Maryland Medicaid Income Limits 2026: HealthChoice, MCHP

Applying costs nothing, and Medicaid in Maryland pays doctors and hospitals directly rather than sending you money. To compare Maryland with other states, see our national Medicaid income limits guide.

Maryland Medicaid Income Limits by Household Size (2026)

Maryland publishes 3 MAGI income columns (adults, children and pregnant people), and each one is a gross monthly figure before taxes. According to the MDH income limits chart effective February 1, 2026, a household of four can have up to $3,795 a month for the adults, $7,260 for a pregnant member and $8,855 for the children.

Source: MDH income limits page (opens in a new tab), effective February 1, 2026. The "each additional person" row comes from the identical chart on Maryland Health Connection (opens in a new tab), since MDH tells larger households to call instead. The percentage labels come from the MDH coverage group quick reference (opens in a new tab), which lists adults up to 138%, MCHP up to 322% and pregnant women up to 264%, all with the 5% disregard built in. The pregnancy column starts at two because the baby counts. Maryland Health Connection shows $12,280 for a pregnant household of eight; Grantsights used the MDH figure.

How the children's column breaks down

The children's column is the top of the ladder, not a single program. The MDH quick reference splits it into 5 bands by age and income:

Source: MDH coverage group quick reference (opens in a new tab), updated April 2025.

There's no monthly charge in any band. According to the MDH coverage group guide, the top two bands were once called MCHP Premium; provider transmittal PT 43-25 (opens in a new tab) says the state permanently eliminated the MCHP Premium payment effective May 1, 2024, under House Bill 1521.

Seniors, disability and long-term care limits

Maryland doesn't apply the adult chart to people who qualify by age 65+, blindness or disability. Their limits sit in the Medical Assistance Manual schedules and on the MDH income page.

Sources: MDH income limits page (opens in a new tab); MDH 2026 Medical Assistance Manual schedules (opens in a new tab) (Dual Eligible Standards, MA-1, MA-2 and MA-8); MDH coverage group guide (opens in a new tab). The guide sets the waiver cap at 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate; Grantsights multiplied the $994 rate in schedule MA-8 by three to get $2,982.

The medically needy line grows slowly with family size. Schedule MA-1 lists $434 a month for three, $475 for four, $521 for five, $573 for six, $645 for seven and $709 for eight, plus $61 for each additional person.

How Maryland Counts Your Income

Maryland uses 2 separate rulebooks, and which one applies depends on why you're eligible, not on how much you earn.

MAGI rules cover adults 19 to 64, parents, children and pregnant people. Income follows the federal tax definition: wages, net self-employment income, unemployment pay and taxable Social Security count, while child support you receive and SSI don't. Your household is usually you, a spouse and anyone you claim as a tax dependent. MAGI groups have no asset test, which is why the adult and children's columns above show no resource limit.

The 5% disregard is already inside Maryland's chart. The adult column sits at 133% of poverty plus 5%, which is how $1,835 a month for one person lines up with 138% of the 2026 HHS guideline of $15,960 a year. You don't subtract anything yourself; compare your gross monthly income straight to the chart.

Non-MAGI rules cover the aged, blind and disabled groups, Medicare savings programs, long-term care and the medically needy. These use SSI-style counting, allow certain deductions, and look at bank accounts, investments and life insurance as well as income. MDH notes on its income page that you may still qualify above the listed figures because some income and some assets aren't counted.

For example, a family of three in Maryland earning $3,300 a month gross, a single mother with a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old, gets two different answers. The mother is specifically $158 over the $3,142 adult limit for three, so she doesn't qualify for Medicaid. Both children qualify easily, since the children's limit for three is $7,332 a month. The mother can shop on Maryland Health Connection, where her income would put her in line for premium tax credits, while the kids stay on HealthChoice with no premium.

