TX · benefits by state
Texas benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
One of the 10 states without the Medicaid expansion, and one of the few that still tests SNAP savings.
Federal and Texas 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
- $3,757/mo
- 165% of poverty (BBCE)
- Medicaid, single adult
- not expanded
- no adult group
- Children, family of 3
- $4,689/mo
- 206% of poverty, CHIP
- WIC limit, 3 people
- $50,542/yr
- 185% of poverty, to June 30, 2027
- Section 8 very low income, 4 people
- $41,850 to $69,850
- 254 counties or towns, FY 2026
In Texas, a household of three can have up to $3,757 of gross monthly income and still qualify for SNAP in fiscal year 2027, because the state applies a gross test of 165% of the poverty guideline instead of the federal $2,960. Unlike most states using that option, Texas keeps an asset limit of $5,000, with one vehicle excluded up to a set value. A mother of two in Houston earning $2,600 a month and paying $1,250 in rent with an electric bill would receive about $478 a month, using the Texas utility allowance of $445. Health coverage is narrower: Texas has not expanded Medicaid, so a working parent of two qualifies only below $387 a month and adults without children do not qualify at all, while the children are covered by Medicaid or CHIP up to $4,689 a month for that family.
Household income in Texas
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP food benefitsFY 2027 amounts; $445 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$505/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsTexas: 17% of the poverty guidelineAbove the limitlimit $387/mo
- Medicaid or CHIP for the childrenChildren 6 to 18, 206% of the guidelineWithin the CHIP limitlimit $4,689/mo
- Marketplace premium tax creditAmount depends on the benchmark premium where you liveIn the 100% to 400% window108% 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.
The Texas asset test, in practice
Broad-based categorical eligibility lets Texas test gross income at 165% of poverty, but the program that confers it in Texas carries its own resource rule: asset limit of $5,000 (excludes 1 vehicle up to $22,000 & includes excess vehicle value) (USDA chart of June 2026). For the Houston family above, $6,000 in a savings account would not change the income math, yet it would take the household out of the 165% route and back to the federal tests, where the asset limit is $3,000: the estimate drops to $0. Because one vehicle is excluded up to the set value and only the excess counts, the test bites mostly on cash in the bank and second cars.
Why a Texas parent can earn too much for Medicaid on a part-time wage
Texas covers parents and caretaker relatives through a dollar standard that CMS converts to 12% of the poverty guideline, 17% with the disregard. For a family of three that is about $387 a month, roughly what 53 hours at the federal minimum wage pays. Above it, the parents fall into the Marketplace, where help starts at 100% of the 2025 poverty guideline ($26,650 a year for three). Between those two lines there is a band where neither applies: an adult without children earning $900 a month in Texas has no Medicaid group and is below the subsidy floor. Pregnancy changes the picture: Medicaid for pregnant women reaches 203% of poverty, $3,660 a month for a woman expecting one baby.
206% of the 2026 poverty guideline for your household
206% of poverty, per year
$56,279
| Per month | $4,690 |
| Per week | $1,082 |
| 100% guideline (2026) | $27,320 |
Children: Medicaid first, then CHIP
School-age children are on Medicaid up to 201%, and above that on the Texas CHIP up to 206% of poverty, $4,689 a month for a family of three in 2026. Babies under one qualify for Medicaid up to 206%. The mini-calculator above turns the CHIP line into dollars for any family size.
Where Texas housing limits differ
HUD splits Texas into 215 areas over 254 counties. The very low income limit for four, which opens a Housing Choice Voucher, reaches $69,850 in Kendall County and falls to $41,850 in Anderson County. The county lookup further down this page gives every limit for one to eight people; waiting lists are run by each local housing authority.
Other programs follow the federal rules in Texas: the EITC (Texas has no state income tax, so no state version), WIC at 185% of poverty, and SSI. To compare with a neighbor that took the other road on Medicaid, see New Mexico.
SNAP rules in Texas, FY 2027
Run by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission · apply online. All households: gross income up to 165% of the poverty guideline, assets up to $5,000.
| Household | Gross income limit | Net income limit | Maximum benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,195 | $1,330 | $306 |
| 2 | $2,976 | $1,804 | $562 |
| 3 | $3,757 | $2,277 | $808 |
| 4 | $4,538 | $2,750 | $1,023 |
| 5 | $5,319 | $3,224 | $1,217 |
| 6 | $6,100 | $3,697 | $1,463 |
| 7 | $6,881 | $4,170 | $1,616 |
| 8 | $7,662 | $4,644 | $1,841 |
| Allowance area | Heating or cooling (HCSUA) | Other utilities (LUA) | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $445 | $400 | $62 |
Medicaid and CHIP income limits in Texas
Texas has not adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion. Children's coverage above Medicaid is called CHIP. Agency: Texas Health and Human Services Commission · 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 | not covered | – | – | – | – |
| Parents and caretakers | 17% | Medicaid | $306 | $387 | $467 |
| Pregnant women | 203% | Medicaid | $3,660 | $4,621 | $5,582 |
| Babies under 1 | 206% | CHIP | $3,714 | $4,689 | $5,665 |
| Children 1 to 5 | 206% | CHIP | $3,714 | $4,689 | $5,665 |
| Children 6 to 18 | 206% | CHIP | $3,714 | $4,689 | $5,665 |
Section 8 income limits by county in Texas
HUD sets the limits for each of the 254 counties or towns of Texas (215 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $41,850 (Anderson County) to $69,850 (Kendall County).
Anderson County, TX: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $37,700 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $27,320 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $37,700 |
| Low income (80%) | $60,300 |
| 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.