How are 2026 poverty guidelines used to determine eligibility for federal assistance programs for a 2-person household?
Executive summary
For a 2-person household, the 2025 HHS poverty guideline (used for many 2026 eligibility decisions) is reported as the 2025 Federal Poverty Level and increases by roughly $5,500 per additional person beyond the first; exact program eligibility then depends on a program’s chosen multiple of FPL (for example, many states use 138% FPL for Medicaid) and on how each program defines household and countable income [1] [2] [3].
1. How the number is set and which figure applies
The Department of Health and Human Services publishes a yearly Federal Poverty Guideline that programs reference; HHS updates the guidelines (commonly labeled by the guideline year) and other agencies cite those figures when setting eligibility for the next coverage year (for example, 2025 guidelines are used for many Coverage Year 2026 determinations) [4] [5]. The detailed HHS table for the 48 contiguous states gives the specific dollar amounts by household size; HHS also issues separate guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii [3] [4].
2. What number matters for a two-person household
Public summaries state that the base FPL for one person and the increment for each additional person are published annually; multiple outlets cite an increment of about $5,500 per added person—so the two-person guideline equals the one-person amount plus that increment in the continental U.S. [1] [5]. The exact dollar figure for a two-person household should be read from the official HHS table for the applicable guideline year [3].
3. How programs use “percent of FPL” to set eligibility
Federal and state programs rarely use raw FPL dollars alone; they use a percentage of FPL. For example, many states set Medicaid expansion eligibility at 138% of FPL, and other programs may use 100%, 150%, or other multiples to determine qualifying income ranges [2] [6]. Covered California’s materials explicitly show program eligibility by percentage of FPL and note that most consumers up to 138% FPL qualify for Medi‑Cal (California’s Medicaid) [6].
4. Why two households with the same income can be treated differently
Each program defines the “eligibility unit” and “countable income” differently. SNAP, Medicaid, premium tax credits, or fee‑waiver rules may use different income definitions (MAGI vs. other measures), different rounding rules, and different household composition rules — so an identical household income can qualify for one program and be ineligible for another [3] [7]. The HHS guidance itself warns that individual programs decide how to round multiples of the poverty guideline and which income to include [3].
5. Practical examples you’ll see in consumer-facing programs
Marketplace premium tax credits for Coverage Year 2026 use 2025 poverty guidelines to calculate subsidy eligibility; insurers and marketplaces tell consumers to estimate Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) and household changes for the coverage year [5] [7]. State Medicaid programs and local enrollment resources publish charts tying household size to eligibility bands (for example, Covered California’s FPL chart for 2026) [6].
6. Other federal uses beyond health coverage
Poverty guidelines are used by a wide array of programs: fee waivers and reduced filing fees at USCIS rely on HHS poverty guidelines to assess limited-income requests; forms like the I-864 affidavit of support use HHS figures to set sponsor income requirements [8] [9]. Energy assistance, weatherization and other social programs also reference percentages of FPL, though exact cutoffs vary by program and state [2].
7. Limitations, ambiguity and things to check locally
Available sources stress variation: Alaska and Hawaii use different FPL tables, territories are excluded from the HHS poverty guidelines, and many programs apply rounding or alternative income definitions — so you must consult the specific program’s rules and the HHS table for the applicable guideline year to get a definitive two-person dollar amount [4] [3]. State agencies often publish customized FPL charts [10] [6].
8. What reporters and applicants should watch for
Watch for the distinction between guideline year and coverage year (e.g., 2025 guidelines determining 2026 marketplace subsidies), differences between MAGI and other income measures, and program-level discretion on household composition and countable income [5] [7] [3]. Where sources disagree or do not provide a specific dollar figure for a two-person household in your state, consult the HHS detailed guideline table for that year or the administering agency’s eligibility chart [3] [6].
If you want, I can extract the exact two-person dollar amount from the HHS 2025 guideline table and show how that maps to common eligibility thresholds (100%, 138%, 150% of FPL) for your state — tell me which state you live in and I’ll pull the matching figure from the HHS table [3] [6].