North Carolina Benefits Calculator: SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and Other Income Limits (2026–27)

North Carolina income limits at a glance

Income is before taxes. Each program counts income its own way (some take off deductions first), so a household just over a limit here can still qualify: the calculator works it out properly.

Sources: SNAP – Fiscal Year 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustments (memo and tables, signed August 21, 2026) (USDA Food and Nutrition Administration (formerly Food and Nutrition Service)); 7 CFR 273.9 Income and deductions (eCFR up to date as of 2026-10-29) (eCFR / National Archives (USDA rule)); 7 CFR 273.10 Determining household eligibility and benefit levels (eCFR 2026-10-29) (eCFR / National Archives (USDA rule)); 7 CFR 273.8 Resource eligibility standards (eCFR 2026-10-29) (eCFR / National Archives (USDA rule)); Public Law 119-21 (the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"), 4 July 2025, Title I Subtitle A "Nutrition", sections 10101-10108 (139 Stat. 81-85) (U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)); FNS 220 Categorical Eligibility (Food and Nutrition Services Certification Manual, Change #04-2026, October 01, 2026) (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Child and Family Well-Being); FNS 360 Determining Benefit Levels (Attachment 3 to Change Notice FNS-CN-04-2026, Change #04-2026, October 01, 2026) (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Child and Family Well-Being); Apply for Food and Nutrition Services (Food Stamps) | NCDHHS (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)); MACStats Exhibit 35. Medicaid and CHIP Income Eligibility Levels as a Percentage of the Federal Poverty Level for Children and Pregnant Women by State, July 2025 (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a federal agency); MACStats Exhibit 36. Medicaid Income Eligibility Levels as a Percentage of the Federal Poverty Level for Non-Aged, Non-Disabled, Non-Pregnant Adults by State, July 2025 (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a federal agency); North Carolina Expands Medicaid (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); NC Medicaid Eligibility (last modified 09/17/2026) (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); NC Medicaid Eligibility (last modified 09/17/2026) (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); Work and community engagement requirement (last modified 10/13/2026) (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals, interim final rule with comment period, 91 FR 33348 (3 June 2026), CMS-2454-IFC, RIN 0938-AV98, effective 31 July 2026 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services via the Federal Register (read as the govinfo.gov PDF)); Public Law 119-21 (4 July 2025; 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'; CMS now calls it the 'Working Families Tax Cut' legislation), Title VII Subtitle B Chapter 1 sections 71101-71121 (Medicaid) and 71201, 71301-71303 (U.S. Congress via the Government Publishing Office); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): 2026/2027 Income Eligibility Guidelines (91 FR 23050-23052, FR Doc. 2026-08323, 29 Apr 2026) (USDA Food and Nutrition Service (Federal Register notice)); The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Report (Economic Information Bulletin 304, June 2026) (USDA Economic Research Service); Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines (91 FR 17932-17935, FR Doc. 2026-06842, 9 Apr 2026) (USDA Food and Nutrition Service (Federal Register notice)); Do I Qualify? (Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program: Federal Poverty Level, State Median Income, & Parental Fees, Effective July 01, 2025) (North Carolina DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE)); Financial Assistance (How the program works, county funding and priorities) (NC DCDEE). Checked October 31, 2026.

Download every state's limits (CSV, opens in Excel) Every state and DC, households of 1 to 8 people: each program's monthly income limit and the most TANF pays, as the state pages show them, with the period each figure is for.

Where the cliffs are for a North Carolina family

• $4,555 a month: SNAP ends or drops, and the family has $149 less a month than just below it.
• $4,919 a month: WIC, Lifeline end or drop, and the family has $73 less a month than just below it.

Worked out by this site's calculator with North Carolina's rules as of November 1, 2026. Money left means pay, and benefits counted as money, after federal taxes, the child care bill and health insurance premiums. Your own household will differ: put it in the calculator above.

Each program in North Carolina

Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) (SNAP)

North Carolina lets every household with gross income up to 200% of the poverty line (no limit on savings) apply (broad-based categorical eligibility). The amount still depends on income after deductions. A household that pays for heating or cooling counts a standard utility allowance of $659 a month (one person) to $944 (5 or more people) with its rent. Where to apply.

Sources: FNS 220 Categorical Eligibility (Food and Nutrition Services Certification Manual, Change #04-2026, October 01, 2026) (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Child and Family Well-Being); FNS 360 Determining Benefit Levels (Attachment 3 to Change Notice FNS-CN-04-2026, Change #04-2026, October 01, 2026) (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Child and Family Well-Being); Apply for Food and Nutrition Services (Food Stamps) | NCDHHS (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)). Checked October 31, 2026.

NC Medicaid and CHIP

North Carolina has expanded Medicaid, so adults 19 to 64 qualify up to 138% of the poverty line. From January 1, 2027, adults 19 to 64 covered through North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion must show 80 hours a month of work, community service, a work program or half-time school, or household income of at least $580 a month, to get or keep this coverage, unless they are exempt (for example, parents of a child 13 or under, people with a disability, and pregnant women). Where to apply.

