Texas Medicaid income limit for long-term care (2026)
By Bennett Dixon, founder of MedicaidChecklist · Every figure cited to an official source · Last verified
For 2026, Texas's published income limit for long-term-care Medicaid — the coverage behind Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities (MEPD) — Nursing Facility (Institutional) Medicaid and STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (STAR+PLUS HCBS) Waiver — is $2,982 per month for a single applicant.
2026 income limit (single applicant)
$2,982/mo
Income allowance for a spouse at home
$4,066.50–$4,066.50/mo
If the at-home spouse's own income is below this allowance, part of the applicant's income can be directed to them.
How the limit works here
Special income limit = 300% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate (2026 FBR is $994/month; 300% = $2,982), effective Jan. 1, 2026, per HHSC MEPD Handbook G-1320 and Appendix XXXI. Applicants over this cap can qualify using a Qualified Income Trust.
Income over the limit: the published pathways
An application is not simply over when income is over the figure — Texas publishes what happens next. Whether and how a pathway applies to a specific family is a question for the agency or an elder-law attorney.
Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust) for income over the cap
Texas is an income-cap state: if your countable monthly income is over the $2,982 special income limit (2026), you can still qualify by setting up a Qualified Income Trust (QIT), authorized by 42 USC 1396p(d)(4)(B). Income deposited into the QIT each month is not counted toward the eligibility limit. The trust must be irrevocable, funded only with your income, and name the State of Texas to receive remaining funds at your death up to the amount Medicaid paid on your behalf.
official sourceHow this compares to other states
| State | Income limit (single applicant, monthly) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| California | $1,836/month | 2026 |
| Michigan | $2,982/month | 2026 |
| New York | $1,836/month | 2026 |
| Ohio | $2,982/month | 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | $2,982/month | 2026 |
| Texas | $2,982/month | 2026 |
Full table with context: Medicaid income limits by state.
The figures on this page are Texas's published 2026 rules, cited to the official source and last verified 2026-07-14. Eligibility decisions are made only by Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) — no checklist, calculator, or company can decide for it. Applying is always free through the state agency.
A note on limits of this page: whether and how any rule applies to a specific family is a question only the state agency — or an elder-law attorney — can answer. MedicaidChecklist publishes the rules and helps you prepare and organize the application; it does not give legal advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to move, transfer, or restructure money or property.
Texas guideTexas asset limitTexas look-back period
Sources
- Special income limit $2,982 individual / $5,964 couple effective Jan. 1, 2026 (300% of SSI FBR) — www.hhs.texas.gov
- Institutional/HCBS 2026 figures: resources $2,000 individual / $3,000 couple; substantial home equity $752,000; transfer-of-assets divisor $262.37/day (eff. Sept. 1, 2025); SPRA minimum $32,532 and maximum $162,660; spousal allowance (MMMNA) $4,066.50; personal needs allowance $75 for nursing facility residents — www.hhs.texas.gov
- Qualified Income Trust rules and authority (42 USC 1396p(d)(4)(B)); income diverted to a QIT is not counted for institutional/waiver eligibility — www.hhs.texas.gov
- Nursing facility program requires 30 consecutive days in a Medicaid-contracted facility; HCBS waiver uses same income limit with nursing facility level of care — www.hhs.texas.gov
- 60-month lookback and STAR+PLUS HCBS interest list; 2026 figures cross-check (income $2,982, assets $2,000, CSRA $32,532–$162,660, home equity $752,000) — www.medicaidplanningassistance.org