one person and adds $7,100 per additional person; Hawaii's starts at $18,360 and adds $6,530 per additional person. Both are higher than the 48-contiguous-states-plus-DC schedule because HHS publishes each as its own separate guideline, reflecting the higher cost of living in each state.
What is 200% of the federal poverty level for 2026?
For a household of four in the 48 contiguous states, 200% of the 2026 federal poverty level is $66,000. The full 2026 FPL chart above shows every common multiple — 100%, 125%, 130%, 133%, 138%, 150%, 185%, 200%, 250%, and 400% — for household sizes one through eight, since different federal programs gate eligibility at different multiples of the same base guideline.
Does the ACA premium tax credit use the 2026 or the 2025 poverty guidelines?
The 2025 guidelines, not the 2026 ones. Under 26 CFR §1.36B-1(h), the poverty line used to compute a taxable year's premium tax credit is "the Federal poverty line in effect on the first day of the initial or annual open enrollment period preceding that taxable year" — for coverage taken in 2026, that means the 2025 guidelines ($15,650 for one person, $32,150 for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states), published before the open enrollment period that preceded 2026. Most people expect the newest chart to apply and use the wrong year's numbers as a result.
What's the difference between poverty guidelines and poverty thresholds?
HHS's poverty guidelines are an administrative simplification of the Census Bureau's poverty thresholds, issued once a year for eligibility screening in federal programs — this page's chart. The Census thresholds are the original statistical measure used mainly for counting the poor in official statistics and vary by more household-composition detail than the guidelines do. Guidelines are designated by the year they're issued, not the year their prices reflect — the 2026 guidelines were published in January 2026 but reflect price changes only through calendar year 2024, since HHS builds each year's guidelines from the prior year's Census poverty thresholds updated for inflation.
Does the federal poverty level affect the Earned Income Tax Credit or SSI?
No, and this is a common mix-up on a tax site: the Earned Income Tax Credit and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) both run on their own separate income rules, not a percentage of the federal poverty level. HHS's own list of programs that use the poverty guidelines includes the ACA premium tax credit, Medicaid and CHIP, SNAP, Head Start, the National School Lunch Program, and LIHEAP — it does not include TANF, SSI, or the EITC. If you're looking for SSI income limits specifically, use the SSI calculator linked below instead of this chart.
Sources
Related insights
Use these guides for rule explanations, planning context, and follow-up questions beyond the calculator result.
ACA Premium Tax Credit: Income Limits, Subsidy Amounts, and How to Estimate Your Savings
How the ACA premium tax credit works, who qualifies, how subsidies are calculated, and how to avoid overpayment surprises at tax time.
Earned Income Tax Credit guide
Eligibility rules, qualifying children, and common EITC filing mistakes.
Related Calculators
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Medicaid Income Limits 2026
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SNAP Benefits Calculator
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Student Loan Repayment
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SSI Calculator
Estimate your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment — federal 2026 rates with income and asset tests