--- title: "Florida Medicaid Asset Limits 2026: $2,000 & Spouse Rules" url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/florida/medicaid-asset-limits/ description: "Florida long-term care Medicaid in 2026: $2,000 asset limit ($3,000 couple), $2,982/month income cap, spousal protection up to $162,660 and what's exempt." last_updated: 2026-10-20 author: George A. Mellendorf, CLTC, LTCP (Central States Insurance Services, Inc.) publisher: Funding LTC Marketplace note: Educational content; not legal, tax or financial advice. Markdown copy of the HTML page at the URL above. --- Florida · Financial Eligibility # Florida Medicaid Asset Limits Last updated 2026-10-20 **Quick answer:** In 2026, Florida's Medicaid asset limit for long-term care is $2,000 for a single applicant, or $3,000 if both spouses are applying. Florida is an income-cap state: if gross income is over $2,982 a month, a Qualified Income Trust is the route to eligibility. ## At a glance (2026) - Asset limit, single applicant: $2,000 - Asset limit, couple (both applying): $3,000 - Income cap, individual (300% of SSI): $2,982/month - Most the at-home spouse can keep (CSRA): $162,660 - Home equity limit: $752,000 - Burial fund exclusion: $2,500 per person ## Florida's asset and income rules in detail A single Florida applicant for the Institutional Care Program, home and community-based waivers, PACE, or hospice has to bring countable assets down to $2,000 or less; a couple where both spouses need coverage has a $3,000 ceiling. There's a higher runway — $5,000 for an individual or $6,000 for a couple — for applicants whose income falls under the MEDS-AD limit, per the DCF ESS Manual, Chapter 1600, Section 1640.0205. A separate program for working people with disabilities under the HCBS umbrella allows $13,000 for one person or $24,000 for a couple, and it doesn't count IRS-recognized retirement accounts against that ceiling. Florida is what's called an income-cap state: once gross monthly income crosses 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate, an applicant is disqualified outright, full stop — there's no spending your way under the line like in many spend-down states. For 2026 that cap lands at $2,982 a month for an individual and $5,964 for a couple, derived from the year's $994 SSI Federal Benefit Rate (DCF Appendix A-9; Social Security Administration, SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026). Anyone over that threshold typically qualifies anyway by funneling the excess into a Qualified Income Trust — but the trust has to be set up and funded before the income arrives, since it can't be backdated (DCF Appendix A-22.1). This is a number worth double-checking every time you use it: the cap climbed from $2,901 a month in 2025 to $2,982 in 2026 on January 1. Always confirm the live DCF Appendix A-9 figure rather than trusting a secondhand source. When one spouse moves into a facility and the other stays home, Florida lets the at-home spouse keep a protected slice of the couple's combined countable assets — the Community Spouse Resource Allowance — capped at $162,660 for 2026 (DCF Appendix A-9). Florida treats this allowance as one flat ceiling rather than splitting the couple's assets in half first, a method elder-law professionals sometimes call a "100% state" approach (DCF ESS Manual Ch. 1600, §1640.0205). The community spouse may also draw on some of the institutionalized spouse's income if their own falls short of the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance, which is $2,705 a month starting July 1, 2026, plus up to $812 a month in excess shelter costs, for a combined ceiling of $4,067 (DCF Appendix A-9). Certain things simply don't count against an applicant. The homestead is fully excluded as a countable asset if it's the person's main residence, no matter its value, though the home-equity rule below still applies (DCF ESS Manual Ch. 1600, §1640.0534). One vehicle is entirely excluded, and DCF will apply that exclusion to whichever car helps the applicant the most (§1640.0591). Burial funds set aside separately are excluded up to $2,500 per person, along with burial plots and prepaid irrevocable funeral contracts (§1640.0514). Florida adds a wrinkle most states skip: even though the homestead itself doesn't count as an asset, anyone applying for ICP, HCBS waivers, or institutional hospice with home equity above $752,000 in 2026 is disqualified from long-term care services — unless a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child is living there. DCF is direct about this being a separate gate layered on top of the asset exclusion, not an asset test itself (DCF ESS Manual Ch. 1600, §1640.0307.04). Families facing genuine hardship can request a waiver backed by physician documentation. ## Example Frank, 79, of Sarasota needs nursing home care. His wife, Linda, will stay in their home. Together they have $180,000 in savings, plus the house and one car. The house and car aren't counted. Linda can keep up to $162,660 of the savings, and Frank can keep $2,000. The remaining $15,340 would have to be spent down on allowed costs, such as care or home repairs, before Frank qualifies. Frank's income is $3,100 a month, which is over the $2,982 cap, so he would also need a Qualified Income Trust set up and funded before the month he wants coverage to begin. Illustrative example; names and figures are hypothetical. ## Common mistakes - Assuming income over $2,982 can be "spent down." Florida is an income-cap state; a Qualified Income Trust is the route. - Setting up a Qualified Income Trust after the income arrives. It can't be backdated. - Treating the house as safe when equity is over $752,000 and no spouse or qualifying child lives there. - Giving savings to children to get under the limit. Gifts within 60 months can cause a penalty period. ## Questions and answers ### What is the Florida Medicaid asset limit for nursing home care in 2026? $2,000 for a single applicant and $3,000 for a couple when both apply. An at-home spouse can keep up to $162,660. ### Does my house count toward Florida's asset limit? Your homestead isn't a countable asset if it's your main residence. But if your home equity is over $752,000 in 2026 and no spouse, child under 21, or blind or disabled child lives there, you can't get long-term care Medicaid. ### What if my income is over $2,982 a month? You can still qualify by setting up a Qualified Income Trust and depositing the excess income. It must be set up and funded before the month you need coverage. ### Is a car counted? One vehicle is fully excluded. DCF applies the exclusion to the vehicle that's most helpful to the applicant. ## Sources - Florida DCF, [ESS Program Policy Manual (Chapter 1600 and Appendix A-9)](https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance/additional-resources-and-services/ess-program-manual/) - CMS, [2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards (including the home equity limit)](https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/cib04272026.pdf) - Social Security Administration, [SSI Federal Payment Amounts](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSI.html) - U.S. Code, [42 U.S.C. § 1396p (transfers of assets and income trusts)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1396p) [← Back to the full Florida guide](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/florida/)