Eligibility Requirements Finder: 2026 Rules by State

Long-Term Care Medicaid rules are set within federal limits, but each state makes its own choices: the asset limit, how income over a cap is handled, how much a spouse at home can keep, the home equity limit and the personal needs allowance. This finder brings together the 2026 figures from our state guides in one place, and explains how the rules change for married couples and for home care compared with nursing home care. Find your state, then open the state guide for the full rules.

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

How to use this finder

1. Find your state in the tables below.
2. Pick the situation that fits: single or married, nursing home or home care.
3. Read the notes for each situation to see what changes.
4. Open the state guide (click the state name) for the full figures, program names and how to apply.

Asset limits by state (2026)

The asset limit is the most a person can have in countable assets. Exempt assets, such as the home in many situations, one vehicle and personal belongings, are not counted. See Exempt assets.

Income rules by state (2026)

States that use an income cap (often $2,982 a month in 2026) usually require a Miller trust for people over the cap. States with a medically needy pathway let people qualify by incurring medical costs above their income. See Income limits by state.

Home equity limits by state (2026)

The home equity limit applies when no spouse, child under 21 or blind or disabled child lives in the home. See Home equity limits.

Personal needs allowance by state (2026)

The personal needs allowance is the monthly amount a nursing home resident keeps from income. See Personal needs allowance.

What changes for married couples

When one spouse needs care and the other stays at home:

• Assets: both spouses’ countable assets are totaled on the snapshot date. The spouse at home keeps a protected share (the CSRA), between $32,532 and $162,660 in 2026, depending on the state’s rule and the couple’s assets. The applicant’s share must come down to the applicant’s limit. See CSRA.
• Income: the spouse at home keeps their own income. If it is below the MMMNA ($2,705 a month from July 1, 2026, up to $4,066.50), part of the applicant’s income can be paid to them. See MMMNA.
• The home: exempt while the spouse lives there, regardless of equity.
• Transfers between spouses: generally exempt from the look-back penalty.

Try the Spousal allowance calculator.

When both spouses need care, the rules generally treat each as an individual after the first month. See Both spouses need care.

What changes for home care compared with nursing home care

See Applying for a waiver and Applying for nursing home Medicaid.

Rules that are the same everywhere

Some rules are set by federal law and apply in every state:

• the look-back period is 60 months in nearly every state;
• the federal CSRA minimum and maximum and the MMMNA range;
• the federal home equity minimum and maximum;
• exempt transfers to a spouse or disabled child;
• the right to a fair hearing;
• estate recovery for long-term care benefits received at 55 or older.

Reading the tables

• “See state guide” means the figure depends on details explained there, or the state uses a different structure.
• Couple limits in the asset table apply when both spouses apply; when only one spouse applies, the spousal rules above apply instead.
• Figures change periodically, usually in January and July. Each state guide shows the date it was last reviewed.

Getting experienced help

These tables show the headline numbers, but eligibility often turns on details: whether an asset is countable in your state, how a trust is treated, or whether a transfer is exempt. A Certified Medicaid Planner who knows your state can apply the rules to your situation. As a rough guide, published fees for help with an application range from about $500 to $6,000, full planning from about $2,500 to $15,000 or more, and hourly help from about $150 to $600.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my state’s asset limit higher than $2,000? Some states have chosen higher limits. A few have very high limits or none for some programs.

Is the income cap the same in every state? No. Many states use $2,982 a month in 2026, but others use medically needy rules or different limits.

Do the figures apply to assisted living? Waiver programs that cover assisted living generally use the same asset limits, with different income treatment.

Where do these figures come from? From our state guides, which are drawn from state and federal sources and reviewed periodically.

Related guides

• 2026 figures
• Medicaid eligibility self-check
• State guides
• Tools hub

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