What Is Considered Low Income in Missouri? Limits by Program

There is no single dollar figure that defines what is considered low income in Missouri. Every assistance program sets its own cutoff, and nearly all of them start from the Federal Poverty Guidelines published each year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For 2026, the poverty line is $15,960 for a single person and $33,000 for a family of four.¹ Missouri programs then set their eligibility ceilings somewhere between roughly 85% and 185% of those numbers, which means a family of four earning under about $61,000 can qualify for at least one form of help.

The 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines

Almost every answer below is a multiple of this table, so it helps to see the base figures first. For the 48 contiguous states in 2026:¹

1 person: $15,960
2 people: $21,640
3 people: $27,320
4 people: $33,000
5 people: $38,680
6 people: $44,360
7 people: $50,040
8 people: $55,720

Each additional person adds $5,680. These are gross figures, before taxes. When a program says it uses “133% of FPG” or “185% of FPG,” it multiplies the row that matches your household size.

One caveat: Missouri agencies update their posted dollar amounts on different schedules, so some program pages still show numbers based on the 2025 guidelines until the new year’s figures are plugged in.

MO HealthNet (Medicaid)

MO HealthNet covers several groups, and each has its own income ceiling. For adults ages 19 through 64 in the expansion group, the limit is 133% of the FPG, with a built-in 5% income disregard that effectively lifts the ceiling to 138%.²³ The currently posted limits are $20,814 for a single person and $42,759 for a family of four; applied to the 2026 FPG, those figures rise to roughly $21,227 and $43,890.⁴

Other categories use very different numbers:

Children under age 1 and pregnant women: up to 196% of FPG ($30,674 for one person; $63,014 for a family of four as currently posted)
Children ages 1–18: about 148% of FPG ($47,582 for a family of four)
Aged and disabled adults: about 85% of FPG ($13,303 for a single individual)

MO HealthNet counts Modified Adjusted Gross Income, which roughly tracks the income on your federal tax return.

SNAP Food Assistance

SNAP applies two tests. Most households must meet a gross income limit of 130% of the FPG. Households with a member who is 60 or older or has a disability only have to meet the net income limit of 100% of the FPG, after deductions for things like housing, dependent care, and the standard deduction.⁵

For federal fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 through September 2026), the monthly limits set by USDA are:⁶

1 person: $1,696 gross / $1,305 net
2 people: $2,292 gross / $1,763 net
3 people: $2,888 gross / $2,221 net
4 people: $3,483 gross / $2,680 net
5 people: $4,079 gross / $3,138 net
6 people: $4,675 gross / $3,596 net
7 people: $5,271 gross / $4,055 net
8 people: $5,867 gross / $4,513 net

On an annual basis, a single person earning under $20,352 before deductions and a family of four earning under $41,796 meet the gross income test.⁴

WIC and School Meals

WIC covers pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five, and uses a more generous cutoff of 185% of the FPG. The annual limits currently posted by Missouri DHSS are:⁷

1 person: $28,953
2 people: $39,128
3 people: $49,303
4 people: $59,478
5 people: $69,653

A pregnant woman counts her unborn child in household size, so a pregnant woman living alone uses the two-person row.

School meals use the same two cutoffs as SNAP and WIC: free meals at 130% of the FPG, reduced-price meals at 185%.⁸ Children in households already receiving SNAP or TANF usually qualify automatically.

Temporary Assistance (TANF)

Missouri’s TANF cash program has the strictest income ceiling of any benefit discussed here. The posted annual maximums are:⁴

1 person: $1,632 per year ($136 per month)
2 people: $2,808 ($234 per month)
3 people: $3,504 ($292 per month)
4 people: $4,104 ($342 per month)
5 people: $4,656 ($388 per month)

Those figures are not misprints. A family of three can earn about $292 per month, roughly 13% of the federal poverty level, before falling off TANF. Most families with any steady earnings exceed the limit, which is why many households qualify for SNAP or MO HealthNet but not cash assistance.

