What is the income limit for nursing home Medicaid in 2026?

It depends on the state. States that use an income cap may set it as high as 300% of the federal SSI benefit rate, which is $2,982 a month for an individual in 2026. Most use that figure. Other states let people with higher incomes qualify once their care costs are counted. Your state Medicaid agency can tell you which rule applies.

Does Medicaid pay all of the nursing home bill?

Medicaid pays the home for covered care, and the resident pays most of his or her monthly income toward the cost. The resident keeps a personal needs allowance, which federal rules set at no less than $30 a month and many states set higher, plus amounts for a spouse at home and for health insurance premiums.

Can a nursing home take your house?

A nursing home does not take a resident's house. Medicaid generally does not count the home while a spouse or dependent relative lives there. When no spouse or dependent child lives there, the resident's equity must be under the state's limit, which is $752,000 in 2026 unless the state has chosen a higher one. After a Medicaid recipient who was 55 or older dies, the state must seek repayment from the estate, but not while a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child survives.

How much can the spouse at home keep?

Under federal spousal impoverishment rules, the spouse at home keeps a share of the couple's countable assets between $32,532 and $162,660 in 2026, depending on the state and the couple's total. The spouse keeps all of his or her own income. If that income is below the state's monthly standard, between $2,705 and $4,066.50 in most states as of July 2026, part of the resident's income can go to the spouse to make up the difference.

Paying for care

How Medicaid pays for a nursing home: 2026 income and asset limits

By Nursing Home Checker · Updated Oct 6, 2026

Key takeaways

Medicaid pays for long-term nursing home care for people who meet their state's medical and financial rules.
Each state sets its own limits inside federal rules. In states that use an income cap, the 2026 limit is usually $2,982 a month, and a single applicant can keep $2,000 in countable assets in most states.
A spouse who stays at home keeps his or her own income and a share of the couple's assets, between $32,532 and $162,660 in 2026.
Federal law sets a five-year look-back for gifts and transfers made for less than fair value.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program, and it is the program that pays for long-term nursing home care for people who cannot afford it. Federal law sets the frame and each state fills in its own limits, so the answer to "Do we qualify?" always depends on the state.

What does Medicaid cover in a nursing home?

For a resident who qualifies, the home must provide these at no charge: nursing and related services, rehabilitation, medical social services, pharmacy services, dietary services, an activities program, emergency dental care, room and bed maintenance, and routine personal hygiene items. A home may charge the resident for extras such as a telephone, television, personal comfort items and a private room that is not medically needed.

States may not keep a waiting list for Medicaid nursing home coverage. A person who meets the rules is entitled to it.

Who qualifies?

There are two tests.

Medical. The state decides whether the person needs the level of care a nursing home provides, usually through an assessment.
Financial. The person's income and countable assets must be within the state's limits.

What are the 2026 financial limits?

These are the federal figures for 2026. Your state's own figures may differ.

Rule	2026 figure
Monthly income limit, in states that use an income cap	Up to $2,982 for an individual (300% of the $994 federal SSI benefit rate). Most cap states use that figure; a state may set a lower cap.
Countable assets, single applicant	$2,000 in most states. Some states set a different limit, higher or lower.
Home equity limit, when no spouse or dependent child lives in the home	$752,000; states may choose a higher limit, up to $1,130,000
Assets a spouse at home can keep	$32,532 to $162,660
Monthly income standard for a spouse at home	$2,705 to $4,066.50 in most states, as of July 1, 2026. If the spouse's own income is below the state's standard, part of the resident's income can go to the spouse to make up the difference.
Look-back period for gifts and transfers	60 months (5 years) under federal law, used by nearly every state

States that do not use an income cap let people with higher incomes qualify once the cost of their care is counted against that income. In states that do use a cap, there may be a way to qualify with income above it. Your state Medicaid agency or an elder law attorney can explain the options.

What counts as an asset?

Countable assets generally include bank accounts, investments and property other than the home. States generally do not count the home while a spouse or dependent relative lives in it, or while the resident intends to return. If no spouse, child under 21, or blind or disabled child lives there, the resident's equity in the home must be under the state's limit. One car, household goods and personal belongings are also generally not counted. The exact list is set by each state.

What does the resident pay each month?

Most of the resident's income goes to the nursing home as his or her share of the cost, and Medicaid pays the rest of the home's Medicaid rate. Before that share is worked out, the resident keeps:

a personal needs allowance for clothing, haircuts and other personal expenses. Federal rules set it at no less than $30 a month, and many states set it higher;
an allowance for a spouse at home, where the rules provide one;
the cost of health insurance premiums.

Differs by statePersonal needs allowance by state

Maine: A MaineCare resident keeps $40 a month for personal expenses.
New Hampshire: A Medicaid resident keeps $93 a month for personal expenses, effective January 1, 2026. State law calls for a cost-of-living adjustment every year.
Rhode Island: A Medicaid resident keeps $75 a month for personal expenses. That amount has applied since July 1, 2023.
Vermont: A Medicaid resident keeps $79.93 a month for personal expenses ($159.85 for a couple). That amount has applied since January 1, 2024.

Checked against state sources in Oct 2026. State rules are added here as each state is added to this site.

What is the five-year look-back?

Federal law sets a 60-month look-back. When someone applies, the state reviews gifts and transfers made for less than fair market value during that period, and a transfer in the window can lead to a period when Medicaid will not pay for nursing home care. Nearly every state uses the 60-month period. Many families talk with an elder law attorney before giving away money or property.

What is estate recovery?

Federal law requires states to seek repayment from the estate of a Medicaid recipient who was 55 or older, after death, for nursing home care, home and community-based services, and related hospital and prescription drug costs. A state may not recover while a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child survives, and every state must have a hardship waiver. Your state Medicaid agency can explain how its program works.

How do you apply?

Applications go through your state Medicaid agency. A decision can take weeks, so families often start as soon as Medicaid looks likely and keep copies of everything they send. The home's social worker or business office can usually help with the forms.

Differs by stateWhere to apply, by state

Maine: MaineCare (Long Term Care MaineCare) · 1-855-797-4357
New Hampshire: Medicaid Long Term Care · 1-866-634-9412 (Aging and Disability Resource Center)
Rhode Island: Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) · 1-855-697-4347
Vermont: Long-Term Care Medicaid (Choices for Care) · 1-833-840-0061

Checked against state sources in Oct 2026. Contacts are added here as each state is added to this site.

Federal rules do not allow a nursing home to require a family member or friend to personally guarantee payment as a condition of admission. The long-term care ombudsman can explain anything in an admission agreement that is unclear.