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

Wisconsin 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)); FoodShare Handbook, Release 25-01 (P-16001 04/2025): 4.2.1 Categorical and Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility; 8.1.1.3 Asset Limits (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Medicaid Services); DMS Operations Memo 26-32: FoodShare Cost of Living Adjustments (FFY 2027) (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Medicaid Services); FoodShare: How to Apply (Wisconsin Department of Health Services); 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); Medicaid: BadgerCare Waiver (DHS, last revised December 26, 2025) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.gov)); BadgerCare Plus: Income Guidelines (DHS, last revised July 10, 2026) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.gov)); BadgerCare Plus: Full Coverage Medicaid (DHS, last revised August 31, 2026) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.gov)); Medicaid: New Federal Work Requirement (DHS, last revised July 17, 2026) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.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)); Press Release: Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program Open for Applications (October 1, 2026), with 'Income Guidelines for 2026-27 Program Year' (Wisconsin Department of Administration (Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources)). 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 Wisconsin family

• $4,555 a month: SNAP, WIC, Lifeline end or drop, and the family has $264 less a month than just below it.
• $5,367 a month: Energy help ends or drops, and the family has $36 less a month than just below it.

Worked out by this site's calculator with Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin

FoodShare (SNAP)

Wisconsin 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 $930 a month with its rent. Where to apply.

Sources: FoodShare Handbook, Release 25-01 (P-16001 04/2025): 4.2.1 Categorical and Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility; 8.1.1.3 Asset Limits (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Medicaid Services); DMS Operations Memo 26-32: FoodShare Cost of Living Adjustments (FFY 2027) (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Medicaid Services); FoodShare: How to Apply (Wisconsin Department of Health Services). Checked October 31, 2026.

BadgerCare Plus and CHIP

Wisconsin has not expanded Medicaid, but it covers adults 19 to 64 up to 100% of the poverty line; above that, the marketplace tax credit starts at the poverty line, so there is no coverage gap. From January 1, 2027 for new applicants and from March 2027 for current members at renewal, BadgerCare Plus adults 19 to 64 without a child under 19 at home 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).

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); Medicaid: BadgerCare Waiver (DHS, last revised December 26, 2025) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.gov)); BadgerCare Plus: Income Guidelines (DHS, last revised July 10, 2026) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.gov)); BadgerCare Plus: Full Coverage Medicaid (DHS, last revised August 31, 2026) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.gov)); Medicaid: New Federal Work Requirement (DHS, last revised July 17, 2026) (State of Wisconsin site (www.dhs.wisconsin.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.

Wisconsin Works (W-2)

Cash help for families with children: at most $653 a month for a family of three with no other income. Where to apply.

Sources: Wisconsin Works (W-2) page (Wisconsin Department of Children and Families); TANF Programs by State (Help for Families map) (HHS/ACF/Office of Family Assistance). Checked October 31, 2026.

Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program

Help with heating and cooling bills, while the year's money lasts.

Source: Press Release: Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program Open for Applications (October 1, 2026), with 'Income Guidelines for 2026-27 Program Year' (Wisconsin Department of Administration (Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources)). Checked October 31, 2026.

Phone numbers and where to go in Wisconsin

Each number and address below is the one Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Each state sets the days its SNAP benefits arrive. This is Wisconsin'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.

FoodShare (SNAP)

2nd through 15th of the month

We base the date you get your FoodShare benefits each month on the eighth digit of your Social Security number.

Source: dhs.wisconsin.gov, checked November 1, 2026

Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) in 2026

Wisconsin took part in 2026, paying $120 for each child who qualified. The state calls it Summer EBT.

The main issuance of Summer EBT benefits occurred on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Since the first issuance, we have sent about $45 million in Summer EBT benefits to more than

Source: dhs.wisconsin.gov, checked November 1, 2026

Free help from a person in Wisconsin

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