Maine Medicaid Income Limits 2026: MaineCare Chart

Applying for MaineCare is free, and it pays for health care rather than giving cash. To compare Maine with other states, see our national Medicaid income limits guide.

MaineCare Income Limits by Household Size (2026)

MaineCare's family and individual chart has 4 main income bands, from 105% of poverty for parents up to 305% for children and young adults. According to the 2026 MaineCare eligibility guide from OFI, a household of four qualifies up to $2,888 a month as parents or caretakers, $3,796 as expansion adults, $5,886 for pregnancy and $8,388 for children. Amounts are monthly income before taxes, and none of these groups has an asset test.

Source: Maine DHHS OFI, 2026 MaineCare Eligibility Guidelines (opens in a new tab), pages 1 and 2. DHHS prints sizes 1 to 4 and an "each additional person" amount; Grantsights added that amount to reach sizes 5 to 8. \Each expected baby is added to the household size. Parents and caretakers must have a child under 18 at home.*

Yearly equivalents

Grantsights multiplied DHHS's monthly figures by 12. DHHS publishes MaineCare limits monthly.

Seniors, disability and Medicare Savings limits

MaineCare's aged and disability programs list 6 different income tests, and three of them skip the asset test entirely. From the same 2026 chart:

Source: 2026 MaineCare Eligibility Guidelines (opens in a new tab), page 3 and page 1 (Katie Beckett). People who get SSI are automatically eligible for MaineCare.

How MaineCare Counts Income

Family and Individual MaineCare looks at 2 things to decide whose income counts together: who files taxes together, and who is related by birth, adoption or marriage, according to the Guide to MaineCare Programs. It mostly counts taxable income, and it doesn't look at cars, houses or savings.

The 5% disregard is already inside the chart. Medicaid.gov's table lists Maine at 133% for expansion adults, 100% for parents and 300% for children, while the DHHS chart shows 138%, 105% and 305%. The 5-point gap is the federal MAGI disregard, so the dollar amounts on the DHHS chart are the real cutoffs.

Aged and disability MaineCare looks only at marriage to decide whose income and assets count, and some of those programs check assets. People who aren't 65 need a disability finding; anyone receiving Social Security disability benefits already meets it, and OFI can request a MaineCare Disability Determination for others.

For example, a family of three in Maine (a parent, a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old) earning $3,600 a month gross gets a split answer. The parent is $1,209 over the $2,391 parent/caretaker limit and specifically $458 over the $3,142 expansion limit, so the parent doesn't qualify. Both children qualify easily, since the children's limit for three is $6,944. The parent would look at CoverME.gov, Maine's marketplace, where $43,200 a year is about 158% of the 2026 poverty guideline for three.

MaineCare Asset Limits and Long-Term Care

$2,000 for one person and $3,000 for a couple is MaineCare's asset limit for full aged or disability coverage and for long-term care, according to the 2026 DHHS MaineCare program guide. Maine then lets up to $8,000 of savings for one person ($12,000 for a couple) be excluded before that limit applies, which means a single senior can often hold about $10,000 in savings and still qualify.

Source: 2026 MaineCare Eligibility Guidelines (opens in a new tab), pages 5 and 6. The $2,982 limit is 300% of the 2026 SSI rate of $994; with SSA's 2027 rate of $1,029, Grantsights calculates the 2027 equivalent at $3,087.

People found eligible for long-term care MaineCare pay a monthly "cost of care" to the facility, figured from total income minus allowed deductions such as the personal needs allowance. The penalty divisor matters if money was given away during the look-back: DHHS divides the amount transferred by $13,339 to set the number of months MaineCare won't pay.

MaineCare Expansion and the 2026-2027 Federal Changes

Maine expanded Medicaid, and the Medicaid.gov eligibility levels table (opens in a new tab) (as of December 1, 2023) lists the state at 133% for expansion adults, 100% for parents, 300% for children and 209% for pregnant women, and notes that Maine also covers 19- and 20-year-olds to 300%. Nearby New Hampshire and Massachusetts also expanded; for a state that didn't, compare Florida.

Already in effect (October 1, 2026). According to the DHHS timeline of federal budget reconciliation changes (last updated October 23, 2025), federal law narrowed which immigrants can get full Medicaid. Refugees, asylees, trafficking victims and other humanitarian groups who are 21 or older and not pregnant or postpartum lose full MaineCare and can get Emergency MaineCare only. DHHS says children and young adults under 21 and pregnant and postpartum immigrants keep full coverage, through federal options or Maine law (P.L. 2021, ch. 398).

