Missouri Medicaid Income Limits 2026: MO HealthNet Chart

Applying is free, and MO HealthNet is health coverage, not a cash payment. To compare Missouri with other states, see our national Medicaid income limits guide.

Missouri Medicaid Income Limits by Household Size (2026)

Missouri's Family Support Division (FSD) works from 5 MAGI income lines plus a CHIP ceiling, and which one applies depends on age and pregnancy. According to the Family MO HealthNet manual's Appendix A, a household of four can have up to $353 a month in the old parent group, $3,795 as expansion adults, $4,208 for a child 1 to 18, $5,528 for a pregnant woman or baby and $8,388 for a child on premium CHIP. All of these are gross monthly income, before taxes.

Source: Missouri DSS, Family MO HealthNet (MAGI) Manual Appendix A (opens in a new tab), table for July 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027. The dollar limits are the same as the April 1 to June 30, 2026 table; only CHIP premiums changed on July 1. The manual marks the 133%, 148%, 196% and 300% rows as already including the 5% disregard. "Each additional person" is the difference between the 8- and 9-person columns, which the manual lists out to 22 people. The parent column is a fixed dollar standard; the Medicaid.gov eligibility levels table (opens in a new tab) lists it as about 15% of poverty.

Yearly limits as DSS publishes them

DSS's public Benefit Program Income Limits chart (opens in a new tab) lists yearly figures at the base percentage, without the 5% disregard:

Source: DSS Benefit Program Income Limits (opens in a new tab), as of October 1, 2026. \The DSS chart prints "$774,059" in this cell, an obvious typo. Grantsights shows $74,059, which is 148% of the 2026 poverty guideline for seven people ($50,040) and fits the $8,406 step between the neighboring columns.*

Seniors, disability and long-term care limits

People who qualify by age 65+, blindness or disability are checked under the non-MAGI rules in the MO HealthNet for the Aged, Blind and Disabled (MHABD) manual.

Source: DSS, MHABD Manual Appendix J, Eligibility Standards for Non-MAGI Programs (opens in a new tab), revised October 2026.

People who get SSI are covered by MO HealthNet without a separate income test. Appendix J lists the 2026 SSI federal benefit rate as $994 a month for one person and $1,491 for a couple, effective January 1, 2026.

How Missouri Counts Your Income

FSD uses 2 income systems, and the DSS H.R.1 implementation page (opens in a new tab) describes the split plainly: MAGI for younger adults, children and pregnant women, and non-MAGI for people 65 and older, blind or disabled.

MAGI rules follow the federal tax definition of income. Wages, net self-employment profit, unemployment pay and taxable Social Security count. The DSS Adult Medicaid Expansion FAQ (opens in a new tab) says SSI, child support, veterans benefits, foster care payments and workers' compensation don't count. The household follows your tax return: you, a spouse and the people you claim. A 19- or 20-year-old still claimed on a parent's taxes counts the parents' income; one who files independently doesn't. MAGI groups have no asset test.

The 5% disregard is 5% of the poverty guideline for your household size, and it's built into Missouri's Appendix A chart. Missouri's Appendix D poverty chart shows the gap: 133% of poverty for one person is $1,769 a month, but the Adult Expansion Group limit FSD applies is $1,836. For kids, 148% is $3,370 for three, and the disregard lifts the real line to $3,484.

Non-MAGI rules cover the aged, blind and disabled groups, spend down, Medicare savings programs and long-term care. These count most income, allow specific deductions and test resources such as bank accounts and a second vehicle.

For example, a family of three in Missouri earning $3,600 a month gross (one parent, a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old) splits three ways. The parent is specifically $458 over the $3,142 expansion adult limit, so the parent doesn't qualify for MO HealthNet. Both children are over the $3,484 no-premium line for kids, but well under the $6,944 CHIP ceiling, so they go to CHIP. On the DSS premium chart effective July 1, 2026, $3,600 a month for three falls in the $3,415 to $4,212 band, a premium of $32 a month for the children's coverage. The parent shops on HealthCare.gov.

Missouri Medicaid Asset Limits

$6,220.50 is the resource limit for one person on MO HealthNet for the Aged, Blind and Disabled, and $12,441 for a couple, effective July 1, 2026, according to MHABD Appendix J. Children, pregnant women, parents and expansion adults on MAGI coverage don't face an asset test at all.

