New York Medicaid Income and Asset Limits for 2026: Home Care, Couples and Spend-Down

In 2026, New York Medicaid’s income limit is $1,836 a month for one person and $2,489 for a couple. People who are 65 or older, blind or disabled, which is the group that applies for Medicaid home care, must also have no more than $33,038 in countable resources, or $44,796 for a couple. Adults under 65 who apply through NY State of Health have the same income level and no resource test. If income is higher, the Excess Income (“spend-down”) program or a pooled income trust can still open the door to coverage.

These figures took effect on 1 January 2026. The state Department of Health (DOH) published them on 13 February 2026 in GIS 26 MA/05, and told local offices, including HRA in New York City, to re-budget renewals effective January 2026 or later back to 1 January. You may still see older numbers online, such as $1,732, $1,800 or $32,396. The section below explains where they came from.

What are the New York Medicaid income and asset limits for 2026?

New York uses two sets of rules. Most adults under 65 are judged under “MAGI” rules, which look only at income. People 65 and older, people who are blind or disabled, and most people on Medicare are judged under “non-MAGI” rules (DOH also calls them SSI-related), which look at income and resources. Here are the 2026 numbers from DOH’s 2026 income and resource chart.

The MAGI level follows the federal poverty guideline, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set at $15,960 a year for one person and $21,640 for two in 2026. 138% of that is about $22,025 a year, or $1,836 a month. Under MAGI rules a larger household has a higher level. Under the non-MAGI rules, DOH’s chart says the household size is always one or two.

For people on Medicare, the Medicare Savings Programs can pay the Part B premium and have no resource test. Our guide to Medicare Savings Programs in New York explains the tiers.

Which rules apply to you or your parent: MAGI or the 65+ rules?

This decides where you apply and whether your savings matter. For home care, the answer is usually the non-MAGI rules, because most people who need long-term care at home are 65 or older, disabled or on Medicare.

The split between NY State of Health and HRA is described on HRA’s public health insurance page.

Where did “$1,732” and “$32,396” come from?

Both are real DOH figures, just not the current ones. New York sets the non-MAGI income level at 138% of the federal poverty guideline, so it changes every year. In January, before the new poverty guidelines are out, DOH keeps using the previous year’s levels for a few weeks.

So $1,732 was the limit for 2024, not 2026. The $1,800 and $32,396 figures appear in DOH’s January 2026 chart, but the notice that came with it says the 2025 levels stay only until the 2026 poverty guidelines are published. Once they were, DOH replaced them with $1,836 and $33,038 and told offices to re-budget cases back to 1 January 2026.

What income counts, and what is subtracted first?

For the non-MAGI group, Medicaid starts with gross monthly income: Social Security before the Medicare premium is taken out, pensions, annuity payments, interest, dividends, rent you receive and wages. Then it subtracts certain amounts. These come from the state’s Medicaid Reference Guide on income.

• $20 a month from unearned income such as Social Security or a pension. Only one $20 disregard is allowed per couple.
• Health insurance premiums you pay, including the Medicare Part B premium, which is $202.90 a month for most people in 2026.
• Earned income: the first $65 and then half of the rest.
• Some income is not counted at all, including SSI payments and Veterans Aid and Attendance payments.

A simplified example: a single woman of 70 gets $2,000 a month in Social Security before Part B. Subtract $20 and $202.90 and her countable income is about $1,777, under $1,836. If her gross benefit were $2,300, her countable income would be about $2,077, and the roughly $241 above the level would be her monthly “excess income.” Your caseworker does the real calculation, and other deductions can apply.

What savings and property count toward the $33,038 limit?

Countable resources are things like checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, cash and a second home. Some important things are not counted under the state’s Medicaid Reference Guide on resources.

Many of these reference guide pages date from 2007 to 2012, but DOH still publishes them. Ask HRA to confirm how your own accounts will be valued.

Over the income limit? How spend-down and a pooled income trust work

Being over $1,836 does not automatically mean “no.” DOH’s Excess Income program page describes it as working like a deductible. You can use it if you are under 21, 65 or older, certified blind or disabled, pregnant, or the parent of a child under 21.

1. Find your excess income. It is the gap between your countable income and the Medicaid level. Your notice from HRA states the amount.
2. Meet it with medical bills. When your paid or unpaid medical bills for a month equal the excess, Medicaid covers the rest of that month. DOH lists long-term care in the community, such as home care, among the covered services.
3. Or pay it in. Under the Pay-In option, you pay the excess amount to your local social services office for a month in which you need care.
4. Or use a pooled income trust. A nonprofit runs the trust and keeps a separate account for each person. It is open to people with a disability of any age, and HRA uses a disability form (MAP-3177) for people 65 and older who join one. When the person dies, the nonprofit keeps the remaining funds or repays Medicaid.

Spend-down suits people with irregular bills. A pooled trust suits people whose income is over the level by about the same amount every month. Our guides to Medicaid spend-down in New York and the pooled income trust go through both in detail.

One more rule applies to certain people leaving a nursing home. If they enroll in a Managed Long Term Care plan and have housing costs, a special income standard lets them keep extra income for housing: $2,104 a month in New York City in 2026, according to DOH’s directive 12 OHIP/ADM-5 and the 2026 chart.

