Idaho Medicaid income limits depend entirely on which coverage you need. For adults 19 to 64 on the expansion pathway, the limit is 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, $1,835.40 a month for one person in 2026. For long-term care, the monthly income limit is $3,002 for a single applicant, and Idaho's rules let someone over it qualify through an exempt income trust.,

This guide walks through the 2026 income and asset limits for Idaho Medicaid: the expansion-adult and aged, blind, and disabled pathways, then the long-term-care track in depth, including how Idaho's income trust (a Miller Trust) works for someone over the limit, what a nursing-home resident keeps, and how the at-home spouse is protected.

In This Guide

Which Idaho Medicaid are you asking about?

Idaho Medicaid is run by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW), and "the income limit" is not one number. It depends on the pathway you qualify under. There are three that matter to most families.

Expansion adults. Idaho adopted the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion, approved by Idaho voters in 2018. Adults 19 to 64 who are Idaho residents and U.S. citizens or qualifying non-citizens, and who are not disabled, not pregnant, and not eligible for Medicare or another Medicaid program, can qualify with income up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level: $1,835.40 a month for one person in 2026 (138% of the $15,960 one-person poverty guideline). Income is counted under Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) methodology, and under MAGI the agency may not apply an asset test, so there is no asset test.,

One change to plan for: a work requirement. For enrollees whose coverage periods end on or after January 1, 2027, DHW will check that anyone not excluded or exempt has three months of qualifying activity: 80 hours a month of work, volunteering, or education, household income of at least $580 a month, or enrollment in an education program, rechecked every six months. Exclusions include pregnancy and caring for a child 13 or younger or a person with a disability.

Aged, blind, and disabled (ABD), not in long-term care. A senior or person with a disability who needs regular Medicaid but not nursing-facility care qualifies under the SSI-related Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD) rules. For 2026 the AABD income limit is $1,047/month for an individual and $1,511/month for a couple, with a $2,000 individual ($3,000 couple) asset limit. A senior who needs help with Medicare premiums and cost-sharing should also look at the Medicare Savings Programs, which have their own income limits.

Long-term care (nursing facility and HCBS waivers). This is the track that pays for nursing-home and waiver care, and it works differently from the other two. It carries a higher limit ($3,002/month) and rules of its own, covered in depth below.

The remainder of this guide focuses on that long-term-care track, because it is where the rules trip families up.

Idaho's long-term-care Medicaid income limit

For nursing-facility care and home- and community-based waiver services, Idaho uses a fixed monthly income limit. Idaho's rule (IDAPA 16.03.05.720.02) sets that standard at three times the federal SSI benefit, and for 2026 the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare publishes the limit as $3,002 a month for an individual and $5,984 for a couple.

You will see a second number quoted, so know why. The 2026 SSI benefit rate is $994, so a literal three times that is $2,982, the figure CMS publishes as the federal 300% cap. DHW's $3,002 sits slightly above it. Use $3,002, the number Idaho actually applies.,

The rule also carries a duration condition that is easy to miss: the applicant must be in long-term care, or likely to remain in it, for at least 30 consecutive days. For a shorter stay, Idaho uses the AABD limit for the person's living situation before care (a hospital stay doesn't count).

Some income is left out of the test entirely, including a VA Aid and Attendance allowance.

Counted income above $3,002 fails the test. For someone who would otherwise qualify, Idaho's answer is an exempt income trust.

Over the limit? The Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust)

A Qualified Income Trust (QIT), also called a Miller Trust, is how Idaho's rules let an over-income applicant qualify. It is not a loophole; the rules build it in, at IDAPA 16.03.05.872.02, as an exempt trust for someone who would be eligible for long-term-care Medicaid or HCBS but for excess income. Whether a trust is required in your particular case is a determination DHW makes.

Here is how it works. You set up an irrevocable trust, and the applicant's income is deposited into it in the same calendar month it is received; that timing is part of the rule, not a formality. Income paid into the trust that month is not counted as the applicant's income for the eligibility test. It is still counted in figuring patient liability, which is the share of income that goes toward the cost of care, and income moved into the trust must be used to pay that liability. Money paid into the trust and not used for patient liability is subject to the asset-transfer penalty unless a listed exception applies (such as a transfer for the spouse's benefit), so the trust has to be paid out every month as well as funded. When the person dies, what is left goes first to the State of Idaho, up to what Medicaid paid.

