Medicaid Income Limits 2026

In a state that has adopted ACA Medicaid expansion, a single adult qualifies with a MAGI up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level — $22,024.80 per year ($1,835.40 per month) in the 48 contiguous states plus DC for 2026. Alaska and Hawaii use higher FPL bases, so their dollar limits are higher. In the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid, a childless adult with no waiver program generally isn't eligible for Medicaid regardless of income (the "coverage gap") — use the checker above to see your specific state.

Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is the income measure Medicaid uses for most non-elderly, non-disabled applicants. It starts from your federal Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and adds back a few items (like excluded foreign income and tax-exempt interest), but does not use pre-2014 methods like income disregards that varied by state. For most wage-earning applicants without unusual deductions, MAGI is close to gross income minus above-the-line adjustments (retirement contributions, student loan interest, etc.).

No. The ACA expansion adult group (42 CFR 435.119) is MAGI-based only — there is no asset or resource test, unlike some other Medicaid categories (such as long-term care Medicaid) that do test assets. If your MAGI is under the limit for your household size, assets like savings, retirement accounts, or a second car do not affect eligibility for this group.

The coverage gap describes childless, non-disabled, non-pregnant adults in non-expansion states who do not fit a traditional Medicaid category and may also fall below the usual income floor for ACA marketplace premium tax credits. Georgia and Wisconsin run waiver programs that close or narrow this gap; the other non-expansion states do not cover this adult category regardless of how low the person's income is.

Pathways to Coverage is a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver that lets Georgia adults qualify for Medicaid up to 100% of the Federal Poverty Level, but only if they complete at least 80 hours per month of a qualifying activity — employment, school, job training, or community service. It is not full ACA expansion (there is no 138% MAGI-adult group and no 5-percentage-point disregard), and its current waiver window runs through December 31, 2026, pending federal renewal.

Wisconsin runs a BadgerCare Reform Section 1115 waiver that covers childless adults up to 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. Unlike the 8 non-expansion, non-waiver states, Wisconsin has no coverage gap — but because it caps eligibility at 100% FPL rather than 138% and doesn't apply the ACA's 5-percentage-point MAGI disregard, it is still not counted as an ACA expansion state.

Yes. A CMS interim final rule (Federal Register, June 3, 2026, document 2026-11094) requires states to implement an 80-hours-per-month community engagement (work) requirement for ACA expansion adults no later than January 1, 2027. This does not change 2026 eligibility — it is a forward-looking rule to be aware of if you expect to still be enrolled after the 2027 deadline.

Yes — nearly every state sets much higher Medicaid and CHIP income limits for children and pregnant women than for other adults, often 200%–300% FPL or higher. This page and calculator cover only the adult categories (single adults and parents/caretaker relatives). For children's or pregnancy-related Medicaid/CHIP limits, check your state Medicaid agency's website or Healthcare.gov, which can route you to the right program.

Yes. The Federal Poverty Guidelines that Medicaid limits are based on are republished by HHS every January, typically with a small increase tied to inflation. All the dollar figures on this page reflect the 2026 guidelines (effective January 13, 2026) — check back each January for updated figures, or use the calculator above, which is built to update automatically when the underlying guidelines change.