What Is Low Income for a Single Person in Washington State?

There isn’t one answer to what counts as low income for a single person in Washington State. The threshold depends entirely on which program you’re asking about. The 2026 federal poverty level sets the floor at $15,960 a year, but actual eligibility cutoffs climb all the way to roughly $85,000 for housing assistance in the Seattle area.1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines2HUD User. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits – State: Washington Each benefit program sets its own ceiling, so you can earn too much for one program and still qualify easily for another.

The Baseline Numbers

The federal poverty guideline for a single person in the lower 48 is $15,960 per year, or $1,330 per month, for 2026.1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines Most assistance programs don’t use that raw figure as a cutoff. They set eligibility at a percentage of it — 138%, 200%, and so on — depending on the program.

For comparison, Washington’s minimum wage in 2026 is $17.13 an hour.3Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. Minimum Wage Full-time at that rate comes out to about $35,630 a year before taxes. That’s more than double the federal poverty level, and it still falls under the income limit for several Washington programs.

Housing programs use a different yardstick: Area Median Income, calculated by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for each county and metro area. HUD publishes thresholds at 30%, 50%, and 80% of the local median, labeled “extremely low-income,” “very low-income,” and “low-income.”4HUD USER. Income Limits Because Seattle rents have little in common with rural Washington, these numbers vary sharply across the state.

Apple Health (Medicaid)

Washington’s Medicaid program, Apple Health, covers adults 19 to 64 with monthly income at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. For 2026, that means a single person can earn up to $1,835 a month, or about $22,020 a year.5Health Care Authority. Washington Apple Health Income and Resource Standards Anyone working part-time at minimum wage will almost certainly qualify.

Apple Health measures what you earn using Modified Adjusted Gross Income, which starts with your adjusted gross income from your federal tax return and adds back a few items like tax-exempt interest. Supplemental Security Income doesn’t count.6eCFR. 42 CFR 435.603 – Application of Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) There’s no asset test for most adults eligible under the Medicaid expansion.

Basic Food (SNAP)

Washington’s food assistance program, called Basic Food, uses a more generous income limit than the federal SNAP baseline. Through broad-based categorical eligibility, the state sets its gross income ceiling at 200% of the federal poverty level rather than the federal default of 130%.7Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. Categorical Eligibility for Basic Food

For a single person, the current gross monthly income limit is $2,608, based on the 2025 poverty guidelines in effect through March 2026. When the state adopts the 2026 figures in April, that limit rises to about $2,660 a month. Categorical eligibility also eliminates the asset test, so savings and the value of your vehicle don’t disqualify you.

One caveat: if you’re an adult without dependents, federal rules now require 80 hours a month of work, volunteering, or approved training to keep benefits longer than three months in any three-year period. Legislation enacted in 2025 extended that requirement to adults up through age 64.8Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Work Requirements

Housing Assistance

Section 8 vouchers and public housing use HUD’s income limits, and in expensive metros the numbers run far higher than any poverty-based cutoff. For the Seattle-Bellevue area, FY 2025 thresholds for a single person are:

The $84,850 figure sounds high, and it is, but Seattle’s housing costs push the median up accordingly. In less expensive counties, these numbers drop substantially. HUD updates them annually, usually in spring. Qualifying on paper doesn’t guarantee quick help; most Washington housing authorities maintain long waiting lists.

Working Connections Child Care

Washington’s child care subsidy uses the State Median Income rather than the federal poverty level. A single applicant qualifies at initial application with monthly income at or below 60% of SMI, which is $3,923 per month as of October 2025.9WA.gov (DCYF). Working Connections Child Care If you’re already receiving the subsidy and reapplying without a break, the ceiling rises to 65% of SMI.10Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Working Connections Child Care

Copays scale with income. A single person earning under $1,207 a month pays nothing; someone close to the $3,923 limit pays a higher share. This program applies to a single person only if you have custody of a child or serve as a foster parent.

Energy Assistance and Weatherization

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps pay heating and cooling bills. Washington’s LIHEAP eligibility for fiscal year 2026 is set at 60% of the state median income, which comes to $43,465 a year for a single person.11The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Washington State Median Income for FFY 2026 Benefit amounts depend on income, household size, and heating costs.

The Weatherization Assistance Program pays for insulation, window replacement, and furnace upgrades instead of writing a check for your bill. You qualify if your income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level ($31,920 for a single person in 2026) or if anyone in the household receives Supplemental Security Income.12Department of Energy. How to Apply for Weatherization Assistance Both programs run through local community action agencies.

Tax Credits

Low-income status also opens up refundable tax credits. The federal Earned Income Tax Credit for a single filer with no qualifying children has an income limit of $19,104 and a maximum credit of $649 for the 2025 tax year.13Internal Revenue Service. Earned Income and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Tables The childless EITC is easy to overlook, but it’s worth claiming.

Washington has no state income tax, but it does run the Working Families Tax Credit, a state supplement to the EITC. A single filer with no qualifying children can receive up to $335 for the 2025 tax year. You need to be between 25 and 64 (or have a qualifying child), have lived in Washington at least 183 days during the year, and either qualify for the federal EITC or meet the same income rules while filing with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.14Washington State Department of Revenue. Working Families Tax Credit Application Window Opens Feb. 1 The application window opens in February. A qualifying single filer can take home close to $1,000 between the two credits.

The 2026 federal standard deduction for a single filer is $16,100.15Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 If your income falls under that, you owe no federal income tax, but you still have to file a return to claim either credit.

How Programs Count Your Income

What a program counts as income is almost as important as the cutoff. For Basic Food and cash assistance, Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services counts wages, self-employment earnings, Social Security Disability Insurance, and unemployment compensation. Supplemental Security Income is excluded from both.16Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. Treatment of Income Chart

Apple Health uses MAGI, which tracks taxable income the way the IRS does. Basic Food uses gross income but allows deductions, including legally obligated child support payments, before the gross income test is applied.17Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. Income – Effect of Income and Deductions on Eligibility and Benefit Level Housing and child care programs each have their own rules. Income that disqualifies you from one program might be ignored by another.

A Note on Assets

Most of these programs no longer check your savings or property. Basic Food has no asset test. Apple Health doesn’t apply one to adults covered under the Medicaid expansion. The main exception is Supplemental Security Income, which caps countable resources at $2,000 for a single person, though your primary home and one vehicle don’t count.18Social Security Administration. 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet

Quick Reference for a Single Person in 2026

  • Federal poverty level: $15,960 per year ($1,330 per month)
  • Apple Health (Medicaid): $1,835 per month, 138% of FPL
  • Basic Food (SNAP): $2,608 per month through March 2026, about $2,660 starting in April, 200% of FPL
  • Housing, extremely low-income (Seattle): $33,050 per year, 30% of AMI
  • Housing, low-income (Seattle): $84,850 per year, 80% of AMI
  • Working Connections Child Care: $3,923 per month, 60% of SMI
  • LIHEAP energy assistance: $43,465 per year, 60% of state median income
  • Weatherization Assistance: $31,920 per year, 200% of FPL

These numbers update on different schedules. Apple Health adjusts when new federal poverty guidelines take effect, usually in spring. Basic Food updates in April and October. HUD publishes housing limits annually. Before you apply, check current figures with the Washington Health Care Authority for Apple Health or DSHS for food and cash assistance.