Illinois Medicaid Eligibility Calculator
Check whether your household income is likely to qualify for Illinois Medicaid (the Medical Card) in 2026. Select your coverage group and enter your household size and income to compare against the current federal poverty level limits, including the dollar cutoff and your income as a percent of FPL. If your income comes in above the Medicaid limit, you are not out of options: ACA marketplace subsidies may still help with a private plan. Seniors and people with disabilities facing the AABD asset test can estimate their benefit amount with our disability amount calculator. For marketplace plans at higher incomes, where premiums are the main cost, our monthly insurance premium estimator projects what you would actually pay after subsidies.
Estimate only, using 2026 federal poverty guidelines and Illinois 2026 program limits. Only Illinois HFS or the marketplace can confirm eligibility.
Quick Answer
Illinois Medicaid compares your household MAGI income to the 2026 federal poverty level for your household size and coverage group. For example, a single adult with $20,000 of annual income sits at 125.3% of FPL ($15,960 for a household of 1), under the 138% adult limit of $22,025, so the result is Likely eligible. Raise the income to $23,000 and it flips to Not eligible on income.
- Quick Answer
- Worked example, checked against this exact tool
- Illinois Medicaid income limits for 2026
- How MAGI income counting works
- After you qualify: renewals and reporting changes
- What competing calculators miss
- How to apply if you qualify
- Frequently asked questions
- Add This Calculator to Your Website
- References
Worked example, checked against this exact tool
A single adult with $20,000 of annual household income: the 2026 FPL for a household of 1 is $15,960, and the adult limit is 138% of FPL = $15,960 × 1.38 = $22,025. $20,000 ÷ $15,960 = 125.3% of FPL, under the limit, so the result is Likely eligible. Raise the income to $23,000 and the result flips to Not eligible on income.
Illinois Medicaid income limits for 2026
Illinois uses the 2026 federal poverty guidelines with a program percentage for each coverage group. The commonly used adult (ACA expansion, ages 19-64) limit is 138% of FPL, according to Illinois HFS medical programs: $22,025 a year for a single adult, $29,863 for a household of 2, $37,702 for 3, and $45,540 for a family of 4. Pregnant people qualify under Moms and Babies at 213% of FPL, and children are covered by All Kids up to 318% of FPL (with low monthly premiums at higher incomes).
The full 2026 table behind the calculator, exactly as the tool computes it:
| Household size | 2026 FPL | Adult 138% | Moms and Babies 213% | All Kids 318% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $22,025 | $33,995 | $50,753 |
| 2 | $21,640 | $29,863 | $46,093 | $68,815 |
| 3 | $27,320 | $37,702 | $58,192 | $86,878 |
| 4 | $33,000 | $45,540 | $70,290 | $104,940 |
| 5 | $38,680 | $53,378 | $82,388 | $123,002 |
| 6 | $44,360 | $61,217 | $94,487 | $141,065 |
| 7 | $50,040 | $69,055 | $106,585 | $159,127 |
| 8 | $55,720 | $76,894 | $118,684 | $177,190 |
HFS publishes the same limits monthly (for example $1,835 a month for a single adult), rounded from these annual figures, so a monthly total may differ by a few dollars from the annual limit above.
How MAGI income counting works
For adults, children and pregnant people, Illinois counts Modified Adjusted Gross Income: wages, self-employment income, unemployment and taxable Social Security count; child support received, SSI and workers’ compensation do not. Illinois applies the standard 5% FPL disregard on top of the 133% base, according to the IDHS 2026 medical standards, which is why the effective adult limit is 138%. Seniors and people with disabilities are evaluated under non-MAGI (AABD) rules, which add an asset test of about $17,500 for an individual, per the Illinois Legal Aid AABD guidance.
