MA · benefits by state
Massachusetts benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
For single adults Massachusetts is generous on paper and tight in practice: food aid and MassHealth open wide, but rents eat the shelter deduction long before the end of the month.
Federal and Massachusetts 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
- $6,943/mo
- 305% of poverty, CHIP
- WIC limit, 3 people
- $50,542/yr
- 185% of poverty, to June 30, 2027
- Section 8 very low income, 4 people
- $56,050 to $91,050
- 351 counties or towns, FY 2026
A single adult in Massachusetts can earn up to $2,660 a month and still pass the SNAP income test in fiscal year 2027, thanks to broad-based categorical eligibility at 200% of poverty, with no limit on savings. The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) runs the program and adds a heating allowance of $914 a month to rent. A home health aide in Worcester earning $1,500 and renting a room for $1,100 would get about $241 a month: her housing costs are so high that the shelter deduction hits the federal cap of $769. On health coverage, MassHealth covers adults 19 to 64 up to $1,835 a month for one person, so she qualifies. Children are covered up to 305% of poverty and young adults of 19 and 20 at a higher line than other adults.
Household income in Massachusetts
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP food benefitsFY 2027 amounts; $914 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$527/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsMassachusetts: 138% of the poverty guidelineWithin the limitlimit $3,141/mo
- Medicaid or CHIP for the childrenChildren 6 to 18, 305% of the guidelineWithin the CHIP limitlimit $6,943/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.
When Massachusetts rent outruns the shelter cap
For a one-person household without an elderly or disabled member, the excess shelter deduction stops at $769 in fiscal year 2027, whatever the rent. In Worcester, the aide's room and the heating allowance come to $2,014; half of her adjusted income is $492, so the uncapped excess would be $1,523, but only $769 counts. Net income ends at $214 and the benefit at $241, below the one-person maximum. With Massachusetts rents, the cap can weigh more than the income limit on what a single worker receives. A household with a member 60 or older or disabled escapes it entirely, which is why the same rent produces larger benefits for retirees; see SNAP deductions.
MassHealth by age
MassHealth reads the CMS levels in steps. Medicaid proper covers babies under one up to 205% of poverty and older children up to 155%; the CHIP level of 300% then lifts every child to 305%, which for a family of three is $6,943 a month. CMS also notes that Massachusetts covers 19 and 20 year olds up to 150% of poverty, roughly $2,061 a month for one person with the disregard, a little above the line of 138% that applies from 21 onward. Parents are covered at the same 138% as other adults, and pregnant women up to 205%, $3,696 a month for two. Above MassHealth, the Massachusetts Health Connector is the state's 2026 exchange; the ACA subsidy calculator estimates the federal credit.
The aide's tax credit
Food aid and MassHealth are monthly; the federal earned income credit arrives once a year with the tax refund. A worker without children who is between 25 and 64 can claim it, and on $18,000 of annual wages the Worcester aide would get about $118 for tax year 2026, where the childless maximum is $664. Her wages are already past the point where that credit starts shrinking, which is why the amount is modest. The EITC calculator covers other incomes and family sizes, and with one qualifying child the maximum would be $4,427.
305% of the 2026 poverty guideline for your household
305% of poverty, per year
$83,326
| Per month | $6,944 |
| Per week | $1,602 |
| 100% guideline (2026) | $27,320 |
351 cities and towns, and an island at the top
HUD lists Massachusetts by municipality. Nantucket holds the state's highest very low income limit for four, $91,050, higher even than Boston and Cambridge at $85,700. Springfield is at $65,750, and Fall River and Attleboro, which HUD attaches to the Providence metro area, share the floor of $56,050. Applicants in Bristol County should therefore check their town rather than assume Boston figures. Neighbors: New Hampshire uses HealthCare.gov, Rhode Island and Connecticut run their own exchanges like Massachusetts.
SNAP rules in Massachusetts, FY 2027
Run by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $914 | $556 | $64 |
MassHealth (Medicaid) and CHIP income limits in Massachusetts
Massachusetts covers adults up to 138% of the poverty guideline under the ACA expansion. CMS note 7: Massachusetts also covers ages 19 and 20 up to 150% of the FPL. Agency: Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) · apply. Marketplace for 2026: Massachusetts Health Connector.
| 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 | $2,488 | $3,141 | $3,795 |
| Pregnant women | 205% | Medicaid | $3,696 | $4,667 | $5,637 |
| Babies under 1 | 305% | CHIP | $5,500 | $6,943 | $8,387 |
| Children 1 to 5 | 305% | CHIP | $5,500 | $6,943 | $8,387 |
| Children 6 to 18 | 305% | CHIP | $5,500 | $6,943 | $8,387 |
Section 8 income limits by county in Massachusetts
HUD sets the limits for each of the 351 counties or towns of Massachusetts (20 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $56,050 (Attleboro city) to $91,050 (Nantucket town).
Abington town, MA: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $60,650 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $36,400 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $60,650 |
| Low income (80%) | $97,000 |
| 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.