The Medicare savings programs use a separate, higher test: $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple (effective January 1, 2026). For nursing home and in-home long-term care, Appendix J lists these 2026 figures:

• Spousal share: when one spouse needs care, the spouse at home keeps a share of the couple's assets, from a minimum of $32,532 to a maximum of $162,660 (January 1, 2026).
• Community spouse income allowance: a minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance of $2,705 (July 1, 2026) and a maximum of $4,066.50 (January 1, 2026).
• Home equity cap: $752,000 for vendor, home and community-based or PACE coverage.
• Transfer penalty divisor: Missouri's average private pay nursing rate is $8,235 a month (April 1, 2026). A gift of $41,175, for instance, would delay nursing home coverage by about 5 months ($41,175 divided by $8,235).

Families planning ahead should talk with a legal aid office or an elder law attorney before moving money or property.

Expansion vs Non-Expansion: Where Missouri Stands in 2026

Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion as Amendment 2 in August 2020, and the DSS expansion FAQ says FSD began processing adult expansion applications on October 1, 2021, after an August 10, 2021 Cole County Circuit Court order. The DSS H.R.1 page reports 348,555 Missourians in the Adult Expansion Group as of January 2026, out of 1,262,320 on MO HealthNet in December 2025.

Expansion is why a working adult without children can qualify at all. Before it, a Missouri parent of three was limited to $301 a month, and adults without children had no route unless they were disabled. In a non-expansion state, that gap still exists; our Texas Medicaid income limits guide shows how it plays out. Neighboring guides for Illinois and Ohio cover expansion states next door, and our Louisiana guide covers another Southern expansion state.

Changes already scheduled. According to the DSS H.R.1 participant resources page (opens in a new tab) and its Community Engagement Requirements FAQ (opens in a new tab):

• October 1, 2026 (in effect): Medicaid and CHIP for non-citizens narrowed to lawful permanent residents, certain Cuban and Haitian entrants and people from the Compact of Free Association nations. Refugees, asylees and other humanitarian groups are excluded.
• January 1, 2027: community engagement requirements begin for adults 19 to 64 in the Adult Expansion Group. A person meets them with 80 hours in a month of paid work, self-employment, community service, a work program or a mix, half-time school, or countable income of at least $580 for the month in 2026 (80 times the federal minimum wage).
• Renewals every 6 months for expansion adults, with the DSS timeline listing December 31, 2026 for the switch and "beginning in 2027" for the first six-month reviews.
• January 2027: retroactive coverage drops to 1 month for expansion adults and 2 months for other groups.
• October 2028: cost-sharing for expansion adults with income above 100% of poverty.

Who's exempt from the work rule, per the DSS FAQ: pregnant or postpartum members; people with Medicare Part A or B; former foster youth under 26; American Indians and Alaska Natives; veterans rated 100% disabled; people who are medically frail; people in drug or alcohol treatment; parents, guardians or caretakers of a child 13 or younger; qualifying family caregivers of a person with a disability; people meeting Temporary Assistance work rules; SNAP households where the person must meet a SNAP work rule; and people in jail or prison.

Two Missouri-specific details matter. FSD checks one qualifying month: for an applicant, the month before applying; for a current member, any one month since the last renewal. And Missouri isn't using the optional short-term hardship exception, so a job loss or short illness doesn't excuse a month by itself. If FSD can't verify compliance, it sends a notice of noncompliance with 35 days to respond, and current coverage stays on during that window. None of these changes alter the dollar limits above.

