Florida Medicaid Income Limits 2026: DCF Chart

For how Florida compares with other states, see our national Medicaid income limits guide.

Florida Medicaid Income Limits by Household Size (April 2026 to March 2027)

Florida publishes 6 monthly income limits for Family-Related Medicaid, and all of them took effect April 1, 2026. Grantsights checked DCF's consumer chart against Appendix A-7 of the ESS Program Policy Manual (updated February 2, 2026): the consumer chart already adds Florida's standard disregard and the 5% MAGI disregard, so it shows the real cutoff a DCF worker uses.

Source: Florida DCF, Medicaid Income Limits (Effective April 2026 to March 2027) (opens in a new tab). The chart runs to a household of 24 and doesn't list a per-person add-on. The percentages are Grantsights calculations: each figure divided by DCF's 100% FPL amount for that household size ($1,330 for one, $2,277 for three).

Who's missing from the table: adults 21 to 64 who aren't pregnant, aren't caring for a child under 18 and don't have a disability. Florida has no full-Medicaid group for them. That's the coverage gap, explained below.

Medicaid.gov's eligibility levels table (opens in a new tab), with state decisions as of December 1, 2023, lists Florida at 206% for babies under 1, 140% for ages 1 to 5, 133% for ages 6 to 18, 191% for pregnancy, 24% for parents (a dollar standard converted to a percentage), 210% for separate CHIP and "No" for expansion. Those are 5 points lower than the DCF consumer chart because the federal table leaves out the 5% MAGI disregard.

How DCF builds each number

Appendix A-7 shows three pieces behind every limit in the chart. For a household of three:

Source: DCF ESS Program Policy Manual, Appendix A-7 Family-Related Medicaid Income Limits (opens in a new tab), updated February 2, 2026, effective April 2026. The parent base standard of $303 carries an effective date of April 1992.

How Florida Counts Your Income for Medicaid

Florida uses MAGI rules (Modified Adjusted Gross Income) for children, parents, pregnant women and 19- and 20-year-olds, and it applies the 5% disregard of $114 a month for a family of three only when that amount moves someone from failing to passing a full-coverage group, according to the notes on Appendix A-7. DCF's own fact sheet says eligibility "is based on the expected tax filing status for each individual."

What that means in practice:

• Gross, not take-home pay. DCF starts from income before taxes, though pre-tax retirement contributions and health premiums come off under tax rules.
• Counted: wages, self-employment profit, unemployment benefits and Social Security benefits of people in the tax household.
• Not counted: child support you receive, SSI and most veterans' disability payments.
• Household size follows tax filing. A child who doesn't file taxes is counted with parents and siblings under 19 who live with them; an adult who files is counted with a spouse and tax dependents. DCF's Determining your Income Limit page (opens in a new tab) walks through the questions step by step.
• Pregnancy counts the baby. Under the federal MAGI household rule at 42 CFR 435.603 (opens in a new tab), a pregnant woman's household includes the number of babies she's expecting.
• No asset test applies to Family-Related Medicaid. DCF's fact sheet says bank accounts, vehicles and homestead property aren't counted.

Medicaid for people who are 65 or older, blind or disabled uses older SSI-based rules, with asset limits. Those are next.

Florida Medicaid for Seniors, Blind and Disabled People: Income and Asset Limits

Florida's SSI-Related Medicaid groups start from the $994 a month SSI federal benefit rate for 2026, and the main community group, MEDS-AD, reaches 88% of poverty ($1,171 a month). According to DCF's Appendix A-9 standards for April 2026, the limits are:

Sources: DCF Appendix A-9 SSI-Related Programs Financial Eligibility Standards (opens in a new tab) (April 2026) and Appendix A-9.1 Medicare Savings Programs (opens in a new tab) (effective April 2026). SSI-based standards change each January 1; FPL-based standards change each April 1.

