Texas Medicaid Income Limits 2026: Full Chart

Medicaid and CHIP aren't grants, and applying is free. In Texas, you apply only through Texas Health and Human Services at YourTexasBenefits.com or by calling 2-1-1 (Option 2). For the national picture and other states, see our Medicaid income limits guide.

Texas Medicaid and CHIP Income Limits for 2026

Texas sets 6 different monthly income limits for children, pregnancy and CHIP, all tied to the 2026 federal poverty level and used for coverage from March 1, 2026. According to the Texas Works Handbook income limit data in section C-131.1, these are the limits before the standard 5% disregard (explained below), by household size:

Sources: Texas Works Handbook C-131.1 and C-131.2 (opens in a new tab). The FPL columns are effective March 1, 2026 (HHSC program codes TP 44, TP 48, TP 40/TP 43, TA 84 and TA 85). The parent and caretaker column is TP 08, Revision 15-4, effective October 1, 2015; a two-parent family has its own column (for example, $251 for three and $285 for four). The chart runs to 15 people.

What's missing from the table: adults 19 to 64 who aren't pregnant, aren't caring for a child and don't have a disability. Texas has no full-Medicaid group for them. That's the coverage gap, covered in its own section below.

Texas's own percentages match federal records. Medicaid.gov's eligibility table (opens in a new tab), as of December 1, 2023, lists Texas at 198% for babies under 1, 144% for ages 1 to 5, 133% for ages 6 to 18, 201% for CHIP, 198% for pregnancy, 12% for parents (a dollar standard converted to a percentage) and "No" for expansion. KFF's January 2026 tables show the same limits 5 points higher (203%, 149%, 138%, 206%), because KFF adds the 5% disregard.

Who each column covers

• Children 6 to 18 (TP 44): Children's Medicaid for kids from their 6th birthday through age 18.
• Children 1 to 5 (TP 48): Children's Medicaid for ages 1 through 5.
• Babies under 1 (TP 43) and pregnancy (TP 40): both use 198% of poverty.
• CHIP (TA 84): for children under 19 whose family income is too high for Children's Medicaid. CHIP has small yearly enrollment fees and copays.
• CHIP perinatal (TA 85): prenatal care for the unborn child of a woman who can't get Medicaid, including because of immigration status. It ends the last day of the month the pregnancy ends.
• Parents and caretaker relatives (TP 08): full Medicaid for an adult caring for a dependent child 18 or under, at very low income.

How Texas Counts Your Income: MAGI and the 5% Disregard

Texas subtracts a standard disregard of 5 percentage points of poverty, which is $113.85 a month for a household of three in 2026, from household income for every MAGI-based medical program, according to Texas Works Handbook section A-1341. In practice, that raises each limit in the table by the disregard amount:

Source: Texas Works Handbook C-131.4 (opens in a new tab), effective for 2026 limits. The two right-hand columns are a Grantsights calculation: the C-131.1 limit plus the C-131.4 disregard.

MAGI stands for Modified Adjusted Gross Income. It's built on federal tax rules, so it counts what the IRS counts:

• Counted: wages before taxes, self-employment profit, unemployment benefits, Social Security benefits (including the untaxed part) of people in the tax household, alimony from divorces finalized before 2019, and most other taxable income.
• Not counted: child support you receive, SSI, and most veterans' disability payments.
• Household size follows who files taxes with whom. A pregnant woman's household includes the expected number of unborn children, according to Texas Works Handbook A-241.1.5, so a woman pregnant with twins and living alone is a household of 3.
• A child's income usually doesn't count if the child isn't expected to have to file a tax return. For 2026, HHSC's bulletin sets that threshold at $1,312.50 a month in earned income or $112.50 in unearned income.

Medicaid for seniors and people with disabilities uses different, non-MAGI rules based on SSI. Those are below.

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

The Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities (MEPD) programs use $994 a month for one person and $1,491 for a couple in 2026, the SSI federal benefit rate, for most community programs. According to the MEPD budget reference chart data in Appendix XXXI, the 2026 limits are:

Source: MEPD Handbook Appendix XXXI (opens in a new tab). SSI-based figures are effective January 1, 2026; FPL-based figures (MSP and MBI) are effective March 1, 2026. MSP limits don't include the $20 disregard.