What Missouri DSS Doesn't Tell You About the Income Limits

Grantsights found 5 gaps between the way DSS publishes its limits and the way FSD applies them:

1. The public chart is lower than the real limit. The DSS Benefit Program Income Limits chart lists $21,226 a year for a single adult, but FSD's manual applies the 5% disregard, for $1,836 a month or $22,032 a year. Grantsights analysis of the two DSS charts shows the real line is $806 a year higher for one person and $1,650 higher for a family of four ($45,540 against $43,890). Someone a little over the public figure may still qualify.
2. The parent figure looks like a dead end. MO HealthNet for Families stops at $301 a month for three. Most working parents qualify instead as expansion adults at $3,142, a difference of $2,841 a month in Grantsights analysis of the Appendix A chart.
3. Nursing home care has no income cap. Many states stop nursing home Medicaid at $2,982 a month. Missouri doesn't publish a cap for vendor care; residents pay their income to the facility, minus a $50 monthly allowance and a few allowed deductions such as health insurance premiums, and MO HealthNet pays the rest. Families who see a high pension and assume their parent can't qualify often underestimate this.
4. Seniors have a lower line, plus spend down. A 66-year-old checking the $1,836 adult figure is using the wrong test. The aged and disabled limit is $1,131 a month, $705 lower. But income above $1,131 doesn't end the inquiry; it becomes a monthly spend down that medical bills can meet.
5. CHIP isn't free in Missouri above 150% of poverty. Kids' coverage reaches $8,388 a month for four, more than double the $4,208 no-premium line, but every tier above 150% carries a family premium, from $39 to $309 a month for four on the July 1, 2026 chart. CHIP is also for uninsured children; FSD runs an affordability test when other coverage is available.

One more quirk: the Medicaid.gov eligibility levels table (opens in a new tab) (as of December 1, 2023) lists Missouri children 1 to 18 at 150%, while Missouri's own manual uses 148% plus the disregard. Go by the state's chart.

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

These errors cause most wrong answers on MO HealthNet eligibility:

• Using take-home pay. Every MAGI limit is gross income before taxes. Pre-tax retirement and health contributions come off; withholding doesn't.
• Getting the household wrong. A common mistake is leaving the unborn baby out of a pregnant woman's household, or adding a roommate who isn't on your tax return.
• Trusting a 2025 denial. The single-adult limit rose from $1,800 a month (April 1, 2025 table) to $1,836 on April 1, 2026, and the four-person limit from $3,698 to $3,795, according to the Appendix A history.
• Dropping the kids after a parent is denied. Each person is checked separately. A parent $458 over the line can still have every child covered.
• Ignoring the CHIP invoice. The premium chart notes that a new invoice goes out each July, and coverage can end if the full premium isn't paid.
• Paying someone to apply. Applying for MO HealthNet is free. A red flag is any site, caller or "enrollment service" that charges a fee, wants gift cards or asks for your bank login. FSD Resource Centers never charge.
• Missing mail starting in 2027. With six-month renewals and 35-day response windows, an unopened letter is one of the quickest ways to lose coverage you still qualify for.

How to Apply for MO HealthNet and How Long It Takes

FSD has 30 days to decide applications for families and children, 15 days for pregnant women, 45 days for seniors and 90 days for disability-based applications, according to the DSS Know Your Rights page (opens in a new tab). Applications sent back with every requested document move faster.

1. Online: through the myDSS portal linked from the DSS Apply for MO HealthNet page (opens in a new tab).
2. By phone: 855-373-9994, the application line DSS lists. For questions, the FSD Information Center is 855-373-4636 (855-FSD-INFO), 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.
3. By paper or in person: print the application from the same page or take it to an FSD Resource Center.

If you're 65 or older, blind or disabled, add the Aged, Blind and Disabled supplemental form. Have pay stubs or a recent tax return, Social Security numbers and proof of identity and immigration status ready; seniors also need bank statements and life insurance and property records. People born outside Missouri may need to send citizenship documents, since the expansion FAQ says FSD can't verify those electronically. If you also need food help, our Missouri food stamps guide covers SNAP, which uses different limits.

What to Do If You're Denied

You have 90 days from the date on your Action Notice to ask for a hearing, according to the FSD hearing instructions (opens in a new tab). Ask within 10 days of that date if you want your coverage to continue until the hearing decision. If you're in a managed care plan and the plan denied a service, file with the plan first; the MO HealthNet FAQ says you then have 120 days from the plan's appeal decision to request a state fair hearing.

Start with the reason on the notice. If it's income, check the figure FSD used against your gross pay, confirm your household size, and see whether the 5% disregard was applied. Wrong household counts and old pay stubs are fixable. Legal aid offices in Missouri can help with hearings at no cost.