Maryland Medicaid Asset Limits

$2,500 is the resource limit for one person in Maryland's medically needy and nursing home groups, according to schedule MA-2 of the 2026 Medical Assistance Manual, and $3,000 applies to two people. Adults, parents, children and pregnant people on MAGI coverage don't face any asset test.

Maryland's resource rules come in several layers, which trips up a lot of families:

• $2,000 for one person and $3,000 for a couple in the categorically needy aged, blind and disabled groups (schedule MA-2A), and $2,000 in the home and community-based waiver group.
• $2,500 for one person, rising $100 per extra person, in the medically needy groups (schedule MA-2), including the L98 and L99 nursing home groups.
• $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple in the Medicare savings programs.
• $10,000 for one person in EID, the buy-in program for working adults with disabilities.
• Spousal protection: schedule MA-8 lets the spouse at home keep a share of the couple's resources between $32,532 and $162,660 (effective January 1, 2026), and up to $4,066 a month in income for the at-home spouse.

A nursing home resident keeps a $106 a month personal needs allowance (effective July 1, 2025), and the rest of their income goes toward care. Schedule MA-10 lists an excess home equity limit of $752,000 for 2025. Transfers of money or property for less than fair market value during the look-back period can delay coverage, so a family planning a move should talk with a legal aid office or an elder law attorney first.

Expansion vs Non-Expansion: Maryland's Position in 2026

Maryland expanded Medicaid, so 138% of poverty (133% plus the disregard) covers adults 19 to 64 whether or not they have children. The Medicaid.gov eligibility levels table (opens in a new tab) (as of December 1, 2023) lists Maryland at 133% for expansion adults, 123% for parents and caretakers, 259% for pregnant women and 317% for children, all before the 5% disregard. For a neighbor that took a different path, our Virginia Medicaid income limits guide and Pennsylvania Medicaid income limits guide cover two other expansion states, and our Texas Medicaid income limits guide shows what happens to adults without children in a state that didn't expand. Families in the capital region can compare the District's rules in our DC Medicaid income limits guide, and Eastern Shore households near the state line can check our Delaware Medicaid income limits guide, where the parent limit is far lower.

What changes on January 1, 2027. According to the MDH federal changes FAQ (opens in a new tab) and its Medicaid changes page (opens in a new tab), the 2025 federal law known as H.R. 1 brings these changes:

• Work and activity rule for some adults 19 to 64. They'll need 80 hours a month of work, school, job training or volunteering, or proof of at least $580 a month in earnings. MDH says people affected generally earn up to about $21,000 a year alone or $44,000 for a family of four.
• Exemptions MDH lists include people 18 or younger or 65 or older, people who are disabled or pregnant or gave birth in the past 12 months, people caring for a child under 14 or a person with a disability, people with a health condition that limits work, and people with Medicare Part A or B.
• Renewals every 6 months for some adults instead of once a year. MDH says it will tell each member when the change applies to them.
• Letters went out in September 2026 to members who'll need to meet the work rule at their 2027 renewal, according to the FAQ.

Already in effect: the MDH changes page says some noncitizen adults lost eligibility on October 1, 2026. Children and pregnant people keep their coverage, and the Healthy Babies program is unchanged. None of these changes alter the dollar limits in the tables above.

What the Maryland Department of Health Doesn't Tell You About the Limits

Grantsights found 5 gaps between how MDH publishes its limits and how they play out for a real household:

