Most states cap a Medicaid applicant's countable assets at the federal floor of $2,000. Mississippi doesn't. A single applicant for long-term-care Medicaid in Mississippi can keep up to $4,000 in countable assets, and a married couple where both apply can keep $6,000, double the usual ceiling. The trade-off sits on the income side: Mississippi is a strict income-cap state, so if your gross monthly income tops the limit, you need an income trust to qualify.
This guide walks through the 2026 income and asset rules for Mississippi Medicaid long-term care for seniors and people who are aged, blind, or disabled. It covers the higher asset limit, the $2,982 income cap and the income trust that gets over-income applicants in the door, what a nursing-home resident keeps (including a special allowance for veterans), what a spouse at home is protected from, and how to apply through the state.
The $4,000 asset limit is more room than most states give
For most of Medicaid's history, the countable-asset limit for a single aged or disabled applicant has been $2,000, a figure frozen at the federal level since the 1980s. Mississippi sets its own higher number. For aged, blind, or disabled long-term-care Medicaid, the Division of Medicaid allows $4,000 in countable assets for a single applicant and $6,000 for a married couple when both spouses apply.
That extra room matters most for an applicant sitting just above the federal floor: a person with $3,500 in the bank is over the limit in most states but still eligible in Mississippi.
"Countable" is the load-bearing word. Mississippi, like every state, exempts a long list of assets from the count: your home (subject to an equity cap), one vehicle, household goods and personal effects, and prepaid burial arrangements. So the $4,000 applies to things like bank accounts, a second car, and investments, not the roof over your head.
How Mississippi Medicaid income limits work: the cap and the income trust
Mississippi sets its 2026 long-term-care income limit at $2,982/month, equal to 300% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate ($994 in 2026). This is the limit for nursing-facility care and for home-and-community-based services (HCBS) waivers.
Here is where Mississippi differs sharply from spend-down states like Illinois. Mississippi is an income-cap state. It does not run a medically needy spend-down for this population. If your gross monthly income is one dollar over $2,982, you are not eligible, unless you set up an income trust.
An income trust, known formally as a Qualified Income Trust (QIT) or informally as a Miller Trust, is a legal arrangement that holds the income above the cap. Each month, the over-the-limit income is deposited into the trust, which keeps it from counting against eligibility. The trust funds are then paid toward the nursing facility and the Division of Medicaid as the applicant's share of care cost. The trust doesn't shelter the money for the family, it simply lets an over-income applicant qualify while still contributing nearly all their income toward care.
This is the single most important thing to understand about Mississippi Medicaid: being over the income limit is not the end of the road, but it does require a properly drafted trust set up before or during the application. An income trust drafted wrong, or funded late, can cost months of coverage. This is worth an elder-law attorney's review.
Long-term care: what a nursing-home resident keeps
When Mississippi Medicaid pays for nursing-facility care, the resident contributes nearly all of their monthly income toward the cost of care. What they keep is the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA), money reserved for small personal expenses (clothing, a haircut, a phone). In Mississippi, the PNA is $44/month.
There's a Mississippi-specific wrinkle for veterans. A nursing-home resident who is a veteran, or the surviving spouse of a veteran, and who receives the reduced $90 VA pension keeps a $90 Personal Needs Allowance rather than $44. The $90 VA pension is a special reduced rate Medicaid-eligible veterans in nursing homes receive, and Mississippi lets the resident keep all of it as personal-needs money. (For the national picture on how the PNA is calculated, see our explainer on the Medicaid personal needs allowance.)
The same $4,000 asset limit applies to nursing-home applicants, and the $2,982 income cap and income-trust rule apply here too.
The five-year look-back
Mississippi 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, gifting a grandchild a down payment, signing a house over to a child for a dollar, can trigger a penalty period during which Medicaid won't pay for long-term-care services, even though you're otherwise eligible.
