CO · benefits by state
Colorado benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
Colorado stretches its children's plan, CHP+, to pregnant women well above the Medicaid line, and its mountain resort counties carry Denver-level housing limits.
Federal and Colorado figures read on official sources on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- SNAP maximum, 4 people
- $1,023
- FY 2027, from October 1, 2026
- SNAP gross income limit, 3 people
- $4,554/mo
- 200% of poverty (BBCE)
- Medicaid, single adult
- $1,835/mo
- 138% of poverty
- Children, family of 3
- $6,033/mo
- 265% of poverty, CHIP
- WIC limit, 3 people
- $50,542/yr
- 185% of poverty, to June 30, 2027
- Section 8 very low income, 4 people
- $48,700 to $75,000
- 64 counties or towns, FY 2026
Colorado is one of 7 states in the CMS table that use CHIP to insure pregnant women: Health First Colorado, the state Medicaid program, covers pregnancy to 200% of poverty, and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) continues to 265%, about $4,778 a month for a woman expecting one baby in 2026. Children get the same 265% line, $6,033 a month for a family of three. Adults are covered under the expansion up to $1,835 a month for one person. SNAP, run by the Colorado Department of Human Services through the PEAK portal, tests gross income at 200% of poverty, $4,554 for three in fiscal year 2027, with no asset limit. A Colorado Springs father of two earning $2,900 with $1,300 rent and $400 of child care would get about $527 a month. Marketplace plans are sold on Connect for Health Colorado.
Household income in Colorado
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP food benefitsFY 2027 amounts; $594 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$527/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsColorado: 138% of the poverty guidelineWithin the limitlimit $3,141/mo
- Medicaid or CHIP for the childrenChildren 6 to 18, 265% of the guidelineWithin the CHIP limitlimit $6,033/mo
- Marketplace premium tax creditAmount depends on the benchmark premium where you liveMedicaid comes first108% of 2025 FPL
- Earned income tax credit (2026)2 qualifying children, single or head of householdCredit at tax time$6,282/yr
- WIC (pregnancy or a child under 5)Nutrition risk is assessed at the WIC clinicWithin 185% of povertylimit $50,542/yr
- Section 8 housing voucherLimits are set by county: check yours in the Section 8 lookup.
A first screening under each program's published 2026 rules; every agency counts income and household its own way and decides on your application. How this is calculated.
CHP+ for pregnancy, not only for children
The CMS table gives Colorado two pregnancy columns (CMS eligibility levels): Medicaid to 195% and CHIP to 260%, which become 200% and 265% with the MAGI disregard. Only 7 states fill the CHIP column at all; the rest stop at Medicaid. A teacher's aide in Grand Junction who earns $4,500 a month and is expecting her first child is counted as a household of two; her income is 250% of the guideline, inside the CHP+ band, so the pregnancy is covered. Under the Medicaid column alone she would be over the limit and pricing a Marketplace plan in the middle of a pregnancy. After the birth, the baby is assessed on its own line. Children use the same CHP+ ceiling once they pass the Medicaid line for their age, which is 147% for school-age children.
Adults without a pregnancy follow the expansion line of 138%. Above it, Connect for Health Colorado, the state-based exchange, sells 2026 plans with the premium tax credit. PEAK is the application portal listed for both Health First Colorado and SNAP.
265% of the 2026 poverty guideline for your household
265% of poverty, per year
$72,398
| Per month | $6,033 |
| Per week | $1,392 |
| 100% guideline (2026) | $27,320 |
Child care costs in a Colorado SNAP budget
Colorado's SNAP line is 200% of poverty with no savings test, and its utility table is unusual: besides the $594 heating and cooling allowance, it lists a flat amount for each single utility and a $97 telephone allowance (USDA SUA table). For the Colorado Springs father, the deduction that changes the result is dependent care. His $400 of child care comes off income in full, next to the 20% earnings deduction and the $217 standard deduction, leaving $1,703. Shelter costs of $1,894 then produce an excess of $1,043, capped at $769. Net income is $934 and the estimate $527. Without the child care receipt the same family would get $407, so reporting that bill is worth $120 a month. The rules are in SNAP deductions.
Resort counties price like Denver
Colorado's very low income limit for four tops out at $75,000 in Boulder County. Summit County reaches $72,900 and the Denver metro counties share $72,000, while El Paso County, around Colorado Springs, is at $58,200 and Pueblo County at $48,700, the same floor as Alamosa County and most rural counties. Neighbors make useful contrasts: Wyoming and Kansas did not expand Medicaid, and Utah keeps the federal SNAP tests.
SNAP rules in Colorado, FY 2027
Run by the Colorado Department of Human Services · apply online. All households: gross income up to 200% of the poverty guideline, no asset limit.
| Household | Gross income limit | Net income limit | Maximum benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,660 | $1,330 | $306 |
| 2 | $3,607 | $1,804 | $562 |
| 3 | $4,554 | $2,277 | $808 |
| 4 | $5,500 | $2,750 | $1,023 |
| 5 | $6,447 | $3,224 | $1,217 |
| 6 | $7,394 | $3,697 | $1,463 |
| 7 | $8,340 | $4,170 | $1,616 |
| 8 | $9,287 | $4,644 | $1,841 |
| Allowance area | Heating or cooling (HCSUA) | Other utilities (LUA) | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $594 | $377 | $97 |
Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and CHIP income limits in Colorado
Colorado covers adults up to 138% of the poverty guideline under the ACA expansion. Children's coverage above Medicaid is called Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Agency: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing · apply. Marketplace for 2026: Connect for Health Colorado.
| Group | Limit (% of poverty) | Program | 1 or 2 people | 3 people | 4 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults 19 to 64 without children | 138% | Medicaid (adult group) | $1,835 | $3,141 | $3,795 |
| Parents and caretakers | 138% | Medicaid (adult group) | $2,488 | $3,141 | $3,795 |
| Pregnant women | 265% | CHIP | $4,778 | $6,033 | $7,287 |
| Babies under 1 | 265% | CHIP | $4,778 | $6,033 | $7,287 |
| Children 1 to 5 | 265% | CHIP | $4,778 | $6,033 | $7,287 |
| Children 6 to 18 | 265% | CHIP | $4,778 | $6,033 | $7,287 |
Section 8 income limits by county in Colorado
HUD sets the limits for each of the 64 counties or towns of Colorado (55 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $48,700 (Alamosa County) to $75,000 (Boulder County).
Adams County, CO: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $64,800 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $38,900 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $64,800 |
| Low income (80%) | $96,150 |
| Your band | Extremely low income (30%) |
| Adjusted income after HUD deductions | $29,500 a year |
| Estimated tenant payment (30% of adjusted income) | $738 a month |
HUD FY 2026 limits (effective May 1, 2026) and 2026 deductions ($500 per dependent, $550 for an elderly or disabled family). The housing authority decides, and most have waiting lists. How this is calculated.