Medi-Cal Income Limits 2026 by Household Size

2026 Medi-Cal Income Limits at a Glance

FPL is the federal poverty level. Income at or below a limit qualifies. A pregnant person counts as herself plus each baby she is expecting.

2026 Medi-Cal Income Limits for Adults (138% FPL)

Adults 19 to 64 qualify for Medi-Cal with household income at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. Your household is usually the people on your tax return: you, your spouse and the people you claim as dependents.

DHCS rounds every limit up to the next whole dollar and works out the monthly limits from the monthly poverty guideline, so a monthly limit times 12 can be a few dollars more than the yearly one. Both are DHCS's figures.

2026 Limits for Pregnancy and Children

• Pregnant people get full-scope Medi-Cal with income up to 213% FPL. A pregnant person counts as herself plus each baby she is expecting: someone living alone and expecting one baby is a household of 2.
• Medi-Cal Access Program (MCAP): pregnant people above 213% and up to 322% FPL. Babies born to MCAP members are covered up to the same 322% line.
• Children under 19 get Medi-Cal with household income up to 266% FPL. There have been no premiums since July 1, 2022.
• C-CHIP: children above 266% and up to 322% FPL in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Yearly Income Limits

Monthly Income Limits

People 65 and older and people with a disability can also qualify through Medi-Cal's Aged and Disabled program up to 138% FPL. It counts income differently, has an asset limit, and moves to the new limits on April 1 each year.

When the Medi-Cal Income Limits Change

Medi-Cal updates these limits every year after the federal government publishes new poverty guidelines in January. For most people (adults, children and pregnant people) the new limits count from January 1. The Aged and Disabled program and the 250% Working Disabled Program move to them on April 1.

The federal government published the 2026 guidelines on January 15, 2026. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced the 2026 Medi-Cal limits in its letter 26-01 of January 21, 2026, effective January 1, 2026.

The 2027 guidelines come out in January 2027. This page moves to the new limits on March 1, 2027; until then, we show them at the top of the page once the guidelines are published. The law changes below do not change these income limits; only the yearly poverty guideline update does.

Medi-Cal or Covered California: The 138% Line

Most people with income up to 138% FPL qualify for Medi-Cal. Above that line, Covered California plans come with financial help. If you cannot get Medi-Cal, you may still qualify for a Covered California plan with financial help.

The two programs use different poverty guidelines:

• Medi-Cal uses the newest guidelines, 2026 now: $22,025 a year for one person.
• Covered California uses the guidelines of the year before each coverage year: for 2026 coverage the 2025 guidelines, so its 138% line is $21,597 for one person.
• 2027 Covered California coverage uses the 2026 guidelines, the ones on this page: $22,025 for one person. When Medi-Cal moves to the 2027 guidelines, Covered California's 2027 line stays where it is.

Medi-Cal also looks at your current monthly income, while Covered California looks at your expected income for the whole year. That is why this page gives monthly limits: if your income this month is under the monthly limit, you may qualify for Medi-Cal now, even if your income for the year will be higher.

Just above the Medi-Cal line, Covered California's help is at its largest: in 2027, households with income up to 150% FPL pay $0 for the benchmark Silver plan, with California's state subsidy on top of the federal tax credit.

A family can be split between the programs: children up to 266% FPL can have Medi-Cal while their parents get a Covered California plan. One application through Covered California checks both. See Covered California vs Medi-Cal and the Covered California income limits.

Other Medi-Cal Changes and When They Start

New federal and state laws change other Medi-Cal rules from 2026 on. They do not change the income limits on this page. DHCS says most Medi-Cal members will not see any changes to their coverage.

• In effectSince January 1, 2026

  Asset limit: $130,000 for one person, plus $65,000 for each additional person (up to 10), through June 30, 2027. The home you live in, one vehicle, household items and some savings, like retirement accounts, do not count. Income rules did not change.

  Who: People 65 and older, people with a disability, people in a nursing home, and families whose income is too high for the regular rules. Not most adults under 65, children or pregnant people, whose Medi-Cal looks at income only.

• In effectSince January 1, 2026

  Enrollment freeze: some adults can no longer sign up for full-scope Medi-Cal because of their immigration status. People who have it keep it if they renew on time; if it ends, they have three months to sign up again, and after that only restricted-scope Medi-Cal (emergency, pregnancy and nursing home care).

  Who: Adults 19 and older without an immigration status that qualifies for federally funded full-scope Medi-Cal. Children, pregnant people (during pregnancy and for one year after) and people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday can still sign up.

• In effectSince October 2026

  Refugees and asylees without a green card, people paroled into the U.S. for at least one year, and survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking with a pending immigration case lose federally funded full-scope Medi-Cal. California keeps them on state-funded full-scope Medi-Cal until June 30, 2027.

  Who: Adults with these immigration statuses. Youth under 21, pregnant people (during pregnancy and for one year after) and people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday keep full-scope Medi-Cal.

• ComingFrom January 1, 2027

  Work rules: earn at least $580 a month, or spend at least 80 hours a month working, in job training, volunteering or doing community service, or go to school at least half-time (or a mix that adds up to 80 hours or $580). Medi-Cal sends a letter to the people this applies to.