There are legitimate exceptions (transfers between spouses, transfers to a disabled child, certain caregiver-child home transfers) and legitimate planning approaches, but anything done inside the five-year window deserves an elder-law attorney's review first. If long-term care is on the horizon for someone in your family, talk to a professional before moving assets. For the broader toolkit, see our guide to Medicaid planning strategies.
Protecting the spouse who stays home
When one spouse needs long-term care and the other remains in the community, federal spousal-impoverishment rules keep the at-home spouse from being left destitute. Mississippi applies the federal limits for 2026:
| Protection | 2026 Amount | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) | Half the couple's countable assets, up to $162,660 (federal maximum); minimum $32,532 | The most in countable assets the at-home spouse may keep, on top of the applicant's own limit. |
| Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA) | $2,643.75 (effective 7/1/2025) up to $4,066.50 (effective 1/1/2026) | The income floor the at-home spouse is allowed; income can be shifted from the applicant to reach it. |
| Home-equity limit | $752,000 | Equity in the primary residence above this amount is countable for long-term-care eligibility. |
So a married couple is in a very different position from a single applicant. The community spouse can hold up to $162,660 in assets and keep a monthly income allowance in the federal range while the other spouse receives Medicaid-funded care. When both spouses apply for care, the asset limit is the $6,000 couple figure rather than these spousal-impoverishment rules, which apply when only one spouse needs care.
After death: estate recovery
Like every state, Mississippi runs a Medicaid estate-recovery program. After a recipient who was 55 or older and received long-term-care services dies, the state may seek repayment from the estate, unless the recipient is survived by a spouse or a minor, blind, or disabled child. Federal exceptions apply, and an undue-hardship waiver exists. For how estate recovery works and where families have room to plan, see our Medicaid estate recovery explainer.
How to apply in Mississippi
Mississippi Medicaid is run by the Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM). For long-term-care eligibility, applications run through the state's regional offices rather than a single online portal:
- In person or by mail at a Mississippi Division of Medicaid regional office, which handle aged, blind, and disabled and long-term-care cases.
- By phone through the Division of Medicaid at 1-800-421-2408.
Long-term-care applicants also go through a level-of-care screening to confirm they need nursing-facility-level services. If your income is over the cap, start the income-trust conversation with an elder-law attorney early, since the trust must be set up and funded correctly for the application to succeed. And apply even if your assets feel close to the line. Mississippi's $4,000 single / $6,000 couple limit is more generous than most states, so people who'd be over in a neighboring state may still qualify here.
Frequently Asked Questions
For aged, blind, or disabled long-term-care Medicaid, the countable-asset limit is $4,000 for a single applicant and $6,000 for a married couple when both apply, higher than the $2,000 federal default most states use. The home (subject to an equity cap), one vehicle, household goods, and prepaid burial are exempt from the count.
$2,982/month in 2026, equal to 300% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate. This applies to nursing-facility care and home-and-community-based waiver services. Unlike spend-down states, Mississippi caps income hard, so going over requires an income trust to qualify.
Yes, if your gross monthly income is over $2,982. Mississippi is an income-cap state with no medically needy spend-down for this population, so an over-income applicant must route the excess through a Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust). The trust income is then paid toward the nursing facility and the Division of Medicaid.
For 2026, the at-home (community) spouse can keep up to $162,660 in countable assets (the Community Spouse Resource Allowance, minimum $32,532), plus a monthly income allowance in the federal range. The home is also generally protected up to $752,000 of equity.
A Personal Needs Allowance of $44/month. A veteran or surviving spouse who receives the reduced $90 VA pension keeps $90 instead. The rest of the resident's monthly income goes toward the cost of care, after deductions for a community spouse and certain health-insurance premiums.
Likely yes, with an income trust. Being over the $2,982 cap does not permanently disqualify you in Mississippi, but you must establish a properly drafted Qualified Income Trust before or during the application and fund it each month. An attorney's help is strongly advised, since timing and drafting errors can cost coverage.
Learn More
- Medicaid Planning Strategies
- How Medicaid Estate Recovery Works
- The Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance, Explained
Find personalized help working through Mississippi Medicaid income limits and the income-trust rule 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.