Florida Medicare Savings Program 2026: Income and Asset Limits
Florida uses the federal limits. DCF’s Appendix A-9.1, financial standards effective April 2026, lists $1,330 a month for one person and $1,804 for a couple for QMB, $1,596 and $2,164 for SLMB, and $1,796 and $2,435 for QI1. Florida takes a $20 standard disregard off income first.
Florida has a resource (asset) test: $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple. The figures come from Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), not from the federal tables, and the checker below applies them. Screener only. Your state Medicaid agency decides, using your full application and its own rules. It applies the 2026 standards to the numbers you enter, and a state can count income and resources differently.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Reviewed October 31, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Your situation
For a married couple, enter both spouses’ income added together. The $20 may not apply to income that is based on need, such as a VA pension, so ask your state if that is your income. Amounts go up to $100,000,000.
Bank accounts, stocks, bonds and retirement accounts. Leave out your home, one car, a burial plot and the other items listed below as not counted.
Result for Florida
How your income is counted, step by step
| Social Security, pensions and similar income | $1,500 |
| Minus the $20 general exclusion (unearned income first) | -$20 |
| Wages and self-employment earnings | $0 |
| Minus any unused part of the $20 | -$0 |
| Minus $65 of wages | -$0 |
| Minus one-half of the rest of the wages | -$0 |
| Countable income a month | $1,480 |
Income against each limit
| Program | Limit for countable income | Limit with the $20 added | Countable income compared with the limit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QMB | $1,330 | $1,350 | $150 over | Over the income limit |
| SLMB | $1,596 | $1,616 | $116 under | Likely eligible |
| QI | $1,796 | $1,816 | $316 under | Under this limit too, but you would be placed in the program above first |
The “Countable income compared with the limit” column shows how far under or over each limit your countable income is. The $20 general exclusion is already built into the published federal limits, so the second column is the one the federal tables print.
Resources
Limit $9,950 for QMB, SLMB and QI: $4,950 under.
Screener only. Your state Medicaid agency decides, using your full application and its own rules. It applies the 2026 standards to the numbers you enter, and a state can count income and resources differently.
What the Medicare Savings Programs pay in Florida
“Allows qualified individuals to have Medicaid pay for their Medicare premiums (Part A and B), Medicare deductibles and Medicare coinsurance (within prescribed limits).”
“Allows qualified individuals to have Medicaid pay for their Medicare Part B premium.”
“Funding for this program is limited.”
“This is not an open entitlement program as funding is limited to an annual federal allocation.”
“Does not qualify for Medicaid under any other Medicaid coverage group, except Medically Needy.”
“States approve applications on a first-come, first-served basis – priority is given to people who got QI benefits the previous year.”
“An individual will automatically qualify for assistance with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan costs through the Extra Help Program.”
When coverage starts in Florida
“Medicaid may be authorized for up to three months prior to the date of application for children under age 21 and pregnant women, including their postpartum period when the requirements are met.”
“There is no retroactive Medicaid coverage for QMB.”
As of October 31, 2026, DCF’s manual does not say whether SLMB or QI1 coverage can be retroactive; ask DCF when coverage would start.
These are the state’s rules as of October 31, 2026; federal law shortens the Medicaid look-back for applications made on or after January 1, 2027 (see the hub).
Florida Medicare Savings Program income limits, 2026
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) lists these monthly limits, effective April 2026. The first two columns are the figures as the state prints them, before the $20 general disregard; the last two add the $20 so they can be compared with the federal tables. Florida uses the federal limits: each figure plus $20 is the same as the federal published limit.
| Program | One person | Couple | One person, with the $20 | Couple, with the $20 | At the limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) | $1,330 | $1,804 | $1,350 | $1,824 | The state’s wording differs: ask |
| Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) | $1,596 | $2,164 | $1,616 | $2,184 | The state’s wording differs: ask |
| Qualifying Individual (QI) | $1,796 | $2,435 | $1,816 | $2,455 | The state’s wording differs: ask |
- Florida’s Appendix A-9.1 labels its columns 100%, 120% and 135% FPL, and the federal tables add $20 to those percentages, so Florida’s figures are before the $20: each Florida figure plus $20 equals the federal published figure for the 48 states and DC.
- Florida’s manual applies the $20 to income other than income which is provided on the basis of need. The checker takes the $20 off everything entered as Social Security, pension or similar income, so if your income is based on need, ask DCF.
- Florida’s manual words the limits as “does not exceed 100%”, “between 100% and 120%” and “equal to or less than 135%”, while DCF’s fact sheet says “below” each one. Because the wording differs, and because 135% of one person’s monthly guideline is $1,795.50 and CMS rounds the published figure up to $1,796, the checker shows income exactly at a limit as at the limit.
What Florida prints
“Have income that does not exceed 100% of the federal poverty level;”
“Have income between 100% and 120% of the federal poverty level;”
“Have income greater than 120% of the federal poverty level but equal to or less than 135% of the federal poverty level;”
“Have income below 100% of the federal poverty level.”
