WI · benefits by state
Wisconsin benefits: SNAP, Medicaid, ACA, WIC and Section 8
Wisconsin did not take the ACA expansion, yet it covers adults up to the poverty line through BadgerCare Plus, and its FoodShare utility allowance is among the highest.
Federal and Wisconsin 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
- $1,330/mo
- 100% of poverty
- Children, family of 3
- $6,966/mo
- 306% of poverty, CHIP
- WIC limit, 3 people
- $50,542/yr
- 185% of poverty, to June 30, 2027
- Section 8 very low income, 4 people
- $48,000 to $67,650
- 72 counties or towns, FY 2026
Wisconsin calls SNAP FoodShare and Medicaid BadgerCare Plus, both run by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. FoodShare tests gross income at 200% of the poverty guideline, $4,554 a month for three people in fiscal year 2027, with no asset test, and its heating and cooling allowance of $870 is one of the largest in the USDA table, which pushes the shelter deduction up. A retired Milwaukee couple living on $2,150 of Social Security with $900 in rent would receive about $261 a month. On health, Wisconsin is an exception among the non-expansion states: a waiver lets BadgerCare Plus cover adults without children up to 100% of the poverty guideline, about $1,330 a month for one person, while children are covered much higher, up to 306% for school-age children in a family of three.
Household income in Wisconsin
105% of poverty
$28,800 a year against the 2026 guideline of $27,320 for 3 people
- SNAP (FoodShare)FY 2027 amounts; $870 utility allowance usedLikely eligible$527/mo
- Medicaid for the parentsWisconsin: 100% of the poverty guidelineAbove the limitlimit $2,276/mo
- Medicaid or CHIP for the childrenChildren 6 to 18, 306% of the guidelineWithin the CHIP limitlimit $6,966/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.
BadgerCare Plus stops at the poverty line, not at 138%
The CMS table lists Wisconsin as a state that did not adopt the ACA expansion, with a footnote: a section 1115 demonstration covers adults up to 95% of the poverty guideline, 100% once the 5% disregard is added (CMS eligibility levels). A single cashier in Green Bay earning $1,250 a month sits at 94% of the 2026 guideline: inside BadgerCare Plus. The limit for one adult is about $1,330 a month. Just above it, the Marketplace takes over: the 2026 premium tax credit starts at 100% of the 2025 guideline, $15,650 a year, so in Wisconsin there is no coverage gap of the kind found in the other non-expansion states. Parents and caretakers have the same 100% line.
Babies and pregnancy: three times the poverty line
Babies under one and pregnant women are covered up to 306% and 306% of the guideline, about $6,966 a month for a family of three and $5,518 for a pregnant woman expecting one baby. School-age children in Medicaid stop lower, but a separate CHIP covers ages 1 up to 19 to 306%, so a family of three with $5,000 a month still has the children covered. The mini-calculator turns the CHIP line into dollars for any family size.
306% of the 2026 poverty guideline for your household
306% of poverty, per year
$83,599
| Per month | $6,967 |
| Per week | $1,608 |
| 100% guideline (2026) | $27,320 |
A FoodShare budget for an older couple
Households with a member 60 or older skip the gross income test, keep the whole shelter deduction without the $769 cap and can deduct medical costs above $35 a month. For the Milwaukee couple: $2,150 of Social Security, minus the $217 standard deduction and $85 of medical costs, leaves $1,848. Rent plus the $870 heating allowance makes $1,770, and the part above half of the remaining income, $846, comes off as well. Net income $1,002, 30% of it $301, and the couple's estimate is $261 of the $562 maximum. Without the heating allowance the result would be much lower, which is why Wisconsin's large allowance matters to retirees on fixed incomes. More on these rules in SNAP for seniors.
Madison and Milwaukee limits for Section 8
HUD's FY 2026 file gives Dane County, around Madison, the highest very low income limit in Wisconsin, $67,650 for a family of four, against $54,200 in Milwaukee County and $48,000 in the lowest rural counties. The county lookup below has all 72 entries. Marketplace coverage in Wisconsin goes through HealthCare.gov for 2026.
Next door, Minnesota adds a Basic Health Program above Medicaid, Illinois took the ACA expansion and Michigan covers adults to 138% under the expansion.
FoodShare (SNAP) rules in Wisconsin, FY 2027
Run by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | $870 | $436 | $106 |
BadgerCare Plus (Medicaid) and CHIP income limits in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has not adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion. CMS note 9: Wisconsin did not adopt the ACA expansion; a section 1115 demonstration covers adults up to 95% of the FPL (100% with the 5% disregard). Agency: Wisconsin Department of Health Services · 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 | 100% | Medicaid | $1,330 | $2,276 | $2,750 |
| Parents and caretakers | 100% | Medicaid | $1,803 | $2,276 | $2,750 |
| Pregnant women | 306% | Medicaid | $5,518 | $6,966 | $8,415 |
| Babies under 1 | 306% | Medicaid | $5,518 | $6,966 | $8,415 |
| Children 1 to 5 | 306% | CHIP | $5,518 | $6,966 | $8,415 |
| Children 6 to 18 | 306% | CHIP | $5,518 | $6,966 | $8,415 |
Section 8 income limits by county in Wisconsin
HUD sets the limits for each of the 72 counties or towns of Wisconsin (65 HUD areas). For a family of four, the very low income limit that opens a Housing Choice Voucher ranges from $48,000 (Adams County) to $67,650 (Dane County).
Adams County, WI: FY 2026 income limits
Within the voucher limit
Very low income limit for 3: $43,200 a year
| Extremely low income (ELI), 3 people | $27,320 |
| Very low income (50%), the voucher limit | $43,200 |
| Low income (80%) | $69,150 |
| 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.