New Hampshire Medicaid Income Limits

Updated August 2026

New Hampshire's children's income limit — 318% FPL — is higher than the national average for CHIP states. This reflects the state's NH Healthy Kids program structure. Most NH neighbors cover children to 200%–250% FPL; New Hampshire's 318% threshold means more working-family children qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage.

NH Medicaid income limits by coverage group (2026)

Coverage group	FPL %	Approx. monthly limit (household of 1)	Approx. monthly limit (household of 4)
Adults 19–64 (Granite Advantage)	138% FPL	~$1,835/mo	~$3,795/mo
Children under 19 — Children's Medicaid (CM)	Up to 196% FPL	~$2,607/mo	~$5,390/mo
Children under 19 — Expanded Children's Medicaid (Expanded CM)	>196%–318% FPL	~$2,607–$4,229/mo	~$5,390–$8,745/mo
Pregnant women	196% FPL	~$2,607/mo	~$5,390/mo
Parents and caretaker relatives	Varies by household	Varies	—
Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD)	SSI-linked or medically needy	Varies	—

Adults 19–64 (Granite Advantage)

FPL %: 138% FPL
Approx. monthly limit (household of 1): ~$1,835/mo
Approx. monthly limit (household of 4): ~$3,795/mo

Children under 19 — Children's Medicaid (CM)

FPL %: Up to 196% FPL
Approx. monthly limit (household of 1): ~$2,607/mo
Approx. monthly limit (household of 4): ~$5,390/mo

Children under 19 — Expanded Children's Medicaid (Expanded CM)

FPL %: >196%–318% FPL
Approx. monthly limit (household of 1): ~$2,607–$4,229/mo
Approx. monthly limit (household of 4): ~$5,390–$8,745/mo

Pregnant women

FPL %: 196% FPL
Approx. monthly limit (household of 1): ~$2,607/mo
Approx. monthly limit (household of 4): ~$5,390/mo

Parents and caretaker relatives

FPL %: Varies by household
Approx. monthly limit (household of 1): Varies
Approx. monthly limit (household of 4): —

Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD)

FPL %: SSI-linked or medically needy
Approx. monthly limit (household of 1): Varies
Approx. monthly limit (household of 4): —

No asset test for MAGI-based NH Medicaid

Granite Advantage, NH Healthy Kids, and other MAGI-based Medicaid categories in New Hampshire have no asset test. Savings accounts, vehicles, and home equity do not affect eligibility for these groups. This is standard for all ACA expansion coverage nationally.

Asset limits apply to ABD Medicaid and long-term care programs. The standard ABD resource limit is $2,500 for an individual; married couples have a higher limit. For nursing facility Medicaid, spousal impoverishment protections under 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-5 allow the community spouse to retain assets within federal minimum and maximum CSRA limits. NH DHHS applies a 60-month look-back period for asset transfers before a long-term care Medicaid application.

In and Out Medical Assistance: New Hampshire's spenddown program

New Hampshire has an In and Out Medical Assistance program — the state's version of a Medicaid spenddown. Under this program, individuals with income above the standard Medicaid limit but who have high medical expenses may become eligible once their incurred medical costs reduce their income to the program threshold. This applies primarily to elderly and disabled individuals who would otherwise not qualify.

In and Out Medical Assistance uses a six-month budget period. NH DHHS calculates whether medical expenses during the period bring income below the eligibility threshold. If eligible, the member is enrolled for that period only. The process repeats each six months. An elder law attorney familiar with NH Medicaid rules can advise on how to document spenddown expenses effectively.

Medicare Savings Programs (QMB) in New Hampshire

New Hampshire's generous 318% FPL ceiling for children doesn't extend to residents who need help with Medicare — that falls under a separate federal track, the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), which NH DHHS administers using fixed monthly income and resource limits rather than FPL percentages. The three tiers are Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualifying Individual (QI).

Program	Situation	Monthly income limit
QMB	Individual	$1,350/mo
QMB	Married couple	$1,824/mo
SLMB	Individual	$1,616/mo
SLMB	Married couple	$2,184/mo
QI	Individual	$1,816/mo
QI	Married couple	$2,455/mo

QMB

Situation: Individual
Monthly income limit: $1,350/mo

QMB

Situation: Married couple
Monthly income limit: $1,824/mo

SLMB

Situation: Individual
Monthly income limit: $1,616/mo

SLMB

Situation: Married couple
Monthly income limit: $2,184/mo

QI

Situation: Individual
Monthly income limit: $1,816/mo

QI

Situation: Married couple
Monthly income limit: $2,455/mo

QMB is the most comprehensive: it pays the Part B premium ($202.90/month in 2026), the Part A premium for anyone who owes one, and every Medicare deductible, coinsurance amount, and copayment. Federal law prohibits providers who accept Medicare from billing a QMB enrollee for any of that cost-sharing, regardless of the provider's own Medicaid participation. SLMB and QI are narrower, covering only the Part B premium and leaving deductibles and coinsurance to the member.

Applications go through NH DHHS, not through Medicare or the Social Security Administration — visit dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/medicaid for the same application channel used for the rest of New Hampshire Medicaid. QI operates on a capped annual federal allotment awarded first-come, first-served, so eligible members must reapply every year. QMB, SLMB, and QI enrollment also brings automatic enrollment in Extra Help, which caps 2026 covered Part D drug costs at $12.65 per prescription.