  Who: Adults 19 to 64 who get Medi-Cal through the Affordable Care Act expansion. Not children, adults 65 and older, pregnant people (and for one year after), parents and caregivers of children 13 and younger, people with disabilities or serious physical or mental health conditions or substance use problems, people released from jail or prison in the last 90 days, people on Medicare Part A or B, American Indians and Alaska Natives, or people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday.

• ComingFrom January 1, 2027

  Fewer months of old medical bills: Medi-Cal will pay bills from one month before you applied for adults 19 to 64 without children under 19, and from two months before for everyone else.

  Who: People who apply for Medi-Cal.

• ComingFrom January 1, 2027

  Care through Fee-for-Service Medi-Cal instead of a health plan. This changes how these members get care, not whether they keep Medi-Cal.

  Who: Undocumented members, green card holders in the five-year waiting period and members considered Permanently Residing Under Color of Law (PRUCOL). DHCS's immigration status chart also lists refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees and survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking or other serious crimes. Youth under 21 and pregnant people who are lawfully residing keep their health plan.

• ComingFrom March 1, 2027

  Eligibility checks twice a year instead of once.

  Who: Adults 19 to 64 who get Medi-Cal through the Affordable Care Act expansion. Pregnant and postpartum people, American Indian and Alaska Native members, and people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday still renew once a year.

• ComingFrom July 1, 2027

  Lower asset limit: $21,000 for one person, $31,000 for two, plus $1,550 for each additional person (up to 10). It replaces the $130,000 limit.

  Who: People 65 and older, people with a disability, people in a nursing home, and families whose income is too high for the regular rules.

• ComingFrom July 1, 2027

  Refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees and survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking who lost federally funded Medi-Cal in October 2026 can get only pregnancy-related care and emergency services; their state-funded full-scope Medi-Cal ends on June 30, 2027.

  Who: Adults with these immigration statuses. Children under 19, pregnant people (during pregnancy and for one year after) and people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday can still get full-scope Medi-Cal, whatever their immigration status.

• ComingFrom July 1, 2027

  Dental: only emergency dental care (bad tooth pain, infections, tooth removal). The 2026-27 state budget moved this from July 1, 2026.

  Who: Adults 19 and older without a qualifying immigration status. Children, pregnant people (and for one year after) and people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday keep full dental.

• ComingFrom July 1, 2027

  Monthly premium to keep full-scope Medi-Cal: $30 a month under current law; the state may raise it to $50, to be decided in May 2027. Without payment, Medi-Cal changes to restricted scope (emergency, pregnancy-related and nursing home care).

  Who: Adults 19 to 59 without a qualifying immigration status. Not children, pregnant people (and for one year after), or people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday.

• ComingFrom October 1, 2028

  Copayments for some services, never more than 5% of household income a year. No copayments at community health centers or rural clinics, for emergency care, regular checkups, care during pregnancy, care for children, or mental health and substance use treatment.

  Who: Adults 19 to 64 with income above the poverty level who are not pregnant and not on Medicare.

Sources: DHCS, Medi-Cal Changes and Immigration Status and Changes to Medi-Cal Eligibility; the 2026-27 California Budget Act for the dental date and the premium amount.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Medi-Cal income limit for 2026?

For adults 19 to 64 it is 138% of the federal poverty level: $22,025 a year ($1,836 a month) for one person, $29,864 ($2,490) for two and $45,540 ($3,795) for a family of four. Each additional person adds $7,839 a year.

What is the Medi-Cal income limit for children?

Children under 19 qualify with household income up to 266% FPL: $87,780 a year ($7,315 a month) for a family of four, with no premiums. In San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, C-CHIP covers children up to 322% FPL.

What is the Medi-Cal income limit when you are pregnant?

Full-scope Medi-Cal covers pregnant people up to 213% FPL. A pregnant person counts as herself plus each baby she is expecting, so someone living alone and expecting one baby is a household of 2: $46,094 a year ($3,843 a month). Above that, the Medi-Cal Access Program covers pregnancy up to 322% FPL, $69,681 a year for a household of 2.

When do the Medi-Cal income limits change?

Every year, after the federal government publishes new poverty guidelines in January. For most people the new limits count from January 1; the programs for people 65 and older or with a disability move to them on April 1.

Does Medi-Cal look at monthly or yearly income?

Medi-Cal looks at your current monthly income, Covered California at your expected income for the year. If your income this month is under the monthly limit, you may qualify for Medi-Cal now, even if your income for the year will be higher.

Is there an asset limit for Medi-Cal?

Not for most adults under 65, children or pregnant people: their Medi-Cal looks at income only. Since January 1, 2026, people 65 and older, people with a disability and people in a nursing home have an asset limit again: $130,000 for one person plus $65,000 for each additional person, through June 30, 2027. From July 1, 2027 it is $21,000 for one person and $31,000 for two.

Sources

• DHCS, All County Welfare Directors Letter 26-01: 2026 Federal Poverty Levels (January 21, 2026)
• HHS, 2026 Poverty Guidelines, Federal Register (January 15, 2026)
• Covered California, Program Eligibility by Federal Poverty Level
• DHCS, Medi-Cal Changes