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Medicaid spousal protection calculator

When one spouse needs Medicaid for nursing home or home and community based care, federal rules let the other spouse keep a share of the couple's resources and income. This calculator applies the federal formula and the 2026 limits.

Uses US rates checked October 27, 2026.

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1. Where does the spouse at home live?
2. Total countable resources of both spouses

The value at the start of the first continuous stay in a nursing facility (or the start of home and community based services). Count bank accounts, investments, second properties and similar items owned by either spouse. Leave out the home, one car and other items your state exempts.

$
3. Monthly income of the spouse at home

Their own income only: Social Security, pensions, interest, wages.

$
4. Monthly housing costs of the spouse at home

Rent or mortgage (principal and interest), property taxes, homeowners or renters insurance, any condo or co-op fee, plus utilities. Use your state's standard utility allowance if it uses one, otherwise actual utility costs.

$

What this tool cannot do

  • Carevo cannot tell you whether you qualify for Medicaid. Your state Medicaid agency decides.
  • States set their own figures within the federal range, and eligibility rules differ by state. Your state can protect more or less than the lowest figure shown here, and some states use different rules for which resources count.
  • It does not decide which of your resources are countable or exempt, the effect of transfers in the look-back period, or whether a court order or fair hearing would raise the amounts.
  • The income allowance comes from the income of the spouse in care, and only to the extent that income is made available to the spouse at home.
  • It is an estimate based on published rules and current rates, not advice.

Common questions

How much can the spouse at home keep?

Federal law sets a range for 2026. The community spouse resource standard is at least $32,532 and at most $162,660. The federal formula takes half of the couple's countable resources at the start of the care stay, and applies the minimum and maximum to it. Your state sets its own standard inside the range.

What is the monthly income allowance?

If the spouse at home has less income than a minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance, part of the spouse in care's income can go to the spouse at home. The federal minimum for that allowance is $2,705.00 a month (from July 1, 2026) in most states, and the federal maximum is $4,066.50 a month. It can be higher than the minimum if the spouse at home has high housing costs.

Does the home count?

The CMS standards also set a limit on home equity for the person in care. For 2026 that limit is between $752,000 and $1,130,000, and your state picks where it sits. How your state treats the home depends on who lives in it, so ask the state Medicaid agency. This calculator leaves the home out of the resource total.

Do all states follow these numbers?

The federal rules set the framework and the range. Each state sets its own figures inside the range, uses its own list of countable and exempt resources, and runs its own application process. Some states also protect more through court orders or hearings.

Where these rules come from

Sources checked October 27, 2026.