Alabama Long-Term Care Planning

Quick answer: Alabama's 2026 limits for institutional Medicaid are $2,982 a month in income and $2,000 in resources, with a 60-month look-back. Income over the cap must go into a qualifying income trust, and eligibility can start no earlier than the month income is deposited into it.

For a single applicant seeking institutional Medicaid, Alabama's published 2026 figures are $2,982 per month in income and $2,000 in resources. The Agency's QIT packet makes the stakes plain: income funneled into a valid qualifying income trust can be disregarded for eligibility purposes, but without that step, an applicant whose income exceeds the cap simply won't qualify.

That packet spells out several specific requirements — the trust can hold only the applicant's own income, must be irrevocable, and must include an Alabama Medicaid payback provision. Crucially, the earliest possible month of eligibility is the same month income actually goes into the QIT account, which makes the timing of signing, opening the account, funding it, and documenting the deposit far more than a clerical detail.

Layered on top of the income-cap issue is Alabama's probate-only recovery framework and the standard five-year transfer review — meaning a home-title change can shift the probate picture even as a completed transfer remains reviewable for a full 60 months. The Agency's application guidance specifically asks applicants to bring documentation of deeds, trusts, annuities, and loans covering that look-back period.