New Jersey Medicare Savings Program 2026: Income and Asset Limits
New Jersey uses the federal limits. The Department of Human Services lists yearly limits for 2026 of $15,960 for one person and $21,640 for a married couple for QMB, $19,152 and $25,968 for SLMB, and $21,546 and $29,214 for QI. By the month, with the brochure’s rounding, that is $1,330 and $1,804 for QMB, $1,596 and $2,164 for SLMB, and $1,796 and $2,435 for QI. The page says income must not exceed these limits.
New Jersey has a resource (asset) test: $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple. The figures come from New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services, 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 New Jersey
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 New Jersey
“Program helps pay for Part A premiums, Part B premiums, and deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for services and items Medicare covers.”
“Program pays Medicare Part B premiums.”
“States approve applications on a first-come, first-served basis – priority is given to people who got QI benefits the previous year.”
“QI is only available for people who don't qualify for any other Medicaid coverage or benefits, but you may qualify for help from another Medicare Savings Program.”
When coverage starts in New Jersey
As of October 31, 2026, New Jersey’s page and brochure do not say when coverage starts or whether it can be retroactive; ask New Jersey’s Medicare Savings Programs Hotline when your 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).
New Jersey Medicare Savings Program income limits, 2026
The Department of Human Services page lists these limits as yearly amounts for 2026 (it gives no month): $15,960 and $21,640 for QMB, $19,152 and $25,968 for SLMB, $21,546 and $29,214 for QI, for one person and a married couple. Its 2026 brochure prints the limits by the month: $1,330 and $1,804 for QMB and up to $1,796 and $2,435 for QI; the page’s $19,152 and $25,968 divided by 12 are exactly $1,596 and $2,164 for SLMB. The first two columns are those monthly limits; the last two add $20 only so they can be compared with the federal tables. New Jersey 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 | Income at the limit qualifies |
| Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) | $1,596 | $2,164 | $1,616 | $2,184 | Income at the limit qualifies |
| Qualifying Individual (QI) | $1,796 | $2,435 | $1,816 | $2,455 | Income at the limit qualifies |
- New Jersey’s page does not say whether a $20 general exclusion applies. Its yearly figures are the federal published figures less the $20, within rounding, so the checker applies the federal method.
- The page prints yearly amounts and the brochure prints monthly ones, and they differ by rounding: $21,640 divided by 12 is $1,803.33 and the brochure prints $1,804 for the QMB couple limit; $21,546 divided by 12 is $1,795.50 and $29,214 divided by 12 is $2,434.50, and the brochure prints $1,796 and $2,435 for QI. The checker uses the brochure’s whole dollars, which equal the federal limits less $20, so income of $1,796.01 counted is over the QI limit.
- The brochure puts SLMB and QI-1 in one box headed SLMB and QI-1, whose range is “over $1,596 but not more than $1,796” for one person and “over $2,164 not more than $2,435” for a couple; the top of that range is the QI limit, and the SLMB limit is the page’s $19,152 and $25,968 divided by 12.
- The page words each limit as “Must not exceed”, so income exactly at a limit qualifies; income of exactly the QMB limit counts for QMB and income above it up to the SLMB limit counts for SLMB.
What New Jersey prints
“Must not exceed income or asset eligibility limits. For 2026, income and asset limits are as follows:”
“Income: $15,960 for single individuals and $21,640 for married couples”
“Income: $19,152 for single individuals and $25,968 for married couples”
“Income: $21,546 for single individuals and $29,214 for married couples”
“For individuals, not more than $1,330.”
“For a couple, not more than $1,804.”
“For individuals, over $1,596 but not more than $1,796.”
“For a couple, over $2,164 not more than $2,435.”
Sources: New Jersey Department of Human Services: NJ Medicare Savings Programs; New Jersey Department of Human Services: Get Help Paying Your Medicare Costs (2026 brochure).
New Jersey 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.
“Assets: $9,950 for single individuals and $14,910 for married couples”
How New Jersey counts income
New Jersey’s page and brochure do not describe how income is counted. The checker uses the federal method described on the hub: $20 off unearned income first, any unused part of the $20 off wages, then $65, then one-half of the rest. Ask New Jersey if your income is near a limit.
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 New Jersey
Apply through New Jersey’s NJSave. NJSave, the online and paper application that the Department of Human Services page names: https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/doas/services/l-p/njsave. Phone: 1-800-792-9745 (the toll-free Hotline on the Department of Human Services page).
“You can apply for QMB, SLMB, or QI through our NJSave online or paper application.”
“You may also call our toll free Hotline at 1-800-792-9745.”
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 New Jersey for 2026?
New Jersey uses the federal limits. The Department of Human Services lists yearly limits for 2026 of $15,960 for one person and $21,640 for a married couple for QMB, $19,152 and $25,968 for SLMB, and $21,546 and $29,214 for QI. By the month, with the brochure’s rounding, that is $1,330 and $1,804 for QMB, $1,596 and $2,164 for SLMB, and $1,796 and $2,435 for QI. The page says income must not exceed these limits.
Is New Jersey’s Medicare Savings Program limit the same as the federal limit?
Yes. Add $20 to New Jersey’s monthly 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).
Does New Jersey have an asset limit for the Medicare Savings Programs?
Yes. The page lists $9,950 for single individuals and $14,910 for married couples for QMB, SLMB and QI. This page does not list which assets New Jersey excludes; ask New Jersey.
How do I apply for the Medicare Savings Programs in New Jersey?
You can apply for QMB, SLMB or QI through NJSave, online or on the paper application, at https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/doas/services/l-p/njsave. You can also call the toll-free Hotline at 1-800-792-9745.
How does New Jersey count my income?
New Jersey’s page and brochure do not describe how income is counted, and they do not name a $20 general exclusion. The checker uses the federal method: $20 off unearned income first, any unused part off wages, then $65 and one-half of the rest.
What if my income is exactly at a New Jersey limit?
The page says income must not exceed the limit and the brochure says “not more than”, so exactly $1,330 counted ($1,350 before the $20) is within the QMB limit. The page’s yearly QI amount divided by 12 is $1,795.50 while the brochure prints $1,796, and the checker uses the brochure’s figure, so ask New Jersey if you are within a dollar.
Are the 2027 New Jersey 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.
Other state pages
Sources
- New Jersey Department of Human Services: NJ Medicare Savings Programs
- New Jersey Department of Human Services: Get Help Paying Your Medicare Costs (2026 brochure)
- Medicare.gov: Medicare Savings Programs
Reviewed October 31, 2026 against the state sources above.