Starting January 1, 2027, per the same timeline and the OFI work requirements page:

• Work requirements for MaineCare Expansion adults 19 to 64. They meet it by earning at least $580 in a month, or by spending 80 hours a month working, volunteering, going to school or in a work program (a mix counts), or by being enrolled in school at least half time. Current members must show this for at least one calendar month since their last renewal; new applicants show it for the month before they apply. OFI says renewals with this check start in March 2027.
• Six-month renewals for expansion adults instead of every 12 months.
• Shorter retroactive coverage: MaineCare can now pay bills from up to 3 months before you applied. That drops to 1 month for expansion adults and 2 months for everyone else.
• Copays for some expansion adults with income above 100% of poverty, capped at $35 per service and 5% of monthly income, with primary care, family planning, behavioral health and emergency room care exempt. DHHS lists this as a separate, later step on its timeline.

Exemptions OFI lists include being pregnant or up to 12 months postpartum; caring for a child 13 or younger or a person with disabilities; veterans with a total disability rating; former foster youth under 26; people receiving TANF or SNAP; people with a work-limiting health condition, substance use disorder or disabling mental disorder; people in addiction treatment; people in jail or released within 3 months; and American Indians and Alaska Natives. OFI began contacting affected members in August 2026.

What Maine DHHS Doesn't Tell You About the MaineCare Charts

Grantsights found 5 gaps between how DHHS publishes MaineCare limits and how they play out for a family:

1. Two official charts don't match. The Guide to MaineCare Programs dated April 2026 still lists $1,801 a month for one expansion adult and $1,305 for one senior, while the June 2026 eligibility chart and the OFI web page show $1,836 and $1,330. The lower figures appear to be carried over from 2025; the guide's $2,901 Katie Beckett limit, for instance, is 300% of the 2025 SSI rate. Use the June chart, and if a worker quotes the older number, ask which chart they're using.
2. Children's coverage reaches far past adult coverage. Grantsights analysis of the 2026 DHHS chart shows a child in a family of three qualifies up to $6,944 a month, $3,802 more than the expansion limit for that child's parent. That's why so many Maine families end up with kids on MaineCare and a parent on CoverME.gov.
3. Medicare help goes much higher than full MaineCare. A senior over the $1,330 full MaineCare line can still get QMB up to $2,461, which is $1,131 more a month, with no asset test. Many older Mainers underestimate this because they were turned down for full MaineCare.
4. A slow decision triggers coverage. Under Part 2, Section 12.3.1 of the MaineCare Eligibility Manual, if OFI doesn't decide within 45 days, it must give temporary coverage from day 46 until it makes a final decision.
5. Late paperwork doesn't always mean starting over. The same manual says that if you send a completed review form within 90 days after coverage ends and you're still eligible, coverage is reinstated back to the end date without a new application.

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

These are the errors that most often lead Mainers to the wrong answer:

• Using an old chart. It's a common mistake to rely on the April 2026 guide or a 2025 printout. The 2026 chart limits are about 2% higher.
• Counting take-home pay. MaineCare's chart is before-tax income.
• Skipping the kids because a parent was turned down. Children qualify at more than double the adult limit, and 19- and 20-year-olds get the children's limit too.
• Assuming savings rule a senior out. The $8,000 savings exclusion and the asset-free Medicare Savings Programs change the math for many retirees.
• Paying an application "service." Applying for MaineCare is free. A red flag is any website, caller or text that charges a fee, asks for gift cards or wants your bank password. OFI and Consumers for Affordable Health Care don't charge.
• Ignoring OFI letters in 2027. Six-month renewals and work requirement checks mean more mail. Turning on e-notices in the state's online benefits account helps avoid mail delays.

How to Apply for MaineCare and How Long It Takes

45 days is OFI's deadline to decide a MaineCare application, according to the OFI MaineCare program page, and the Eligibility Manual adds the temporary coverage rule if it misses that date. You can apply:

1. Online at My Maine Connection (opens in a new tab), which also shows your coverage and notices.
2. By mail to the Office for Family Independence, 114 Corn Shop Lane, Farmington, ME 04938.
3. By email to Farmington.DHHS@maine.gov or fax to (207) 778-8429.
4. In person at a DHHS district office.

