NJ FamilyCare Income Limits 2026: NJ Medicaid Chart
Quick Answer: In 2026, NJ FamilyCare covers adults 19 to 64 with income up to $1,836 a month for one person ($22,025 a year) and $3,795 a month for four ($45,540 a year), under the DMAHS income standards effective January 1, 2026.
Full answer and how we checked it
Children qualify up to $9,763 a month for a family of four (355% of poverty), and pregnant people up to $4,668 a month for a household of three (205%), with no premiums for any plan. Seniors and people with disabilities use separate tests that start at $1,025.25 a month with $2,000 in resources, and nursing home care has a $2,982 monthly income cap. New Jersey applies new poverty guidelines retroactive to January 1 each year (the 2026 chart was issued in Medicaid Communication 26-03 on February 26, 2026), and the SSI-based limits change each January 1.
This guide is for: New Jersey residents checking whether they, a child, a pregnant family member or an aging parent can get NJ FamilyCare, the state's name for Medicaid and CHIP, including people who were turned down before or whose income changed this year.
Data note: Grantsights checked the New Jersey Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) Medicaid Communication 26-03 and its income standards chart (opens in a new tab) (chart revised January 14, 2026), Medicaid Communication 26-01 (opens in a new tab) on Medicaid Only standards, Medicaid Communication 26-06 (opens in a new tab) on fair hearings, the DMAHS federal changes page (opens in a new tab) and work requirements page (opens in a new tab), and NJ FamilyCare's eligibility page (opens in a new tab) against the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines (opens in a new tab) on November 3, 2026.
In this guide (11 sections)
- NJ FamilyCare Income Limits by Household Size (2026)
- How NJ FamilyCare Counts Your Income
- NJ FamilyCare Asset Limits
- Expansion vs Non-Expansion: New Jersey's Position in 2026
- What NJ DMAHS Doesn't Tell You About the Income Limits
- Common Mistakes and Red Flags
- How to Apply for NJ FamilyCare and How Long It Takes
- What to Do If You're Denied
- If You're Over the NJ FamilyCare Limit
- FAQ: New Jersey Medicaid Income Limits
- Sources
Applying is free, and NJ FamilyCare is health coverage, not a cash grant. To compare New Jersey with other states, see our national Medicaid income limits guide.
NJ FamilyCare Income Limits by Household Size (2026)
New Jersey splits NJ FamilyCare into 5 main MAGI income limits for adults, children and pregnancy, plus several CHIP plan bands. According to the DMAHS income standards data effective January 1, 2026, a family of four can have up to $3,795 a month for the adults, $4,043 for a child on Medicaid, $5,638 for a pregnant person and $9,763 for a child in the top CHIP plan. The amounts are gross monthly income.
| Household size | Adults 19-64, Plan ABP (138% FPL) | Children 1-18, Medicaid Plan A (147% FPL) | Infants under 1 and pregnancy, Plan A (199% FPL) | Pregnancy, CHIP (205% FPL) | Children, CHIP Plan B top (150% FPL) | Children, CHIP Plan C top (200% FPL) | Children, CHIP Plan D top (355% FPL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,836 | $1,956 | $2,647 | $2,727 | $1,995 | $2,660 | $4,722 |
| 2 | $2,489 | $2,651 | $3,589 | $3,697 | $2,705 | $3,607 | $6,402 |
| 3 | $3,142 | $3,347 | $4,531 | $4,668 | $3,415 | $4,554 | $8,083 |
| 4 | $3,795 | $4,043 | $5,473 | $5,638 | $4,125 | $5,500 | $9,763 |
| 5 | $4,449 | $4,739 | $6,415 | $6,608 | $4,835 | $6,447 | $11,443 |
| 6 | $5,102 | $5,435 | $7,357 | $7,579 | $5,545 | $7,394 | $13,124 |
| 7 | $5,755 | $6,130 | $8,299 | $8,549 | $6,255 | $8,340 | $14,804 |
| 8 | $6,408 | $6,826 | $9,241 | $9,519 | $6,965 | $9,287 | $16,484 |
| Each additional person | +$654 | +$696 | +$942 | +$971 | +$710 | +$947 | +$1,681 |
Source: DMAHS, Income Standards Effective January 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab), attached to Medicaid Communication 26-03 (February 26, 2026). Columns marked 138%, 147%, 199%, 205% and 355% already include the 5% MAGI disregard; the base percentages are 133%, 142%, 194%, 200% and 350%. DMAHS notes that rounding can cause small differences.