If You're Over the Missouri Medicaid Limit

Being $200 over the adult line still leaves at least 6 routes worth checking. For an adult, your best bet is usually the federal marketplace; for children, start here with CHIP before assuming the family is shut out.

• HealthCare.gov: Missouri uses the federal marketplace, and adults over 138% of poverty can get premium tax credits; HealthCare.gov's savings page (opens in a new tab) explains how they work. Losing MO HealthNet opens a special enrollment period.
• CHIP for the kids: coverage up to 300% of poverty plus the disregard, with a family premium above 150%.
• Show-Me Healthy Babies: pregnancy coverage up to $5,501 a month for a household of two.
• Spend down: seniors and people with disabilities over $1,131 a month can still get coverage after meeting a monthly spend down.
• Medicare savings programs: QMB, SLMB and QI-1 pay Medicare costs up to $1,796 a month for one person.
• Ticket to Work Health Assurance: workers with disabilities can qualify up to $3,990 a month for one person, with premiums on a sliding scale.

WIC serves pregnant women and young children at a higher income line. Our federal poverty guidelines guide lists every percentage band, our SSI income limits guide and help for seniors programs guide cover older adults, and our SNAP income limits guide and LIHEAP income limits guide cover food and heating bills. For help beyond health coverage, Grantsights' free eligibility checker points you to official programs for rent, utilities and other needs. It doesn't decide MO HealthNet eligibility and doesn't apply for you; it shows where to go.

FAQ: Missouri Medicaid Income Limits

What is the income limit for Missouri Medicaid in 2026?

$1,836 a month for one adult and $3,795 for four, effective April 1, 2026.

How much can a family of 4 make and get MO HealthNet?

$3,795 a month for the parents; kids up to $4,208 with no premium and $8,388 with CHIP.

What is the Missouri Medicaid income limit for pregnant women?

$3,625 a month for a household of two; Show-Me Healthy Babies goes to $5,501.

What is the CHIP income limit in Missouri?

$6,944 a month for three and $8,388 for four, with premiums above 150% of poverty.

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

$1,131 a month and $6,220.50 in resources for one person, with spend down above that.

Does Missouri have an income cap for nursing home Medicaid?

No fixed cap; residents keep $50 a month and pay the rest of their income to the facility.

When do Missouri Medicaid work requirements start?

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

How long do I have to appeal a MO HealthNet denial?

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

---

Sources

1. Missouri DSS: Benefit Program Income Limits (opens in a new tab), as of October 1, 2026
2. Missouri DSS: Family MO HealthNet (MAGI) Manual Appendix A, MAGI income limits with 5% of FPL included and CHIP premium amounts (opens in a new tab), July 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 (with earlier tables back to 2024)
3. Missouri DSS: Family MO HealthNet Manual Appendix D, Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab), April 1, 2026
4. Missouri DSS: MHABD Manual Appendix J, Eligibility Standards for Non-MAGI Programs (opens in a new tab), revised October 2026
5. Missouri DSS: CHIP Premium Chart (opens in a new tab), as of July 1, 2026
6. Missouri DSS: H.R.1 Participant Resources (opens in a new tab) - non-citizen changes, community engagement, six-month renewals, retroactive coverage, cost-sharing
7. Missouri DSS: Community Engagement Requirements FAQ (opens in a new tab) - January 1, 2027 start, 80 hours or $580, exemptions, 35-day notice
8. Missouri DSS: H.R.1 Implementation (opens in a new tab) - enrollment counts and timeline
9. Missouri DSS: Adult Medicaid Expansion and MO HealthNet Coverage FAQs (opens in a new tab) - October 1, 2021 start, excluded income
10. Missouri DSS: Know Your Rights (opens in a new tab) - application processing times
11. Missouri DSS: Apply for MO HealthNet (opens in a new tab)
12. Missouri DSS: FSD hearing instructions (IM-4) (opens in a new tab) - 90-day and 10-day deadlines
13. Missouri DSS: MO HealthNet FAQs (opens in a new tab) - managed care appeals, FSD Information Center
14. HHS ASPE: 2026 Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab)
15. Medicaid.gov: Medicaid, CHIP and BHP Eligibility Levels (opens in a new tab), as of December 1, 2023
16. HealthCare.gov: Lower costs on Marketplace coverage (opens in a new tab)