Colorado Medicaid Income Limits 2026: Health First Colorado Chart

Colorado's own chart, effective April 1, 2026, lets one adult have up to $1,769 a month and a household of four up to $3,658 a month for adults, which is 133% of the federal poverty level. Every figure below comes from the state agency's own chart, effective April 1, 2026, not from federal averages or the old Medicaid.gov table.

Maintained by Archie Chang · Charts and sources checked October 30, 2026 · Methodology & sources

Check your income

Coverage group

People in the household

Income period

Household income before taxes

Enter the whole household's countable income. States count income with MAGI rules, so this is a starting point, not a decision.

Result

Your income is at or below Colorado's chart amount for this group.

Your income, a year: $18,000
Household size used in the chart: 1
Colorado chart amount, a year, 133%: $21,228
Colorado chart amount, a month: $1,769
Chart amount plus 5 percent of FPL, a year: $22,026

This is not an eligibility decision. Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) decides what income counts (MAGI rules), who is in the household and the final result. Apply to find out: Health First Colorado (HCPF).

Colorado Medicaid income limit chart, 2026

Monthly and annual limits by household size for each group the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) prints. Bold figures are printed by the state; italic figures are FedRateCalc's calculation (a monthly figure times 12, an annual figure divided by 12). The state chart effective date is April 1, 2026.

Medicaid income limits by household size and coverage group
Household size	Adults (chart header: ages 19-65)133%Effective April 1, 2026	Parents and caretaker relatives68%Effective April 1, 2026	Children 0 to 18142%Effective April 1, 2026	Pregnant women195%Effective April 1, 2026	CHP+ chart, highest band260%Effective April 1, 2026
1	$1,769 a month$21,228 a year	$905 a month$10,860 a year	$1,889 a month$22,668 a year	$2,594 a month$31,128 a year	$3,458 a month$41,496 a year
2	$2,399 a month$28,788 a year	$1,227 a month$14,724 a year	$2,561 a month$30,732 a year	$3,517 a month$42,204 a year	$4,689 a month$56,268 a year
3	$3,028 a month$36,336 a year	$1,549 a month$18,588 a year	$3,233 a month$38,796 a year	$4,440 a month$53,280 a year	$5,920 a month$71,040 a year
4	$3,658 a month$43,896 a year	$1,870 a month$22,440 a year	$3,905 a month$46,860 a year	$5,363 a month$64,356 a year	$7,150 a month$85,800 a year
5	$4,288 a month$51,456 a year	$2,192 a month$26,304 a year	$4,578 a month$54,936 a year	$6,286 a month$75,432 a year	$8,381 a month$100,572 a year
6	$4,917 a month$59,004 a year	$2,514 a month$30,168 a year	$5,250 a month$63,000 a year	$7,209 a month$86,508 a year	$9,612 a month$115,344 a year
7	$5,547 a month$66,564 a year	$2,836 a month$34,032 a year	$5,922 a month$71,064 a year	$8,132 a month$97,584 a year	$10,842 a month$130,104 a year
8	$6,176 a month$74,112 a year	$3,158 a month$37,896 a year	$6,594 a month$79,128 a year	$9,055 a month$108,660 a year	$12,073 a month$144,876 a year

CHP+ chart, highest band: The CHP+ chart lists income bands from 143% to 260% of FPL; this is the top of the highest band (236% to 260%).

The chart file on hcpf.colorado.gov is named "April 2026 Medicaid Income Chart_Draft"; HCPF Operational Memo 26-007 attaches it as the "April 2026 Medicaid Income Chart" and tells eligibility sites to use it from April 1, 2026.
HCPF's chart footnote says co-payments may apply, with none for American Indians, Alaska Natives, or a pregnant woman and her household.

Chart sources: Colorado HCPF: MAGI Medicaid Monthly Maximum Income Guidelines, effective April 1, 2026; Colorado HCPF: Child Health Plan Plus Monthly Maximum Income Guidelines, effective April 1, 2026.