Yearly limits for adults and children
| Household size | Adults 19-64 (138%, yearly) | Children on Medicaid (147%, yearly) | Children, top CHIP plan (355%, yearly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $22,025 | $23,462 | $56,658 |
| 2 | $29,864 | $31,811 | $76,822 |
| 3 | $37,702 | $40,161 | $96,986 |
| 4 | $45,540 | $48,510 | $117,150 |
| 5 | $53,379 | $56,860 | $137,314 |
| 6 | $61,217 | $65,210 | $157,478 |
| 7 | $69,056 | $73,559 | $177,642 |
| 8 | $76,894 | $81,909 | $197,806 |
Source: the yearly columns of the same DMAHS chart. Add $7,839 a year per extra person in the adult group and $20,164 in the top CHIP plan.
The same chart lists a separate parent and caretaker group (MAGI AFDC Medicaid) at just $585 a month for four, but almost every working parent qualifies instead through the adult group at $3,795.
Seniors, disability and long-term care limits
New Jersey's Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) programs use their own tests and check resources as well as income.
| ABD program | 2026 monthly income limit | Resources allowed | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicaid Only / SSI level, 1 person living alone | $1,025.25 | $2,000 | Couple: $1,516.35 and $3,000 |
| New Jersey Care Special Medicaid Programs (100% FPL), 1 / 2 people | $1,330 / $1,804 | $4,000 / $6,000 | Aged, blind and disabled |
| Medically Needy, 1 / 2 people | $367 / $434 | $4,000 / $6,000 | Spend-down route |
| QMB (100% FPL), 1 / 2 people | $1,330 / $1,804 | $9,950 / $14,910 | Pays Medicare premiums and cost-sharing |
| SLMB (120% FPL), 1 / 2 people | $1,596 / $2,164 | $9,950 / $14,910 | Pays Part B premium |
| QI-1 (135% FPL), 1 / 2 people | $1,796 / $2,435 | $9,950 / $14,910 | Pays Part B premium |
| Nursing home and MLTSS Medicaid cap | $2,982 | ABD resource rules apply | Gross income applied to the cap |
| NJ WorkAbility | No income standard | No resource standard | Since February 1, 2024 |
Sources: DMAHS 2026 income standards chart (opens in a new tab) and Medicaid Communication 26-01 (opens in a new tab) (December 26, 2025), which applies the 2.8% SSI cost-of-living increase from January 1, 2026.
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How NJ FamilyCare Counts Your Income
DMAHS uses 2 sets of rules, and the NJ FamilyCare application routes you by age, disability and Medicare status.
MAGI rules cover children, parents, pregnant people and adults 19 to 64. NJ FamilyCare's eligibility page says financial eligibility is based on your latest federal tax return, which is checked electronically. Your household is usually the people on that return: you, a spouse and dependents. A pregnant person counts the expected child or children. MAGI groups have no asset test.
The 5% disregard is already in the printed numbers. DMAHS marks the 138%, 147%, 199%, 205% and 355% columns as including the "5% MAGI Related Disregard," so a one-person adult figure of $1,836 is really the 133% standard ($1,769) plus 5% of poverty ($66.50).