What doesn't count as a resource, according to HHSC's MEPD applicant information (opens in a new tab): your home (if you, your spouse or a dependent relative lives there, though nursing home and waiver applicants face a $752,000 home equity cap in 2026), one vehicle regardless of value, burial spaces, up to $1,500 set aside for burial, and life insurance with a total face value of $1,500 or less. Checking and savings accounts, CDs, IRAs, stocks and land other than your home do count.

Nursing home rules worth knowing:

• Income above $2,982? Texas lets you divert the excess into a qualified income trust (a "Miller trust"), according to HHSC's QIT information page (opens in a new tab). The trust doesn't fix a resource problem: you still need $2,000 or less.
• The 60-month look-back: giving away money or property within 60 months of applying can trigger a penalty period. HHSC's 2026 penalty divisor is $262.37 a day.
• You'll likely pay part of the bill. After approval, residents keep a $75 a month personal needs allowance and most other income goes toward the cost of care.
• A spouse at home can keep extra resources and income under spousal impoverishment rules.

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

Texas and Medicaid Expansion: The Coverage Gap for Adults

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

The result is the coverage gap. HealthCare.gov's Medicaid expansion page (opens in a new tab) explains that premium tax credits for Marketplace plans start at 100% of poverty. A Texas adult earning less than that ($1,330 a month for one person in 2026) who doesn't qualify for Medicaid through pregnancy, age, disability or caring for a child "won't qualify for either" program.

Grantsights calculation from the Texas Works C-131.2 chart and the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines ($15,960 for one, $27,320 for three). Children in these households still qualify for Medicaid or CHIP.

Work requirements don't change this for Texas. The federal community engagement rule, published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026, 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 and similar section 1115 coverage. Texas's current Medicaid groups for children, pregnant women, parents and people who are aged, blind or disabled aren't that group.

Options for adults who fall in the gap

• Healthy Texas Women: family planning and some postpartum services for women 15 through 44 with income up to 204.2% of poverty ($2,716 a month for one person, $4,649 for three), according to Texas Works Handbook W-111.
• Medicaid for Breast and Cervical Cancer: for women who need treatment for breast or cervical cancer and meet the program's rules in Texas Works Handbook Part X.
• Emergency Medicaid: covers emergency treatment only, for people who'd qualify except for immigration status.
• Community health centers: federally funded clinics charge on a sliding scale by income.
• County hospital district programs: many large Texas counties run indigent care programs with their own income rules.

Worked Examples: Real Texas Families in 2026

For example, a family of three in Texas earning $3,200 a month (a single mom with children aged 4 and 9) gets this result for coverage after March 1, 2026:

1. Subtract the disregard: $3,200 minus $113.85 is $3,086.15 in MAGI household income.
2. The 4-year-old: the ages 1 to 5 limit is $3,279, so she qualifies for Children's Medicaid.
3. The 9-year-old: the ages 6 to 18 limit is $3,028, so he's $58.15 over. He moves to CHIP (limit $4,577) and qualifies. At about 136% of poverty, the family owes no CHIP enrollment fee, because HHSC charges $0 at or below 151%.
4. Mom: the one-parent limit for three is $230, so she's far over. Specifically, she's $2,856 over the parent line while both children stay covered. But at about 141% of poverty, she can get subsidized Marketplace coverage, and she may qualify for Healthy Texas Women (limit $4,649 for three).

A pregnant woman living with her husband, expecting one baby, is a household of 3. If they earn $4,500 a month, she's under the $4,508 pregnancy limit even before the $113.85 disregard. She gets full Medicaid through pregnancy and 12 months postpartum, according to Texas Works Handbook A-820, and the baby is covered from birth.

A widowed 80-year-old in central Texas with $1,900 a month in Social Security and $1,800 in savings is over the $994 SSI limit for community Medicaid, but if she needs nursing home care she's under the $2,982 special income limit and the $2,000 resource limit. She'd also qualify for QI-1 help with her Medicare Part B premium only if her income were under $1,796.

