Federal Poverty Guidelines 2026: $33,000 for a Family of 4

Medicaid uses these numbers too: most states cover adults up to 138% of the guideline. See Medicaid income limits for 2026 monthly limits by household size and a 50-state table.

The 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines

The 2026 guideline for a household of four in the contiguous states is $33,000 a year. According to HHS's Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab) (91 FR 1797, January 15, 2026), the 2026 figures reflect a 2.63% price increase between calendar years 2024 and 2025. HHS's poverty guidelines page (opens in a new tab) shows the same three tables.

These are annual figures. HHS doesn't publish monthly guidelines; programs that use monthly limits divide by 12 themselves. HHS also says the guidelines aren't defined for Puerto Rico or other territories, so each federal program decides what to use there.

Data note: The guideline figures come from the January 15, 2026 Federal Register notice and the HHS ASPE page, checked November 2, 2026. Every percentage figure below is a Grantsights calculation from those official numbers, rounded up to the next whole dollar, the same method USDA uses. Grantsights checked the method against two official tables: USDA's SNAP limits for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 and its WIC limits for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 match it to the dollar. A program's own chart always controls.

For the general guide to income-tested help, start with our SNAP income limits and WIC income limits pages, which apply these numbers to two specific programs.

2026 Poverty Guidelines at 100%, 130%, 138%, 150%, 185%, 200% and 250%

200% of the 2026 guideline is $66,000 a year for a family of four. Most programs don't use the guideline itself; they use a multiple of it. The tables below apply each common multiple to the 2026 contiguous-states figures.

Annual income, 48 contiguous states and D.C.

Monthly income, 48 contiguous states and D.C.

How the rounding works. Each annual figure is the guideline times the percentage, rounded up to the next dollar (138% of $15,960 is $22,024.80, shown as $22,025). Each monthly figure is the unrounded annual amount divided by 12 and rounded up (138% of $15,960 divided by 12 is $1,835.40, shown as $1,836). That's the method USDA uses for SNAP, WIC and school meals: the 130% monthly column above matches USDA's FY2027 SNAP gross limits, and the 185% column matches the 2026-27 WIC and reduced-price meal limits. Medicaid agencies and other programs may round differently, so a state chart can be a dollar or two off these.

Alaska and Hawaii, annual income at common multiples

Which Programs Use Which Percentage, and Which Year

At least 3 different years of guidelines are in use in November 2026. Grantsights analysis of the program rules below found that most of the listed programs now use the 2026 guidelines, but 2026 Marketplace coverage still uses the 2025 guidelines and the 2026-27 Pell Grant uses the 2024 guidelines. Grantsights checked each row against the official source linked in it.

A few notes the table can't hold:

• SNAP lags by a season. SNAP's limits change each October 1, so from January through September 2026, SNAP was still using the 2025 guidelines even though the 2026 set was out. According to USDA, the FY2027 gross limit for one person is $1,729 a month, and Grantsights checked that it's exactly $15,960 x 1.30 / 12. Some states raise the gross test through broad-based categorical eligibility; see our SNAP income limits page.
• WIC can be lower. Under 7 CFR 246.7(d)(1), a state may set WIC anywhere from 100% to 185% if it ties WIC to its health care guidelines. People on SNAP, Medicaid or TANF skip the WIC income test.
• Medicaid's 5 points apply once. The 5-percentage-point disregard in 42 CFR 435.603(d)(4) is applied only for the eligibility group with the highest income standard, which is why 133% is usually described as 138%. It applies only in states that adopted the expansion.
• The ACA cliff is back. According to IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-25, the 2026 applicable percentage table runs from below 133% to "not more than 400%," with no row above 400%. For 2026 coverage, HealthCare.gov uses the 2025 guidelines, so 400% is $62,600 for one person and $128,600 for four (400% of $32,150).
• LIHEAP states choose. The 150%/60% SMI figure is a federal ceiling. States set their own limits in their annual plans and can go lower, but not below 110% of poverty.
• Pell uses old numbers on purpose. Per the 2026-27 FSA Handbook, schools must use the 2024 guidelines; the handbook tells schools to use "the prior-prior tax year" guideline: the 2024 figures for 2026-27. Under those, 175% for a family of four is $54,600, and 225% for a single parent with one child (household of two) is $45,990.

Poverty Guidelines vs Poverty Thresholds

The Census Bureau's thresholds and HHS's guidelines are 2 different measures, and only one decides eligibility. HHS's 2026 notice calls the guidelines "a simplified version of the poverty thresholds that the Census Bureau uses to prepare its estimates of the number of individuals and families in poverty."

HHS says the 2026 guidelines are roughly equal to the 2025 thresholds, which Census expected to publish in final form in September 2026. HHS also notes the guidelines are sometimes wrongly called the "OMB" poverty line; OMB has never issued them.

