Illinois Medicaid Asset Limits

Quick answer: Illinois agencies publish two different 2026 asset limits: HFS lists $2,000 for a single applicant ($3,000 for a married applicant), while the Department on Aging lists $17,500 for long-term care. Confirm which figure applies to you with a caseworker before you apply.

This is where Illinois gets genuinely confusing, and families deserve to know it upfront rather than discover it mid-application. HFS's general Medical Benefits page states that a single applicant may qualify with countable assets of $2,000 or less, and a married applicant with assets combined with a spouse may qualify at $3,000 or less.

But the Illinois Department on Aging's 2026 Medicaid income-and-resource chart lists a very different figure — $17,500 — for AABD Medical/long-term-care resources, and the Department on Aging's Community Care Program page repeats that same $17,500 non-exempt asset threshold.

These are two different state agencies publishing two different numbers for what sounds like the same eligibility question. Anyone applying should confirm which figure actually applies to their situation with a caseworker or against IDHS WAG 25-03-02 before assuming either number is correct.