2026 Poverty Guidelines
HHS ASPE · checked 2026-10-04
The app uses the figures and rules named on that page. It does not replace the page.
civic · official figure · reviewed 2026-10-04
Place Household Income on the 2026 Poverty Guideline
Programs often use a percent of the HHS poverty guideline. The 2026 dollar amount depends on household size and on Alaska or Hawaii.
What this guide helps you do
Compute the 2026 HHS guideline and show 100%, 125%, and 185% of that amount.
The figure that changes the result
The guideline is not the same number in every state, and a program percent is not the same thing as eligibility.
Looking up the right row, then multiplying by a program percent, takes about 15 minutes and often uses last year's table.
Who this is for
A person comparing household income with the 2026 federal poverty guideline before calling a program.
Steps
Step 1
Count the people in the household the way the program counts them. Ask the program if you are not sure.
Step 2
Choose Alaska, Hawaii, or the 48 states and D.C.
Step 3
Enter annual income before you apply a program percent.
Step 4
Read 100%, 125%, and 185%. HHS names those multiples as examples.
Step 5
Call the program. It decides whose income counts and how it rounds.
Worked example
A household of 4 in the 48 states has a 2026 guideline of $33,000. Income of $33,000 is 100% of that guideline. 125% is $41,250. 185% is $61,050.
$33,000.00 is 100.0% of the 2026 guideline for this household.
- Guideline: $33,000.00.
- Income as a share of the guideline: 100.0%.
- 125% of the guideline: $41,250.00.
- 185% of the guideline: $61,050.00.
- At or under 100% of the guideline.
The guideline is $33,000.00 for 4 people in 48 contiguous states and D.C..
Where this goes wrong
Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories are not in these three tables. A program may use the 48-state table or another method. This tool will not guess.
What the source says
Limits
This is not a SNAP, Medicaid, or school-meal decision.
Cash assistance and the Earned Income Tax Credit do not use these guidelines for eligibility, according to HHS.
The 2026 figures reflect price changes through 2025, with October 2025 CPI omitted because it was not published.
This tool gives general information. It is not financial or tax advice. Confirm the numbers with the provider or a licensed adviser before you act.
Use the current instruction from the agency named above. This guide is a planning aid, not an official decision.
Free companion app
Compute the 2026 HHS guideline and show 100%, 125%, and 185% of that amount.
Open Mark Income Against the 2026 Guideline
Your entries stay on this device. We do not receive them.
This guide uses short, direct instructions as an ASD-STE100-style writing target. It is not a formal certification.