Federal poverty level calculator 2026
Enter your household size and income to get the 2026 poverty guideline and your income as a percent of it.
The income here is an example. Each program decides which income counts (gross, net or modified AGI) and who is in the household.
What the poverty guideline is for
The federal poverty guideline is a dollar amount that depends only on household size and on whether you live in the 48 contiguous states with the District of Columbia, in Alaska or in Hawaii. It does not measure what it costs to live where you live. Its job is to be a common yardstick: many health, nutrition and energy programs set eligibility at a percent of it, such as 130%, 138% or 200%. The calculator gives you the yardstick and your place on it, so you can check a program’s rule in seconds.
What are the 2026 federal poverty guidelines?
The Department of Health and Human Services publishes them each January; the 2026 figures were published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2026 (document 2026-00755). For the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia the guideline is $15,960 for one person, plus $5,680 for each additional person. By household size 1 to 8: 1: $15,960, 2: $21,640, 3: $27,320, 4: $33,000, 5: $38,680, 6: $44,360, 7: $50,040, 8: $55,720. Alaska is higher ($19,950 for one, plus $7,100 each: 1: $19,950, 2: $27,050, 3: $34,150, 4: $41,250, 5: $48,350, 6: $55,450, 7: $62,550, 8: $69,650), and so is Hawaii ($18,360 for one, plus $6,530 each: 1: $18,360, 2: $24,890, 3: $31,420, 4: $37,950, 5: $44,480, 6: $51,010, 7: $57,540, 8: $64,070). ASPE says the separate Alaska and Hawaii figures come from historical administrative practice.
How do I calculate my income as a percent of the poverty level?
Divide your household income by the guideline for your household size and region, then multiply by 100. A family of four in the 48 states has a guideline of $33,000. With an income of $46,200 that is 140.0% of the guideline. To go the other way, multiply the guideline by the percentage: 138% for the same family is $45,540 and 400% is $132,000. The calculator does both, and shows the common levels in a table. Which income counts is set by each program: the ASPE FAQ states that there is no standard definition of income for program eligibility, so a program may use gross or net income, before or after tax.
What is the difference between poverty guidelines and poverty thresholds?
The thresholds are the Census Bureau's figures, used to count how many people are poor in official statistics. The guidelines are a simplified version of the thresholds that HHS issues for administrative purposes, mainly to decide who is eligible for programs. When a program says "percent of the federal poverty level", it means the guidelines, not the thresholds. This calculator uses the guidelines.
Which programs use the poverty guidelines?
According to the ASPE page, programs that use the guidelines or a percentage multiple of them include Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); cash assistance programs such as TANF and SSI, and the earned income tax credit, generally do not use them. Each program picks its own percentage and its own definition of income, and a program may run on the previous year's guideline for part of the year. The percentage for CHIP depends on your state: ask your state agency.
What is the Medicaid income limit as a percent of poverty?
For the adult group created by the Affordable Care Act, the federal rule in 42 CFR 435.119 sets the income limit at 133 percent of the poverty level. Another federal rule, 42 CFR 435.603(d), tells states to subtract 5 percentage points of the poverty level when they decide eligibility under the group with the highest MAGI-based standard, which for the adult group effectively raises the limit to 138 percent. For a family of four, 138% of the 2026 guideline is $45,540; for one person it is $22,025. This applies only in states that have adopted the adult group; for other groups and for other states, check your state's Medicaid agency.
How is the ACA premium tax credit tied to the poverty level?
The credit is available to taxpayers whose household income is at least 100% and, under the permanent text of the law, not more than 400% of the poverty line for their family size (Internal Revenue Code section 36B(c)(1)(A)). For tax years 2021 through 2025 the 400% cap was suspended; the statute ends the suspension for years beginning after 2025, so for 2026 the cap is back unless Congress changes the law again. Check healthcare.gov before enrolling. The IRS uses the guidelines of the year before the coverage year: its instructions for the 2025 Form 8962 say that for 2025 the 2024 poverty lines are used. At 400% a family of four in the 48 states would be at $132,000 under the 2026 guideline, but the marketplace uses the prior year's guideline, so the exact limit rests on the older guideline.
How does the calculator work? Example
Pick household size, region and income. A family of four in the 48 states with $46,200 a year: the guideline is $33,000, so income is 140.0% of it. In the table, that family is above 100% and above 138% ($45,540) but below 400% ($132,000). A single person with an income of $15,960 is at exactly 100%. The figures are example inputs, not typical incomes.
Common mistakes
Using this year’s guideline for a program that runs on last year’s: many programs update on a fiscal-year or coverage-year schedule. Mixing monthly and annual figures: the calculator converts a monthly income by multiplying by 12. Counting the wrong people: a program defines the household (a tax family for the premium tax credit, a family or a household for other programs) and that may differ from who lives under your roof. Assuming that being just over a line means you do not qualify for anything: programs have different lines, and some offer partial help. For a low-income tax credit, remember that the guidelines do not set the earned income credit.
For information only — a program’s own rules decide eligibility; not legal or financial advice. Sources: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Poverty Guidelines (2026 tables, Federal Register of January 15, 2026, document 2026-00755) and its FAQ (guidelines versus thresholds, income definitions); 42 CFR 435.119 and 435.603 (the 133% adult group and the 5 percentage-point disregard); 26 U.S.C. § 36B (premium tax credit, 100–400%) and the IRS Instructions for Form 8962 (2025); checked October 27, 2026. The income side is covered by the income tax calculator, the child tax credit calculator and the budget calculator. How we check our calculators.