How Colorado counts the 5 percent disregard

Federal rules tell states to subtract 5 percentage points of the poverty level from income for the eligibility group with the highest income standard. That is why some state charts print a percentage such as 133% and others print the total, such as 138%.

“Effective January 1, 2014, in determining the eligibility of an individual using MAGI-based income, a state must subtract an amount equivalent to 5 percentage points of the Federal poverty level for the applicable family size only to determine the eligibility of an individual for medical assistance under the eligibility group with the highest income standard using MAGI-based methodologies in the applicable Title of the Act, but not to determine eligibility for a particular eligibility group.”

42 CFR 435.603(d)(4) (source)

The household size in the chart for a pregnant woman counts the children she is expected to deliver:

“In the case of determining the family size of a pregnant woman, the pregnant woman is counted as herself plus the number of children she is expected to deliver. In the case of determining the family size of other individuals who have a pregnant woman in their household, the pregnant woman is counted, at State option, as either 1 or 2 person(s) or as herself plus the number of children she is expected to deliver.”

42 CFR 435.603(b), definition of family size (source)

In Colorado's chart, the amounts for Adults (chart header: ages 19-65); Children 0 to 18; Pregnant women; CHP+ chart, highest band are the plain percentage. The checker above adds 5 percent of the 2026 guideline to those amounts as its own calculation to show income that is just over the printed amount.

Colorado Medicaid programs and expansion

HCPF's March 2026 presentation calls the 133% adult group "Medicaid Expansion".

Health First Colorado. Colorado's Medicaid program; the April 2026 chart covers parents and caretaker relatives, adults 19 to 65, children 0 to 18 and pregnant women.
Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Colorado's CHIP; HCPF publishes a separate chart whose bands run from 143% up to 260% of FPL.

How to apply for Medicaid in Colorado

Apply through HCPF, which runs Health First Colorado, or through HealthCare.gov. HCPF's memo names county departments of human/social services, medical assistance sites and eligibility application partners as the offices that use the chart.

Health First Colorado (HCPF) · HealthCare.gov Medicaid and CHIP

Colorado Medicaid changes in 2027

HCPF's March 2026 presentation gives January 1, 2027 for both changes and says timing is subject to change.

“Work requirements for most “able-bodied adults,” eff. January 1, 2027”

Colorado HCPF, H.R. 1 Updates (March 2026) (source)

“Eligibility redeterminations every 6 months vs 12 months eff. January 1, 2027”

Colorado HCPF, H.R. 1 Updates (March 2026) (source)

“Timing is subject to change as guidance is finalized”

Colorado HCPF, H.R. 1 Updates (March 2026), working timeline slide (source)

The federal law behind these changes, Public Law 119-21, is explained with its exemptions and dates on the Medicaid income limits page. The income limits in the table above do not change because of it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Colorado Medicaid income limit in 2026?

Colorado's own chart, effective April 1, 2026, lets one adult have up to $1,769 a month and a household of four up to $3,658 a month for adults, which is 133% of the federal poverty level.

Did Colorado expand Medicaid?

HCPF's March 2026 presentation calls the 133% adult group "Medicaid Expansion".

How do I apply for Medicaid in Colorado?

What changes for Colorado Medicaid in 2027?

HCPF's March 2026 presentation gives January 1, 2027 for both changes and says timing is subject to change. The charts on this page are 2026 charts; the community engagement requirement and six-month renewals are separate from the income limits.

Do the same limits apply to Colorado seniors and people with disabilities?

No. Medicaid for people who are aged, blind or disabled uses different income and resource rules from the MAGI groups in this chart. Ask the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) or see Medicare vs Medicaid on this site.

How often does Colorado update its Medicaid income limits?

The charts follow the federal poverty guidelines, which HHS updates each year, and Colorado's chart took effect April 1, 2026. FedRateCalc will look for Colorado's 2027 chart after HHS publishes the 2027 guidelines.

FedRateCalc is not a government site and cannot decide eligibility. Charts change when the state updates them; confirm with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) before relying on a figure.

Sources

All sources are government pages, read October 30, 2026. The Medicaid.gov table is dated December 1, 2023 and is used only as a cross-check.