1. The senior line looks impossibly low. The $350 a month figure on the MDH income page is the medically needy standard, not a cutoff for all seniors. Grantsights analysis of the 2026 Manual schedules shows that line sits $644 below the $994 SSI rate, so almost every senior with Social Security is over it. That doesn't end the conversation: medically needy applicants qualify once medical bills over a 6-month period use up the gap, and anyone on SSI gets Medicaid automatically.
2. Children's coverage reaches far above the adults'. Grantsights analysis of the February 2026 chart found the children's limit for a family of four is $5,060 a month higher than the adult limit ($8,855 vs $3,795). A common mistake is a parent who's over the adult line assuming the kids are too.
3. The parent group is hidden. Maryland's chart has no parent column. Parents without Medicare qualify through the adult group at 138%, but a parent or caretaker who has Medicare can still use the F05 group up to 123% of poverty, according to the MDH quick reference.
4. Two websites, one tiny mismatch. MDH and Maryland Health Connection show the same chart, except the pregnancy figure for a household of eight ($12,260 vs $12,280). It won't matter to most families, but it's a reminder to check the MDH page when you're right at the line.
5. Nursing home eligibility isn't a single number. Unlike the $2,982 cap that home and community-based waivers use, the nursing home groups ask whether your income can cover the cost of care. Schedule MA-6 puts the average monthly nursing facility cost at $12,501 (effective July 1, 2025), so most residents with ordinary pensions still qualify for some help, paying their own income toward the bill first.

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

These errors cause most wrong answers on Maryland eligibility:

• Comparing take-home pay to the chart. Every MAGI limit is gross monthly income. Pre-tax retirement and health contributions come off; income taxes don't.
• Leaving out the baby. A pregnant applicant counts herself plus each expected child, which is why the pregnancy column starts at a household of two.
• Using last year's chart. The MDH chart changed on February 1, 2026. A 2025 denial by a small margin is worth rechecking.
• Assuming immigration status rules everyone out. According to the Healthy Babies program description on Maryland Health Connection, pregnant Marylanders up to about 264% of poverty can be covered regardless of immigration status, from the start of pregnancy through four months after it ends.
• Paying for help. Applying for Medicaid or MCHP is free. A red flag is any caller, text or website that charges a fee, asks for gift cards or wants your bank login to "speed up" an application. Maryland Health Connection, local health departments and local departments of social services never charge.
• Ignoring mail in 2027. Six-month renewals and work-rule checks mean more letters. Many people underestimate how quickly a missed request for documents turns into a closed case.

How to Apply for Maryland Medicaid and How Long It Takes

Maryland must decide most family and adult applications within 30 days, according to a joint MDH and Department of Human Services action transmittal on processing times (opens in a new tab). Aged, blind and long-term care applications get 45 days, disability-based applications 60 days, and pregnant applicants who apply at a local health department 10 days.

1. Online: through Maryland Health Connection (opens in a new tab) or its mobile app. Medicaid and MCHP enrollment is open all year.
2. By phone: the Maryland Health Connection Consumer Support Center at 1-855-642-8572, which can also mail a paper application.
3. In person: at your local health department or local department of social services.

Once approved, you'll choose a HealthChoice managed care organization. Have pay stubs or a tax return, Social Security numbers, and proof of identity and immigration status ready, plus bank and insurance records for senior or nursing home applications. If you also need food help, our Maryland food stamps guide covers SNAP, which uses a different income test.

What to Do If You're Denied

You have 90 days from the date on your notice to ask for a fair hearing, according to the MDH Medicaid appeal page (opens in a new tab). To keep coverage you already have while the appeal is pending, you must appeal within 10 calendar days of the notice date, the postmark or the effective date of the action, whichever is later. HealthChoice members who are disputing a service decision appeal to their MCO first, within 60 days.

MDH accepts requests through its online form, by mail to Medicaid Appeals at 201 West Preston Street, Baltimore, or by fax at 410-333-5154. Hearings are held by the Office of Administrative Hearings in Hunt Valley (410-229-4100). Before you file, read the reason on the notice. Income denials are often household-size errors or outdated pay stubs, and both are fixable. Legal aid offices in Maryland help with hearings at no cost.

If You're Over the Maryland Medicaid Limit

A household that's $150 over the adult line still has at least 6 other routes worth checking, and for parents your best bet is usually a subsidized private plan for the adults while the children stay on MCHP. According to the Maryland Health Connection enrollment guide, Medicaid and MCHP enrollment stays open all year, so a child can be added the day a parent is turned down.

