Medicaid income limits by state

What you can earn and still qualify, state by state, as each state publishes it. Including the seven states where an adult without children has no pathway at all.

In the 41 states that expanded Medicaid, a single adult qualifies on income alone — up to about $1,800 a month in 2026. The exact figure is 138% of the federal poverty line, which most states publish as a dollar amount that rises with household size.

In the seven states that never expanded, there is no income low enough. An adult under 65 without a child at home and without a qualifying disability has no pathway into Medicaid at all. Those states still cover parents, but at limits far below the poverty line — in Texas, a parent of two loses eligibility at about $250 a month.

Alaska and Hawaii run on their own, higher federal poverty guidelines, so a national chart understates their limits. Both are shown below with their own figures.

Every state

Medicaid income limits by state, 2026

Monthly gross income for a single adult aged 19 to 64, as each state publishes it. Open your state for the full table by household size, what counts as income, and the limits for children, pregnancy and long-term care.

Each state's own published limit for 2026, with its own effective date and its own basis. Some states print 133% and apply the 5% disregard separately; others print the effective 138%. Where a state publishes both, the effective ceiling is shown, because that is the figure that decides eligibility. Source: the state agency in every case — see each guide for the citation.
State	Single adult	As the state states it	Notes
Alabama	No pathway	$410/mo	Never expanded. An adult without a child at home cannot qualify at any income. The figure shown is the limit for a parent in a family of three.
Alaska	$2,296/mo	138% FPL	DenaliCare covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Arizona	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	AHCCCS covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Arkansas	See guide	138% FPL	ARHOME covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
California	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	Medi-Cal covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Colorado	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	Health First Colorado covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Connecticut	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	HUSKY Health covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Delaware	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	Diamond State Health Plan covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Florida	No pathway	$486/mo	Never expanded. An adult without a child at home cannot qualify at any income. The figure shown is the limit for a parent in a family of three.
Georgia	See guide	Varies	Never expanded, but the work rules still reach some people here. Eligibility runs through more than one pathway.
Hawaii	$2,112/mo	138% FPL	Med-QUEST covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Idaho	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	Adult Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Illinois	$1,835/mo	138% FPL	Illinois Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Indiana	$1,835.50/mo	133% FPL	Healthy Indiana Plan covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Iowa	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	Iowa Health and Wellness Plan covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Kansas	No pathway	$818/mo	Never expanded. An adult without a child at home cannot qualify at any income. The figure shown is the limit for a parent in a family of three.
Kentucky	$1,836/mo	133% FPL	Medicaid Expansion covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Louisiana	$1,800/mo	138% FPL	Healthy Louisiana covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Maine	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	MaineCare covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Maryland	$1,835/mo	138% FPL	Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Massachusetts	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	MassHealth CarePlus covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Michigan	$1,835/mo	133% FPL	Healthy Michigan Plan covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Minnesota	$1,768/mo	133% FPL	Medical Assistance covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Mississippi	No pathway	$498/mo	Never expanded. An adult without a child at home cannot qualify at any income. The figure shown is the limit for a parent in a family of three.
Missouri	$1,836/mo	133% FPL	MO HealthNet covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Montana	$1,835/mo	138% FPL	Montana HELP Plan covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Nebraska	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	Nebraska Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Nevada	$1,800/mo	138% FPL	Nevada Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
New Hampshire	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	Granite Advantage Health Care Program covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
New Jersey	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	NJ FamilyCare covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
New Mexico	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	Turquoise Care covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
New York	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	New York Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
North Carolina	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	NC Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
North Dakota	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	Medicaid Expansion covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Ohio	$1,769/mo	133% FPL	Medicaid Expansion covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Oklahoma	$1,848/mo	133% FPL	SoonerCare covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Oregon	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	Oregon Health Plan covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Pennsylvania	$1,835.50/mo	138% FPL	Medical Assistance covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Rhode Island	$1,835/mo	133% FPL	Rhode Island Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
South Carolina	No pathway	$1,411.53/mo	Never expanded. An adult without a child at home cannot qualify at any income. The figure shown is the limit for a parent in a family of three.
South Dakota	$1,835/mo	138% FPL	South Dakota Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Tennessee	See guide	Varies	Never expanded, but the work rules still reach some people here. Eligibility runs through more than one pathway.
Texas	No pathway	$344/mo	Never expanded. An adult without a child at home cannot qualify at any income. The figure shown is the limit for a parent in a family of three.
Utah	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	Adult Expansion Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Vermont	$1,835.50/mo	138% FPL	Medicaid for Children and Adults covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Virginia	$1,800/mo	138% FPL	Cardinal Care covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Washington	$1,835/mo	138% FPL	Apple Health for Adults covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Washington, D.C.	$1,836/mo	138% FPL	DC Medicaid covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
West Virginia	$1,836/mo	133% FPL	Adult Group covers adults 19–64 on income alone.
Wisconsin	See guide	Varies	Never expanded, but the work rules still reach some people here. Eligibility runs through more than one pathway.
Wyoming	No pathway	$873/mo	Never expanded. An adult without a child at home cannot qualify at any income. The figure shown is the limit for a parent in a family of three.

How it is measured

What counts as income, and what does not

Medicaid for adults under 65 uses a tax-based measure called MAGI, which is narrower than most people expect.

It is gross income before tax, not take-home pay

It counts the whole tax household, not just you

Child support received does not count

Supplemental Security Income does not count

Most veterans' benefits do not count

Workers' compensation does not count

The first $20 a month of most unearned income is disregarded for older and disabled applicants

A 5% disregard is applied on top, which is why states say 138% when the law says 133%

Why you should apply even if you think you are over

The limits here are the income test for one pathway. There are others — disability, pregnancy, long-term care, breast and cervical cancer treatment, the medically needy "spend-down" route in some states — and each uses different rules and often much higher limits. Deciding for yourself that you do not qualify is the most common way people miss coverage they were entitled to. Applying is free and takes about twenty minutes.

Questions

Questions people ask about this

What is the Medicaid income limit for a single person in 2026?

In a state that expanded Medicaid, about $1,800 a month in gross income for one person — 138% of the federal poverty line. The exact dollar figure varies slightly because states update at different times, and Alaska and Hawaii use their own higher poverty guidelines. In the seven states that never expanded, a single adult without children has no pathway at any income.

Why do some states say 133% and others 138%?

They are the same limit. The statute says 133% of the poverty line, and then a separate 5% of income is disregarded, which brings the effective ceiling to 138%. States differ only in which number they print in their consumer materials.

Is the income limit based on gross or take-home pay?

Gross income, before tax and before deductions. It is measured for your whole tax household rather than just you, using a tax-based definition called MAGI that excludes child support received, Supplemental Security Income, workers' compensation and most veterans' benefits.

What if I earn slightly too much for Medicaid?

Apply anyway and let the state decide, then look at the Marketplace. Medicaid has several pathways with different and often much higher limits — disability, pregnancy, long-term care, and a medically needy spend-down route in some states. If none fit, Marketplace subsidies begin where Medicaid ends in an expansion state.