Child Care Subsidy

Missouri’s Child Care Subsidy, run by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, helps working or studying parents pay for care. New applicants must have adjusted gross income at or below 150% of the FPG.⁹ Applied to 2026 FPG, that works out to about $23,940 for a single person and $49,500 for a family of four. Exact figures and your copayment come from the DESE sliding fee chart.¹⁰

LIHEAP Energy Assistance

Energy assistance uses state median income rather than the FPG, so its ceilings are noticeably higher than the food or health programs. The posted monthly limits are:⁴

1 person: $2,840 per month
2 people: $3,714
3 people: $4,588
4 people: $5,461

For households above six, add $163 per month per additional person. Annualized, those thresholds come to roughly $34,080 for one person and $65,532 for four, so LIHEAP reaches families who earn too much for SNAP or Medicaid.

Lifeline Phone and Internet

The federal Lifeline program discounts phone or internet service for households at or below 135% of the FPG, or those already enrolled in a qualifying program like SNAP or Medicaid. Based on 2026 FPG, that’s $21,546 for a single person and $44,550 for a family of four.¹¹

Housing: A Different Measuring Stick

HUD programs, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing, don’t use the FPG at all. They use Area Median Income, which varies by metro area and county.¹² HUD places applicants into three brackets:

Extremely low income: at or below the greater of 30% of AMI or the federal poverty level
Very low income: at or below 50% of AMI
Low income: at or below 80% of AMI

Missouri’s statewide median family income for FY 2025 was $96,000.¹³ At 30% of that, a family would need to earn under roughly $28,800 to count as extremely low income; at 50%, about $48,000. Actual limits in Kansas City, St. Louis, and rural counties differ, and HUD adjusts for household size. Look up your county on the HUD User income limits page for the figure that governs your application. FY 2026 HUD limits had not been released at the time of writing.

Supplemental Security Income

SSI serves people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled, with very limited income and resources. The maximum monthly federal payment for 2026 is $994 for an eligible individual and $1,491 for an eligible couple.¹⁴ Countable resources are capped at $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple, excluding your home and usually one vehicle. SSI’s income math is more involved than most programs, treating earned and unearned income differently.

Tax Credits You May Qualify For

Tax credits don’t affect your eligibility for assistance, but they can return meaningful money each spring.

The Earned Income Tax Credit targets working households. For 2025, the credit ranged from $649 with no children to $8,046 with three or more children, and income limits ran from $19,104 for a single filer with no children up to $68,675 for a married couple filing jointly with three children.¹⁵ For 2026, the IRS has announced a maximum credit of $8,231 with adjusted thresholds.¹⁶

The Child Tax Credit is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child under 17 for 2025, with the full credit available to single filers earning up to $200,000 and joint filers up to $400,000.¹⁷ The 2026 amount and phase-out figures may shift under recent federal legislation.

How to Check Your Number

The Missouri Department of Social Services keeps current thresholds for MO HealthNet, SNAP, TANF, LIHEAP, and more on a single page at mydss.mo.gov, which is the fastest way to compare your household against multiple programs at once.⁴ Child care limits sit on the DESE site,¹⁸ and WIC guidelines are posted by DHSS.⁷

Update cycles are staggered. SNAP changes each October with the federal fiscal year, WIC adjusts around June, and MO HealthNet typically follows the January FPG release with a lag. If your income sits close to a cutoff, it’s worth rechecking after the relevant window. Most DSS programs accept online applications through mydss.mo.gov, or you can apply through your local Family Support Division office.

1
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
2
Missouri Department of Social Services. MAGI MO HealthNet Program Descriptions
3
Medicaid.gov. Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Basic Health Program Eligibility Levels
4
Missouri Department of Social Services. Benefit Program Income Limits
5
Missouri Department of Social Services. SNAP Manual 1115.099.00 Maximum Allowable Monthly Income Limits and Allotment
6
U.S. Department of Agriculture. SNAP FY 2026 Income Eligibility Standards
7
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Missouri WIC Income Guidelines
8
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines (2025-2026)
9
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 2010.045.00 Income Eligibility Guidelines
10
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Child Care Subsidy Information for Families
11
Universal Service Administrative Company. Do I Qualify?
12
HUD USER. Income Limits
13
HUD USER. FY 2025 State Income Limits Report
14
Social Security Administration. SSI Federal Payment Amounts
15
Internal Revenue Service. Earned Income and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Tables
16
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026
17
Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit
18
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Child Care Subsidy