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What is the poverty level for household of 2 2026
Executive summary
The federal poverty guideline for a household of two used for 2026 coverage (the 2025 guideline typically applied to 2026 Marketplace eligibility) is reported by multiple health-policy and enrollment guides as $16,910 for the continental U.S. (household of 2) [1]. Official HHS/ASPE pages say the formal poverty guidelines for 2025 were issued and are the basis for many 2026 determinations [2].
1. What number are people asking about — and why it matters
When people ask “what is the poverty level for household of 2 2026,” they usually mean the HHS poverty guideline used to determine eligibility for programs (Medicaid, CHIP, Marketplace subsidies, fee waivers). For coverage in 2026 many enrollment tools and explainers compare projected 2026 income to the 2025 poverty guidelines, which list $16,910 as 100% of the poverty level for a two-person household in the contiguous U.S. [1] [2]. Health Marketplace and subsidy rules can use prior-year guidelines for coverage-year calculations, so knowing whether you need the 2025 or 2026 guideline matters to eligibility [3].
2. Where that $16,910 number comes from
Nonprofit brokers and state-facing materials reproduce the HHS poverty guideline table that lists $16,910 for a two-person household (the typical “100% FPL” figure cited in 2025/2026 enrollment materials) [1]. The federal Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the authoritative HHS office that issues the poverty guidelines and notes the 2025 guidelines were posted for public inspection and are used in program eligibility [2].
3. Which year’s guideline do you use for 2026 eligibility?
The rule varies by program. Many Marketplace subsidy calculations for coverage year 2026 compare projected 2026 income to the 2025 poverty guidelines (i.e., prior-year guideline), and materials explicitly say eligibility for 2026 coverage is based on 2025 poverty guidelines [4] [5] [3]. ASPE notes the guidelines are used to determine financial eligibility for certain programs and are updated annually [2]. If you’re applying for a specific benefit (Medicaid, CHIP, premium tax credits, fee waivers), check whether that program uses the prior year or current year guideline because different programs do not always use the same rule [3] [2].
4. Geographic adjustments and household-size math
HHS poverty guidelines differ for Alaska and Hawaii (they are higher) and apply to the 50 states and DC; territories are handled differently [2]. Most published tables and state offices also include instructions about adding an amount for households larger than eight; the per-person add-on varies across reproduced charts and state summaries (examples in the files show different add-on figures like $5,500, $5,380, $5,140 or other numbers — but these variations appear in secondary reproductions and must be checked against the official ASPE chart) [4] [6] [1] [5]. Available sources do not mention a definitive single “add $X” number from ASPE in the supplied snippets; the exact add-on should be confirmed on the official ASPE page [2].
5. How this affects eligibility and costs
Being at or below specified percentages of FPL determines access to different benefits: e.g., Medicaid expansion thresholds (often 138% FPL in many states) and Marketplace subsidy eligibility bands (100%–400% historically, with temporary extensions changing those caps). HealthInsurance.org explains that Marketplace subsidies and Medicaid comparisons use the FPL percentages and clarifies that subsidy calculations for coverage year may use the prior year’s FPL numbers [3]. For an example household of two, 100% FPL = $16,910 [1]; 138% or 400% thresholds would be that base multiplied by the relevant percentages [3] [1].
6. Practical next steps and caveats
For an up-to-date, authoritative figure check ASPE’s poverty-guidelines page and program-specific guidance (ASPE is the source that issues the official table) [2]. If you need the number for Marketplace subsidy eligibility for 2026, many enrollment guides and brokers are already using the 2025 guideline of $16,910 for a two-person household [1] [3]. If you need state-specific thresholds (e.g., Medicaid/CHIP or fee waivers), consult your state agency because states can apply different percent-of-FPL cutoffs and sometimes reproduce slightly different per-person add-ons in their materials [7] [8] [9].
Limitations: this summary is based on the documents and snippets provided; exact per-person add-on amounts and any late 2025/2026 administrative tweaks should be verified at ASPE or the specific program office since reproduced tables in secondary sources show inconsistent add-on figures [4] [6] [5] [1] [2].