What Texas HHS Doesn't Tell You About These Limits

Grantsights analysis of the Texas Works Handbook income charts found 5 things the charts don't say plainly:

1. The parent limit hasn't moved since 2015. Every FPL-based column was updated for March 1, 2026, but the TP 08 parent and caretaker chart still carries Revision 15-4, effective October 1, 2015. A one-parent family of three hits the line at $230 a month, about 10% of poverty. At the federal minimum wage of $7.25, that's under 8 hours of work a week. The same parent's children stay covered up to $3,028 (Medicaid) or $4,577 (CHIP), more than 13 times the parent's limit.
2. The chart limits aren't the real cutoff. HHSC subtracts the 5% disregard ($113.85 for three) before comparing, so the working cutoff for children 6 to 18 is about $3,142, not $3,028.
3. Siblings can land in different programs. Because the age bands have different limits, it's common for a 4-year-old to get Medicaid and a 9-year-old to get CHIP in the same family, with different cards and different rules.
4. There's a hidden spend-down program. Children and pregnant women with income over the limits can still get Medicaid through the medically needy program (TP 56) if their medical bills bring income down to $275 a month for a family of three, according to the C-131.2 chart. Children on spend-down face a $2,000 resource limit ($3,000 with an aged or disabled member).
5. CHIP isn't free for everyone. Enrollment fees are $35 a year for households above 151% up to 186% of poverty and $50 above 186% up to 201%, according to Texas Works Handbook D-1820, and coverage can't start until the fee is paid (except for expedited enrollment).

Common Mistakes and Red Flags

A common mistake is comparing take-home pay to these limits. Texas uses income before taxes and payroll deductions (though pre-tax retirement and health premiums come off under MAGI rules). Use gross pay from your pay stub.

Other mistakes that lead to a wrong answer:

• Assuming "Texas doesn't cover adults" means your kids are out too. Children's Medicaid and CHIP reach 201% of poverty, so a family of four earning $5,500 a month can still have covered children.
• Using the wrong household size in pregnancy. Count the unborn baby (or babies).
• Applying the SSI asset test to children or parents. MAGI programs and CHIP have no asset test.
• Using last year's chart. Texas switched to the 2026 limits on March 1, 2026; the 2025 limits apply to earlier months only.
• Underestimating seniors' eligibility. An older adult over $994 may still qualify for a Medicare Savings Program or nursing home Medicaid.

Red flags for scams: applying for Medicaid or CHIP is free. Anyone charging a fee to apply, promising guaranteed approval, or asking for your Your Texas Benefits password or Medicaid card number by text isn't HHSC. Real applications go through YourTexasBenefits.com, 2-1-1 (Option 2), mail, fax or a local HHSC benefits office.

How to Apply for Texas Medicaid or CHIP and How Long It Takes

HHSC has 45 days from the date it receives your application to send a decision for Medicaid and CHIP, according to Texas Works Handbook B-110. Pregnancy applications are faster: HHSC must decide within 15 business days, and you can postpone most proof (except identity) until day 30, according to A-140.

1. Apply online at YourTexasBenefits.com, through the Your Texas Benefits mobile app, or call 2-1-1 and choose Option 2.
2. Have ready: pay stubs or other income proof for the last 30 days, Social Security numbers, immigration documents if they apply, and information on any health insurance.
3. Seniors and people with disabilities: if you're applying for SSI, Social Security's decision also gives you Medicaid. For nursing home or waiver care, apply through HHSC; the MEPD rules above apply.
4. Watch your mail and account. Missing a request for information is a top reason for denial.
5. Tell HHSC about unpaid medical bills from the months before you applied. Texas Works Handbook A-830 covers when Medicaid can reach back to those months.

What to Do If You're Denied

You have 90 days from the effective date of an HHSC action to ask for a fair hearing, according to Texas Works Handbook B-1020 (opens in a new tab). You can ask orally or in writing, and HHSC staff can't refuse to file your appeal because they think it's late; only the hearings officer decides that.

• Check the math first. Your best bet is to ask which household size and income HHSC used. Errors in household size, a missed disregard or counting income that shouldn't count are fixable.
• For CHIP denials at renewal, asking for a review before the deadline keeps your child covered while it's reviewed, according to Texas Works Handbook D-1822.1.
• Reapply if things change. If your hours or household size change, you can file a new application.

If You're Over the Texas Medicaid Limit

Medicaid isn't the only route. If you're over the limits:

• Marketplace coverage: households from 100% to 400% of poverty can get premium tax credits, according to HealthCare.gov (opens in a new tab). For one person in 2026 that's $15,960 to $63,840 a year.
• Medicare: at 65 or after 24 months of Social Security disability. Medicare Savings Programs help with premiums up to 135% of poverty.
• WIC: pregnant women, new mothers and children under 5 up to 185% of poverty; see our WIC income limits guide.
• Food help: Texas SNAP uses a 165% gross limit; see our Texas food stamps guide and SNAP income limits guide.
• Child care: see our child care assistance programs guide.
• Seniors and people with disabilities: see our help for seniors programs guide and disability grants for individuals guide.
• The poverty guidelines themselves: our federal poverty guidelines guide.

