The 2026 inflation adjustments to the Federal Poverty Level are out and officially published in the Federal Register. FPL adjusts by an inflation calculation administered by HHS that is supposed to more accurately reflect absolute core living expenses than overall inflation metrics. FPL is a critical number for anyone using or planning on using FPL-gated programs like the ACA, Expansion/Children's Medicaid, CHIP, NSLP, FAFSA, and so forth.
The 2026 FPL will be the FPL used to determine ACA subsidy eligibility for 2027 coverage. Given the return of the master subsidy cliff at 400% FPL, this means that a single person will be able to have up to $63,840 in MAGI next year and still maintain eligibility for ACA subsidies. A married couple will be able to have up to $86,560 in MAGI next year and still maintain eligibility for ACA subsidies. Note that this is MAGI, not spending, and that these can be wildly different from each other given different cashflow options in early retirement.
Other common fixed FPL caps include 175%/225% (two-parent/single-parent households) FPL for FAFSA automatic maximum college aid, 130%/185% (free meals/reduced meals) FPL for the NSLP, and 138% FPL for expansion Medicaid. CM/CHIP caps vary by state, but vary from 190% FPL to 405% FPL.
Official Federal Register post:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/15/2026-00755/annual-update-of-the-hhs-poverty-guidelines
Official HHS FPL Table:
https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/b1bfa16b20ae9b89d525bc35de7c1643/detailed-guidelines-2026.pdf
| Year | First Person | Each Additional Person | 4-Person Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $15,960 (+1.98%) | $5,680 (+3.27%) | $33,000 (+2.64%) |
| 2025 | $15,650 (+3.92%) | $5,500 (+2.23%) | $32,150 (+3.04%) |
| 2024 | $15,060 (+3.29%) | $5,380 (+4.67%) | $31,200 (+4%) |
| 2023 | $14,580 | $5,140 | $30,000 |
2026 FPL adjustments are out (+1.98% for first person, +3.27% for each additional person)
byu/Zphr infinancialindependence
Posted by Zphr
2 Comments
Wild how the per-person increase is higher than the first person bump – wonder if they’re finally acknowledging that kids are expensive as hell or if it’s just weird math
I thought the ACA subsidies threshold was 200%. Is that a different thing than the 400% cliff?