Two things families get wrong about the Miller Trust. First, it only fixes an income problem, not an asset problem. The $2,000 asset limit still applies separately. Second, it has to be set up correctly and funded every single month; a trust that exists on paper but is not funded does not help. Because the rules are unforgiving, this is one of the clearer cases for an elder-law attorney. For the broader toolkit, see our guide to Medicaid planning strategies.

The asset limit: $2,000

Income is only half the test. To qualify for long-term-care Medicaid in Idaho, a single applicant may hold no more than $2,000 in countable assets.

Do not assume a married couple gets a $3,000 combined limit. That $3,000 SSI couple figure exists, but Idaho attaches a condition to it: a couple may use it only if it is more advantageous and the two have lived in the nursing home, in the same room, for six months. Short of that, DHW's published chart lists couple resources for both facility care and HCBS as "$2,000 (ea)", and a married applicant's resources are computed under the federal spousal-impoverishment rules covered below.

"Countable" is the word doing the work. Idaho exempts a long list of assets from the count: the home (subject to the equity limit below), one vehicle regardless of its value, household goods and personal effects including one wedding ring and one engagement ring, and burial funds set aside for the applicant or their spouse up to $1,500 per person. So the $2,000 ceiling applies to things like bank balances, investments, and a second car, not the roof over your head.

The home-equity limit

The home is exempt only up to a limit on the applicant's equity in it, and two details matter more than the number itself.

First, which number. Idaho's rule text (IDAPA 16.03.05.238.02) still carries a flat $750,000, while the 2026 federal minimum is $752,000, and federal law leaves a state no room to elect a lower figure. If the equity is anywhere near that line, confirm the operative limit with DHW rather than relying on either.,

Second, the consequence. Excess equity is not simply added to the countable-asset total: equity above the limit makes the applicant ineligible for long-term-care services outright.

The saving grace is that the limit does not apply at all when the applicant's spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or permanently disabled child of any age lawfully lives in the home. Then the home is exempt no matter how much equity it holds, which is why this limit mostly bites an applicant with no such relative living in the home. Even then, a reverse mortgage or home equity loan can bring the equity down, and federal law requires a hardship-waiver process.

The five-year look-back

Idaho reviews asset transfers made in the 60 months before a long-term-care application., Giving away money or property for less than fair market value during that window, signing a house over to a child for a dollar, or gifting a grandchild a down payment can trigger a penalty period during which Medicaid will not pay for long-term-care services, even though you otherwise qualify.

Federal law does exempt specific transfers. Any asset may go to a spouse (or to another person for the spouse's sole benefit), or to a blind or permanently disabled child or a trust for that child's sole benefit. The home may additionally go to a child under 21 or a blind or disabled child, to a sibling with an equity interest who lived there at least a year before institutionalization, or to an adult "caregiver child" who lived in the home for the two years immediately before institutionalization and provided care that kept the applicant out of a facility. States must also run an undue-hardship waiver process.

Every one of those has precise conditions attached, so anything done inside the five-year window deserves an elder-law attorney's review first.

What a nursing-home resident keeps

When Idaho Medicaid pays for nursing-facility care, the resident contributes most of their monthly income toward the cost of that care. What they keep is the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA), a small sum reserved for personal expenses like clothing, a haircut, or a phone. Federal law sets a floor of at least $30/month for an aged, blind, or disabled resident and lets states go higher. Idaho subtracts $40/month for personal needs when it computes the patient liability of a resident who has been in the facility at least one full calendar month (IDAPA 16.03.05.723.03). It is a deduction, not a cash payment.

Two variations are worth knowing, because they are easy to miss:

  • A resident who works has a personal-needs deduction of the lesser of $200 or their gross earned income, and the total personal needs allowance may not exceed $230.
  • A veteran or surviving spouse in a private long-term-care facility or a State Veterans Nursing Home has the first $90 of VA pension substitute for the $40 deduction.

Either way, the standard $40 allowance sits $10 above the federal floor, and it is a number worth knowing before placement, because for a resident with no other resources it really is the entire monthly discretionary budget., For how the allowance is set and what it can and cannot be used for, see our explainer on the Medicaid personal needs allowance.