“Have income below 120% of the federal poverty level.”
“Have income below 135% of the federal poverty level.”
“Financial Standards Effective April 2026”
“Note: The income standards generally change effective January and April of each year.”
Sources: Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, Appendix A-9.1: Medicare Savings Programs and Low-Income Subsidy; Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, chapter 2000: QMB, SLMB and QI1 (2040.0817 to 2040.0819); Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, chapter 2400: income disregards (2440.0321, 2440.0322); Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, chapter 1600: assets; Florida DCF: SSI-Related Medicaid Program Fact Sheet (July 2025).
Florida resource (asset) test
The resource limit for QMB, SLMB and QI is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple, the same as the federal limit. Resources at the limit are within it.
“Have assets not exceeding three times the SSI resource limit with annual increases based on the yearly Consumer Price Index (refer to Appendix A-9);”
How Florida counts income
“A $20 per month standard disregard applies to any type (earned or unearned) of income other than income which is provided on the basis of need.”
“If there is both earned and unearned income then apply the disregard first toward the unearned income and apply any amount of the disregard remaining toward the earned income.”
“The amount of the disregard is $65 plus one half of the remaining earned income.”
The checker follows these steps: $20 off unearned income first, any unused part of the $20 off wages, then $65 off wages, then one-half of the rest of the wages. The same federal rules and the federal limits are on the Medicare Savings Program hub and the Extra Help income limits page.
Where to apply in Florida
Apply through Florida DCF. MyACCESS (ACCESS Florida): https://myaccess.myflfamilies.com/. Phone: 850-300-4DCF (4323) (also takes requests for paper and telephone applications).
“Online at the DCF/ACCESS Florida website at: https://myaccess.myflfamilies.com/”
“Paper applications may be requested by calling 850-300-4DCF (4323), and submitting it in person, by mail or fax.”
Your state Medicaid agency decides which program you qualify for, and Medicare.gov says to apply even if you do not think you qualify. See Medicare.gov’s Medicare Savings Programs page.
The 2027 limits
The 2027 limits are not yet published as of October 31, 2026. Medicare.gov and the SSA Program Operations Manual still list the 2026 limits as the current ones, and this page shows no 2027 limit and makes no estimate.
For the federal limits, resource figures and the meaning of the $20, see the Medicare Savings Program hub; for Extra Help, which comes with these programs, see Extra Help income limits. Full Medicaid is on the Medicaid income limits page.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Medicare Savings Program income limits in Florida for 2026?
Florida uses the federal limits. DCF’s Appendix A-9.1, financial standards effective April 2026, lists $1,330 a month for one person and $1,804 for a couple for QMB, $1,596 and $2,164 for SLMB, and $1,796 and $2,435 for QI1. Florida takes a $20 standard disregard off income first.
Is Florida’s Medicare Savings Program limit the same as the federal limit?
Yes. Add the $20 disregard to Florida’s QMB figure of $1,330 and you get the federal published limit of $1,350; the same is true for SLMB ($1,616) and QI ($1,816). Florida defines the programs as 100%, 120% and 135% of the federal poverty level.
Does Florida have an asset test for the Medicare Savings Program?
Yes. DCF’s manual sets the asset limit for QMB, SLMB and QI1 at three times the SSI resource limit, adjusted each year, and Appendix A-9.1 lists $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple. This page does not list which assets Florida excludes; ask DCF.
How do I apply for the Medicare Savings Program in Florida?
Apply through DCF online at https://myaccess.myflfamilies.com/, in person at a DCF Family Resource Center or a community partner, by paper application, or by telephone application. DCF’s Customer Contact Center is 850-300-4DCF (4323).
How does Florida count my income?
Florida applies a $20 standard disregard first to unearned income and then to wages. On wages it then takes off $65 plus one-half of the rest. The $20 is not increased for a couple.
Do I get Extra Help automatically with a Medicare Savings Program in Florida?
Yes. DCF’s fact sheet says an individual who qualifies for QMB, SLMB or QI-1 will automatically qualify for assistance with Medicare prescription drug plan costs through the Extra Help Program.
Are the 2027 Florida Medicare Savings Program limits out yet?
The 2027 limits are not yet published as of October 31, 2026: Medicare.gov and the SSA Program Operations Manual still list the 2026 limits as the current ones. This page shows no 2027 limit and makes no estimate. DCF’s fact sheet says its income standards generally change effective January and April of each year.
Other state pages
Sources
- Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, Appendix A-9.1: Medicare Savings Programs and Low-Income Subsidy
- Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, chapter 2000: QMB, SLMB and QI1 (2040.0817 to 2040.0819)
- Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, chapter 2400: income disregards (2440.0321, 2440.0322)
- Florida DCF ESS Policy Manual, chapter 1600: assets
- Florida DCF: SSI-Related Medicaid Program Fact Sheet (July 2025)
- Medicare.gov: Medicare Savings Programs
Reviewed October 31, 2026 against the state sources above.