Ask ten people what the South Carolina Medicaid income limits are, and you’ll get ten different numbers — and they might all be right. That’s because Healthy Connections doesn’t run on one universal cutoff. It runs on a set of separate financial standards, sorted by age, pregnancy, disability, parent status, Medicare enrollment and the specific type of coverage you’re requesting.
The figures below reflect the current 2026 SCDHHS program-specific limits. South Carolina’s Medicaid program is rule by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), under the name Healthy Connections.
2026 South Carolina Medicaid Income Limits by Eligibility Group
| Eligibility group | 2026 income standard | Example monthly limit |
|---|---|---|
| Parent/Caretaker Relative | Up to 62% FPL | $1,705 for family of 4 |
| Children — Partners for Healthy Children | Up to 208% FPL | $5,720 for family of 4 |
| Pregnant Women & Infants | Up to 194% FPL | $5,335 for family of 4 |
| Aged, Blind or Disabled | Up to 100% FPL | $1,330 individual |
| Working Disabled | Up to 250% FPL, with additional test | $6,875 for family of 4 |
| Breast & Cervical Cancer | Up to 200% FPL | $5,500 for family of 4 |
| Family Planning | Up to 194% FPL | $5,335 for family of 4 |
| Long-Term Care | Up to 300% SSI FBR | $2,982 individual |
| Each of these categories carries its own eligibility rules, its own income-counting method, and in some cases its own resource limit. Treat them as separate systems, not variations of the same one. |
You can also Compare Medicaid Income Limits by State — Medi Benefits Guide
Parents and Caretaker Relatives
Parents or caretaker relatives raising a dependent child in the home fall under a 2026 limit of 62% of the Federal Poverty Level.
| Family size | Monthly limit |
|---|---|
| 1 | $824.60 |
| 2 | $1,118.06 |
| 3 | $1,411.53 |
| 4 | $1,705.00 |
| 5 | $1,998.46 |
| 6 | $2,291.93 |
| 7 | $2,585.40 |
| 8 | $2,878.86 |
| These figures took effect March 1, 2026. |
Children — Partners for Healthy Children
Kids under 19 can qualify through Partners for Healthy Children (PHC) at household income up to 208% FPL. That’s a substantially higher bar than the parent limit above it, and for good reason — this program blends Medicaid and CHIP coverage options. For a family of four, that puts the 2026 monthly limit at $5,720.
Pregnant Women and Infants
Pregnancy opens the door to a higher standard: 194% FPL. For a family of four in 2026, that’s $5,335 a month, or $64,020 a year.
Coverage doesn’t end at delivery, either. An eligible mother stays covered for 12 months postpartum, and her infant is covered through age one.
What Is the 2026 Medicaid Income Limit for One Person in South Carolina?
Depends entirely on which door you’re walking through.
An individual applying under ABD sees a 2026 limit of $1,330 a month. A parent or caretaker relative works from a completely different number.
Children, pregnant applicants, and working disabled applicants each answer to their own, often much higher, threshold. This is exactly why a generic search for “SC Medicaid income limit for one person” tends to send you in circles.
What Is the Medicaid Income Limit for a Family of 4?
Same story — it hinges on the program. For 2026, a family of four looks at:
- Parent/Caretaker Relative: $1,705/month
- Children/PHC: $5,720/month
- Pregnant Women/Infants: $5,335/month
- Working Disabled: $6,875/month
- Breast & Cervical Cancer Program: $5,500/month
None of these numbers are interchangeable. Each one belongs to its own eligibility pathway, and mixing them up is where most confusion starts.
2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines Used in South Carolina
The federal 2026 poverty guideline for the 48 contiguous states and D.C. sits at $15,960 for one person and $33,000 for a family of four. Each additional household member beyond eight adds $5,680 to the guideline.
| Household size | 100% FPL |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 |
| 2 | $21,640 |
| 3 | $27,320 |
| 4 | $33,000 |
| 5 | $38,680 |
| 6 | $44,360 |
| 7 | $50,040 |
| 8 | $55,720 |
| SCDHHS applies its own percentage and methodology to each program built on top of this table. Doing the math yourself with a calculator isn’t a substitute for the official SCDHHS figures — the agency’s applied percentages don’t always line up the way you’d expect. |
Does South Carolina Have Medicaid Expansion?
No. South Carolina has not adopted the ACA’s Medicaid expansion for the general adult population. That 138% FPL figure you’ll see cited constantly online for other states? It doesn’t apply here as a general Medicaid income limit.
Adults without dependent children generally can’t get full-benefit Healthy Connections coverage based on low income alone. That said, plenty of adults still qualify — through pregnancy, disability, age, parent/caretaker status, or one of the specialized programs described throughout this page.
Aged, Blind or Disabled Medicaid
The Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD) program serves people 65 and older, individuals who are blind, and those living with a qualifying disability.
The 2026 income limit sits at 100% FPL:
- Individual: $1,330/month
- Couple: $1,804/month
- Resources: $9,950 individual / $14,910 couple
Here’s a wrinkle most other categories don’t have — ABD eligibility factors in resources, not just income.
Working Disabled Medicaid
There’s also a pathway built specifically for people under 65 who are permanently disabled and still working. The 2026 household income limit is 250% FPL after applicable deductions, with a separate cap on unearned income at 100% FPL or below.
Countable resources have to stay under the same limit ABD uses.
For a family of four, that household figure lands at $6,875 a month.
Medicare Savings Programs: QMB, SLMB and QI
If you’re on Medicare, don’t reach for the regular Medicaid limits — they don’t apply here.