After you qualify: renewals and reporting changes
Illinois Medicaid is not approve-and-forget. The state redetermines eligibility every year, and you must report income or household changes within 10 days, according to Illinois HFS. Most coverage is lost on paperwork rather than income: a renewal packet sent to an old address or a missed deadline can end the Medical Card even when nothing changed. Keep your address current in ABE.illinois.gov, open every notice from HFS, and if coverage ends you generally have 90 days to ask for reconsideration without filing a brand-new application, through the ABE portal.
What competing calculators miss
Most Illinois Medicaid tools check adults only, or use outdated poverty guidelines (our previous version still used 2023 figures, $14,580 for a household of 1). Others list program tables but offer no interactive check. This calculator covers all five Illinois coverage groups with 2026 numbers, shows your income as a percent of FPL so near-misses are visible, and flags the asset-test programs that income alone cannot decide.
Keep the Illinois model distinct from other states: North Carolina Medicaid eligibility works in monthly income with its own state limits, while this page works in annual income against Illinois percentages. A number that qualifies in one state does not automatically qualify in the other.
How to apply if you qualify
Apply online through the Illinois Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) portal, by phone at 1-800-843-6154, or in person at a local Department of Human Services office. If your income is above the Medicaid limit, you may qualify for marketplace subsidies instead. Coverage decisions are made only by Illinois HFS or the marketplace, never by an online estimate. If you land on a marketplace plan instead, our health insurance cost per month calculator helps budget the monthly premium.
Frequently asked questions
A single adult qualifies with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level, about $22,025 a year in 2026. A family of four qualifies up to about $45,540 a year.
Yes. Illinois All Kids covers children up to 318% of FPL. Coverage is free up to the Assist tier; low monthly premiums apply at higher incomes.
Pregnant people qualify under Moms and Babies at 213% of FPL, and coverage continues for 12 months after birth. Count the expected baby in your household size.
Yes. Seniors 65+ and people with disabilities are evaluated under AABD rules, which add an asset test of about $17,500 for an individual on top of the 100% FPL income limit.
Illinois uses MAGI for most groups: wages, self-employment income, unemployment and taxable Social Security count. Child support received, SSI and workers’ compensation do not.
Standard Medicaid programs charge no premiums or deductibles. All Kids charges low monthly premiums only at the higher income tiers.
Most adult programs require citizenship or qualified noncitizen status, and federal rules restricted noncitizen eligibility further after October 2026. All Kids covers children regardless of immigration status.
You may qualify for ACA marketplace subsidies between 138% and 400% of FPL. Income can also change with job or household changes, so recheck after any change.
Apply online through the ABE portal, by phone at 1-800-843-6154, or in person at a local DHS office.
No. It is an estimate using 2026 guidelines. Only Illinois HFS or the marketplace can confirm your eligibility.
Starting no later than January 1, 2027, federal law requires states to apply an 80-hour-a-month community engagement requirement (work, school, volunteering, or a combination) to adults ages 19 to 64 in the ACA expansion group, with exemptions for groups such as pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities. Illinois HFS has published a fact sheet explaining these coming federal changes and how the state plans to support customers through them, according to the Illinois HFS fact sheet on coming federal changes.
Yes. Illinois counts a pregnant woman as a household of two for MAGI Medicaid, which raises the income limit she is measured against. The newborn is then covered for the first year of life.
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References
- Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Medical Programs. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- ABE Illinois. Apply for Benefits Eligibility. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicaid Eligibility Policy. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- HealthCare.gov. Medicaid and CHIP Coverage. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS. 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Get Covered Illinois. How to Enroll. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- KFF. Medicaid in Illinois Fact Sheet. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Illinois Legal Aid Online. Medicaid Common Questions. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- InsureKidsNow.gov. Find Coverage for Your Family. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Human Services. Applying for Benefits. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Medicaid Federal Policy Changes Fact Sheet. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Human Services. WAG 25-03-02: 2026 Medical FPL Standards. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Illinois Legal Aid Online. AABD Benefits for Older Adults and People with Disabilities. Accessed October 25, 2026.