MN · benefits by state
Minnesota benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
Minnesota is one of two states where adults above the Medicaid line move into a Basic Health Program, MinnesotaCare, instead of going straight to the Marketplace.
Federal and Minnesota 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
- $6,374/mo
- 280% of poverty, Medicaid
- WIC limit, 3 people
- $50,542/yr
- 185% of poverty, to June 30, 2027
- Section 8 very low income, 4 people
- $49,000 to $67,900
- 87 counties or towns, FY 2026
Minnesota adds a rung most states lack: an adult who earns too much for Medical Assistance, the state's Medicaid, can enroll in MinnesotaCare, a Basic Health Program covering incomes up to 205% of the poverty guideline, about $2,726 a month for one person and $4,667 for a family of three in 2026. Medical Assistance itself covers adults up to $1,835 a month for one, babies up to 288% of poverty and pregnant women up to 283%. For food, SNAP is run by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families with a gross test of 200% of poverty, $4,554 a month for three in fiscal year 2027, and no asset limit. Two parents with a baby in St. Cloud earning $3,000 and paying $1,150 in rent would get about $370 a month with the state's heating allowance of $667.
Household income in Minnesota
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP food benefitsFY 2027 amounts; $667 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$527/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsMinnesota: 138% of the poverty guidelineWithin the limitlimit $3,141/mo
- Medicaid or CHIP for the childrenChildren 6 to 18, 280% of the guidelineWithin the Medicaid limitlimit $6,374/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.
MinnesotaCare, between Medical Assistance and MNsure
CMS records Minnesota's adult level as 200% of poverty, with a note that everyone above 133% is covered through the Basic Health Program rather than Medicaid. In dollars for 2026: Medical Assistance up to $1,835 a month for a single adult, MinnesotaCare from there up to $2,726. Only above that line does a Minnesotan shop on MNsure, the state's exchange, with the premium tax credit. Take the St. Cloud parents: at $3,000 a month they are at 132% of poverty and stay on Medical Assistance. If a raise brought them to $3,500, or 154%, they would move to MinnesotaCare, not to the Marketplace. Only New York has a comparable program. On MNsure itself, the 2026 premium tax credit stops at 400% of the 2025 guideline, $62,600 a year for one person and $106,600 for three, so a Minnesota household can move from MinnesotaCare to subsidized coverage and then to full price as its income climbs.
Babies to age two, and pregnancy
A CMS note says Minnesota covers children up to age two at 283% of poverty, 288% with the disregard: $6,556 a month for a family of three. From two to eighteen the line is 280%, $6,374 for the same family. The state has no separate CHIP in the CMS table; the children's coverage is Medical Assistance. Pregnant women qualify up to 283%, which is $5,103 a month for an expectant mother counted as two, far above the national floor.
205% of the 2026 poverty guideline for your household
205% of poverty, per year
$56,006
| Per month | $4,667 |
| Per week | $1,077 |
| 100% guideline (2026) | $27,320 |
SNAP moved to a new department
Since the creation of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, food support in Minnesota is administered there and not by the Department of Human Services, which keeps Medical Assistance (DCYF SNAP page). Applications go through MNbenefits. The St. Cloud budget: wages of $3,000, minus $600 for earnings and $217 standard; rent plus the heating allowance of $667 is $1,817, producing a shelter deduction of $726; net income $1,458, benefit $370. The SNAP calculator handles other cases.
Rochester above the Twin Cities
HUD puts Olmsted and Dodge counties, the Rochester area, at the top of Minnesota with a very low income limit for four of $67,900. Hennepin and Ramsey counties are at $65,750, Stearns County at $53,550 and St. Louis County, around Duluth, at $50,550; the lowest counties, such as Aitkin, are at $49,000. For neighbors, see Wisconsin and Iowa.
SNAP rules in Minnesota, FY 2027
Run by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $667 | none | $62 |
Medical Assistance (Medicaid) and CHIP income limits in Minnesota
Minnesota covers adults up to 138% of the poverty guideline under the ACA expansion. Adults above Medicaid and up to 205% are covered by the Basic Health Program. CMS notes 10 and 11: Minnesota covers children up to age 2 to 283% of the FPL; adults above 133% and up to 200% are covered through the Basic Health Program (MinnesotaCare). Agency: Minnesota Department of Human Services · apply. Marketplace for 2026: MNsure.
| 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 | 283% | Medicaid | $5,103 | $6,442 | $7,782 |
| Babies under 1 | 288% | Medicaid | $5,193 | $6,556 | $7,920 |
| Children 1 to 5 | 280% | Medicaid | $5,049 | $6,374 | $7,700 |
| Children 6 to 18 | 280% | Medicaid | $5,049 | $6,374 | $7,700 |
Section 8 income limits by county in Minnesota
HUD sets the limits for each of the 87 counties or towns of Minnesota (73 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $49,000 (Aitkin County) to $67,900 (Dodge County).
Aitkin County, MN: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $44,100 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $27,320 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $44,100 |
| Low income (80%) | $70,600 |
| 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.