What Is Considered Low Income in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, what counts as low income depends entirely on which program you’re asking about. The baseline is the federal poverty level — $15,960 a year for one person and $33,000 for a family of four in 2026 — but assistance programs set their own cutoffs anywhere from well below poverty up to 85% of the state median income. A family of four earning $33,000 qualifies for nearly everything. The same family at $66,000 still qualifies for some help. At $87,000, they can still get subsidized childcare.

The 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines

Almost every income-based program in South Carolina ties its eligibility to the federal poverty level, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services updates each year. The 2026 figures for the 48 contiguous states:

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

For each additional person beyond eight, add $5,680.¹

Those raw numbers are rarely the cutoff. Programs set eligibility at a percentage of the poverty level: 100%, 130%, 150%, 200%, and so on. The percentage is what actually matters, and it changes from one program to the next.

TANF Cash Assistance (The Strictest Limit)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provides direct cash payments and has the tightest requirements of any major program in South Carolina. Families must have very low income and keep countable resources — bank balances, stocks, non-homestead property — below $2,500.²

South Carolina also enforces one of the shorter time limits in the country. A family can receive cash benefits for only 24 months out of every 120-month period, well below the federal 60-month lifetime cap that still applies on top of the state rule.² Limited exceptions exist for adults with a disability lasting 90 days or longer, those caring full-time for a disabled family member, and minor parents under 18 who haven’t finished high school.

SNAP Income Limits

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program uses two tests: gross income (before deductions) and net income (after allowable costs like housing, childcare, and medical expenses for elderly or disabled household members). For most households, gross income must stay at or below 130% of the poverty level, and net income at or below 100%.³

Based on the 2026 poverty guidelines, the gross monthly limits for October 2025 through September 2026 work out to roughly:

1 person: $1,729 per month ($20,748 per year)
2 people: $2,344 per month ($28,132 per year)
3 people: $2,960 per month ($35,516 per year)
4 people: $3,575 per month ($42,900 per year)

South Carolina uses a form of broad-based categorical eligibility, but it doesn’t raise the income ceiling. Households at or below 130% of poverty receive an informational pamphlet through a TANF-funded referral program, which skips the separate asset test but doesn’t change the income cutoff.⁴⁵

Medicaid (Healthy Connections) Thresholds

South Carolina has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, so working-age adults without children generally cannot qualify at any income level unless they fit a specific covered category. The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services runs the program as Healthy Connections, with limits effective March 1, 2026.

Pregnant women and infants: household income at or below 194% of poverty (about $64,020 for a family of four).
Children, through Partners for Healthy Children: household income at or below 208% of poverty (about $68,640 for a family of four).
Aged, blind, or disabled adults: income limits are considerably lower, and applicants also face a resource cap of $9,950 for an individual or $14,910 for a couple as of January 1, 2026.⁶

Energy Assistance

Two programs help South Carolinians with energy costs, and each uses a different measure.

LIHEAP

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program covers heating bills, cooling costs, and energy emergencies. For federal fiscal year 2026, eligibility runs up to 60% of state median income — $31,993 for a single person, $61,525 for a family of four.⁷ The state plan also allows households at up to 150% of the federal poverty level, whichever measure is more generous.⁸

Weatherization

The Weatherization Assistance Program pays for insulation, air sealing, and other permanent upgrades. Income eligibility runs up to 200% of the federal poverty level, which for 2026 means a family of four can earn as much as $66,000 and still qualify.⁹ Priority goes to households with a member over 60, a person with a disability, or children under 18. Anyone receiving SSI automatically meets the income test.

Housing Assistance Uses Local Median Income

Housing programs ignore the federal poverty framework and use Area Median Income, calculated by HUD for each county and metro area. The income that qualifies you for help in Charleston is not the same as in a rural county like Allendale.

HUD sorts applicants into three tiers:

Low Income: up to 80% of local area median income.
Very Low Income: up to 50% of local area median income.
Extremely Low Income: 30% or less of local AMI, or the federal poverty guideline, whichever is higher.

The methodology follows the U.S. Housing Act.¹⁰ For a concrete example, in fiscal year 2025 a family of four in the Charleston-North Charleston metro qualified as Low Income at $88,700 or below, Very Low Income at $55,450, and Extremely Low Income at $33,250.¹¹ Rural counties see much lower cutoffs. The same $40,000 income might clear the Low Income bar in one county and land in Very Low in another. Local housing authorities use these tiers for Section 8 vouchers and public housing placement, so your county’s specific numbers matter more than any statewide figure.

Childcare Assistance

The SC Voucher childcare program sets its ceiling at 85% of state median income, which is far more generous than poverty-based programs. For October 2025 through September 2026:

Family of 2: $59,269 per year
Family of 3: $73,215 per year
Family of 4: $87,161 per year
Family of 5: $101,106 per year

These are gross figures before taxes.¹² A family of four earning $87,000 qualifies for subsidized childcare but is well above the SNAP or TANF cutoffs.

Head Start works differently, primarily serving children in families at or below 100% of the federal poverty level — $33,000 for a family of four in 2026.¹

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations funded by the Legal Services Corporation set baseline eligibility at 125% of the federal poverty level. In 2026, that’s $19,950 for a single person and $41,250 for a family of four.¹³ In certain circumstances, providers can serve clients with income up to 200% of poverty if the case or situation justifies the exception.

Earned Income Tax Credit

The federal Earned Income Tax Credit isn’t an application you file with a state office, but it’s one of the biggest financial benefits available to lower-earning South Carolinians. For tax year 2026, the maximum credit reaches $8,231 for a taxpayer with three or more qualifying children.¹⁴

The credit phases out as income rises. Full phaseout points for 2026:

Three or more children, married filing jointly: $70,244
Three or more children, other filers: $62,974
One child, married filing jointly: $58,863; other filers: $51,593
No qualifying children: up to $664, phasing out at $26,820 for joint filers¹⁵

Because EITC is refundable, you receive it even if you owe no federal income tax. Many South Carolina families who qualify for SNAP or Medicaid also qualify for a substantial EITC refund and don’t realize it. You claim it on your federal return, with no separate application.

Why One Denial Doesn’t Mean You’re Out

The range of what counts as low income in South Carolina is wide enough that being turned down for one program says nothing about the others. A family of four at $33,000 sits at 100% of poverty and qualifies for nearly everything. At $66,000, they’ve lost SNAP and TANF but still qualify for weatherization and LIHEAP. At $87,000, they still qualify for the childcare voucher. Housing eligibility depends on their county.

The common mistake is assuming one rejection closes every door. TANF is the strictest. SNAP is tight but more accessible. Medicaid, energy assistance, and childcare each stretch wider. Check each program on its own terms — the only threshold that matters is the one that program uses.

1
ASPE – HHS.gov. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
2
South Carolina Department of Social Services. SC TANF State Plan
3
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility
4
South Carolina Department of Social Services. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Manual
5
USDA Food and Nutrition Service. BBCE Table – August 2025
6
SCDHHS. Program Eligibility and Income Limits
7
LIHEAP Clearinghouse. South Carolina State Median Income for FFY 2026
8
OEO.SC.GOV. DRAFT 2026 SC LIHEAP Model State Plan
9
S.C. Office of Economic Opportunity. Weatherization Assistance Program
10
HUD USER. Home Income Limits
11
U.S. Department of HUD. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits – South Carolina
12
scchildcare.org. Child Care Income Standards October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026
13
eCFR. Part 1611 Financial Eligibility
14
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026
15
Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Procedure 2025-32