ABD rules cover people 65 and older, blind or disabled, and long-term care. These follow SSI methods: they allow certain deductions, count some in-kind support, and look at what you own. Medicaid Communication 26-01 sets 2026 standards for different living arrangements, from $706.98 for a person living in another's household to $1,204.05 in a residential health care facility.
For example, a family of three in Newark earning $3,400 a month gross (a parent, a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old) gets split across plans. The parent is specifically $258 over the $3,142 adult limit, so the parent doesn't get NJ FamilyCare. The children are $53 over the $3,347 Medicaid limit but under the $3,415 top of CHIP Plan B, so both are covered in Plan B. Since premiums ended in 2021, the children's coverage costs the family nothing, and the parent can shop on GetCoveredNJ, the state marketplace.
NJ FamilyCare Asset Limits
$2,000 is the resource limit for one person in the SSI-level Medicaid Only program and $3,000 for a couple, according to the DMAHS 2026 chart; New Jersey Care Special Medicaid raises that to $4,000 and $6,000. Children, parents, pregnant people and Plan ABP adults have no asset test.
Long-term care adds its own standards, all from the 2026 chart:
- Income cap: $2,982 a month in gross income for nursing facility care and MLTSS, the same figure Communication 26-01 sets as the maintenance allowance for a person getting long-term services at home.
- Spousal protection: the spouse at home keeps resources between $32,532 and $162,660, plus a monthly maintenance allowance of $2,643.75, a spousal housing allowance of $793.13 and a utility allowance of $977. DMAHS notes the allowances may be adjusted in July or October.
- Home equity: the maximum home equity limit is $1,130,000.
Communication 26-01 sets a $147.65 monthly maintenance needs allowance for assisted living residents on long-term services, with a standard room and board rate of $996.40. Moving money or property for less than its value before applying can cause a penalty period, so a family planning for nursing home care should talk with a legal aid office or an elder law attorney first.
Expansion vs Non-Expansion: New Jersey's Position in 2026
New Jersey expanded Medicaid, so adults 19 to 64 qualify at 138% of poverty whether or not they have children. The Medicaid.gov eligibility levels table (opens in a new tab) (as of December 1, 2023) lists New Jersey at 133% for expansion adults, 26% for parents in the separate parent group, 142% for children, 194% for infants and pregnancy in Medicaid, 200% for pregnancy in CHIP and 350% for separate CHIP. Those are base percentages before the 5% disregard. Our New York Medicaid income limits guide and Pennsylvania guide cover the neighboring expansion states, and our Texas guide shows what a non-expansion state looks like.
Already in effect: non-citizen changes on October 1, 2026. The DMAHS federal changes page says non-citizen adults now generally need 5 years as lawful permanent residents, with exceptions for Cuban and Haitian entrants, COFA migrants, and refugees, asylees and certain other groups who have adjusted to green card status. Refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees and trafficking or domestic violence survivors who haven't adjusted may no longer qualify. Children under 19 still qualify regardless of immigration status, and lawfully present pregnant people and lawfully present non-citizens under 21 can still qualify.
Starting January 1, 2027, according to the DMAHS work requirements page:
- Work, volunteering or school for certain adults 19 to 64 on NJ FamilyCare Plan ABP. NJ FamilyCare will send a letter if it applies to you, and offers an online checker at njfcchecker.nj.gov (opens in a new tab) that takes about 10 minutes.
- Renewals every 6 months instead of 12 for most of those members; some exempt adults may still renew every 6 months.
- A new application. DMAHS says applications not submitted by 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2026 will be closed, and anyone with an unfinished application will need to start a new one in 2027.
Exclusions and exceptions DMAHS lists include pregnancy or a pregnancy that ended in the last 12 months, parents or caregivers of a child under 14 or a person with a disability, people meeting SNAP or WorkFirst NJ work rules, people in substance use treatment, ABD enrollees, people who are medically frail, tribal members, veterans with a total disability, former foster youth under 26, people on Medicare or SSI, recent hospital or nursing facility stays, and residents of high-unemployment or disaster areas.
