Glossary
Federal poverty level (FPL)
The HHS income guideline that most benefit programs use as their yardstick.
The federal poverty level (officially the HHS poverty guidelines) is a set of annual income amounts by household size, updated each January. For 2026 it is $15,960 for one person and $33,000 for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states.
Programs define eligibility as a percentage of FPL: Medicaid expansion at 138%, WIC at 185%, free school meals at 130%, Medicare Savings Programs at 100–135%.