MinnesotaCare income limits for 2026 run from 133% to 200% of the federal poverty level. For a single person, that’s roughly $21,227 to $31,920 a year. For a family of four, it’s about $43,890 to $66,000. Where exactly you fall inside that range, and whether you qualify at all, depends on how many people are in your household, which types of income count, and whether you have access to affordable health insurance through a job.
2026 Income Limits by Household Size
MinnesotaCare uses the federal poverty guidelines published each year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For 2026, 100% FPL is $15,960 for one person and $33,000 for a family of four in the contiguous United States. Eligibility opens above 133% of those figures and closes at 200%.
The 200% FPL ceilings for 2026 are:
- 1 person: $31,920
- 2 people: $43,280
- 3 people: $54,640
- 4 people: $66,000
- 5 people: $77,360
- 6 people: $88,720
For households larger than six, add $11,360 for each additional person.1HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Alaska and Hawaii use higher guidelines.
If your projected annual income lands anywhere between 133% and 200% FPL for your household size, you’re inside the MinnesotaCare window on income alone. The exact income guideline chart for the current year is published by the Minnesota Department of Human Services as form DHS-3461A.2Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare
If Your Income Is Below 133% FPL
MinnesotaCare does not cover people under 133% FPL, because that group is likely eligible for Medical Assistance (MA), Minnesota’s Medicaid program. MA has no premiums. MinnesotaCare exists specifically for the income gap between MA and marketplace coverage.3Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 256L.04 – Eligible Persons If your income falls below the MinnesotaCare floor, apply for MA instead.
How Your Household Size Is Counted
Household size controls which income limit applies, so getting the count right matters. MinnesotaCare generally follows federal tax-filing rules. If you file a federal return, your household includes you, your spouse if you file jointly or live together, and anyone you claim as a tax dependent.4Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare Household Composition and Family Size
When someone in the home doesn’t file taxes and isn’t claimed by anyone, the rules switch to living arrangements and legal relationships. A non-filing adult’s household includes that person, their spouse, and their biological, adopted, or stepchildren under 19. A non-filer who is under 19 also counts parents and siblings under 19 who live in the home.
If you are claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return, your household is the tax filer’s household: the filer, any joint filer, the filer’s live-in spouse, and all other dependents on that return.4Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare Household Composition and Family Size A larger counted household raises the dollar limit that applies to you, and can be the difference between qualifying and being denied.
What Counts as Income
MinnesotaCare measures income using Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), projected over the full calendar year. It is not what you earned last year; it is what you expect to earn this year.5Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare Income Methodology
MAGI starts with the income you’d report on a federal 1040: wages and salary, net self-employment earnings, unemployment compensation, interest, and Social Security benefits. It then adds back certain items that don’t show up as taxable income on the 1040, including nontaxable Social Security benefits, tax-exempt interest, and nontaxable foreign income.5Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare Income Methodology The Social Security piece catches people off guard: even the portion that isn’t taxed federally still counts here.
Several payments are excluded entirely. Child support you receive, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), workers’ compensation, and veterans’ payments do not count toward MAGI.6MNsure. Household Income If you’ve been told you’re over the limit and any of those payments were included in the calculation, that’s worth challenging.
Employer Health Insurance Can Disqualify You
Income inside the range isn’t enough on its own. Access to affordable employer-sponsored coverage can block MinnesotaCare eligibility even when your MAGI is well within limits, and even if you never signed up for the employer plan during open enrollment.7Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare Employer Sponsored Coverage
For 2026, a job-based plan counts as affordable if the employee share of the monthly premium for the cheapest self-only option is less than 9.96% of household income. The plan also has to meet the minimum value standard.8HealthCare.gov. Affordable Coverage If the self-only premium costs more than that 9.96% share, the plan is not affordable and MinnesotaCare eligibility stays open.
A few variations to know. If you’re actually enrolled in employer coverage, that enrollment blocks MinnesotaCare regardless of affordability or minimum value. For spouses and dependents, employer coverage is only a bar when it’s available to them and passes both the affordability and value tests. COBRA or other post-employment coverage disqualifies you only while you’re actively enrolled in it.7Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare Employer Sponsored Coverage
If Your Income Changes After You Enroll
Once you’re on MinnesotaCare, you have 30 days to report changes to your household. That includes new or ended jobs, income increases or drops, people moving in or out, pregnancy, marital status, tax filing plans, access to employer insurance, and citizenship or immigration status.9Minnesota Department of Human Services. Reporting Changes
A raise that pushes projected annual income above 200% FPL ends eligibility, as does a new job that offers affordable coverage. Reporting late can create problems with coverage and with premiums owed. Eligibility is also reviewed annually, with the certification period running January 1 through December 31; the state attempts to renew automatically from electronic data before asking you to confirm anything.10Minnesota Department of Human Services. MinnesotaCare Renewals
Checking Your Own Numbers
Before applying, compare your projected 2026 MAGI against the 200% FPL figure for your household size above. If you’re inside the range, check whether anyone in the household has access to an employer plan whose cheapest self-only premium costs less than 9.96% of household income. If either answer closes the door, Medical Assistance may still be an option on the low end, and the MNsure marketplace with federal subsidies may be an option on the high end.