What NJ DMAHS Doesn't Tell You About the Income Limits
Grantsights reviewed the DMAHS chart and program pages side by side and found 5 gaps a family should know:
- The children's ceiling dwarfs the adult line. Grantsights analysis of the 2026 DMAHS chart shows the top CHIP plan reaches $9,763 a month for a family of four, $5,968 above the $3,795 adult limit. A household that's well over the line for the parents can still have every child covered.
- "Plan B, C, D" sounds like cost tiers, but there's no bill. According to the NJ FamilyCare questions and answers guide, premiums are gone. The plan letters once set premiums and copays. NJ FamilyCare says premiums ended for all plans on July 1, 2021, so a family shouldn't skip CHIP to avoid a monthly charge.
- The tiny parent figure isn't your limit. The chart's MAGI AFDC column shows $585 a month for four. Most parents qualify through Plan ABP at $3,795, which is $3,210 more.
- There are two senior lines. The SSI-level standard is $1,025.25 for one person, but New Jersey Care Special Medicaid goes to $1,330, $304.75 higher, with a $4,000 resource limit. An older adult turned down under the first test should ask about the second.
- Continued coverage during a hearing is now a choice you must make. Since July 1, 2026, Medicaid Communication 26-06 says benefits are paused unless you elect to continue them on the hearing request, and you may owe the cost of care if you lose.
Common Mistakes and Red Flags
Here are the errors that most often lead to a wrong NJ FamilyCare answer:
- Counting take-home pay. All limits are gross monthly income before taxes.
- Using an old chart. A common mistake is reading a 2024 or 2025 DMAHS PDF that still turns up in search results. Use the chart effective January 1, 2026, from Medicaid Communication 26-03.
- Leaving the kids off after a parent is denied. Each person is checked separately, and children can qualify regardless of immigration status.
- Missing the December 31 cutoff. An application started in 2026 but not submitted by 11:59 p.m. on December 31 will be closed.
- Paying for help. Applying for NJ FamilyCare is free, and County Welfare Agencies and NJ FamilyCare's helpline don't charge. A red flag is anyone asking for a fee, gift cards or your bank login to file for you or to speed up approval.
- Ignoring letters. With 6-month renewals coming for many Plan ABP adults, an unanswered request for information is an easy way to lose coverage you still qualify for.
How to Apply for NJ FamilyCare and How Long It Takes
Federal rules give New Jersey up to 45 days to decide most applications and 90 days for applications based on disability, under 42 CFR 435.912 (opens in a new tab). Choosing a health plan on the application helps; NJ FamilyCare's Q&A says not choosing one slows down processing.
- Online: through the NJ FamilyCare application page (opens in a new tab), where you can save a draft, check status and upload documents.
- By phone: NJ FamilyCare at 1-800-701-0710 (TTY 711) for children, families and adults; the ABD programs line at 1-800-356-1561 for seniors and people with disabilities.
- In person or by mail: at your County Welfare Agency, which can also check you for SNAP and cash help. ABD applicants can mail the ABD application (opens in a new tab); an in-person interview isn't required.
Have your latest tax return, pay stubs, Social Security numbers and immigration documents ready. ABD and nursing home applications also need bank statements, insurance policies and property records. If you also need food help, our New Jersey food stamps guide covers SNAP, which uses different limits.
What to Do If You're Denied
You have 30 days from the date on the notice to ask for a fair hearing, for notices sent on or after July 1, 2026. DMAHS Medicaid Communication 26-06 (opens in a new tab) explains that state rules allow 20 days from receipt, and DMAHS adds 10 days for mail, so notices state 30 days from the notice date. Keep proof that you mailed or faxed the request within that window.
If your coverage is ending, mark the option to continue benefits on the request; it isn't automatic anymore. Then look at the reason on the notice. For income denials, compare the county's figure with your gross pay and tax household, and confirm it used the 2026 chart.
