Understanding Eligibility for US Relief Programs: Income, Household, Assets, and Status

Understanding eligibility in five tests

Every program writes its own rules, but nearly all of them ask the same five questions in roughly this order:

1. Who is in the household? The program decides whose income counts and how many people the limit is based on.
2. Is the household's income under the limit? The limit is usually a percentage of the poverty guidelines or of local median income.
3. Are the household's assets under the limit, if the program has one?
4. Does each person applying meet residency, citizenship, or immigration rules?
5. Do non-financial rules apply, such as age, disability, pregnancy, children in the home, work hours, or student status?

Two things surprise many applicants. First, passing these tests is a legal entitlement for programs like SNAP and Medicaid: if you qualify, you get benefits. Programs like housing vouchers, child care, and LIHEAP are funded at a fixed amount, so you can qualify and still wait. Second, the rules for one person in a household can differ from another, so a family may have some members approved and others not.

The 2026 poverty guidelines in monthly terms

The Department of Health and Human Services publishes the poverty guidelines each January on the ASPE poverty guidelines page. Programs usually measure income by the month, so this table converts the yearly guideline to a monthly figure and shows two limits built on it. Our federal poverty guidelines page has the full set of percentages and the Alaska and Hawaii tables.

Figures are for the 48 contiguous states and DC. Alaska's guideline is $19,950 for one person and Hawaii's is $18,360, so their limits are higher. SNAP limits shown run from Oct. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2027; WIC's yearly limits are 185% of the guideline, and states publish their exact WIC charts each spring.

A common mix-up: the poverty guidelines (HHS, used for eligibility) are not the same as the poverty thresholds (Census Bureau, used for statistics). When a program says "percent of the federal poverty level," it means the HHS guidelines.

Area median income for housing programs

Housing programs do not use the poverty guidelines. HUD sets income limits for every metro area and county based on local area median income (AMI), adjusted for family size, and publishes them each spring on its income limits page. The FY2026 limits were released in spring 2026, and housing agencies apply them once they take effect.

• Extremely low income: at or below 30% of AMI (or the poverty guideline, if higher).
• Very low income: at or below 50% of AMI. This is the usual ceiling for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8).
• Low income: at or below 80% of AMI. This is the usual ceiling for public housing and many affordable rental programs.

By law, housing authorities must give at least 75% of new vouchers each year to extremely low-income households. That is why someone at 45% of AMI may qualify but wait far longer than someone at 25%. The same family can be "low income" in an expensive county and over the limit in a cheaper one, so always look up your own county. For tips on moving up a list, see our guide to the fastest way to get Section 8.

Gross income, net income, and MAGI

"Income" means different things in different programs, and the difference can decide your case.

• Gross income is everything before taxes and deductions: wages, self-employment profit, Social Security, unemployment, child support received, and most other regular payments. SNAP's first test uses gross income.
• Net income is what is left after the program's own deductions. For SNAP these include 20% of earned income, a standard deduction, dependent care, legally owed child support you pay, medical costs over $35 a month for members 60 or older or disabled, and high shelter costs. SNAP's second test requires net income at or below 100% of the poverty guideline, and the benefit is figured from net income.
• MAGI (modified adjusted gross income) is the tax-based measure used for most Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace coverage. It starts from adjusted gross income on a tax return and adds back untaxed Social Security, tax-exempt interest, and excluded foreign income. Child support received and SSI do not count under MAGI.
• Annual income for HUD housing is the household's expected income for the next 12 months, with set deductions for dependents, elderly or disabled families, and some medical and child care costs.

Programs also differ on timing. SNAP looks at the current month, Medicaid usually at current monthly income, LIHEAP often at the last 30 or 90 days, and housing at the coming year. If your income just dropped, say so: most programs judge you on what you have now, not last year's tax return.

Who counts in your household

Household size raises the income limit, so it matters who is counted. Each program defines it differently:

Asset limits by program

Assets are what you own: cash, bank accounts, and some investments. Most programs do not count your home, one vehicle (or its value up to a limit), retirement accounts in many cases, or household goods.

The HUD figure comes from HUD's 2026 inflation adjustments under the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, as republished in an IHCDA notice; it adjusts again each January.

Categorical eligibility shortcuts

"Categorical eligibility" means that getting one benefit makes you eligible, or presumed eligible, for another without a full second income test. It saves paperwork and can open doors you did not expect.

