For 2026, Florida’s long-term care Medicaid income limit is $2,982 per month in gross income for a single applicant (300% of the Federal Benefit Rate), with a countable asset limit of $2,000. Applicants whose income exceeds the cap can still qualify by routing their income through a Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust). These figures change every year, so confirm the current limits before applying.
If you or a loved one may need nursing home care or long-term care services in Florida, understanding Medicaid’s income and asset limits is the first step. These numbers change every year, and the difference between qualifying and being denied often comes down to a few hundred dollars a month.
Here are the current 2026 Florida Medicaid limits — and what to do if you’re over them.
2026 Florida Medicaid Limits at a Glance
Income Limits Explained
Florida’s Long-Term Care Medicaid (also called ICP — Institutional Care Program) uses a monthly income cap equal to 300% of the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR). For 2026, that cap is $2,982 per month.
What Counts as Income?
Medicaid counts your gross income (before deductions) from all sources:
| Counted as Income | NOT Counted as Income |
|---|---|
| Social Security (retirement & SSDI) | VA Aid & Attendance benefits |
| Pension payments | Food stamps / SNAP |
| IRA withdrawals / Required Minimum Distributions | Gifts from family members |
| Rental income from property | Loans (must be documented) |
| Wages and self-employment income | Tax refunds |
| Alimony received | One-time insurance settlements (case-by-case) |
| Dividends, interest, and capital gains | |
| Workers’ compensation |
What If My Income Exceeds $2,982/Month?
You establish a Qualified Income Trust (QIT), also called a Miller Trust. Each month, you deposit your income into the trust. The trust then pays:
- A $160 personal needs allowance back to you
- Your Medicare premiums
- A spousal maintenance allowance (MMMNA) to your spouse if applicable
- The remaining balance to the nursing facility
A QIT is a standard legal tool that a Medicaid planning attorney can set up quickly. It does not shelter assets or hide income — it simply routes your income in the way Florida requires.
Asset Limits Explained
To qualify for Long-Term Care Medicaid, your countable assets must be at or below:
Countable vs. Exempt Assets
| Countable (Must Spend Down) | Exempt (Does NOT Count) |
|---|---|
| Cash, checking, and savings accounts | Primary residence (equity under $752,000) |
| Stocks, bonds, mutual funds | One vehicle (any value) |
| Certificates of deposit (CDs) | Personal belongings and household furnishings |
| Non-primary real estate | Irrevocable prepaid funeral/burial contracts |
| Additional vehicles | Term life insurance (no cash value) |
| Life insurance with cash value over $2,500 | Wedding and engagement rings |
| Cryptocurrency | Medical equipment |
| Investment property | IRAs/401(k)s in payout status (counted as income instead) |
Spousal Protections: Keeping the Healthy Spouse Out of Poverty
When only one spouse needs nursing home care, federal law protects the “community spouse” (the healthy spouse who stays home) from being impoverished.
Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA)
The community spouse can keep between $32,532 and $162,660 in countable assets, depending on the couple’s total resources. Only assets above the CSRA must be spent down.
Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA)
The community spouse is guaranteed a minimum monthly income of $2,644 (up to a maximum of $4,067). If the community spouse’s own income is less than $2,644, the Medicaid recipient’s income can be diverted to make up the difference.
Regular Medicaid vs. Long-Term Care Medicaid
Many people confuse Regular Medicaid (MEDS-AD) with Long-Term Care Medicaid (ICP/SMMC-LTC). They have very different rules:
| Factor | Regular Medicaid (MEDS-AD) | Long-Term Care Medicaid (ICP / SMMC-LTC) |
|---|---|---|
| Income limit (single) | $1,171/month | $2,982/month |
| Asset limit (single) | $5,000 | $2,000 |
| Level of care required | None | Must need nursing facility level of care |
| Look-back period | None | 60 months |
| Spousal protections (CSRA/MMMNA) | None | Yes — up to $162,660 / $4,067 |
| QIT required if over income | No | Yes |
| Covers nursing home | No | Yes |
What Changed from 2025 to 2026?
