MO · benefits by state
Missouri benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
Missouri pairs one of the strictest SNAP setups in the country with an expanded Medicaid program, so the same household can pass one test and fail the other.
Federal and Missouri 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
- $2,960/mo
- 130% of poverty
- 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
- $38,750 to $58,150
- 116 counties or towns, FY 2026
Missouri is one of the few states that expanded Medicaid but kept the federal SNAP tests without broad-based categorical eligibility. For food assistance, a single adult must have gross income under $1,729 a month, net income under $1,330 and countable savings under $3,000 in fiscal year 2027. A warehouse worker in Springfield earning $1,400 with $750 rent would receive about $265 a month with $2,800 in the bank, using the Missouri heating allowance of $509; with $3,200 saved she would get nothing. MO HealthNet, the state's Medicaid, has no savings test for her group and covers adults 19 to 64 up to $1,835 a month, so she qualifies either way. Children are covered up to 305% of poverty and pregnant women up to 305%.
Household income in Missouri
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP food benefitsFY 2027 amounts; $509 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$524/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsMissouri: 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.
A strict SNAP and a broad Medicaid
The USDA chart of broad-based categorical eligibility does not list Missouri, which means the Family Support Division applies the federal SNAP tests as written: gross income at 130% of poverty, net income at 100%, and a resource limit of $3,000, or $4,750 with a member 60 or older or disabled. Medicaid works the other way. The CMS table shows Missouri with the expansion group at 133% of poverty, 138% with the disregard, and MAGI coverage has no asset test. A Missourian who saves a few thousand dollars can therefore lose food assistance while keeping MO HealthNet.
The Springfield worker, line by line
Her $1,400 passes the gross test of $1,729. After the earned income deduction of $280 and the standard deduction of $217, rent and the heating allowance ($1,259 together) exceed half of what remains by more than the cap, so the shelter deduction is the maximum $769. Net income is $134, far under the net limit, and the benefit $265. Everything then hinges on the bank balance: $2,800 passes, $3,200 fails, and the case is denied for resources. Federal rules leave out the home and most retirement accounts, so the test reaches cash and bank balances above all.
MO HealthNet for adults, pregnant women and children
At $1,400 a month the same worker is at 105% of the 2026 poverty guideline, below the expansion line, and qualifies through the adult group. Parents use the same line, since Missouri's own parent standard in the CMS table, 15% as a dollar standard, is far lower. Pregnant women are on Medicaid up to 201% and, through a CHIP level listed by CMS, up to 305%: $5,500 a month for two. Children are on Medicaid or CHIP up to 305%, $6,943 a month for three. From January 1, 2027, federal law requires most expansion adults aged 19 to 64 to show 80 hours a month of work or activity; see Medicaid work requirements.
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 |
Columbia leads the HUD table
Boone County, the Columbia area, has Missouri's highest very low income limit for four, $58,150, a little above St. Louis city and county at $56,750 and Jackson County, Kansas City's side of the line, at $56,700. Cole County around Jefferson City stands at $52,750, Greene County at $45,700. Compare with Kansas, which also skips categorical eligibility, Illinois and Arkansas.
SNAP rules in Missouri, FY 2027
Run by the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division · apply online. Missouri does not use broad-based categorical eligibility: the federal tests apply (gross income at 130% of the poverty guideline, net income at 100%, assets up to $3,000, or $4,750 with a member 60+ or disabled).
| Household | Gross income limit | Net income limit | Maximum benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,729 | $1,330 | $306 |
| 2 | $2,345 | $1,804 | $562 |
| 3 | $2,960 | $2,277 | $808 |
| 4 | $3,575 | $2,750 | $1,023 |
| 5 | $4,191 | $3,224 | $1,217 |
| 6 | $4,806 | $3,697 | $1,463 |
| 7 | $5,421 | $4,170 | $1,616 |
| 8 | $6,037 | $4,644 | $1,841 |
| Allowance area | Heating or cooling (HCSUA) | Other utilities (LUA) | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | $509 | $373 | $81 |
MO HealthNet (Medicaid) and CHIP income limits in Missouri
Missouri covers adults up to 138% of the poverty guideline under the ACA expansion. Agency: Missouri Department of Social Services, MO HealthNet Division · 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 | 305% | CHIP | $5,500 | $6,943 | $8,387 |
| 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 Missouri
HUD sets the limits for each of the 116 counties or towns of Missouri (95 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $38,750 (Atchison County) to $58,150 (Boone County).
Adair County, MO: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $37,800 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $27,320 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $37,800 |
| Low income (80%) | $60,500 |
| 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.