For questions, call OFI at 1-855-797-4357. Consumers for Affordable Health Care, a nonprofit, offers free help at 1-800-965-7476. Have pay stubs, Social Security numbers and any immigration documents ready; seniors and long-term care applicants should add bank statements and records covering the 60-month look-back. If your household also needs food help, our Maine food stamps guide covers SNAP's separate limits.

What to Do If You're Denied

Your hearing request must reach the local office within 30 days, plus 2 days for mail, of the date on the written notice, under Part 1, Section 7 of the MaineCare Eligibility Manual (opens in a new tab)_0.docx). A request can be oral or written. If you ask during the 15-day adverse action period (10 days of notice plus 5 for mail), your coverage continues until the written hearing decision. The manual says the whole hearing process should take no more than 60 days from your request unless you ask for a delay.

Start with the reason on the notice. If it's income, compare OFI's number with your gross pay, your household size and the correct 2026 chart. Pine Tree Legal Assistance and Maine Equal Justice help with MaineCare hearings at no cost.

If You're Over the MaineCare Limit

There are 7 places to look before giving up on help with health costs:

• CoverME.gov: Maine's marketplace, with premium tax credits for many adults over 138%; see also HealthCare.gov's savings page (opens in a new tab).
• Children's MaineCare: up to $8,388 a month for a family of four.
• Medically Needy deductible: if your income is over the limit, you can qualify once you've spent a set amount on medical bills, usually for 6 months or less. Expansion adults can't use it.
• Medicare Savings Programs: QMB to $2,461 and QI to $3,325 a month for one person, with no asset test.
• Prescription programs: DEL to 185% of poverty and Maine Rx Plus, a discount program for people up to 350% ($4,655 a month for one).
• Working with a disabling condition: full MaineCare up to 250% of poverty for workers under 65.
• WIC for pregnant people and young children up to 185% of poverty; see our WIC income limits guide.

For older and disabled Mainers, the SSI income limits guide and help for seniors programs guide list cash and service programs. Households heading into a Maine winter can check the LIHEAP income limits guide, and the federal poverty guidelines guide explains what 105%, 138% and 305% mean in dollars. Grantsights' free eligibility checker points to official programs for rent, heat and other bills; it doesn't decide MaineCare eligibility or send in an application.

FAQ: MaineCare Income Limits

What is the income limit for MaineCare in 2026?

$1,836 a month for one expansion adult and $3,796 for four.

What is the MaineCare income limit for children?

305% of poverty: $6,944 a month for a family of three.

What is the MaineCare income limit for pregnant women?

$3,860 a month for two and $4,873 for three, with 12 months postpartum coverage.

What are the MaineCare income and asset limits for seniors?

$1,330 a month and $2,000 in assets for one person, after an $8,000 savings exclusion.

What is the income limit for nursing home MaineCare?

$2,982 a month in 2026, with a $40 personal needs allowance.

Does Maine have a Medicare Savings Program with no asset test?

Yes: QMB to $2,461 and QI to $3,325 a month for one person.

When do MaineCare work requirements start?

January 1, 2027, for expansion adults who aren't exempt.

How long do I have to appeal a MaineCare decision?

30 days plus 2 for mail; ask within 15 days to keep coverage.

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Sources

1. Maine DHHS OFI: 2026 MaineCare Eligibility Guidelines (opens in a new tab), file dated June 23, 2026 - all income, asset and long-term care figures
2. Maine DHHS OFI: MaineCare (opens in a new tab) - income summary, application routes, 45-day decision standard
3. Maine DHHS: Guide to MaineCare Programs (opens in a new tab), April 2026 - program descriptions and income counting
4. Maine DHHS OFI: Work Requirements for MaineCare Expansion Adults (opens in a new tab)
5. Maine DHHS: Timeline of Federal Budget Reconciliation Changes to MaineCare (opens in a new tab), last updated October 23, 2025
6. Maine Secretary of State: MaineCare Eligibility Manual, 10-144 CMR Chapter 332 (opens in a new tab)_0.docx), effective April 29, 2025 - hearings (Part 1, Section 7) and processing standards (Part 2, Section 12)
7. CMS state-by-state MAGI eligibility table, Maine row (opens in a new tab) on Medicaid.gov, based on state decisions as of December 1, 2023
8. HHS ASPE: 2026 Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab)
9. Federal Register: Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2027 (opens in a new tab), October 26, 2026 - 2026 and 2027 SSI rates
10. HealthCare.gov: Lower costs on Marketplace coverage (opens in a new tab)