| Limit | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICP income limit | $2,829/mo | $2,982/mo | ↑ +$153 |
| CSRA maximum | $154,140 | $162,660 | ↑ +$8,520 |
| CSRA minimum | $30,828 | $32,532 | ↑ +$1,704 |
| MMMNA minimum | $2,555/mo | $2,644/mo | ↑ +$89 |
| MMMNA maximum | $3,853/mo | $4,067/mo | ↑ +$214 |
| Home equity limit | $713,000 | $752,000 | ↑ +$39,000 |
| Regular Medicaid income | $1,073/mo | $1,171/mo | ↑ +$98 |
| Individual asset limit | $2,000 | $2,000 | No change |
| Personal needs allowance | $160/mo | $160/mo | No change |
| Penalty divisor | $10,645/mo | $10,645/mo | No change |
The 60-Month Look-Back Period
Long-Term Care Medicaid has a 60-month (5-year) look-back period. When you apply, DCF reviews all asset transfers made during the previous 5 years. Any transfer made for less than fair market value (gifts, below-market sales, adding names to deeds) triggers a penalty period during which you are ineligible for Medicaid.
The penalty is calculated by dividing the transfer amount by the penalty divisor ($10,645/month for 2026):
For a detailed guide, see our page on the Florida Medicaid look-back period and planning strategies.
How to Qualify If You Are Over the Limits
Being over the income or asset limits does not mean you cannot qualify. A Medicaid planning attorney can help you use legally permissible strategies to meet eligibility requirements:
| If You Are Over On… | Strategy |
|---|---|
| Income (over $2,982/mo) | Establish a Qualified Income Trust (QIT / Miller Trust) |
| Assets (over $2,000) | Strategic spend-down: pay off debts, home improvements, prepaid funeral, vehicle purchase |
| Home equity (over $752,000) | Pay down mortgage to reduce equity below the cap |
| Spouse’s assets | CSRA protections — spouse keeps up to $162,660 automatically |
| Made gifts in last 5 years | Crisis planning strategies: half-a-loaf, promissory notes, caretaker child exception |
Not Sure If You Qualify? We Can Help.
Florida’s Medicaid rules are complex, and the limits change every year. Our attorneys have helped hundreds of families navigate the eligibility process — even when they thought they made too much or had too many assets.
Call (813) 501-5071 for a free consultation, or schedule online.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the income limit for Florida Medicaid in 2026?
For 2026, long-term care (ICP) Medicaid in Florida uses a gross monthly income cap of $2,982 for a single applicant, which equals 300% of the Federal Benefit Rate. The countable asset limit is $2,000. When both spouses apply, each is measured against the income cap separately. Because these numbers are adjusted annually, verify the current figure with DCF or an elder law attorney before filing.
What is the highest income you can have and still qualify for Medicaid in Florida?
For long-term care Medicaid, gross monthly income above the 2026 cap of $2,982 does not automatically disqualify you. Florida is an “income-cap” state that allows a Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust): income deposited into the trust each month is not counted toward the cap, so even applicants with income well above $2,982 can qualify when the trust is properly drafted and used. The trust does not shelter assets or hide income – it simply routes income in the way Florida requires.
What disqualifies you from Medicaid in Florida?
The most common disqualifiers for long-term care Medicaid are countable assets above $2,000 (for a single applicant), income above the cap without a Qualified Income Trust, home equity above the federal limit, and uncompensated asset transfers within the 60-month look-back period that create a penalty. Many of these can be addressed with lawful planning – excess assets can often be converted to exempt form, and over-income applicants can use a Miller Trust.
What counts as income for Florida Medicaid?
Florida counts gross income (before deductions) from essentially all sources: Social Security, pensions, annuity payments, IRA distributions, wages, rental income, and similar recurring payments. It is the applicant’s own gross income that is measured against the cap. If that total exceeds $2,982 per month in 2026, a Qualified Income Trust is required to qualify.
How can I qualify for Medicaid if I am over the income or asset limits?
