What are the 2026 federal poverty guideline income thresholds by household size for the 48 contiguous states?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
The 2026 federal poverty guideline figures used for most federal programs (the contiguous 48 states and D.C.) are the 2025 HHS poverty guidelines, which list annual 100% FPL income thresholds by household size beginning at $12,490 for a one‑person household and rising to $43,430 for an eight‑person household; for households larger than eight, add an additional amount per person (reported amounts vary across secondary publications) [1] [2] [3].
1. What the number shows — the baseline FPL amounts for the 48 contiguous states
Multiple public guides and summaries reproduce the HHS “2025” poverty guidelines (used for coverage year 2026) for the contiguous U.S.: $12,490 for a one‑person household, $16,910 for two, $21,330 for three, $25,750 for four, $30,170 for five, $34,590 for six, $39,010 for seven, and $43,430 for eight (annual income, 100% FPL) [1] [3].
2. Why the 2025 guidelines matter for 2026 policy
Federal programs and marketplace assistance frequently use the prior year’s HHS poverty guidelines to determine eligibility for the next coverage year. Several sources note that eligibility for premium tax credits in coverage year 2026 is based on the 2025 poverty guidelines, so these 2025 figures are the operative thresholds for 2026 program calculations [2] [1].
3. The “per person above eight” discrepancy — watch the small print
Secondary tables disagree on how much to add for each household member beyond eight: some summaries say add $5,500 per additional person, others list $5,380, $6,330, $6,880 or $5,140 depending on the document [2] [1] [4] [5]. The authoritative ASPE/HHS data source is cited as the origin of the official figure, but the exact per‑person addendum in these reproduced tables is inconsistent across non‑federal sites [3] [2]. Available sources do not publish a single definitive add‑on in these search results; check ASPE directly for the authoritative per‑person amount [3].
4. Variations by geography — Alaska and Hawaii are different
The poverty guidelines shown here apply to the contiguous 48 states and D.C.; Alaska and Hawaii use separate, higher figures. The federal ASPE guidance explains that different figures exist for those states and that the poverty guidelines do not cover U.S. territories in the same way [3].
5. Programmatic consequences — who this affects in 2026
These thresholds are used across programs: Medicaid/CHIP eligibility in many states, fee‑waiver calculations for agencies such as USCIS, and for determining marketplace premium tax credit eligibility (noted in USCIS guidance and numerous marketplace help pages) [6] [1]. Covered California’s program charts explicitly tie program eligibility bands to the FPL scale for 2026 [7].
6. Conflicting reproduced tables — source vetting is essential
Several non‑federal aggregators reproduce the HHS figures but include small numerical differences or contradictory per‑person adders. For example, one industry site reproduces the standard eight‑person figure ($43,430) but claims “add $5,500” beyond eight, while other doc‑format sheets claim differing adders [1] [2] [4] [5]. Those discrepancies likely stem from transcription errors, different rounding conventions, or confusion between the 2024/2025 updates; the federal ASPE page is the only cited authoritative source in the set [3].
7. What to do if you need exact thresholds for an application
For benefits determinations, use the HHS/ASPE poverty guidelines or the specific federal program’s published table. The ASPE poverty guidelines page is the canonical source cited in the material provided here [3]. If you are calculating for a household larger than eight, confirm the precise “add‑on” amount with ASPE or the Federal Register notice because reproduced third‑party charts in these search results disagree [3] [2].
Limitations and final note: these search results reproduce the 2025 HHS poverty guidelines used for 2026 coverage decisions and include multiple secondary summaries; however, variations among non‑federal reproductions exist for the per‑person add‑on beyond eight people. For authoritative, legally operative figures consult ASPE/HHS or the Federal Register notice cited by ASPE [3] [2].