Reduced-price school meals and WIC, July 2026 to June 2027 (185%)
$61,050
2026
151.5% · within
Marketplace premium tax credit, 2026 coverage: For 2026 plans the Marketplace uses the 2025 guidelines. With the enhanced credits ended after 2025, income above 400% gets no credit.
Medicaid for adults, expansion states: In states that expanded Medicaid, adults qualify on income alone below 133%, which the calculation turns into 138%; a few states use a different limit.
SNAP gross income limit: Most households must also pass the net income test at 100%; SNAP publishes its own monthly figures each October.
Free school meals, July 2026 to June 2027: 130% of the 2026 guideline, rounded up to the next dollar.
Reduced-price school meals and WIC, July 2026 to June 2027: 185% of the 2026 guideline, rounded up to the next dollar.
Common multiples for 4 people, 2026
Share of the guideline
A year
A month
100%
$33,000
$2,750
130%
$42,900
$3,575
133%
$43,890
$3,658
138%
$45,540
$3,795
150%
$49,500
$4,125
185%
$61,050
$5,088
200%
$66,000
$5,500
250%
$82,500
$6,875
300%
$99,000
$8,250
400%
$132,000
$11,000
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Find your household income as a percentage of the HHS poverty guidelines for 2026 or 2025, for the 48 states, Alaska or Hawaii, with the income at every common multiple and where program lines such as 138% and 400% fall.
Best for: Marketplace subsidies, Medicaid and CHIP, School meals and WIC, Checking a program’s income limit
Updated September 2026 · Estimates only, not financial advice.
$15,960 plus $5,680 a person: a family of four is $33,000
The 2026 poverty guideline for one person in the 48 states and DC is $15,960, and each additional person adds $5,680. A family of four is $15,960 + 3 × $5,680 = $33,000; a household of ten is $67,080. There is no cap on household size.
guideline = first person + additional × (household size − 1)
Alaska and Hawaii have their own, higher figures: $19,950 plus $7,100 a person in Alaska and $18,360 plus $6,530 in Hawaii. The adding reproduces every figure HHS publishes, even though HHS derives them by rounding the Census thresholds into standard steps.
Family of four, 2026
$15,960 + $5,680 × 3
= $33,000
$50,000 ÷ $33,000 = 151.5%
2026 Marketplace plans use the 2025 guidelines
The guidelines come out each January, but not every program switches at once. For plan year 2026, which opened for enrollment on November 1, 2025, the Marketplace bases premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions on the 2025 guidelines and keeps using them for all 2026 applications.
The choice matters. A family of four with $50,000 is 151.5% of the 2026 guideline but 155.5% of the 2025 one, because the 2025 figure is $850 lower. Switch the guideline year in the calculator to see both.
138%, 185%, 400%: where the common lines fall
Programs set their limits as multiples of the guideline. Medicaid for adults in expansion states is below 133%, which works out to 138%: $45,540 for a family of four on the 2026 guideline. SNAP’s gross income limit is 130%, with a net test at 100%.
For July 2026 to June 2027, free school meals go to households up to 130% of the 2026 guideline and reduced-price meals up to 185%, each rounded up to the next dollar: $42,900 and $61,050 for a family of four. WIC also uses 185%. Marketplace premium tax credits for 2026 cover 100% to 400%, up to $128,600 for a family of four on the 2025 guideline.
The poverty guidelines are not the poverty thresholds
There are two federal poverty measures. The Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds are the original, statistical version, used to count how many people are poor; they are more detailed, with separate figures for householders aged 65 and older. The HHS poverty guidelines simplify them into one figure per household size for deciding who qualifies for programs.
HHS itself calls “federal poverty level” an ambiguous phrase to avoid where precision matters. Cash assistance such as TANF and SSI generally does not use the guidelines, and the Earned Income Tax Credit does not use them either.