• SNAP: households where everyone receives TANF cash or, in most states, SSI are categorically eligible. Most states also use broad-based categorical eligibility, which can raise the gross income limit (up to 200% of the poverty guideline in some states) and remove the asset test.
• WIC: people on SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF are usually income-eligible automatically, according to USDA's WIC rules.
• School meals: children in SNAP households are certified for free school meals, often without an application.
• Medicaid: in most states, SSI recipients get Medicaid automatically.
• LIHEAP: states may treat households on SNAP, SSI, or TANF as income-eligible.
• Lifeline: phone and internet discounts are open to people on SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or federal housing aid.

This is why applying for SNAP or Medicaid first often makes sense: approval in one can speed up the others.

Citizenship and immigration rules after 2025

US citizens and nationals meet the status test for every program. For noncitizens, eligibility has long depended on being a "qualified" immigrant and, for many, waiting five years. The 2025 budget law (Public Law 119-21) narrowed the rules further. USDA now refers to the law as the Working Families Tax Cut Act.

• SNAP: the law limits SNAP to citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders, who still must meet existing waiting-period or work-history rules unless an exception applies), Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of the Compact of Free Association nations. Many refugees, asylees, and other humanitarian groups who were eligible before are no longer eligible on that basis. USDA issued guidance in October 2025. In September 2026 a federal court permanently blocked parts of that guidance, including how it treated former refugees and asylees who later became green card holders, according to the Michigan Attorney General, one of the states that sued. USDA's non-citizen eligibility page says it is still being updated, so ask your state agency how your status is treated.
• Medicaid and CHIP: starting October 1, 2026, federal Medicaid funding is limited to the same core groups. Some states may use state money to cover others; ask your state.
• Marketplace coverage: starting in 2027, premium tax credits are limited to similar groups, according to HealthCare.gov's immigrant coverage page and the law.
• Emergency help: emergency Medicaid, WIC, school meals, and most food pantries and shelters remain available regardless of status.

Mixed-status families and public charge

A family can apply for eligible members only, such as US citizen children, and members who are not applying generally do not have to give their immigration status. Public charge, the test immigration officers use in some green card cases, changed too: DHS rescinded its 2022 public charge rule in a final rule published July 20, 2026, effective September 18, 2026, giving officers broader discretion. Many groups, including refugees and asylees, are not subject to public charge, and it is not part of applying for citizenship. Before you apply, talk to a nonprofit immigration attorney or legal aid office, and check USCIS's public charge page.

Work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid

SNAP has two layers. The general work rules apply to most people 16 to 59 who can work: register for work, accept a suitable job, and do not quit without good reason, according to USDA's work requirements page. The stricter time limit for "able-bodied adults without dependents" was expanded by the 2025 law to adults 18 through 64 and to people whose youngest child is 14 or older, and the law removed earlier exceptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who aged out of foster care. Adults in that group can get SNAP for only three months in three years unless they work, volunteer, or train at least 80 hours a month or meet an exception, such as being unfit for work or pregnant.

Medicaid work rules are new. Under the same law, adults in the Medicaid expansion group, ages 19 to 64, must show 80 hours a month of work, job training, school, or community service, or income equal to 80 hours at minimum wage, starting no later than January 1, 2027. States may require proof for one or more months before you apply. Exemptions include pregnancy and postpartum coverage, people who are medically frail or disabled, parents or caregivers of a child 13 or younger or of a person with a disability, people in substance use treatment, and some others. Renewals for these adults also move to every six months. Our Medicaid guide tracks the dates as states announce their plans.

Checking your eligibility before you apply

You do not need to work all this out alone. These free tools give a quick read:

1. USA.gov Benefit Finder. Benefits.gov closed in 2024, and its address now sends visitors to USA.gov's Benefit Finder. It asks about your situation and lists federal benefits you may qualify for.
2. Your state's benefits screener. Most state human services agencies have an online screener and a combined application for SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid.
3. Program calculators. Our SNAP calculator gives a rough monthly estimate. HealthCare.gov shows whether you are likely to qualify for Medicaid or savings.
4. 211. Dial 2-1-1 for local programs, charities, and help completing applications.

A screener is only a guide. If you are close to a limit, apply anyway: the agency makes the real decision, and you have the right to a written notice and an appeal if you are denied.

Related guides

• How to apply for government assistance
• Documents to gather for relief programs
• LIHEAP energy assistance
• WIC program eligibility

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Each agency makes its own eligibility decisions, and rules can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with any government agency.