• Maryland Health Connection private plans: adults over 138% can buy coverage with premium tax credits; see HealthCare.gov's savings page (opens in a new tab) for how the federal credits work. Losing Medicaid opens a special enrollment window.
• MCHP for the kids: children stay eligible up to about 322% of poverty with no premium.
• Medically needy spend-down: seniors and people with disabilities over $350 a month can qualify once medical bills over 6 months use up the difference. Schedule MA-1A sets the 6-month figure at $2,100 for one person.
• Medicare savings programs: QMB, SLMB and QI pay Medicare costs up to $1,816 a month for one person.
• EID: a working adult with a disability has no income cap and a $10,000 asset limit, with a monthly premium.
• WIC: Maryland mothers-to-be, new mothers and kids under 5 can get food benefits up to 185% of poverty; our WIC income limits guide has the chart.

Older Marylanders weighing SSI against the medically needy route can start with our SSI income limits guide and the help for seniors programs guide. To turn any percentage on this chart into dollars for a different household size, use the federal poverty guidelines guide, and for Baltimore winters see the LIHEAP income limits guide. For rent, utility or other bills, Grantsights' free eligibility checker lists official programs that may fit your household. It won't tell you whether MDH will approve Medicaid and it never submits an application; it points you to the right office.

FAQ: Maryland Medicaid Income Limits

What is the income limit for Maryland Medicaid in 2026?

$1,835 a month for one adult and $3,795 for four, effective February 1, 2026.

How much can a family of 4 make and get MCHP in Maryland?

Up to $8,855 a month for the children; the adults are held to $3,795.

What is the Maryland Medicaid income limit for pregnant women?

$4,763 a month for a household of two and $6,011 for three.

Does HealthChoice have an income limit separate from Medicaid?

No. HealthChoice is how Medicaid and MCHP members get care, so the limits are the same.

What are the Medicaid income and asset limits for seniors in Maryland?

$350 a month and $2,500 in assets for one person under the medically needy rules, with spend-down above that.

What is the income limit for nursing home Medicaid in Maryland?

No single cap; waivers and PACE use $2,982 a month, and nursing homes compare income to the cost of care.

When do Maryland Medicaid work requirements start?

January 1, 2027, for some adults 19 to 64 who aren't exempt.

How long do I have to appeal a Maryland Medicaid denial?

90 days from the notice date; 10 days to keep coverage during the appeal.

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Sources

1. Maryland Department of Health: Medicaid Income Limits (opens in a new tab), effective February 1, 2026
2. Maryland Health Connection: How to Enroll in Medicaid (opens in a new tab) - same chart with additional-person amounts, phone and app
3. MDH: 2026 Medical Assistance Manual Schedules (opens in a new tab) - Medicare savings, medically needy income and resources, spousal standards, SSI rate, personal needs allowance
4. MDH: Quick Reference to Coverage Groups (opens in a new tab), updated April 2025
5. MDH: Guide to Maryland Medical Assistance Coverage Groups (opens in a new tab), revised April 2025 - waiver, PACE and long-term care groups
6. MDH: General Provider Transmittal PT 43-25 (opens in a new tab), October 29, 2024 - MCHP Premium elimination
7. MDH: Federal Changes for Maryland Medicaid Starting in 2027 (FAQ) (opens in a new tab)
8. MDH: Is My Medicaid Going to Change? (opens in a new tab) - exemptions and October 1, 2026 noncitizen change
9. Maryland DHS and MDH: Action Transmittal 19-10, Application Processing (opens in a new tab)
10. MDH: Request a Medicaid Fair Hearing (opens in a new tab)
11. Medicaid.gov eligibility levels table (December 2023 data), used here for Maryland (opens in a new tab), as of December 1, 2023
12. HHS ASPE: 2026 Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab)