2026 federal poverty guidelines are out — income limits went up

The federal government has published the 2026 poverty guidelines, which set the income limits for SNAP, Medicaid, HEAP, PIPP, WIC and most other benefit programs.

The new baseline is $15,960/year for one person, plus $5,680 for each additional household member (so $33,000 for a family of four).

Why this matters to you: every program’s income limit rose with the update. If you applied last year and were just over the line — for SNAP, HEAP, child care, or anything else — you may be under it now, even if your income didn’t change.

Run your numbers on our eligibility checker, or call the office and we’ll screen you properly. It takes minutes.