Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA)

When a married person applies for Long-Term Care Medicaid, the state counts the assets of both spouses together. The Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) is the part of those assets that the spouse at home (the “community spouse”) is allowed to keep. This guide explains how the CSRA is figured in 2026, with examples.

Figures change periodically. Double-check current amounts before relying on them.

2026 federal CSRA limits

These amounts are set each January by the federal government, based on inflation. Source: CMS, 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards (Medicaid.gov). States choose how to figure the CSRA within these limits.

Two ways states figure the CSRA

1. The “50 percent” method

Many states let the spouse at home keep half of the couple’s total countable assets, with a floor and a ceiling:

• If half is less than the minimum, the spouse at home keeps the minimum (or all the assets, if the total is below the minimum).
• If half is between the minimum and the maximum, the spouse at home keeps half.
• If half is more than the maximum, the spouse at home keeps the maximum.

Some states using this method set their own minimum higher than the federal minimum. New York, for example, uses a state minimum of $74,820 in 2026.

2. The “100 percent” (full maximum) method

Other states let the spouse at home keep all of the couple’s countable assets up to the federal maximum, $162,660 in 2026. Florida is one of these states.

Each state guide says which method that state uses.

Examples using the 50 percent method (2026 figures)

The applicant spouse must then get down to the state’s asset limit (often $2,000). In the second row, for example, $73,000 would be above the limit in a $2,000 state.

Example using the 100 percent method

A Florida couple has $150,000 in countable assets. Because Florida lets the spouse at home keep up to the full maximum, the spouse at home can keep all $150,000, and the applicant is at $0 in countable assets.

If the couple had $200,000, the spouse at home could keep $162,660, leaving $37,340 for the applicant. The applicant would need to be at or below $2,000.

Which assets count

The CSRA is figured from countable assets. These usually include:

• checking and savings accounts, CDs and money market accounts;
• stocks, bonds and mutual funds;
• retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k)s, in many states (some states exempt the community spouse’s retirement accounts);
• the cash value of life insurance above small amounts;
• real estate other than the home;
• extra vehicles beyond the one that is exempt.

Not counted in most states:

• the home, while the spouse at home lives there;
• one vehicle;
• household goods and personal belongings;
• certain burial funds and prepaid funeral plans.

The snapshot date

The CSRA is based on the couple’s assets on a snapshot date: the first day of the applicant’s first continuous stay in a medical institution or nursing home expected to last at least 30 days. The snapshot does not change even if the couple’s assets go up or down later.

This means the snapshot is based on assets when care starts, not when the application is filed. If a couple spends money between the snapshot and the application, the CSRA is still figured from the snapshot total.

Some states let a couple ask for a resource assessment at the start of a nursing home stay, even before applying, to learn the CSRA early.

Getting down to the limit (spend-down)

If the applicant’s share is above the limit, the excess can be spent on things that benefit the couple, at fair value. Common examples:

• paying for the applicant’s care;
• paying off the couple’s debts, including a mortgage;
• repairs or improvements to the home;
• a replacement vehicle;
• prepaid funeral plans for both spouses, within state limits;
• household items for the spouse at home.

A Certified Medicaid Planner (CMP) can help a couple decide which spend-down choices fit the rules. Money spent on the couple’s own needs is not a gift. Gifts to anyone other than a spouse can cause a penalty. See Gifts and the look-back.

After approval: moving assets into the spouse’s name

After the applicant is approved, the assets that make up the CSRA should be put in the spouse at home’s name alone. States give a set time to do this, often 90 days or until the first renewal. After that, the spouse at home’s assets are generally not counted for the applicant again.

Raising the CSRA

The CSRA can be raised above the standard amount in two ways:

• Fair hearing. If the spouse at home’s income, including the most that could come from the applicant, is below the MMMNA, a hearing officer can allow the spouse at home to keep more assets so the extra assets can produce income to make up the shortfall.
• Court order. A court order for spousal support can raise the amount the spouse at home keeps.

See Raising the allowances through a fair hearing.

Common questions

Does the spouse at home have to spend down to $32,532? Not necessarily. In a 50 percent state, the spouse at home keeps half of the countable assets (within the limits). In a 100 percent state, they keep up to $162,660. Only the applicant’s share has to come down to the asset limit.

Is the home part of the CSRA? No. The home is usually not counted while the spouse at home lives there, and it is separate from the CSRA.

What if the spouse at home’s assets grow after approval? Generally, they are not counted against the applicant once the applicant is approved.

Does the CSRA apply when both spouses need care? Usually not. See When both spouses need care.

Common ways the CSRA is protected after the snapshot

Once the CSRA is set, families often ask how to make the most of it. Some general points:

• Exempt assets do not reduce the CSRA. Paying down the mortgage on the home, repairing the home, or replacing the car changes countable assets into exempt ones. If this is done before the snapshot date, it lowers the total used for the CSRA. If done after, it helps the applicant’s share get down to the limit.
• The spouse at home’s own spending is not a gift. The spouse at home can spend their CSRA on their own needs at any time.
• Income-producing options. Some couples use part of the excess to buy an income stream for the spouse at home. These options are explained in general terms in Medicaid-compliant annuities.

A worked example from start to finish

Pat and Lou live in Pennsylvania, which uses the 50 percent method with the federal minimum and maximum. Lou enters a nursing home on March 1, 2026, the snapshot date. On that date the couple has:

Half is $90,000, which is between $32,532 and $162,660. Pat’s CSRA is $90,000. The remaining $90,000 is Lou’s share. Lou must get down to Pennsylvania’s limit before Medicaid pays. The couple pays for Lou’s care, pays off a car loan and buys prepaid funeral plans for both of them. Once Lou’s share is down to the limit, Lou applies and is approved, and Pat moves the $90,000 into her own name.

What happens if the couple’s assets change

Before the snapshot. Assets can go up or down before the first continuous stay in care begins, and only the total on the snapshot date matters for figuring the CSRA.

Between the snapshot and the application. The CSRA stays the same, but the applicant’s share must still be at or under the limit on the date of application (or the month for which coverage is requested). Spending on the couple’s own needs is allowed.

After approval. The spouse at home’s assets generally stop counting for the applicant. If the spouse at home later receives an inheritance or other windfall, it is usually theirs to keep. The applicant’s own assets must stay under the limit. If the applicant inherits money, it counts and must be reported.

Related guides

• Spousal impoverishment rules
• Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA)
• When both spouses need care
• Transfers that are allowed
• State guides

Last updated for 2026. General information only, not legal or financial advice. Medicaid Answers is a free educational resource published by Medicaid Answers Foundation.