Long-term care numbers DCF uses in 2026:

• Personal needs allowance: a nursing home resident keeps $160 a month; most other income goes toward the cost of care.
• Spouse at home: the community spouse resource allowance is $162,660, and the minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance is $2,644 (that one changes each July 1).
• Home equity cap: $752,000 of equity in the home.
• Transfer penalty: gifts made within the 60-month look-back are divided by $10,645 (DCF's divisor dated April 1, 2025) to set the number of penalty months.
• Income over $2,982? Florida lets you route the excess into a qualified income trust, described in DCF's Appendix A-22.1 guidelines. The trust doesn't fix an asset problem.

For the SSI side, see our SSI income limits guide and SSI benefits guide.

Florida KidCare Income Limits: MediKids, Healthy Kids and CHIP

Florida KidCare charges $15 or $20 a month per family for children whose income is too high for Medicaid but at or under 200% of poverty, according to KidCare's published income guidelines. KidCare has four parts, and the child's age decides which one applies:

Source: Florida KidCare, General Annual Income Guidelines and Program Eligibility Overview (opens in a new tab). When Grantsights checked on November 3, 2026, the posted chart still showed 2025 dollar amounts tied to the April 2025 poverty guidelines.

Because KidCare's posted chart hadn't been refreshed, here are the same bands in 2026 dollars:

The yearly columns are a Grantsights calculation from the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines; KidCare's own chart decides. The monthly 200% column is DCF's own figure from Appendix A-7.

The 300% expansion still isn't running. Florida passed a law in 2023 to raise subsidized KidCare to 300% of poverty, and federal regulators approved it, but the state hasn't put it in place. KFF Health News reported on April 27, 2026 that about 43,000 of roughly 250,000 children in subsidized KidCare were disenrolled for unpaid premiums between December 2024 and November 2025, and a state judge declined in late July 2026 to order the expansion. Until AHCA announces a start date, the subsidized ceiling stays at 200%.

Florida and Medicaid Expansion: The Coverage Gap for Adults

Florida is one of 10 states that haven't expanded Medicaid, according to the KFF expansion tracker data dated October 16, 2026, which counts 41 states including DC as having adopted it. In an expansion state, an adult 19 to 64 qualifies up to 138% of poverty, about $1,835 a month for one person. In Florida, that same adult usually qualifies for nothing.

HealthCare.gov's page on Medicaid expansion (opens in a new tab) explains the result: Marketplace premium tax credits begin at 100% of poverty, so an adult in a non-expansion state who earns less than that and doesn't qualify through age, disability or another factor falls into "a gap." In Florida in 2026, 100% of poverty is $1,330 a month for one person.

Grantsights calculation from DCF's April 2026 chart and the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines ($15,960 for one, $27,320 for three). The children in these households still qualify for Medicaid or KidCare.

Will that change? Two things to know:

1. The 2028 ballot. The Florida Decides Healthcare campaign moved its expansion amendment from the 2026 ballot to November 2028, citing a 2025 state law on petition drives. Nothing on the 2026 ballot changes adult eligibility.
2. Work requirements don't touch current Florida groups. The federal rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026 (opens in a new tab) requires states to start an 80-hour-a-month work, school or volunteering requirement no later than January 1, 2027, but it applies to the expansion adult group. Florida's children, pregnancy, parent and SSI-related groups aren't that group.

Options for adults in the gap

• Family Planning Medicaid: limited reproductive health coverage for up to 24 months for women 14 through 55 who lose full Medicaid, using the 185% FPL limit ($2,461 a month for one before disregards).
• Emergency Medical Assistance: covers a medical emergency, including labor and delivery, for people who'd qualify except for immigration status.
• Community health centers: federally funded clinics charge on a sliding scale. Find one through HRSA's health center finder (opens in a new tab).
• County programs and hospital charity care: several Florida counties and public hospitals run their own indigent care programs with separate income rules.

Worked Examples: Florida Families in 2026

For example, a family of three in Florida earning $3,200 a month (a single mom with children aged 4 and 9) gets this result under the April 2026 chart:

1. The 4-year-old: the ages 1 to 5 limit for three is $3,302. At $3,200, she qualifies for Children's Medicaid with no premium.
2. The 9-year-old: the ages 6 to 18 limit is $3,142, so he's $58 over. He moves to Florida Healthy Kids. At about 141% of poverty ($3,200 divided by $2,277), the family lands in the $15 a month band.
3. Mom: the parent limit for three is $600. Specifically, she's $2,600 over the parent line while both of her children stay covered. DCF would place her in the Medically Needy program with a large monthly share of cost. At 141% of poverty, she can also buy a Marketplace plan with a premium tax credit, which is usually better than a share of cost that size.