The notice adds a point that trips up many applicants: the guidelines don't define "income" or "household." Gross or net income, what counts and who's in the household are set by each program. A household of three for WIC (which can count an unborn baby) may be a household of two for another program.

A Worked Example: One Household, Six Different Answers

Specifically, take a single mother with two children in a contiguous state who earns $3,900 a month before taxes, or $46,800 a year. Her household of three is at about 171% of the 2026 guideline ($46,800 / $27,320).

The same paycheck is "too much" for four programs and "low enough" for two. The common mistake is reading one program's denial as a sign that she won't qualify for anything. She may also qualify for Marketplace premium tax credits, since 171% is inside the 100% to 400% range.

What HHS's Poverty Chart Doesn't Tell You

Grantsights compared the HHS notice with the program rules above and found 6 gaps the chart itself won't explain:

1. The chart's effective date isn't your program's. HHS made the 2026 guidelines effective January 13, 2026 "unless an office administering a program using the guidelines specifies a different effective date." Most programs do.
2. Gross vs net is up to the program. HHS says questions about net or gross income, counted or excluded income and household size go to the agency that runs the program.
3. There's no monthly figure. A monthly limit is always somebody's calculation, and the rounding method can move it by a dollar.
4. Territories aren't covered. Puerto Rico and other territories don't have HHS guidelines; programs decide. LIHEAP, for example, publishes a separate adjusted figure for Puerto Rico.
5. Federal percentages are often ceilings. LIHEAP's 150% and WIC's 185% are maximums; states can set lower limits.
6. Some programs don't use the guidelines at all. HUD rent help uses area median income, and SSI uses its own federal benefit rate. See our HUD income limits and SSI income limits pages.

When the 2027 Guidelines Come Out

The 2027 guidelines should appear in January 2027. Federal law, 42 U.S.C. 9902(2), requires HHS to update them at least once a year using the Consumer Price Index, and HHS has published in mid-January in recent years: January 17, 2024, January 17, 2025 and January 15, 2026. Then the programs move in waves. The table below follows each program's current rule; the 2027 dates are what those rules point to, not announced dates:

Don't underestimate the lag. A household that just misses a limit in December can qualify in the spring without any change in pay, because the line moved. Grantsights analysis of the 2025 and 2026 notices shows the four-person guideline rose $850 (from $32,150 to $33,000), which lifts the 200% line by $1,700 a year.

Red Flags and How to Check Your Own Number

Red flags when someone quotes you a poverty percentage:

• A chart with no year on it. Ask which year's guidelines and which program.
• "You make too much for government help." That's usually one program's answer, not all of them.
• A fee to "check your FPL" or unlock a grant. The guidelines are free on HHS's site, and no agency charges to apply. The FTC's government grant scams page (opens in a new tab) explains the pitch.

To check yourself: add up the household's gross monthly income, find your household size in the monthly table, and compare with each program's line. Then apply anyway if you're close. It's worth it: the agency, not the chart, decides, and an application costs nothing. If you're denied, the notice must give a reason and your appeal rights; check the household size and income period used first.

Grantsights' free eligibility checker points you to the official programs and application routes that fit your household. It doesn't give out grants or make eligibility decisions.

Related guides: SNAP and food stamps, WIC program guide, LIHEAP energy assistance, Pell Grant guide, Section 8 housing and child care assistance.

Sources

• HHS, Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab), 91 FR 1797, January 15, 2026, effective January 13, 2026.
• HHS ASPE, Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab), checked November 2, 2026.
• HHS, Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines (2025) (opens in a new tab), 90 FR 5917, January 17, 2025.
• HHS, Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines (2024) (opens in a new tab), 89 FR 2961, January 17, 2024.
• USDA, SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustments (opens in a new tab), FY2027 income standards, October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027.
• USDA, WIC 2026/2027 Income Eligibility Guidelines (opens in a new tab), 91 FR 23050, April 29, 2026.
• USDA, Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines (opens in a new tab), 91 FR 17932, April 9, 2026.
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 42 CFR 435.119 (opens in a new tab) and 42 CFR 435.603 (opens in a new tab).
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 7 CFR 246.7 (opens in a new tab).
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 45 CFR 1302.12 (opens in a new tab).
• IRS, Revenue Procedure 2025-25 (opens in a new tab), 2026 applicable percentage table.
• HealthCare.gov, Federal poverty level (FPL) (opens in a new tab), checked November 2, 2026.
• ACF Office of Community Services, LIHEAP IM2026-01 (opens in a new tab), April 24, 2026.
• Federal Student Aid, 2026-27 FSA Handbook, Volume 7, Chapter 2: Calculating Pell Grants (opens in a new tab).
• Federal Trade Commission, Government Grant Scams (opens in a new tab).