If You're Over the NJ FamilyCare Limit
$1 over the adult line still leaves at least 5 options, and for families the children's coverage is usually the place to start:
- GetCoveredNJ: the state marketplace for people over 138% of poverty, with tax credits for many households; HealthCare.gov's savings page (opens in a new tab) explains how credits work.
- CHIP for the kids up to $9,763 a month for a family of four, with no premiums.
- Plan First covers family planning services up to 205% of poverty ($2,727 a month for one person) for people whose income is too high for full coverage.
- Medicare Savings Programs for people with Medicare, up to $1,796 a month for one person in QI-1.
- Charity Care and community health centers: DMAHS lists Charity Care for hospital bills and sliding-fee federally qualified health centers for adults who don't qualify.
Our federal poverty guidelines guide explains each percentage band, our WIC income limits guide covers pregnant women and young children, and our SSI income limits guide and help for seniors programs guide cover older adults. For utility bills, see our LIHEAP income limits guide. For rent, utility or other bills, Grantsights' free eligibility checker lists official New Jersey and federal programs to look at next. It doesn't decide NJ FamilyCare eligibility and doesn't apply for you.
FAQ: New Jersey Medicaid Income Limits
What is the income limit for NJ FamilyCare in 2026?
Plan ABP adults: $1,836 a month for a single person, $3,795 for a family of four, since January 1, 2026.
How much can a family of 4 make and qualify for NJ FamilyCare?
$3,795 a month for the adults; children up to $9,763 a month.
What is the NJ FamilyCare income limit for pregnant women?
$3,697 a month for a household of two and $4,668 for three.
Does NJ FamilyCare charge premiums?
No, premiums ended for all plans on July 1, 2021.
What are the NJ Medicaid income and asset limits for seniors?
$1,025.25 a month and $2,000 at the SSI level; $1,330 and $4,000 under New Jersey Care.
What is the income limit for nursing home Medicaid in New Jersey?
$2,982 a month in gross income in 2026.
When do NJ FamilyCare work requirements start?
January 1, 2027, for some Plan ABP adults 19 to 64.
How long do I have to request a fair hearing in New Jersey?
30 days from the notice date; ask to continue benefits on the request.
Sources
- NJ DMAHS: Medicaid Communication 26-03, Income Eligibility Standards Effective January 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab), February 26, 2026, with chart revised January 14, 2026
- NJ DMAHS: Medicaid Communication 26-01, 2026 Income and Resource Standards for Medicaid Only (opens in a new tab), December 26, 2025
- NJ DMAHS: Medicaid Communication 26-06, Operational Changes to Fair Hearing Process (opens in a new tab), June 23, 2026 - effective July 1, 2026
- NJ DMAHS: Federal Changes to NJ FamilyCare (opens in a new tab) - non-citizen rules from October 1, 2026; work rules and 6-month renewals from January 1, 2027
- NJ DMAHS: Community Engagement / Work Requirements (opens in a new tab)
- NJ DMAHS: Adults (opens in a new tab)
- NJ DMAHS: Aged, Blind and Disabled Programs (opens in a new tab)
- NJ FamilyCare: Who Is Eligible? (opens in a new tab)
- NJ FamilyCare: Non-citizen Information (opens in a new tab)
- NJ FamilyCare: Questions and Answers (opens in a new tab) - premiums ended July 1, 2021
- NJ FamilyCare: Apply (opens in a new tab)
- eCFR: 42 CFR 435.912, Timely determination of eligibility (opens in a new tab)
- HHS ASPE: 2026 Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- Medicaid.gov eligibility levels table (December 2023 data), used here for New Jersey (opens in a new tab), as of December 1, 2023
- HealthCare.gov: Lower costs on Marketplace coverage (opens in a new tab)
Last updated November 3, 2026. Published by Grantsights from public sources. See our editorial policy, how we build and check guides, corrections and how we make money.
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