There is no single dollar figure for what is considered low income in California. The state runs its housing programs off local Area Median Income, which varies by county and household size, while health coverage, food assistance, cash aid, and utility discounts each use their own separate income tests. A single person in Los Angeles County counts as low income for housing purposes at $84,850 or less, but the Medi-Cal threshold for that same person is roughly $22,025, and the CalFresh gross income ceiling is about $20,352.1California Department of Housing and Community Development. 2025 State Income Limits You qualify program by program, not with one blanket label.
Low Income for Housing: A Percentage of Local AMI
California’s housing programs define income tiers as a percentage of the Area Median Income for the county where you live. HUD calculates the AMI for every county annually, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development adopts those figures with adjustments for state use.2California Department of Housing and Community Development. Income Limits The state recognizes five tiers:
- Acutely Low Income: at or below 15% of AMI
- Extremely Low Income: between 15% and 30% of AMI
- Very Low Income: between 30% and 50% of AMI
- Lower Income (commonly called “Low Income”): between 50% and 80% of AMI
- Moderate Income: between 80% and 120% of AMI
The “Lower Income” category in Health and Safety Code Section 50079.5 is the broadest and sweeps in everyone from acutely low income up to the 80% AMI ceiling.3California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 50079.5
How County and Household Size Change the Dollars
The 2025 state income limits put the Los Angeles County low income ceiling for a one-person household at $84,850, with very low income at $53,000 and extremely low income at $31,850. For a four-person household in Los Angeles, those figures rise to $121,150, $75,750, and $45,450.
San Francisco County runs higher still. A single person there has an acutely low income cutoff of $19,600, extremely low income at $41,150, and low income reaching roughly $109,700. Five Northern California counties (Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz) now cross $100,000 at the low income tier for a single person. Fresno County sits at the other end of the range: the low income threshold for one person is about $52,600, roughly half the San Francisco figure.1California Department of Housing and Community Development. 2025 State Income Limits
Household size follows HUD’s method, with the four-person household as the baseline. Smaller households get lower limits, larger ones get higher limits, and families with more than eight members add 8% of the four-person limit for each additional person.4HUD Exchange. HOME Income Limits HCD publishes the complete table for all 58 counties annually.5data.ca.gov. Income Limits by County
These AMI-based numbers are the ones used by the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, which generally requires extremely low or very low income to qualify, and by affordable housing developments built with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.6U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing Choice Voucher Tenants
Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and CalWORKs Use the Federal Poverty Level
Health coverage, food assistance, and cash aid work from a completely different measuring stick. Instead of local AMI, they use the Federal Poverty Level, a single national figure set each year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For 2026, the FPL is $15,960 for a single person and $33,000 for a household of four.7U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States Each program then sets its own cutoff as a multiple of that figure.
Medi-Cal
Most adults qualify for Medi-Cal at or below 138% of FPL. For 2026 that works out to $22,025 a year for one person and $45,540 for a family of four. Children have a higher ceiling at 266% of FPL (up to $87,780 for a four-person family), and pregnant individuals qualify at 213% of FPL.8Covered California. Program Eligibility by Federal Poverty Level for 2026
Starting January 1, 2026, Medi-Cal reinstates asset tests for seniors and people with disabilities. If your eligibility is based on being 65 or older, having a disability, or needing long-term care, you can hold up to $130,000 in countable assets as a single person, with another $65,000 added for each additional household member. Your home, one vehicle, household goods, and retirement accounts are not counted.9Social Services Agency, County of Santa Clara. Medi-Cal Program Changes 2026-2027 Income rules for most other enrollees are not changing.