Protecting the spouse who stays home

When one spouse needs long-term care and the other stays in the community, federal spousal-impoverishment rules keep the at-home spouse from being left with nothing. Idaho's own formulas produce the federal 2026 standards:,

Protection 2026 Amount What it does
Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) Half the couple's combined countable resources at assessment, no less than $32,532 and, in the standard computation, no more than $162,660 The countable assets the at-home spouse may keep, on top of the applicant's own $2,000 limit. The maximum is not an entitlement, and a fair hearing or court order can set a higher amount.
Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance Minimum $2,705/month (from July 1, 2026); maximum $4,066.50/month The income level the at-home spouse is brought up to. It starts at the minimum and rises with high shelter costs (the shelter standard is $811.50/month) toward the maximum; income can be shifted from the applicant to reach it, and a court order or fair hearing can set a higher allowance.
Home-equity limit Idaho rule text $750,000; 2026 federal minimum $752,000 Equity above the limit makes the applicant ineligible for long-term-care services. Does not apply when a spouse, or a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child lives in the home.

So a married couple sits in a very different position from a single applicant. Read both figures as ranges rather than as amounts you are handed. The community spouse's resource allowance is half the couple's combined countable resources on the assessment date, with $32,532 as a floor and $162,660 as the standard maximum, so a couple with $100,000 between them protects roughly $50,000, not $162,660. The income allowance works the same way from the other direction: it starts at the $2,705 minimum and climbs toward the $4,066.50 maximum only when the community spouse's shelter costs run high.,

Those maximums are not always the last word. Idaho can raise the resource allowance when the at-home spouse's income is below the minimum, but only after counting the applicant's income first. Either spouse can ask for a fair hearing to show the at-home spouse needs more income because unusual conditions cause significant financial hardship, and a court-ordered support amount is not subject to the income-allowance limit. Because Idaho deducts the spousal allowance only as actually paid, a couple using a Miller Trust must really make those payments.,

After death: estate recovery

Like every state, Idaho runs a Medicaid estate-recovery program. Idaho pursues recovery from the estate of a member who was 55 or older and received Medicaid assistance. Federal law requires states to recover for long-term-care services from that age group and lets them go further. Idaho also pursues recovery against a member who was permanently institutionalized, regardless of age, so being under 55 is not by itself a shield.,

The survivor protections are real, but read the spousal one carefully, because it is narrower than it sounds. Recovery is barred during the lifetime of a surviving spouse, which defers the claim rather than cancelling it: the state may recover after that spouse dies. Recovery is likewise barred while there is a surviving child under 21, or a child of any age who is blind or permanently and totally disabled. Idaho also exempts property owned by an American Indian or Alaska Native and located within a tribal reservation, and every state must offer an undue-hardship waiver., For how recovery works and where there is room to plan, see our Medicaid estate recovery explainer.

How to apply for long-term-care Medicaid in Idaho

DHW gives idalink as the web address for Medicaid. For an over-income long-term-care case, order matters: only income placed in the trust the month it arrives is excluded.

1
Step 1

Check which income limit applies

Confirm whether the applicant is under the $3,002/month long-term-care cap for a single person ($5,984 for a couple). If they are over it, look into a Qualified Income Trust before you file, not after.

2
Step 2

Set up and fund the Miller Trust first, if needed

Whether a trust is required is DHW's determination, but income counts as excluded only when it goes into the trust in the same calendar month it is received, so a trust that is set up but not yet funded does not help. Establish the Qualified Income Trust and begin depositing the income each month.

3
Step 3

Start at idalink

Go to idalink.idaho.gov, and call DHW at 1-877-456-1233 with Medicaid questions. Have income, asset, and (if applicable) trust documentation ready.

4
Step 4

Meet the care-level test, too

For waiver services, federal rules limit this coverage to someone who would otherwise need hospital, nursing-facility, or similar institutional care.

Where to get help

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (idalink) DHW's web address for Medicaid; the phone line takes Medicaid questions. 1-877-456-1233 idalink.idaho.gov
Idaho DHW Medicare Savings Programs Help paying Medicare premiums and cost-sharing. healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/services-programs/medicaid-health/medicare-savings-program
Your next step Not sure which Idaho income limit applies to you? Brevy's care navigator can help you tell the 138% expansion limit, the aged, blind, and disabled rules, and the $3,002 long-term-care cap and Miller Trust apart. Chat with Brevy on brevy.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Idaho Medicaid income limits for 2026?

It depends on the coverage. For expansion adults (age 19 to 64), the limit is 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, $1,835.40/month for one person, with no asset test. For aged, blind, and disabled Medicaid that is not long-term care, the limit is $1,047/month for an individual. For long-term care (nursing facility and HCBS waivers), the 2026 limit is $3,002/month for a single applicant ($5,984 for a couple), the figure DHW publishes under a rule that sets the standard at three times the federal SSI benefit. You may also see $2,982 quoted, which is a literal three times the 2026 SSI rate of $994 and the federal 300% cap CMS publishes; Idaho applies $3,002.

