In Texas, the poverty line for 2026 is $15,960 a year for a single person and $33,000 for a family of four. Texas doesn’t set its own poverty threshold. It uses the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes each January, and the same dollar figures apply across all 48 contiguous states.1HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Where your household lands against that number determines what help you can get, from food benefits to children’s health coverage to free legal aid.
2026 Poverty Guidelines for Texas Households
These are the annual income figures that count as 100% of the federal poverty line in Texas for 2026:2Federal Register. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines
- 1 person: $15,960 (about $1,330 a month)
- 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 beyond 8: add $5,680
Few programs cut off eligibility exactly at the poverty line. Most use a percentage of these numbers — 130%, 185%, 200% — so households earning well above the line often still qualify. The figure to compare against depends on which program you’re applying for.
What Counts as Income
Most Texas programs measure gross income: your pay before taxes, retirement contributions, or health premiums come out.3Legal Information Institute. Texas Administrative Code 10-6.4 – Income Determination You add in earnings from every household member age 18 or older. Wages, unemployment, Social Security, pensions, alimony, and veteran benefits all count. If you’re self-employed, programs usually count net earnings — revenue minus allowable business expenses — rather than gross receipts.
Several things don’t count. Tax refunds (including the Earned Income Tax Credit), capital gains, money from selling property, and one-time emergency welfare payments are excluded. Non-cash benefits like SNAP, school lunches, housing assistance, and employer-paid health insurance also don’t count. Child support you receive for a child in your care is excluded from your income, though support paid out by the other parent counts as that parent’s income.3Legal Information Institute. Texas Administrative Code 10-6.4 – Income Determination
How Texas Programs Use the Poverty Line
SNAP Food Benefits
SNAP requires gross monthly income at or below 130% of the poverty line, with a second net income test at 100% after certain deductions. For October 2025 through September 2026, the gross monthly cap for a single person is $1,696.4Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility SNAP updates its dollar limits each October rather than in January with the HHS release.
CHIP for Children
The Children’s Health Insurance Program covers kids under 19 whose family income is above the Medicaid cutoff but no higher than 201% of the FPL.5Texas Health and Human Services. D-110, General Policy For a family of four in 2026, that works out to roughly $66,330 a year. Families whose net income is above 151% of FPL pay an enrollment fee, and qualifying children get up to 12 months of continuous coverage.
Medicaid for Pregnant Women
Pregnant women in Texas qualify for Medicaid with household income up to 198% of the FPL. CHIP Perinatal reaches a little further, to 202%, for pregnant women who don’t qualify for regular Medicaid or CHIP because of income or immigration status.5Texas Health and Human Services. D-110, General Policy
WIC
WIC uses 185% of the poverty guidelines. From July 2025 through June 2026, a family of four qualifies at an annual income of $59,478 or less.6Federal Register. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) 2025/2026 Income Eligibility Guidelines If you already get SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF, you automatically meet the WIC income rule.
Energy Assistance
LIHEAP, which helps pay heating and cooling bills, is set at 150% of the poverty guidelines in Texas for fiscal year 2026.7The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories The federal Weatherization Assistance Program, which funds insulation and sealing work, covers households at or below 200% of the poverty line.8Department of Energy. How to Apply for Weatherization Assistance At 200%, a three-person household in 2026 has an income cap near $54,640.
Free Civil Legal Aid
Legal Services Corporation–funded programs provide free civil legal help — evictions, family law, benefits appeals — to people earning no more than 125% of the poverty guidelines. For 2026 that means $19,950 for one person and $41,250 for a family of four.9Federal Register. Income Level for Individuals Eligible for Assistance
The Medicaid Coverage Gap
Texas is one of ten states that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. In expansion states, adults qualify with income up to 138% of the FPL. In Texas, non-disabled adults without dependent children generally don’t qualify for Medicaid at any income level, and parents with minor children face a cutoff near $230 a month for a single parent with two children.10Texas Health and Human Services. Medicaid for Parents and Caretakers
That gap — earning too much for Texas Medicaid but too little for premium tax credits on the ACA marketplace — catches an estimated 617,000 Texans. If you’re in it, applying through HealthCare.gov or the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is still worth doing to confirm you don’t qualify under disability, pregnancy, or age rules.
TANF Has Its Own, Much Lower Limit
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families works differently from the other programs on this list. Texas sets its own TANF income limits well below the federal poverty line. A single-parent family of three qualifies only at a maximum monthly income of $188, and the top monthly benefit is $382.11Texas Health and Human Services. TANF Cash Help If you’re reading poverty-line figures and assuming TANF tracks them, it doesn’t.
Assets Can Matter Too
Income isn’t the whole test for every program. SNAP applies resource limits to countable assets like bank balances. For fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 through September 2026):12USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP FY 2026 COLA Memo
- Most households: $3,000 in countable resources
- Households with a member age 60 or older, or with a disabled member: $4,500
Your home doesn’t count. Vehicles are handled under separate rules: licensed vehicles used for work, used as a home, or needed to transport a disabled household member are typically excluded. For vehicles that aren’t excluded, fair market value above $4,650 counts toward the resource limit.13Food and Nutrition Service. Eligibility for Elderly or Disabled Households (SNAP)