South Carolina Medicaid income limits

Last verified: June 2026

Verify current limits with South Carolina Medicaid (Healthy Connections)

Income limits change annually. The federal poverty level figures on this page are for 2025. State-specific limits for South Carolina may differ — confirm current thresholds at https://www.scdhhs.gov.

South Carolina has not expanded Medicaid — income limits are very restrictive for adults

Because SC did not expand Medicaid under the ACA, the income limit for parents and caretaker relatives is 62% of the Federal Poverty Level — one of the lowest thresholds for that category in the Southeast. Adults without children do not qualify at any income level unless they are aged, blind, or disabled.

Healthy Connections income limits by coverage group (effective March 2026)

SCDHHS updates income limits when federal poverty levels change, typically in March each year. The figures below are from the SCDHHS Program Eligibility and Income Limits page, effective March 1, 2026.

Coverage group	FPL %	Monthly limit (family of 1)	Monthly limit (family of 4)
Parents/caretaker relatives	62%	$824.60	$1,705.00
Children — Partners for Healthy Children	208%	$2,766.40	$5,720.00
Pregnant women	194%	$2,580.20	$5,335.00
Aged, Blind, or Disabled (ABD)	100%	$1,330.00	$1,804.00 (family of 2)
Working disabled (with earned income)	250%	$3,325.00	$6,875.00
Nursing facility / HCBS waivers	300% FBR	$2,982.00	Individual program only
Breast and cervical cancer treatment	200%	$2,660.00	$5,500.00

Source: SCDHHS Program Eligibility and Income Limits page, effective March 1, 2026. Figures are monthly household income amounts. Verify current limits at scdhhs.gov or call 1-888-549-0820.

Asset limits for the Aged, Blind, or Disabled category

The ABD coverage group has resource limits in addition to income limits. Effective January 1, 2026, per SCDHHS:

Individual: $9,950 in countable resources
Couple: $14,910 in countable resources
Excluded resources: your primary home, one vehicle, household goods and personal items, burial funds up to certain limits

MAGI-based categories — including children, pregnant women, and parents/caretaker relatives — have no asset test. Savings and vehicles are not counted for these groups.

Parents at 62% FPL: why the limit is so low

South Carolina's 62% FPL threshold for parents and caretaker relatives reflects the state's pre-ACA eligibility rules. When Congress passed the ACA, states could choose to expand to 138% FPL for all adults — South Carolina chose not to. For a family of three in 2026, 62% FPL equates to roughly $1,411.53 per month in gross income, or about $16,938 annually.

A single parent earning above that threshold — even at minimum wage — generally cannot qualify for Healthy Connections unless they fall into another eligibility category. SCDHHS urges people who are unsure of their eligibility to apply anyway, since some situations qualify under categories that aren't obvious on first look.

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.

These are federal guidelines — state limits may differ

South Carolina may set income limits above or below 138% FPL for specific coverage groups. Limits for children, pregnant women, and seniors typically differ from the standard adult limit. Verify current South Carolina-specific thresholds at https://www.scdhhs.gov.

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 South Carolina's long-term care programs are on the seniors and long-term care page. The thresholds change, so verify current figures with South Carolina Medicaid (Healthy Connections) directly.