CalFresh
CalFresh (California’s SNAP program) uses 130% of FPL for its gross monthly income ceiling and 100% of FPL for the net ceiling after deductions. For October 2025 through September 2026:
- 1 person: $1,696/month gross, $1,305/month net
- 2 people: $2,292/month gross, $1,763/month net
- 3 people: $2,888/month gross, $2,221/month net
- 4 people: $3,483/month gross, $2,680/month net
CalFresh also caps assets. Most households cannot hold more than $3,000 in countable resources; households with someone 60 or older or someone with a disability get a $4,500 cap.10California Department of Social Services. All County Information Notice I-46-25 – CalFresh Cost-of-Living Adjustments Effective October 1, 2025
CalWORKs
CalWORKs, the cash aid program for families with children, uses its own test called the Minimum Basic Standard of Adequate Care. The MBSAC varies by region. For July 2025 through June 2026 in Region 1 (which includes the Bay Area and most coastal counties), the gross monthly income limit for a family of three is $1,892. If income falls below that threshold, the state applies additional deductions to calculate the actual cash grant.11California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs
Utility Discounts Have Their Own Limits
The California Public Utilities Commission runs two utility discount programs with cutoffs that match neither the AMI nor FPL systems above. The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program gives a 30–35% discount on electricity and 20% on natural gas. Income limits for June 2025 through May 2026:
- 1–2 person household: $42,300 or less
- 3 people: $53,300
- 4 people: $64,300
- 5 people: $75,300
- 6 people: $86,300
You can also enroll in CARE automatically through participation in Medi-Cal, CalFresh, LIHEAP, SSI, or WIC, among other programs. Households that slightly exceed CARE limits can look at the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program, which provides an 18% electricity discount and uses 250% of FPL as its ceiling. For a four-person household, FERA’s limit is $80,375.12California Public Utilities Commission. CARE/FERA Program
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), run by the California Department of Community Services and Development, uses yet another set of 2026 limits: $3,331.66 per month for a single person and $6,407.16 per month for a four-person household.13California Department of Community Services and Development. LIHEAP Income Eligibility
Tax Credits That Pay You Back at Low Income
Low income Californians can claim refundable credits that pay out even if you owe no tax. The California Earned Income Tax Credit is worth up to $3,756 for tax year 2025, with an earned income ceiling of $32,900. Unlike the federal EITC, CalEITC is available to filers who use an ITIN instead of a Social Security number, which extends it to many immigrant workers.14Franchise Tax Board. California Earned Income Tax Credit
If you qualify for CalEITC and have a child under six, the Young Child Tax Credit adds up to $1,189 per return for tax year 2025 under the same $32,900 earned income ceiling. Filers with zero or negative earned income can also qualify for the YCTC if wages and net losses each stay below $35,640.15Franchise Tax Board. Young Child Tax Credit
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit stacks on top. For tax year 2025 it reaches up to $8,046 for a family with three or more children, with income ceilings ranging from $19,104 (single, no children) to $68,675 (married filing jointly with three or more children).16Internal Revenue Service. Earned Income and Earned Income Tax Credit Tables A single filing can trigger all three credits.
Immigration Status
Immigration status does not automatically disqualify you from California assistance. The state funds the California Food Assistance Program for non-citizens who are ineligible for CalFresh only because of federal immigration rules, including lawful permanent residents who have not met the five-year residency requirement, parolees, conditional entrants, and survivors of domestic violence. Neither CalFresh nor CFAP is treated as a public charge program, so using them will not jeopardize a pending visa or family-based green card petition.17California Department of Social Services. CFAP – Who is Eligible Medi-Cal extends to certain non-citizens, including emergency Medi-Cal and full-scope coverage for specific categories, and CalEITC and the YCTC accept ITIN filers.14Franchise Tax Board. California Earned Income Tax Credit
How To Check Your Own Number
Because every program measures income differently, the right question is never “am I low income” in the abstract. It’s “do I qualify for this specific program, in my county, this year.” A household earning $60,000 in San Francisco may qualify as low income for a housing voucher waitlist and still sit well above the CalFresh ceiling.
For housing, HCD publishes the full AMI-based table for every county each year.2California Department of Housing and Community Development. Income Limits For Medi-Cal and CalFresh, your county social services office or the Covered California website can confirm whether your current income falls within the thresholds. For utility discounts, apply directly through your electric or gas utility. For tax credits, file a California return and a federal return even if your income is below the filing requirement, because the credits are refundable only if you file.