What Is the Income Limit for Medicaid in Maryland?

To qualify for Medicaid in Maryland, most adults between 19 and 64 need a household income at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, which comes to roughly $1,835 a month or $22,025 a year for a single person in 2026. Children and pregnant individuals qualify at considerably higher incomes, and people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled follow a separate set of rules that also look at assets. The Maryland Medicaid income limit depends on which of those groups you fall into and how many people live in your household.

Income Limit for Adults and Parents

Adults 19 to 64, including parents and caretaker relatives, qualify under the Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) rules. MAGI closely mirrors the income figure on your federal tax return: wages, salary, and self-employment earnings count, while items like child support you receive do not. Because Maryland expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, adults without dependent children qualify at the same 138% threshold as parents.¹

The 2026 federal poverty guidelines set the baseline at $15,960 for one person and $33,000 for a family of four.² At 138% of those figures, the monthly and annual income limits for MAGI-based Medicaid come out to:

Household of 1: about $1,835 per month, or $22,025 per year
Household of 2: about $2,489 per month, or $29,863 per year
Household of 3: about $3,142 per month, or $37,702 per year
Household of 4: about $3,795 per month, or $45,540 per year

Each additional household member raises the annual poverty-level base by $5,680, and the 138% multiplier applies to that higher base.² No asset or resource test applies in this group. Only income matters.¹

The Maryland Department of Health publishes an updated monthly income chart whenever the poverty guidelines change.³

Income Limit for Children and Pregnant Individuals

Children and pregnant people qualify at substantially higher incomes than other adults. The Maryland Children’s Health Program (MCHP) covers children under 19 in households earning up to roughly 212% of the federal poverty level, which works out to about $69,960 a year for a family of four in 2026.⁴

Above that line, MCHP Premium covers children in families earning between 212% and 332% of the poverty level, up to about $109,560 a year for a family of four. The program keeps “Premium” in its name, but Maryland permanently eliminated the premium payment in April 2024 after the passage of House Bill 1521. Families in this tier now pay nothing for their children’s coverage.⁴

Pregnant individuals qualify at incomes up to 259% of the poverty level. Coverage includes prenatal care and delivery and continues for 60 days postpartum. A separate CHIP-funded program covers prenatal care at the same 259% threshold for pregnant individuals who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid but do not meet certain immigration requirements.⁴

Income and Asset Limits If You Are 65+, Blind, or Disabled

If you are 65 or older, legally blind, or have a qualifying disability, you fall under the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD) rules in COMAR 10.09.24.⁵ The income limit for this group is tied to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) federal benefit rate, which in 2026 is $994 per month for an individual and $1,491 per month for a couple.⁶

ABD applicants also face an asset test, which the MAGI groups do not. A single applicant may hold no more than $2,000 in countable resources, and a married couple is capped at $3,000. Savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, and cash all count. Several things do not:

The home you live in
One vehicle used for transportation
Designated burial funds and plots, up to set limits
Household goods and personal effects

If your countable resources are over $2,000 (or $3,000 for a couple), you can be denied coverage even if your monthly income is well below the limit.⁵

What If Your Income Is Over the Limit?

Maryland’s Medically Needy program offers a path for people whose income is too high for standard ABD Medicaid but who have significant medical expenses. You subtract your out-of-pocket medical bills from your countable income. Once the remainder drops to or below the state’s protected income level, you become eligible for Medicaid for the rest of a six-month eligibility period.⁷

The six-month period starts the month you apply. You add up qualifying medical expenses, beginning with the earliest bills in the period, until they equal or exceed the gap between your income and the Medically Needy limit. At that point you are certified eligible for the rest of the period. This matters most for people with chronic illnesses or sudden major medical costs whose regular income would otherwise disqualify them.⁷

What Counts as Income

Which income rules apply to you depends on your group. For MAGI-based coverage (adults, parents, children, and pregnant individuals), Maryland uses tax-based rules. Wages, salary, self-employment profit, unemployment benefits, Social Security, pensions, and investment income all count. Child support you receive and Earned Income Tax Credit refunds do not count, because they are not part of your taxable income.⁸

For ABD applicants, the state uses a broader set of rules with specific exclusions listed in COMAR 10.09.24.07. Alimony and support payments count as unearned income for ABD applicants, and the Earned Income Tax Credit is explicitly excluded.⁸

When you apply through Maryland Health Connection, you report projected annual income for the coverage year, not just your current paycheck. If you expect a job change, seasonal layoff, or other shift, factor it in. The state cross-references what you report with IRS records, and a significant discrepancy can trigger a request for more documentation.⁹

Non-financial requirements also apply: you must be a Maryland resident and a U.S. citizen or qualifying non-citizen. Most non-citizens must have a “qualified” status and wait five years before receiving full Medicaid benefits, though pregnant individuals, children under 21, refugees, asylees, trafficking victims, and several other groups are exempt from the waiting period.¹⁰

Keeping Your Coverage After You Qualify

Once you are enrolled, you must report any change in income or household size within 10 days. New jobs, raises, job losses, and changes in household composition or immigration status can all affect eligibility.¹¹

Maryland also redetermines your eligibility every 12 months. You will get a renewal notice by mail or through your online account and have 60 days to respond with updated information. The state may auto-renew your coverage if it can verify your eligibility through other data sources, in which case no paperwork is required. Maryland Health Connection enrollees renew through that portal or by calling 1-855-642-8572; ABD and Home and Community-Based Services enrollees renew through the Department of Human Services at 1-800-332-6347 or at marylandbenefits.gov.¹²

1
Medicaid.gov. Eligibility Policy
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
3
Maryland Department of Health. Income and Asset Limits by Coverage Group and Program
4
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Maryland CHIP State Plan Amendment MD-24-0005-CHIP
5
Code of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 10.09.24.02 – Definitions
6
Social Security Administration. SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026
7
State of Maryland Medical Assistance Manual. Section 900 – Determining Financial Eligibility for Non-Institutionalized Persons
8
Cornell Law School. COMAR 10.09.24.07 – Consideration of Income
9
Maryland Health Connection. Household Size and Income
10
Maryland Department of Health. Immigration Status Requirements
11
Maryland Department of Health. Reporting Changes
12
Maryland Department of Health. Renew Your Medicaid Coverage and Report Changes