A married couple in Orlando expecting their first child counts as three people, because DCF adds the baby to the pregnant woman's household. On $4,400 a month together, she's $63 under the $4,463 pregnancy line. Her Medicaid runs through the pregnancy and 12 months postpartum, and DCF's Family-Related Medicaid fact sheet says the newborn is presumed eligible through the birth month of the following year. Her husband, at a $600 parent limit, isn't covered.

One retiree in Tampa, a widowed 78-year-old, with $1,900 a month in Social Security and $1,800 in savings is over the $1,171 MEDS-AD limit for community Medicaid. If she needs nursing home care, she's under the $2,982 ICP limit and the $2,000 asset limit, so she qualifies; she'd keep $160 a month and most of the rest would go toward her care. At $1,900, she's also over the $1,796 QI-1 limit, so no Medicare Savings Program would pay her Part B premium.

What Florida DCF Doesn't Tell You About These Limits

Grantsights analysis of DCF's Appendix A-7 and its April 2026 consumer chart found 5 things the charts don't say plainly:

1. The parent limit is built on a 1992 number. Every FPL-based column moved on April 1, 2026, but the parent and caretaker base standard ($303 for three) still carries an effective date of April 1992. With both disregards, a parent in a family of three hits the line at $600 a month, about 26% of poverty. That parent's 9-year-old stays on Medicaid up to $3,142, more than 5 times the parent's limit, and the baby stays on up to $4,805, about 8 times.
2. 19- and 20-year-olds get the parent limit, not the child limit. A 19-year-old living alone qualifies only up to $356 a month. On their 19th birthday, a teen's Medicaid limit drops from $1,836 to $356 for a household of one.
3. The MAGI disregard is a tiebreaker, not a raise. DCF applies the 5% disregard only when it turns a "fail" into a "pass" for full coverage, and never in a Medically Needy budget. That's why the consumer chart and Appendix A-7 show different numbers for the same group.
4. Over the limit often means Medically Needy, not a denial. DCF's fact sheet says households over the Family-Related limits are generally enrolled in Medically Needy. You get coverage only in months when your medical bills reach your share of cost, and you have to send those bills to DCF. The Medically Needy Income Limit for a family of three is $486.
5. KidCare isn't free above 133%, and missed premiums end coverage. Families between 133% and 200% pay $15 or $20 a month, and KFF Health News counted 43,000 children disenrolled for nonpayment in one year. DCF automatically sends your information to KidCare when a child is over the Medicaid limit; watch for that letter.

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

A common mistake is reading the DCF chart against take-home pay. DCF counts income before taxes and payroll withholding, so use the gross amount on your pay stub.

Other errors Florida applicants make with the chart:

• Assuming your kids are out because you are. Florida's parent limit is very low, but a family of four can earn $3,796 a month and still have a 10-year-old on Medicaid, and up to $5,500 a month with that child on subsidized KidCare.
• Forgetting the unborn baby. A pregnant woman living alone is a household of two, so her limit is $3,537, not $2,608.
• Applying the senior asset test to families. Children, parents and pregnant women have no asset test.
• Using last year's chart. Florida's FPL-based limits switched on April 1, 2026; the April 2025 chart only applies to earlier months.
• Underestimating what seniors can get. An older adult over $994 may still qualify for MEDS-AD up to $1,171, a Medicare Savings Program up to $1,796, or nursing home Medicaid up to $2,982.
• Ignoring Medically Needy. People often give up when told they're over income, but a high-bill month can still be covered.

Red flags for scams: applying for Medicaid or KidCare is free. Anyone who charges a fee to apply, promises guaranteed approval, or asks for your MyACCESS password or Medicaid ID by text isn't DCF or AHCA. Real applications go through MyACCESS, the DCF Customer Contact Center at 850-300-4DCF (4323), a Family Resource Center, a DCF community partner, or Florida KidCare at 1-888-540-5437.

