What are the 2026 federal poverty guidelines for each household size and state?
Executive summary
The federal poverty guidelines used for 2026 coverage are the 2025 HHS poverty guidelines; for the 48 contiguous states and D.C. the guideline for a 1‑person household in 2025 is widely reported as $15,650 and increases by roughly $5,500 per additional person (so 2 people ≈ $21,150, 3 ≈ $26,650, etc.) [1] [2]. Alaska and Hawaii use higher separate figures; the official HHS/ASPE source hosts the 2025 data that determine 2026 eligibility [3].
1. What number determines “2026” poverty guidelines and why
Eligibility for federal marketplace subsidies and many program thresholds for coverage year 2026 are calculated from the prior year’s HHS poverty guidelines — i.e., the 2025 poverty guidelines published by ASPE/HHS, which are the basis for official tables and state program charts used in 2026 [3] [4]. Multiple applied sources (insurance exchanges, state pages and policy sites) therefore present 2025 guideline numbers when discussing 2026 program eligibility [4] [2].
2. The headline figures most outlets cite
Several non‑federal summaries list the continental U.S. 1‑person 2025 figure as $15,650 and report the increment per additional household member as $5,500 — producing approximate totals for small households (1 ≈ $15,650; 2 ≈ $21,150; 3 ≈ $26,650; 4 ≈ $32,150; 5 ≈ $37,650; 6 ≈ $43,150; 7 ≈ $48,650; 8 ≈ $54,150) — numbers that many consumer and enrollment guides use when explaining 2026 subsidy eligibility [1] [2]. Covered California and several state program charts use those HHS‑based tables to show program cutoffs by household size [4] [5].
3. Alaska and Hawaii — official separate guidelines exist
The guidelines differ for Alaska and Hawaii; federal and state explainers note that Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures and that the ASPE HHS page provides those jurisdiction‑specific tables [3] [6]. Summaries and reference charts cite the ASPE source for those alternate amounts but the specific Alaska/Hawaii numbers are enumerated in ASPE’s tables rather than the generic summaries [6] [3].
4. Small but important disagreements in secondary sources
Non‑government sites disagree on the per‑person add‑on above eight people and on slight dollar amounts for some rows: some reference tables say “add $5,500 per additional person” while others list differing add‑on amounts like $5,380, $5,140, $6,330 or $6,880 for particular contexts — these discrepancies reflect either transcription errors, rounding differences, or mixing figures for different years/territories in secondary summaries [6] [7] [8]. The authoritative source to resolve any such inconsistency is ASPE/HHS [3].
5. What you can reliably use for program eligibility
For concrete eligibility calculations (Marketplace premium tax credits, Medicaid/CHIP thresholds, state programs), use the ASPE HHS poverty guidelines (the 2025 table for 2026 coverage) and your state’s enrollment site or official guidance; Covered California and state health departments republish those figures tailored for local programs [4] [3]. Consumer guides repeat the ASPE numbers, but they are secondary — rely on the federal ASPE pages for final determinations [3] [2].
6. Why you see multiple tables in circulation
Implementers (state agencies, enrollment assisters, insurer navigators) create quick‑reference charts (monthly vs annual amounts, percentages of FPL such as 138% or 400%) and sometimes adjust wording for coverage year vs calendar year comparisons; those derivative charts can produce apparent contradictions unless you track which year’s HHS table is being applied (2024 vs 2025 guidelines) or whether figures are shown monthly vs annually [4] [9].
7. Limitations and where to confirm
This analysis relies on the ASPE HHS poverty‑guidelines index and multiple state or industry republishing of the 2025 tables used for 2026 coverage; the single most authoritative source is ASPE/HHS’s poverty guidelines page and the Federal Register notice that publishes the annual table [3] [6]. Available sources do not mention a single consolidated list of every state’s Alaska/Hawaii adjusted numbers within these search results — consult ASPE directly for the official Alaska and Hawaii rows and for the precise “add‑on” amounts per additional person [3].
Bottom line: Use the ASPE/HHS 2025 poverty guidelines (1‑person continental U.S. ≈ $15,650; add ≈ $5,500 per additional person) for 2026 coverage eligibility, double‑check Alaska/Hawaii rows on ASPE, and prefer state exchange or ASPE pages over third‑party summaries when making firm program eligibility decisions [3] [1] [4].