DE · benefits by state
Delaware benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
With three counties, Delaware has the shortest Section 8 table of the 50 states, and a children's ladder where the Healthy Children Program fills the steps Medicaid leaves.
Federal and Delaware 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
- $4,940/mo
- 217% of poverty, CHIP
- WIC limit, 3 people
- $50,542/yr
- 185% of poverty, to June 30, 2027
- Section 8 very low income, 4 people
- $51,600 to $61,350
- 3 counties or towns, FY 2026
Delaware's benefits fit on one page: three counties, one SNAP line and a single Delaware Healthy Children Program for children Medicaid does not reach. SNAP, run by the Division of Social Services, tests gross income at 200% of poverty, $3,607 a month for two people in fiscal year 2027, with no asset limit and a heating and cooling allowance of $543. A Dover mother with one child earning $2,300 and paying $1,050 rent would receive about $305 a month. Delaware expanded Medicaid, so adults qualify up to $1,835 a month for one person, and pregnant women and babies are covered up to 217% of poverty, $3,913 a month for a pregnant woman counted as two. Section 8 very low income limits for four run from $51,600 in Sussex County to $61,350 in New Castle County.
Household income in Delaware
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP food benefitsFY 2027 amounts; $543 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$527/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsDelaware: 138% of the poverty guidelineWithin the limitlimit $3,141/mo
- Medicaid or CHIP for the childrenChildren 6 to 18, 217% of the guidelineWithin the CHIP limitlimit $4,940/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.
A ladder by age for Delaware children
Delaware's Medicaid line for children falls as they grow, and the CHIP fills the gap (CMS eligibility levels). Babies under one are on Medicaid to 217% of poverty. From age one to five, Medicaid stops at 147%, and from six to eighteen at 138%, the federal floor. Between those lines and 217%, the Delaware Healthy Children Program covers ages 1 up to 19. For a family of three, the top of the ladder is $4,940 a month at every age; what changes is whether the coverage is Medicaid or CHIP. A sibling pair aged two and ten in the same home can end up in different programs while the parents fill in one application on ASSIST, the state portal.
Pregnancy follows the infant line: 217%, or $3,913 a month. A receptionist in Wilmington earning $3,800 who is expecting is at 211% of the guideline and qualifies. Adults without a pregnancy have the expansion line of 138%, $1,835 a month alone; above it, Delaware residents buy 2026 plans on HealthCare.gov with the premium tax credit, which starts at $15,650 a year for one person.
217% of the 2026 poverty guideline for your household
217% of poverty, per year
$59,284
| Per month | $4,940 |
| Per week | $1,140 |
| 100% guideline (2026) | $27,320 |
A Dover SNAP budget, step by step
Delaware's SNAP rule is the common 200% line with no savings test (USDA BBCE chart). Its utility table also gives a flat $102 for each single utility when a household pays only one, next to the $543 heating figure. The Dover mother earns $2,300; minus 20% for work and the $217 standard deduction, $1,623 is left. Rent and utilities make $1,593, and the excess over half of income, $782, is capped at $769. With $854 of net income, the $562 two-person maximum minus $257 gives $305. Child support she pays out, or child care while she works, would lower net income further; the SNAP calculator accepts both.
New Castle, Kent and Sussex
HUD needs only three rows for Delaware. New Castle County is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area and has the highest very low income limit for four, $61,350; Kent County, around Dover, is at $53,900; Sussex County, the beach county, at $51,600. Extremely low income limits, the group to which housing authorities must give 75% of new vouchers, are $36,800, $33,000 and $33,000 for four. Next door, Maryland and New Jersey run their own exchanges and Pennsylvania uses the same 200% SNAP line.
SNAP rules in Delaware, FY 2027
Run by the Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Social 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $543 | $369 | $24 |
Medicaid and CHIP income limits in Delaware
Delaware covers adults up to 138% of the poverty guideline under the ACA expansion. Children's coverage above Medicaid is called Delaware Healthy Children Program. Agency: Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance · apply. Marketplace for 2026: HealthCare.gov.
| 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 | 217% | Medicaid | $3,913 | $4,940 | $5,967 |
| Babies under 1 | 217% | Medicaid | $3,913 | $4,940 | $5,967 |
| Children 1 to 5 | 217% | CHIP | $3,913 | $4,940 | $5,967 |
| Children 6 to 18 | 217% | CHIP | $3,913 | $4,940 | $5,967 |
Section 8 income limits by county in Delaware
HUD sets the limits for each of the 3 counties or towns of Delaware (3 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $51,600 (Sussex County) to $61,350 (New Castle County).
Kent County, DE: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $48,500 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $29,150 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $48,500 |
| Low income (80%) | $77,600 |
| Your band | Very low income (50%) |
| 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.