MT · benefits by state
Montana benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
In Montana, who pays the heating bill can move a working family's food benefit by $149 a month.
Federal and Montana 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
- $6,055/mo
- 266% of poverty, CHIP
- WIC limit, 3 people
- $50,542/yr
- 185% of poverty, to June 30, 2027
- Section 8 very low income, 4 people
- $45,500 to $65,100
- 56 counties or towns, FY 2026
Montana families of four can have up to $5,500 of gross monthly income and still receive SNAP in fiscal year 2027, under broad-based categorical eligibility at 200% of the poverty guideline and with no asset limit. The detail that matters most is the gap between the state's two utility allowances: $799 a month for a household that pays for heating or cooling, $267 for one that pays only other utilities. Two parents in Billings with two children, $3,400 of wages and $1,250 of rent, would get about $506 a month if the gas bill is in their name and $357 if heat is included in the rent. Montana Medicaid covers adults under the expansion up to $1,835 a month for one, so these parents qualify, and Healthy Montana Kids covers children up to 266% of poverty, $7,315 a month for four.
Household income in Montana
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP food benefitsFY 2027 amounts; $799 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$527/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsMontana: 138% of the poverty guidelineWithin the limitlimit $3,141/mo
- Medicaid or CHIP for the childrenChildren 6 to 18, 266% of the guidelineWithin the CHIP limitlimit $6,055/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.
Heat in your name, or in the rent
The USDA table gives Montana a heating and cooling allowance of $799 and a limited allowance of $267, a difference of $532 a month in the shelter costs SNAP counts (USDA SUA table). For the Billings family the larger figure brings shelter costs to $2,049 and the deduction to $769, the federal cap; net income is $1,722 and the allotment $506. With heat included in the rent, the same family counts $1,517, deducts $272 and receives $357. A lease or a utility bill showing who pays for heat is the document that settles it. Propane or heating oil bought by the household is a heating cost as well.
Healthy Montana Kids above Medicaid
Montana's children are on Medicaid up to 148% of poverty and on Healthy Montana Kids, the state's CHIP, from there up to 266%. For the Billings family that is $7,315 a month, so the children are covered. The parents, at 124% of poverty, fit under the expansion line of 138%. Pregnant women have a lower line than in many states, 162%, or $2,921 a month for two. Above Medicaid, Montanans buy coverage on HealthCare.gov with the premium tax credit. Federal work requirements for expansion adults begin on January 1, 2027.
If the younger Billings child is under five, WIC is open to that child too: the family's $40,800 a year is under the WIC line of $61,050 for four, valid until June 30, 2027. A household already enrolled in SNAP or Montana Medicaid meets the WIC income test automatically, whatever its income; enrollment in Healthy Montana Kids, a CHIP program, is not on the federal list, so families in that band should bring pay stubs. See the WIC income guidelines.
266% of the 2026 poverty guideline for your household
266% of poverty, per year
$72,671
| Per month | $6,056 |
| Per week | $1,398 |
| 100% guideline (2026) | $27,320 |
Bozeman, Helena and a small eastern county
HUD treats nearly every Montana county as its own area. Gallatin County, around Bozeman, has the highest very low income limit for four, $65,100. Next comes an unusual entry: Fallon County, a small county on the eastern border, at $59,900, ahead of Lewis and Clark County and Helena at $58,850. Missoula County is at $54,150, Yellowstone County at $53,400, and the lowest counties at $45,500. HUD starts from each area's median family income, so a small county with high local earnings can rank above a state capital. Neighbors: Wyoming and South Dakota did not expand Medicaid; Idaho and North Dakota did.
SNAP rules in Montana, FY 2027
Run by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | $799 | $267 | $34 |
Montana Medicaid (Medicaid) and CHIP income limits in Montana
Montana covers adults up to 138% of the poverty guideline under the ACA expansion. Children's coverage above Medicaid is called Healthy Montana Kids. Agency: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. 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 | 162% | Medicaid | $2,921 | $3,688 | $4,455 |
| Babies under 1 | 266% | CHIP | $4,796 | $6,055 | $7,315 |
| Children 1 to 5 | 266% | CHIP | $4,796 | $6,055 | $7,315 |
| Children 6 to 18 | 266% | CHIP | $4,796 | $6,055 | $7,315 |
Section 8 income limits by county in Montana
HUD sets the limits for each of the 56 counties or towns of Montana (55 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $45,500 (Beaverhead County) to $65,100 (Gallatin County).
Beaverhead County, MT: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $40,950 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $27,320 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $40,950 |
| Low income (80%) | $65,550 |
| 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.