If you're sorting out more than health coverage, Grantsights' free eligibility checker points you to official programs for food, bills and other needs. It doesn't decide Medicaid eligibility or file anything with Texas; HHSC makes that decision.

When These Limits Change Next

Texas updates its FPL-based limits once a year, after HHS publishes new poverty guidelines each January. The 2026 limits apply to coverage from March 1, 2026 through February 2027, according to HHSC's Bulletin 26-04, so expect new limits for coverage starting around March 1, 2027. The SSI-based limits change each January: SSA's 2027 COLA fact sheet (opens in a new tab) raises the SSI rate to $1,029 for one person and $1,544 for a couple starting January 2027. Three times $1,029 would put the nursing home special income limit at $3,087 (a Grantsights calculation; HHSC hadn't published its 2027 chart when we checked).

FAQ: Texas Medicaid Income Limits

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

For a family of three: $3,028 a month for children 6 to 18, $3,279 for ages 1 to 5, $4,508 for babies and pregnancy, $4,577 for CHIP and $230 for a single parent.

Did Texas expand Medicaid?

No. Most adults 19 to 64 without children or a disability can't get full Medicaid at any income.

What is the Texas CHIP income limit for 2026?

201% of poverty: $4,577 a month for three and $5,528 for four.

What is the income limit for Medicaid for pregnant women in Texas?

198% of poverty: $3,571 a month for two and $4,508 for three, counting the unborn baby.

Can a single adult with no children get Medicaid in Texas?

Usually not, unless pregnant, 65+, blind or disabled. Healthy Texas Women covers family planning up to 204.2% of poverty.

What is the Texas Medicaid income limit for nursing home care?

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

Does Texas Medicaid have an asset limit?

Only for seniors, blind and disabled people ($2,000 for one, $3,000 for a couple) and children on spend-down.

When do Texas Medicaid income limits change?

FPL-based limits change around March 1 each year; SSI-based limits change every January.

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Sources

1. Texas Works Handbook, C-130 Medical Programs (C-131.1 to C-131.5) (opens in a new tab), Revision 26-2, effective April 1, 2026 (limits effective March 1, 2026); parent and caretaker chart Revision 15-4, effective October 1, 2015
2. HHSC MEPD and TW Bulletin 26-04: 2026 Federal Poverty Level (opens in a new tab), February 19, 2026
3. MEPD Handbook, Appendix XXXI: Budget Reference Chart (opens in a new tab), Revision 26-2, effective June 1, 2026
4. MEPD Handbook, Appendix XXXIII: Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities Information (opens in a new tab) and Appendix XXXVI: QITs (opens in a new tab)
5. Texas Works Handbook, A-1340 Income Limits (MAGI steps) (opens in a new tab), A-240 Medical Programs household rules (opens in a new tab), A-820 Regular Medicaid Coverage (opens in a new tab) and A-140 Expedited Service (opens in a new tab)
6. Texas Works Handbook, W-110 Healthy Texas Women (opens in a new tab), D-1820 CHIP Enrollment Fees (opens in a new tab), D-910 CHIP Resources (opens in a new tab), A-1220 Resource Limits (opens in a new tab) and B-110 Applications (opens in a new tab)
7. Texas Works Handbook, B-1020 Time Period for Requesting Fair Hearing (opens in a new tab)
8. Medicaid.gov: Medicaid, CHIP and BHP Eligibility Levels (opens in a new tab), state decisions as of December 1, 2023
9. KFF (non-government compilation): Medicaid income eligibility limits for adults, January 2026 (opens in a new tab), children, January 2026 (opens in a new tab) and status of state Medicaid expansion decisions (opens in a new tab), October 16, 2026
10. HHS ASPE: 2026 Poverty Guidelines (opens in a new tab)
11. Federal Register: Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals (opens in a new tab), June 3, 2026
12. HealthCare.gov: Medicaid expansion and what it means for you (opens in a new tab)
13. SSA: 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment Fact Sheet (opens in a new tab) and SSI Federal Payment Amounts (opens in a new tab)
14. U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Wage (opens in a new tab)