Being over the limits does not mean you are permanently ineligible. Over-income applicants use a Qualified Income Trust; over-asset applicants can use lawful spend-down strategies such as converting countable assets to exempt ones (homestead, one vehicle, prepaid funeral), spousal protections through the Community Spouse Resource Allowance, and Medicaid-compliant annuities. In Florida, choosing among these strategies is the practice of law and should be done with a licensed elder law attorney. This page is general information, not legal advice for your situation.
If the income limit is the problem
Being over the limit does not end the matter. These explain the routes families actually use, and what each one costs.
- Qualified Income Trust the standard fix when income exceeds the cap
- Medicaid crisis planning when a parent is already in a facility
- Medicaid asset protection protecting assets before the need arises
- Speak with a Florida Medicaid planning attorney review of your own numbers
Medicaid Income Limits for Everyone Else: Families, Children, Pregnant Women, and Adults Who Don’t Need Nursing Home Care
Everything above applies to long-term care Medicaid and Regular Medicaid (MEDS-AD) for people who are aged, blind, or disabled. If you searched “Florida Medicaid income limits” for a different reason, the rules are not the same, and the dollar figures above do not apply to you.
Florida has separate Medicaid income limits for children, pregnant women, and parents/caretaker relatives with dependent children. Those limits are based on a percentage of the federal poverty level and scale up with household size, similar to how food stamp or subsidized health insurance eligibility works. Children generally qualify at much higher income levels than adults, and pregnant women qualify at higher levels still. There is no asset test and no look-back period for these categories, and there is no Qualified Income Trust involved because it is a completely different eligibility track from the ICP/MEDS-AD programs discussed above.
The harder issue is for working-age adults who are not disabled, not pregnant, and do not have minor children in the home. Florida is one of the states that did not expand Medicaid, so being low-income by itself is not enough. If you do not fit one of Florida’s defined categories, such as a parent of a minor child, a pregnant woman, a child, or someone who is aged, blind, or disabled, you generally cannot qualify for Florida Medicaid no matter how low your income is. Adults in that position typically need to look at subsidized marketplace health insurance instead.
The Medically Needy program is the piece most people searching broad Medicaid income terms have never heard of. If you are aged, blind, or disabled, or otherwise fit a Medicaid category, but your income is above the regular limit, Florida allows you to “spend down” to eligibility for that month by showing medical bills that reduce your countable income below the limit, similar to meeting a deductible. Once you meet your share of cost in a given month, Medicaid covers the remaining medical expenses for the rest of that period. This is a separate track from the Qualified Income Trust used for nursing home Medicaid, and it is generally used for people who need medical coverage but do not need institutional or long-term care.
Do these lower income limits apply to nursing home Medicaid too?
No. Nursing home and long-term care Medicaid use the $2,982 income cap and the Qualified Income Trust process described above. The lower, household-size-based limits discussed here apply only to children, pregnant women, and parents/caretaker relatives applying for regular health coverage, not institutional care.
Can a single, healthy, low-income adult in Florida get Medicaid just because they have no income?
Usually not. Having little or no income does not create eligibility on its own. You also have to fit one of Florida’s Medicaid categories, such as being a parent of a minor child, pregnant, a child, or aged, blind, or disabled. An adult who does not fit any category generally cannot qualify for Florida Medicaid at any income level.
What is the Medically Needy program and how is it different from a Qualified Income Trust?
The Medically Needy program lets someone who fits a Medicaid category but has income above the limit become eligible for a given month by showing enough medical expenses to offset the excess income, similar to satisfying a deductible. A Qualified Income Trust is a different tool used specifically for long-term care Medicaid, where income is deposited into a trust each month rather than offset by medical bills. Which option applies depends on whether you need nursing home level care or regular medical coverage.
Where do I find the current income limits for children or pregnant women in Florida?
These figures are published by the Florida Department of Children and Families and adjusted periodically. Because they change and depend on household size, confirm the current numbers through DCF’s ACCESS system or with an attorney before assuming you do or do not qualify.