Monthly income before taxes, counted the way Medicaid counts it (modified adjusted gross income); a pregnant woman counts the baby she expects. The percents include the 5 points of income Medicaid disregards.

Sources: MACStats Exhibit 35. Medicaid and CHIP Income Eligibility Levels as a Percentage of the Federal Poverty Level for Children and Pregnant Women by State, July 2025 (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a federal agency); MACStats Exhibit 36. Medicaid Income Eligibility Levels as a Percentage of the Federal Poverty Level for Non-Aged, Non-Disabled, Non-Pregnant Adults by State, July 2025 (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a federal agency); North Carolina Expands Medicaid (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); NC Medicaid Eligibility (last modified 09/17/2026) (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); NC Medicaid Eligibility (last modified 09/17/2026) (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); Work and community engagement requirement (last modified 10/13/2026) (State of North Carolina site (medicaid.ncdhhs.gov)); Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals, interim final rule with comment period, 91 FR 33348 (3 June 2026), CMS-2454-IFC, RIN 0938-AV98, effective 31 July 2026 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services via the Federal Register (read as the govinfo.gov PDF)); Public Law 119-21 (4 July 2025; 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'; CMS now calls it the 'Working Families Tax Cut' legislation), Title VII Subtitle B Chapter 1 sections 71101-71121 (Medicaid) and 71201, 71301-71303 (U.S. Congress via the Government Publishing Office). Checked October 31, 2026.

North Carolina Work First

Cash help for families with children. Where to apply.

Source: TANF Programs by State (Help for Families map) (HHS/ACF/Office of Family Assistance). Checked October 31, 2026.

Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program

Help paying for child care while parents work or study. Each North Carolina county has its own money for child care help: when it runs short, the county sets priorities and keeps a waiting list. Where to apply.

Sources: Do I Qualify? (Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program: Federal Poverty Level, State Median Income, & Parental Fees, Effective July 01, 2025) (North Carolina DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE)); Financial Assistance (How the program works, county funding and priorities) (NC DCDEE). Checked October 31, 2026.

State tax credits

For tax year 2026, North Carolina has no state earned income tax credit; and no state child tax credit.

Sources: 2025 Form D-400TC Individual Income Tax Credits (North Carolina Department of Revenue); States and local governments with Earned Income Tax Credit (page last reviewed or updated 26-Nov-2025) (Internal Revenue Service); Important Notice: Impact of Recently Enacted Laws on North Carolina Individual and Corporate Income Tax Returns (Session Laws 2026-31 and 2026-41, signed July 2026) (North Carolina Department of Revenue); 2025 D-401 Instructions for Forms D-400, D-400 Schedule S, A, PN, PN-1, D-400TC and AM (tax year 2025) (North Carolina Department of Revenue). Checked October 31, 2026.

Phone numbers and where to go in North Carolina

Each number and address below is the one North Carolina's own page printed when we checked it, with that page and the day under it. Where we could not read the state's page, it says "Not checked yet". Numbers change: if one does not work, the state's main page has the current one.

Applying is free. Start from the addresses here or the state's own page, not an ad or a link someone texts you, and never pay anyone to apply for you. Is this real?

How to ask for a hearing in North Carolina

If you think a decision on your benefits is wrong, you can ask for a fair hearing: a meeting with someone outside the office that decided. Asking is free. Here is how North Carolina says to ask, program by program.

Federal rules set the outer limits: a SNAP household can ask about anything the office did in the past 90 days (7 CFR 273.15), and for Medicaid a state must allow a reasonable time of up to 90 days from the day the notice was mailed (42 CFR 431.221), so a state can set a shorter Medicaid limit. Whether your benefits keep coming while you wait depends on how soon you ask: your notice says by when. Only the agency and the hearing officer decide your case.

When benefits are paid in North Carolina

Each state sets the days its SNAP benefits arrive. This is North Carolina's rule as its own page states it; the exact day for your case is on your approval notice. SSI, Social Security and tax refund dates, and every state's SNAP rule, are on the payment dates page.

Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) (SNAP)

3rd through 21st of the month (every other day), available after 6 a.m.

Your EBT benefits will be available on the same day each month according to the last digit of your social security number (SSN), even if that day is on a weekend or holiday.

Source: ncdhhs.gov, checked November 1, 2026

Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) in 2026

North Carolina took part in 2026, paying $120 for each child who qualified. The state calls it SUN Bucks.

SUN Bucks is a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides grocery-buying benefits in a one-time payment of $120 per eligible child ... The 2026 SUN Bucks application period is closed. The deadline to apply was August 15th .

Source: ncdhhs.gov, checked November 1, 2026

Free help from a person in North Carolina

These are free. None of them can approve benefits, but they can help you apply, answer a letter or get ready for a hearing.

Updated November 1, 2026