Is Idaho adding a work requirement for Medicaid expansion?

Yes, for expansion enrollees whose coverage periods end on or after January 1, 2027. Unless excluded or exempt, an expansion adult must show 80 hours a month of work, volunteering, or education, household income of at least $580 a month, or enrollment in an education program, and eligibility is re-evaluated every six months. Receiving Medicaid under another eligibility group is an exemption. Someone who can't show compliance or an exemption may lose coverage.

Does Idaho require a Miller Trust?

Idaho's rules provide one for a person who would qualify for long-term-care Medicaid or waiver services except for income over the $3,002 limit. Income placed into the Qualified Income Trust (also called a Miller Trust) in the same calendar month it is received is not counted for eligibility. Whether a trust is required in your case is DHW's determination. A trust that exists but is not funded every month does not work.

What is the Idaho Medicaid asset limit?

For long-term care, $2,000 in countable assets for a single applicant. A $3,000 couple resource limit exists, but Idaho allows it only when it is more advantageous and the two spouses have lived in the nursing home, in the same room, for six months; DHW's chart otherwise lists couple resources as $2,000 each. One vehicle of any value, household goods and personal effects, and burial funds up to $1,500 per person are exempt. The home is exempt subject to an equity limit (Idaho's rule text says $750,000, the 2026 federal minimum is $752,000, so confirm with DHW if you are near the line), and that limit does not apply at all when a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child lives in the home. The expansion-adult (MAGI) pathway has no asset test at all.

How much can the at-home spouse keep?

For 2026, the Community Spouse Resource Allowance is half the couple's combined countable resources on the assessment date, with a $32,532 floor and a $162,660 standard maximum, so $162,660 is not what a community spouse automatically gets. On the income side, the monthly maintenance needs allowance starts at a $2,705 minimum (effective July 1, 2026) and rises toward the $4,066.50 maximum only when shelter costs are high. A fair hearing or a court order can set either amount higher. And when the community spouse lives in the home, the home-equity limit does not apply to it at all.

What does a nursing-home resident on Idaho Medicaid get to keep?

A Personal Needs Allowance. Federal law sets the floor at $30/month for an aged, blind, or disabled resident, and Idaho subtracts $40/month for personal needs when it computes patient liability. A resident who works keeps the lesser of $200 or their gross earned income, within a $230 total allowance, and for a veteran or surviving spouse in a private facility or a State Veterans Nursing Home the first $90 of VA pension takes the place of the $40. Most of the rest goes toward the cost of care, after deductions such as an at-home spouse's allowance and uncovered medical costs.

How do I apply for long-term-care Medicaid in Idaho?

Start at idalink (idalink.idaho.gov) and call DHW at 1-877-456-1233 with questions. If you are over the income limit, set up and fund a Qualified Income Trust first, since only income placed in it the month it arrives is excluded.

Learn More

MedicaidMedicaid Income Limits by State: Which Number Applies to YouMedicaid income limits for 2026 depend on your pathway: expansion adults, aged and disabled, or nursing-home care. See the figures and your state's limits. MedicaidIdaho Medicaid: A Guide for Seniors and FamiliesIdaho Medicaid long-term care in 2026: the $3,002 income cap, $2,000 asset limit, Miller Trust rule, Medicare Savings Programs, and how to apply via Idaho DHW. MedicaidIdaho Medicare Savings ProgramsIdaho Medicare Savings Programs 2026: QMB, SLMB, and QI income limits, what each pays, automatic Part D Extra Help, and how to apply through Idaho DHW. MedicaidIdaho Spousal Impoverishment ProtectionsIdaho Medicaid spousal impoverishment 2026: how the CSRA and MMMNA protect the at-home spouse, plus Idaho's income cap and Miller Trust rule. MedicaidMedicaid Planning StrategiesSee which assets you keep, how the 5-year look-back works, and the legal moves that qualify you for Medicaid long-term care without losing the house. MedicaidHow Medicaid Estate Recovery WorksMedicaid estate recovery can claim a home after death, but not while a spouse or a child under 21, blind or disabled survives. See your state's rules. MedicaidIdaho Medicaid Estate RecoveryLearn how Idaho Medicaid estate recovery works in 2026, who is affected, what protections apply, and how to respond to an Idaho DHW estate claim. MedicaidThe Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance, ExplainedHow the Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance works in 2026: the $30 federal floor, what the states set, and how patient liability is calculated.

Find personalized help working through Idaho Medicaid eligibility and the Miller Trust question for your family at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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