The 2026 guidelines rose 2.6%, measured on eleven months of prices
The guidelines move with the CPI-U. Each January HHS takes the Census thresholds for the year before last and adjusts them for price changes over the past year. For a family of four the 2026 figure is 2.6% above 2025’s: $33,000 against $32,150.
The 2026 update is unusual: because the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish an October 2025 CPI-U during the federal government shutdown, HHS compared the average of the eleven available months of 2025 with all twelve months of 2024. Over a decade the single-person guideline has risen 32.3%, from $12,060 in 2017 to $15,960 in 2026.
Worked example
A family of four in the 48 states with $50,000 a year.
Worked example
2026 guideline, 4 people = $33,000
Percent of the 2026 guideline = 151.5%
2025 guideline (2026 Marketplace plans) = $32,150
Percent of the 2025 guideline = 155.5%
138% line, 2026 = $45,540
Limitations
Each program counts income and household members its own way, so the same household can have different percents for different programs.
This shows where income sits against a line; the program decides eligibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2026 federal poverty level for a family of four?
$33,000 in the 48 states and DC, $41,250 in Alaska and $37,950 in Hawaii. Each additional person adds $5,680 in the 48 states.
What is 138% of the poverty level for one person?
About $22,025 a year on the 2026 guideline: $15,960 × 1.38 = $22,024.80. In states that expanded Medicaid, adults qualify on income alone below that line.
Which poverty guidelines does the Marketplace use for 2026?
The 2025 guidelines. For plan year 2026 the Marketplace determines tax credits and cost-sharing reductions on the 2025 tables; a family of four’s 100% line is $32,150.
Is the federal poverty level the same as the poverty line?
Not quite. HHS issues the poverty guidelines for program eligibility; the Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds are the statistical measure used to count people in poverty. HHS itself calls “federal poverty level” an ambiguous name for the guidelines.
Do Alaska and Hawaii have their own guidelines?
Yes. For 2026 a single person’s guideline is $19,950 in Alaska and $18,360 in Hawaii, against $15,960 in the other states and DC.
Sources & References
Figures on this page are checked against primary, authoritative sources. Links open in a new tab.
Poverty GuidelinesOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS · verified 2026-09-22
Poverty Guidelines APIOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS · verified 2026-09-22
InflationWhat a US dollar from any year since 1913 is worth in another year, from the BLS CPI-U, with future inflation too.
Cost of LivingThe salary another city needs to match your current standard of living, from the two cost indices.
Gini CoefficientGini with the Lorenz curve, top and bottom shares and the Palma ratio — because two societies with a Gini of exactly 0.50 can have bottom-50% shares of 0% and 22%.
Unemployment RateThe unemployment rate from employed and unemployed counts, with the labour force it implies.
Salary & Take-Home PayEstimate take-home pay with sourced payroll models for the US, India, UK, Canada, and Australia, plus a net-to-gross solver.
Effective Tax RateThe share of income actually paid in tax, which is always below the bracket rate people quote.
Labor Force Participation RateThe share of the working-age population in the labour force — the denominator the unemployment rate depends on.
Debt-to-GDP RatioGovernment debt measured against annual output, the standard cross-country comparison of fiscal position.
Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and standard formulas. Rates, fees, taxes, and lender terms vary and change over time, so confirm important numbers with your lender or a qualified professional. This is educational information, not financial advice.
2026 Poverty Guidelines: The Federal Poverty Level Chart and How Programs Use It
The 2026 HHS poverty guidelines for each household size in the 48 states, Alaska and Hawaii, how they differ from the thresholds, and which year programs use.
Published a federal poverty level calculator: household income as a percent of the 2026 or 2025 HHS poverty guidelines for the 48 states and DC, Alaska and Hawaii, the income at common multiples, and where Medicaid, Marketplace, SNAP, school-meal and WIC lines fall.
Guidelines checked against ASPE's published tables and API for every household size; program lines from CMS, HealthCare.gov, USDA and the Federal Register.
Added an automated formula suite with ASPE's published figures as the outside authority.
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