Medicare skilled nursing facility cost calculator (2026)
Enter the number of days in a Medicare-covered skilled nursing facility stay to see what you pay under Original Medicare in 2026: $0 a day for days 1–20, $217 a day for days 21–100, and all costs from day 101 of each benefit period.
Your cost by day of the benefit period (2026, Original Medicare)
| Days of the benefit period | You pay per day | Subtotal |
|---|
Medicare Advantage plans set their own costs, so this calculator does not add them up. Medicare.gov says Medicare Advantage plans may also waive the 3-day minimum inpatient hospital stay, and members may be charged copayments during the first 20 days. Check your plan's documents or call the plan for its skilled nursing facility costs.
What Original Medicare charges for each day in 2026
Original Medicare Part A covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care in each benefit period, not 100 days a year. Medicare.gov lists these 2026 amounts:
| Day of the benefit period | What you pay |
|---|---|
| Days 1–20 | $0 a day |
| Days 21–100 | $217 a day |
| Day 101 and after | All costs |
At $217 a day, all 80 days from day 21 to day 100 add up to $17,360.
How the calculator counts
Days are counted per benefit period. Medicare counts the 100 days within a benefit period, not within a calendar year. If covered skilled nursing days were already used in the same benefit period, enter them so the calculator starts counting from the right day. The 100 days reset only when a new benefit period starts, after at least 60 days in a row without being an inpatient in a hospital, or in a skilled nursing facility at the skilled level of care. See when the 100 days reset.
The daily coinsurance. Federal rules set the coinsurance for days 21–100 at one-eighth of the year's Part A inpatient hospital deductible, which is $1,736 in 2026. If the facility's actual charge is lower, you pay the actual charge. The calculator uses the full $217.
The Part A deductible is not included. Medicare.gov describes the $0 days as coming after you pay the $1,736 Part A deductible. That deductible is not owed again for the nursing home stay if it was already paid for the hospital stay in the same benefit period.
After day 100. Medicare Part A stops paying for the stay, and Medicare.gov says you pay all costs. The calculator shows "all costs" rather than a dollar amount because it does not know the facility's charges.
The 100 days are a limit, not a promise. Coverage lasts only while the person needs skilled nursing or skilled rehab on a daily basis. When that need ends, coverage can stop well before day 100. The calculator assumes every day you enter is covered.
Who qualifies: the 3-day hospital stay rule
Original Medicare generally covers a skilled nursing facility stay only after a medically necessary inpatient hospital stay of at least 3 days in a row, not counting the day of discharge. Medicare.gov says time spent under observation or in the emergency room before you are admitted does not count toward the 3 days. It also says you may not need the 3-day stay if your doctor participates in an Accountable Care Organization approved for a Skilled Nursing Facility 3-Day Rule Waiver.
Read the full rules in our guide to Medicare's 100-day rule for skilled nursing. See also: Observation Status? Medicare May Not Pay the Nursing Home.
Can Medigap pay the coinsurance?
Medicare's guide to choosing a Medigap policy says some plans pay all or part of the daily coinsurance for days 21–100. Of the standard plans sold in most states, Plans A and B don't cover it; Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin have their own plans. The Medigap benefit is for the coinsurance for days 21–100. See which Medigap plans pay the skilled nursing coinsurance.
Sources
- Medicare.gov, Skilled nursing facility care
- CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles
- CMS, MLN Matters MM14279: Medicare deductible, coinsurance and premium rates, CY 2026 update
- 42 CFR § 409.85, Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care coinsurance
- 42 CFR Part 409, Subpart F, Scope of hospital insurance benefits (benefit periods and 100 SNF days)
- 42 CFR part 409, subpart D, Requirements for Coverage of Posthospital SNF Care (§ 409.30 Basic requirements; § 409.31 Level of care requirement)
- CMS, Medicare Coverage of Skilled Nursing Facility Care (Product No. 10153, August 2025)
- Medicare.gov, Inpatient or outpatient hospital status affects your costs
- Medicare.gov, Learn what Medigap covers
- CMS, Choosing a Medigap Policy (Product No. 02110, March 2026)
- 42 CFR § 409.60, Benefit periods
This calculator is general information, not financial advice. Dollar figures are for 2026 and change every year, so confirm them with Medicare or your plan.