For a single person in Michigan, the federal poverty line in 2026 sits at $15,960 a year, or $1,330 a month, and that figure is the anchor nearly every assistance program uses to decide who counts as low income.1ASPE – HHS.gov. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States But no single dollar amount defines “low income” on its own. Each program sets its own ceiling as a percentage of the poverty line, so a single adult earning $25,000 might qualify for food assistance and a phone discount while being too high for Medicaid or free legal help. The useful question is which programs your actual paycheck puts within reach.
The 2026 Poverty Line and the Percentages That Matter
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes the Federal Poverty Level every January, and Michigan programs recalculate their income cutoffs from the new figure.1ASPE – HHS.gov. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States When you see “133% FPL” or “200% FPL” attached to a program, multiply $15,960 by that percentage. Here are the thresholds a single Michigan resident is most likely to run into:
- 125% FPL: $19,950 per year / $1,662.50 per month
- 133% FPL: $21,226.80 per year / $1,768.90 per month
- 135% FPL: about $21,546 per year
- 150% FPL: $23,940 per year / $1,995 per month
- 200% FPL: $31,920 per year / $2,660 per month
Keep that short list in mind as you read on. Each program below pegs itself to a different line on it.
Health Coverage: The Healthy Michigan Plan
The Healthy Michigan Plan is the state’s Medicaid expansion and the main route to public health insurance for a single adult. You qualify if your income is at or below 133% of the poverty level — about $21,227 a year or $1,769 a month in 2026. You also need to be between 19 and 64, a Michigan resident, and not already enrolled in Medicare or another Medicaid category.2State of Michigan. Who Is Eligible – Healthy Michigan Plan
Income is measured using Modified Adjusted Gross Income, the same concept you’d use on a federal tax return. Some non-taxable income is excluded, including Supplemental Security Income, certain scholarships, and some tribal income.3CMS. Job Aid: Income Eligibility Using MAGI Rules Someone collecting SSI alongside part-time wages can have more cash coming in than the limit suggests and still qualify, because the SSI piece doesn’t count.
There is no asset test. A few thousand dollars in a checking account won’t disqualify you.
Food Assistance (SNAP)
Michigan’s Food Assistance Program uses a more generous income ceiling than most. Through broad-based categorical eligibility, the gross income limit for most households is 200% of the poverty level — roughly $2,660 a month for a single person in 2026. Gross income is what you earn before taxes and deductions. The underlying federal SNAP standard is tighter, at 130% of poverty, or about $1,696 a month for one person.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility Michigan’s expanded threshold lets many single adults in who would be denied under stricter rules. Actual benefit amounts are then calculated from net income after allowable deductions for housing and other costs, so being under the gross limit doesn’t automatically produce a large benefit.
The Work Rule for Single Adults Without Kids
Single adults without dependents face an extra hurdle. If you’re between 18 and 64, physically able to work, and have no dependents, federal law calls you an Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents. ABAWDs must work, or participate in a qualifying work program, for at least 80 hours a month to keep SNAP beyond three months in any three-year period. The age cap was raised from 54 to 64 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, which also removed earlier exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth.5Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements
Paid work, unpaid community service through an approved program, or a mix of the two can satisfy the 80 hours. Fall short in a given month and you generally lose benefits for the rest of the three-year cycle unless you re-qualify. Single people living alone are the group most likely to hit this wall, so track your hours.
Asset Limits
SNAP applicants can hold up to $3,000 in countable resources like cash and bank balances. The ceiling rises to $4,500 if you’re 60 or older or have a disability. Your home, personal vehicle, and resources belonging to household members who receive SSI or TANF don’t count.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
Housing Assistance Works Differently
Housing programs don’t use the Federal Poverty Level. They work from the Area Median Income for your specific county or metro, which means a single person’s cutoff in Grand Rapids differs from the cutoff in Detroit. Federal rules sort applicants into three tiers:6eCFR. 24 CFR 5.603 – Definitions
- Extremely Low Income: at or below the greater of 30% of area median income or the federal poverty guideline
- Very Low Income: at or below 50% of area median income
- Low Income: at or below 80% of area median income
HUD adjusts those figures for household size and local housing costs, so dollar amounts move a lot across the state. A single person at the Very Low Income tier might see a ceiling near $32,000 in one county and above $38,000 in a higher-cost metro. The 80% Low Income tier can reach $50,000 or more in those same areas. The current numbers for your county are on the HUD User site. Local housing authorities also set their own preferences for who moves up the waiting list, including veterans, people with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness.7U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Housing Choice Voucher Tenants Meeting the income threshold doesn’t guarantee a voucher, and Michigan waiting lists can run for years.
Energy Assistance
Michigan’s energy help changed in 2024. Public Act 170 of 2024 restructured the Michigan Energy Assistance Program and raised the income eligibility threshold from 150% of the Federal Poverty Level to 60% of the state median income.8State of Michigan. Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) For most single adults the new standard is more generous, but the exact dollar cutoff depends on annually updated state median income data rather than the FPL table above.
MEAP covers heating costs during winter and can help with emergency shutoff prevention. Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds flow through the state alongside it. Both require income proof, usually from the most recent 30 days. Separately, the Michigan Home Heating Credit is claimed on your state tax return rather than through a DHHS application, and you can file for it even if you owe no Michigan income tax.
Free Civil Legal Aid
Michigan law uses a tighter definition for legal aid than for most other programs. Under the Revised Judicature Act, a person is considered indigent for legal aid purposes if income doesn’t exceed 125% of the Federal Poverty Level. For a single person in 2026, that’s $19,950 a year, or about $1,663 a month. A single adult earning $22,000 could qualify for Medicaid, food assistance, and energy help and still be over the legal aid ceiling. Michigan legal aid providers are required to prioritize residential housing disputes and domestic violence cases, so even qualifying applicants may wait for other civil matters.9Michigan Legislature. MCL 600-1485 – Revised Judicature Act of 1961 (Excerpt)
Lifeline Phone and Internet Discount
Lifeline is a federal program that takes $9.25 a month off a phone or broadband bill for qualifying households. On Tribal lands the discount is $34.25. You qualify at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Level — about $21,546 a year for a single person in 2026 — or automatically if you already participate in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, federal public housing assistance, or Veterans Pension benefits.10FCC. Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications If you’re already on food assistance or the Healthy Michigan Plan, you don’t need a separate income check. Only one Lifeline benefit is allowed per household.
The Earned Income Tax Credit
A single filer with no children can still receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. For tax year 2025, the most recent figures published, that filer could get up to $649 if adjusted gross income stayed below $19,104.11Internal Revenue Service. Earned Income and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Tables The 2026 figures will be slightly higher once the IRS publishes them. The credit is refundable, so you receive the money even if you owe no tax. Many low-income filers skip it because they don’t realize they need to file a return to claim it.
How to Apply
Most of these programs run through one state portal: MI Bridges at newmibridges.michigan.gov. A single account lets you apply for Medicaid (including the Healthy Michigan Plan), food assistance, child care assistance, and cash assistance, and lets you upload income documents directly.
If you’re not sure what you qualify for, call or text Michigan 211 to get a specialist who can screen you across programs and point you to local resources. Energy assistance applications go through your local DHHS office or a designated community action agency rather than MI Bridges. The Home Heating Credit is claimed on your Michigan tax return. Housing voucher applications go directly to your local housing authority, each of which runs its own waiting list on its own schedule.