Where can I find an official 2026 FPL calculator to determine program eligibility by household size?
Executive summary
The federal government publishes the poverty guidelines that underlie FPL-based eligibility, but there is no single “official 2026 FPL calculator” from HHS in the provided results; state marketplaces and trusted programs publish calculators or charts for 2026 coverage based on 2025 guidelines (used to determine 2026 subsidy eligibility) [1] [2]. Covered California provides a published 2026 “Program Eligibility by Federal Poverty Level” chart useful for household-size lookups [2].
1. Where the “official” numbers come from — and what matters for 2026 eligibility
The dollar amounts used to determine FPL-based program eligibility are the HHS federal poverty guidelines (the source of the thresholds), and marketplace subsidy eligibility for coverage year 2026 is calculated using the 2025 poverty guidelines, per health policy reporting [1]. Available sources do not show a single HHS branded interactive “2026 FPL calculator”; instead, state marketplaces and program offices publish charts and calculators that apply the HHS figures to eligibility rules [1] [2].
2. Use a state marketplace or Covered California chart for a quick official lookup
Covered California publishes a 2026 “Program Eligibility by Federal Poverty Level” PDF that lists household-size thresholds and flags who is typically eligible for Medi‑Cal (most up to 138% FPL) and who is ineligible for federal premium tax credits above 400% FPL. That PDF is a direct, official-state source you can use to determine program cutoffs by household size for California [2].
3. National online calculators — convenient but not “official HHS”
A number of independent online tools advertise FPL calculators (examples in the search results include fplcalculator.com, MyCoveragePlan, and other ACA subsidy calculators). These tools compute a household’s percent of FPL given household size, state, and income, and are useful for quick estimates — but they are not the HHS poverty-guideline documents themselves and may apply different presentation details [3] [4] [5].
4. Important technical detail: which year’s FPL is used for 2026 coverage
Multiple sources stress a critical nuance: subsidy eligibility for coverage effective in 2026 is based on the 2025 poverty guidelines (the FPL numbers published earlier), so when you search for “2026 FPL” for Marketplace subsidy purposes you should be comparing your income to the 2025 guideline figures used to determine 2026 eligibility [1] [5]. That timing detail matters for calculators and charts — confirm which guideline year the tool uses.
5. Variations by geography and household-size increments
The poverty guideline base numbers differ for the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Hawaii; additional-person increments are specified (e.g., add $5,500 per person in some presentations) and some program materials instruct different add-ons for more than eight people — check the specific chart/tool for the per‑person addition your state or program uses [1] [6]. Covered California’s chart applies the federal percentages to state program cutoffs for California specifically [2].
6. Practical next steps — where to go right now
If you want an authoritative, program-specific lookup: (a) use your state’s marketplace or Medicaid office pages (Covered California for California is an example and provides a 2026 program-by-FPL PDF) [2]; (b) for a national MAGI-based subsidy estimate, use established ACA subsidy calculators but verify they apply the 2025 FPL numbers for 2026 coverage [5] [3]; (c) consult the published HHS poverty guideline table when you need the raw numbers — available sources do not directly link an HHS interactive calculator in the provided results [1].
7. Limits, competing viewpoints and why this matters
Sources agree on the core facts: HHS poverty guidelines underlie eligibility and 2026 coverage uses the 2025 guideline numbers [1]. Where sources diverge is in presentation: state program materials (e.g., Covered California) translate federal guidelines into program cutoffs and explanatory charts [2], while private calculators repackage the same math for convenience [3] [4]. Hidden agenda risk: private calculators may steer users toward their product or services; always cross‑check calculator outputs against a state marketplace or program PDF before acting [3] [2].
If you tell me your state and household size I will point you to the most relevant official state chart or a calculator that explicitly uses the 2025 HHS guidelines for 2026 coverage (sources above include a California PDF example and several calculator options) [2] [3].