Medicaid Eligibility Income Chart by State – (Updated Jan. 2023)

The table below shows Medicaid’s monthly income limits by state for seniors. Income is not the only eligibility factor for Medicaid long-term care; there is also an asset limit and level of care requirement. Additionally, there are state-specific details. Click on the state name below to see that state’s complete Medicaid eligibility criteria.

The maximum income limits change dependent on the marital status of the applicant, whether a spouse is also applying for Medicaid, and the type of Medicaid for which they are applying. Nursing Home Medicaid may have a different income limit than home and community based Medicaid services, and both of those may differ from the Aged, Blind and Disabled income limits.

Exceeding the income limit does not mean an individual cannot qualify for Medicaid. Most states have multiple pathways to Medicaid eligibility, such as a Medically Needy Pathway. Furthermore, many states allow the use of Miller Trusts or Qualified Income Trusts to help persons who cannot afford their care costs to become income eligible for Medicaid. There are also Medicaid planning professionals that employ other complicated techniques to help persons become eligible. Finally, candidates can take advantage of Spousal Prrotection Laws that allow income (and assets) to be allocated to a non-applicant spouse.

What Happens to One’s Income When They Enter a Nursing Home
While persons residing in Medicaid-funded nursing homes are permitted to have monthly income as high as $2,742 in 2023 (in most states), they are not permitted to keep all of it. Instead, nearly all of their income except for a Personal Needs Allowance (which ranges for $30 – $200 / month), must go towards paying for their cost of care. Often, the nursing home coordinates directly with Social Security so the income they would have otherwise received goes straight to the nursing home.

What Happens to One’s Income When They Qualify for a Medicaid HCBS Waiver
When persons receive Medicaid long-term care at home or “in the community” (outside of a nursing home) through a Medicaid Waiver, they still have expenses that must be paid. Rent, food, and utilities, as an example, are expenses that end when one is in a nursing home, but continue when one receives Medicaid at home. Therefore, Medicaid beneficiaries that receive assistance through a Medicaid HCBS waiver are permitted to keep their monthly income (up to a certain amount) to pay those expenses.