How to Apply for Florida Medicaid or KidCare and How Long It Takes

DCF processes Family-Related Medicaid applications by the 30th day after the application date when you've given everything it needs, according to ESS Program Policy Manual section 0630.0400. Applications based on a disability can take up to 90 days under section 0640.0400.

1. Apply online through MyACCESS (myaccess.myflfamilies.com), by phone at 850-300-4DCF (4323), in person at a DCF Family Resource Center, or through a community partner office. For a child only, you can also start with Florida KidCare at 1-888-540-5437.
2. Have ready: pay stubs or other proof of income, Social Security numbers, immigration documents if they apply and information on any other health insurance.
3. Answer DCF's requests fast. DCF gives you 10 calendar days to return requested proof. If it's not in by day 30, the application is denied, but proof that arrives by day 60 can still be approved without a new application.
4. Ask about the past 3 months. Children under 21 and pregnant women can get Medicaid for up to 3 months before the application month, if they had covered medical services then and would have qualified, under section 0630.0509.
5. Pick a health plan. Most Medicaid members must join a Statewide Medicaid Managed Care plan; if you don't choose, AHCA assigns one, and you have 120 days to switch.
6. Pregnant? County health departments, many clinics and some hospitals can grant presumptive eligibility the same day, so prenatal care can start before DCF decides.

Medicaid approvals run 12 months, and you must report changes such as new income or a new baby within 10 days.

What to Do If You're Denied

You have 90 days from the date DCF mails or hands you a notice to request a fair hearing, according to ESS Program Policy Manual section 0430.0603. A request can be oral or written, and only DCF's Office of Appeal Hearings can reject one as late.

• Keep coverage during the appeal. If you ask for a hearing by the last day of the month before the cut takes effect, DCF reinstates your coverage while you wait (section 0430.0604). You may owe it back if you lose.
• Check the math first. Ask which household size, income and coverage group DCF used. A wrong household size or a missed disregard is a fixable error.
• Medically Needy instead of full Medicaid? That's an action you can appeal too, if you think you fit a full-coverage group.
• KidCare premium or plan disputes go through Florida KidCare's own review process; the notice tells you how and by when.
• Reapply if things change. A new pregnancy, a lost job or a new household member can change the result.

If You're Over the Florida Medicaid Limit

$15,960 to $63,840 a year is the 2026 income range where one person can get help paying for a Marketplace plan, and that's only one of the routes left if you're over Florida's Medicaid limits:

• Marketplace coverage: Florida uses the federal Marketplace, where tax credits run from 100% to 400% of poverty per HealthCare.gov (opens in a new tab). DCF's fact sheet tells people leaving Medicaid to answer "Yes" when the application asks about a Medicaid denial in the last 90 days.
• Medicare: once you turn 65 or finish 24 months on Social Security disability; Florida's QMB, SLMB and QI-1 groups then help with premiums up to $1,796 a month for one person.
• WIC: Florida WIC serves pregnant women, new moms and kids under 5 in households up to 185% of poverty; see our WIC income limits guide.
• Food help: see our Florida food stamps guide and SNAP income limits guide.
• Older Floridians and people with disabilities: our help for seniors programs guide and disability grants for individuals guide cover help beyond Medicaid.
• The poverty numbers themselves: our federal poverty guidelines guide.
• Other states: compare the non-expansion rules in our Texas Medicaid income limits guide and Missouri Medicaid income limits guide, or expansion states like North Carolina and Louisiana.

Need help with food, rent or utilities too? Grantsights' free eligibility checker lists official programs to look at. It can't tell you whether you qualify for Florida Medicaid and doesn't submit an application; only DCF decides that.

When These Limits Change Next

Florida's FPL-based limits change once a year on April 1, after HHS publishes new poverty guidelines in January. The current chart covers April 2026 through March 2027, so expect a new chart for April 1, 2027, per DCF Transmittal I-26-02-0003 (February 24, 2026), which set the April 2026 figures. According to HHS ASPE's 2026 poverty guidelines (opens in a new tab), published January 15, 2026, 100% of poverty is $15,960 for one person and $27,320 for three; those figures drive every percentage in this guide.