What if only one spouse needs home care?

Married couples get extra protection when one spouse needs long-term care and the other stays at home. DOH applies “spousal impoverishment” budgeting to certain home and community waiver participants and Managed Long Term Care enrollees. The 2026 amounts come from GIS 26 MA/03 and 26 MA/05.

In plain terms, the spouse at home can keep the greater of $74,820 or half of the couple’s countable resources, up to $162,660. Income can be shifted to bring the at-home spouse up to $4,066.50 a month. How this applies depends on the program and on whose name the income is in, so get the budget in writing from HRA.

Is there a Medicaid look-back for home care in 2026?

Not that DOH or CMS has put into effect. New York passed a law on 2 April 2020 for a 30-month look-back on community long-term care, which covers home care, CDPAP, adult day health care and MLTC enrollment in the community. DOH’s page on the proposal says the state needs federal approval, and that the earliest date it would seek to start is 31 March 2024. On 11 November 2026, CMS’s waiver page still listed the state’s request, dated 25 March 2021, as a pending application. None of DOH’s 2026 eligibility notices, GIS 26 MA/01 through 26 MA/14, concerns this look-back.

The 60-month look-back for nursing home Medicaid is in force. If the community rule starts, DOH’s proposal would review transfers made on or after 1 October 2020, so do not give money away without advice from an elder law attorney. Our page on whether the look-back is active for NYC home care follows this.

Did the 2026 federal law (H.R.1) change these limits?

The income and resource levels above come from the poverty guidelines and DOH’s charts, not from H.R.1. But two 2026 changes may affect your coverage:

• From 1 July 2026, 12-month continuous coverage for MAGI adults ended, and NY State of Health began re-checking eligibility (GIS 26 MA/10). Answer renewal letters on time.
• From 1 October 2026, federal Medicaid funding is limited to fewer groups of non-citizens (GIS 26 MA/14). DOH says this does not by itself end health coverage in New York for those groups, but federal funding for them stops, and some lose the Medicare Savings Program.

How do you apply for Medicaid home care in New York City?

1. Pick the right door. If the person is 65 or older, on Medicare or disabled, apply through HRA. Adults under 65 without Medicare apply through NY State of Health.
2. Gather proof of income and resources: Social Security and pension award letters, bank and investment statements, and health insurance premium bills.
3. Compare countable income with $1,836 (or $2,489 for a couple) and resources with $33,038 (or $44,796). If income is higher, ask about the Excess Income program or a pooled trust.
4. Get the needs assessment. Home care through a Managed Long Term Care plan generally requires being assessed as needing community long-term care for more than 120 days. Our guide on how Medicaid covers home care in New York explains the routes.

Related guides

• Medicaid Spend-Down in New York: How It Works
• Pooled Income Trusts in New York: How They Protect Home Care
• Is the Medicaid Look-Back Active for NYC Home Care in 2026?
• Does Medicaid Cover Home Care in New York?

ProLife Home Care is a licensed home care agency serving Brooklyn and Queens (New York State DOH licence #2572L001). We are not lawyers, we are not HRA, and we do not file Medicaid applications or set up trusts for families. We can explain how home care works once Medicaid is in place and help you plan care at home. Call (718) 232-2777 or use our contact page.

Medicaid levels change every year. Everything above was checked on 11 November 2026 against DOH notices GIS 26 MA/03, 26 MA/05, 26 MA/10 and 26 MA/14 and their charts, the 2024 DOH chart, DOH’s Excess Income page, the Medicaid Reference Guide on income and resources, DOH’s 30-month look-back proposal, the CMS waiver list, the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines and HRA’s public health insurance page. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your own case with HRA or an elder law attorney.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Medicaid income limit in New York for 2026?

$1,836 a month for one person and $2,489 for a couple, effective 1 January 2026. The same monthly level applies to adults under 65 under MAGI rules and to people 65+, blind or disabled.

What is the Medicaid asset limit in New York for 2026?

For people 65 and older, blind or disabled, it is $33,038 for one person and $44,796 for a couple. Adults under 65 who qualify under MAGI rules have no asset test.

Is $1,732 the 2026 Medicaid income limit?

No. $1,732 a month was New York’s limit for one person in 2024. It was $1,800 in 2025, and it is $1,836 in 2026.

Can my parent get Medicaid home care if their income is over $1,836?

Often yes. People 65+, blind or disabled can use the Excess Income (spend-down) program, and people with a disability can deposit income above the level into a pooled income trust.

Does Social Security count as income for Medicaid?

Yes. Medicaid counts the gross benefit, then subtracts $20 and health insurance premiums, including the $202.90 Medicare Part B premium most people pay in 2026.

Does my house count toward the Medicaid asset limit?

Your primary home is exempt. For home care and nursing home coverage, the home equity limit in 2026 is $1,130,000.

Is there a look-back for Medicaid home care in New York in 2026?

The 30-month look-back for home care has not started. CMS still lists the state’s request as pending. The 60-month look-back applies to nursing home Medicaid.