North Dakota Medicaid income limits

Last verified: June 2026

North Dakota Medicaid income limits by coverage group (2026)

Source: ND HHS Medicaid eligibility page and CHIP page (hhs.nd.gov/healthcare/medicaid/eligibility and hhs.nd.gov/healthcare/chip); income levels effective April 1, 2026. The unborn child counts as a family member for pregnant women's income calculation.

No asset test for most North Dakota Medicaid groups

MAGI-based Medicaid — which covers expansion adults, children, pregnant women, and parents — does not use an asset test. Savings accounts, vehicles, and home equity are not counted. Only the aged, blind, and disabled group has a financial asset review.

For ABD coverage, the asset limit is $3,000 for a single person and $6,000 for a couple. Excluded assets include the person's home, one vehicle, household furnishings, irrevocable burial plans, and certain personal items. The long-term care asset limit is the same — $3,000 for a single applicant — with an additional spousal protection amount for married couples.

Client share for people over the income limit

North Dakota operates a "client share" option for people in certain groups (aged/blind/disabled, children, pregnant women, and parents) whose income exceeds the standard Medicaid limit but who have high medical bills. Client share works like a monthly deductible — the applicant must pay a calculated share amount toward their medical bills before Medicaid pays.

The client share amount equals the household's monthly gross countable income minus allowable deductions and minus the applicable income limit. This approach allows people with significant medical needs to access Medicaid even if their income is above the standard threshold. Contact ND HHS at 1-800-755-2604 to determine if client share may apply to your situation.

How Medicaid income limits work

Medicaid eligibility is tied to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), a measure the Department of Health and Human Services updates each January. States set their income limits as a percentage of FPL — so when FPL increases, the dollar thresholds for Medicaid also shift.

The Affordable Care Act established a standard income methodology called Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) for most Medicaid applicants. Under MAGI, the agency counts wages, salaries, self-employment income, Social Security benefits, and most other taxable income. Assets — a savings account, vehicle, home — are not counted for MAGI-based programs. That changed with the ACA and applies in all states.

States that expanded Medicaid under the ACA cover most adults at or below 138% FPL. In non-expansion states, income limits for adults without dependent children are far lower — sometimes as low as a few hundred dollars per month — or eligibility for that category simply doesn't exist.

What counts as income under MAGI

MAGI (Modified Adjusted Gross Income) is the income standard for most Medicaid applicants — children, adults under 65, pregnant women, and parents. It includes wages, salary, tips, self-employment income, unemployment benefits, Social Security retirement and disability benefits (SSDI), and most other taxable income.

It does not count child support received, gifts, loans, inheritances that are not generating income, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. One key MAGI rule: the ACA added a 5% FPL income disregard for most adults, which effectively raises the usable threshold by that amount. So a state with a 133% FPL limit effectively covers adults to about 138% FPL after the disregard.

Assets — a bank account, car, or home — are not counted for MAGI-based programs. That's a major difference from old-law Medicaid, where asset tests were common. If you previously didn't qualify because of assets, your eligibility may have changed after the ACA.

Asset limits and long-term care Medicaid

MAGI-based programs have no asset test. But Medicaid programs that cover long-term care — nursing home care, home and community-based services for seniors — use the old income and asset methodology, which does include asset limits.

Asset limits for long-term care Medicaid vary by state and are updated periodically. Generally, countable assets above the limit must be spent down before an applicant qualifies. Exempt assets — the primary home (in most circumstances), one vehicle, and certain personal property — are not counted.

Specific asset limits for North Dakota's long-term care programs are on the seniors and long-term care page. The thresholds change, so verify current figures with North Dakota Medicaid directly.