The SSI-based limits change each January 1. According to SSA's 2027 COLA fact sheet (opens in a new tab), the SSI rate rises from $994 to $1,029 for one person and from $1,491 to $1,544 for a couple starting January 2027. Three times $1,029 would put Florida's nursing home income limit at $3,087 (a Grantsights calculation; DCF hadn't posted its January 2027 standards when we checked).

FAQ: Florida Medicaid Income Limits

What is the income limit for Medicaid in Florida in 2026?

For a family of three: $3,142 a month for children 6 to 18, $3,302 for ages 1 to 5, $4,805 for babies, $4,463 for pregnancy and $600 for a parent.

Did Florida expand Medicaid?

No. Most adults 21 to 64 without children or a disability can't get full Medicaid at any income.

What is the Florida KidCare income limit?

Subsidized KidCare runs up to 200% of poverty ($54,640 a year for three in 2026), with $15 or $20 monthly family premiums.

What is the income limit for pregnant women?

$3,537 a month for two and $4,463 for three, counting the unborn baby.

Can a single adult get Medicaid in Florida?

Usually not, unless pregnant, 65+, blind, disabled, or 19 or 20 with income under $356 a month.

What is the nursing home income limit?

$2,982 a month for one person in 2026, with a $2,000 asset limit.

What is the Medically Needy share of cost?

Medical bills you must incur each month before Medicaid pays, based on income minus the $180 (one aged or disabled person) or $486 (family of three) income limit.

When do the limits change?

FPL-based limits each April 1; SSI-based limits each January 1.

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Sources

1. Florida DCF: Medicaid Income Limits (Effective April 2026 to March 2027) (opens in a new tab) and Determining your Income Limit (opens in a new tab)
2. DCF ESS Program Policy Manual, Appendix A-7: Family-Related Medicaid Income Limits (opens in a new tab), updated February 2, 2026, effective April 2026
3. DCF Appendix A-9: SSI-Related Programs Financial Eligibility Standards (opens in a new tab), April 2026, and Appendix A-9.1: Medicare Savings Programs and LIS (opens in a new tab), effective April 2026
4. DCF Transmittal I-26-02-0003: 2026 Federal Poverty Level Changes and Updated Consolidated Need Standards (opens in a new tab), February 24, 2026, effective April 1, 2026 (DCF memo, copy hosted by the Florida Health Justice Project)
5. DCF ESS Program Policy Manual, Chapter 600 Application Processing (opens in a new tab) (sections 0630.0400, 0630.0509, 0640.0400) and Chapter 400 Administrative Policy (opens in a new tab) (sections 0430.0603, 0430.0604)
6. DCF Family-Related Medicaid Program Fact Sheet (opens in a new tab).pdf), updated October 2025
7. Florida KidCare: General Annual Income Guidelines (opens in a new tab) (2025 chart, poverty guidelines effective April 2025)
8. Medicaid.gov: Medicaid, CHIP and BHP Eligibility Levels (opens in a new tab), state decisions as of December 1, 2023
9. eCFR: 42 CFR 435.603, Application of modified adjusted gross income (opens in a new tab)
10. HHS ASPE: 2026 Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab)
11. SSA: 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment Fact Sheet (opens in a new tab)
12. Federal Register: Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals (opens in a new tab), June 3, 2026
13. HealthCare.gov: Medicaid expansion and what it means for you (opens in a new tab)
14. HRSA: Find a Health Center (opens in a new tab)
15. KFF (non-government compilation): Status of state Medicaid expansion decisions (opens in a new tab), October 16, 2026
16. KFF Health News: Florida delays children's health insurance expansion as uninsured rate rises (opens in a new tab), April 27, 2026
17. WUSF: Florida judge won't order state to implement expanded access to KidCare insurance (opens in a new tab), July 30, 2026, and Push for Medicaid expansion in Florida delayed until 2028 (opens in a new tab), September 25, 2025