QMB
The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program’s 2026 limit:
- $1,330/month individual
- $1,804/month couple
- Resources of $9,950 individual / $14,910 couple
QMB picks up Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copayments.
SLMB and QI
For 2026:
- SLMB: Above 100% through 120% FPL
- QI: Above 120% through 135% FPL
- Individual limits: $1,596 for SLMB and $1,796 for QI
These two mostly cover the Medicare Part B premium — they’re not a path to full Medicaid benefits.
Long-Term Care and Nursing Home Medicaid
Long-term-care Medicaid runs on an entirely different financial standard than ordinary household Medicaid. For 2026, the individual income limit is $2,982 a month — 300% of the current SSI Federal Benefit Rate.
The spousal allocation is listed at $4,066.50. Income is only part of the equation, too. Applicants also have to clear asset limits and meet a medical level-of-care requirement.
Why Do Different South Carolina Medicaid Income Limits Appear Online?
If you’ve found conflicting numbers across different websites, here’s what’s probably going on:
- The page is using an older year’s limits
- It’s describing a different Medicaid category entirely
- It’s confusing Medicaid with CHIP
- It’s showing monthly figures where another source shows annual ones
- It’s citing an FPL percentage instead of the actual SCDHHS dollar amount
- It’s really describing a Medicare Savings Program
- It’s built on SSI-FBR rules instead of ordinary FPL rules
- It includes a resource test that doesn’t apply to the category you’re checking
The current SCDHHS parent/caretaker standard, for reference, is 62% FPL — $1,705 for a family of four, effective March 1, 2026. Before trusting any figure you find, check both the effective date and the eligibility category it’s describing.
Can a Family Have Different Medicaid Eligibility Results?
Yes — and this trips people up constantly. South Carolina applies separate financial standards to separate eligibility groups, which means a parent and child in the same household can land on opposite outcomes.
A household’s income might sit too high for the parent/caretaker category while a child in that same house still qualifies under Partners for Healthy Children. Pregnancy opens up yet another pathway, with its own higher standard.
What If Your Income Is Too High?
Missing one Medicaid limit doesn’t mean you’re out of options. Worth checking, depending on your circumstances:
- A different Healthy Connections eligibility category
- Children’s Medicaid or CHIP
- Pregnancy coverage
- Medicare Savings Programs
- Disability-related Medicaid
- Long-term-care programs
- Marketplace coverage through Healthcare.gov
- Other specialized SCDHHS programs
SCDHHS’s own advice here is blunt: apply. Don’t assume ineligibility and skip the process.
How to Apply for South Carolina Medicaid
Applications run through Healthy Connections. You have a few routes:
- Apply online through SCDHHS
- Contact a local county eligibility office
- Get application help through SC Thrive
- Apply through Healthcare.gov — if the federal marketplace flags you as a possible Medicaid candidate, your application gets forwarded to SCDHHS
The SCDHHS Member Help Center: (888) 549-0820.
These income limits are statewide. Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Spartanburg, Rock Hill, Florence, Anderson, Aiken, Beaufort — the threshold doesn’t shift based on zip code. What changes locally is where you go for help, not the number itself.
2026 Policy Change to Watch: Palmetto Pathways
South Carolina has proposed the Palmetto Pathways to Independence Section 1115 demonstration, aimed at adults currently stuck in the coverage gap.
The proposal targets adults ages 19–64 who meet the parent/caretaker definition and fall above 67% and below 95% FPL, with a 5% disregard effectively pushing that to 100% FPL.
It also comes with an 80-hour-per-month community-engagement requirement attached. This is a proposal, not current policy — keep it separate from the 2026 Healthy Connections tables above. Check its status directly with SCDHHS before assuming it applies to you.
A Simple South Carolina Medicaid Eligibility Decision Guide
Start with the applicant, not the income number:
- Under 19? Check Partners for Healthy Children.
- Pregnant? Check the pregnancy/infant category.
- Parent or caretaker of a dependent child? Check Parent/Caretaker Relative.
- 65+, blind, or disabled? Check ABD.
- Disabled and working? Check Working Disabled.
- Has Medicare? Check QMB, SLMB, or QI.
- Needs nursing-facility or home/community-based care? Check long-term-care Medicaid.
- Has qualifying breast or cervical cancer? Check BCCP.
- None of the above? Check other SCDHHS programs and Marketplace options.
This works far better than trying to apply one income percentage across every household type.
FAQs About South Carolina Medicaid Income Limits
What is the Medicaid income limit for a family of four in South Carolina in 2026?
There’s no single figure. Parent/caretaker sits at $1,705 monthly, children’s coverage at $5,720, and pregnancy at $5,335 — the right number depends on the category.
How much can a parent make and qualify for Medicaid in South Carolina?
Under Parent/Caretaker Relative, the 2026 limit is $1,705 monthly for a family of four. A dependent child living in the home is also required.
What is the income limit for children on Medicaid in South Carolina?
Kids under 19 can qualify through Partners for Healthy Children at up to 208% FPL — $5,720 monthly for a family of four in 2026.
What is the pregnancy Medicaid income limit in South Carolina?
194% FPL for 2026. That’s $5,335 monthly for a family of four, with maternal coverage continuing 12 months after birth.
What are the South Carolina Medicaid asset limits in 2026?
Not every program has one. ABD and QMB cap resources at $9,950 for an individual and $14,910 for a couple. Long-term care and other specialized programs run their own separate rules.
Can adults get Medicaid in South Carolina?
Yes, though not through general ACA expansion, which South Carolina hasn’t adopted. Parent/caretaker status, pregnancy, disability, age, Medicare Savings Programs, and specialized pathways all remain open doors.
Can my child qualify if I make too much for Medicaid?
Yes. Children’s Medicaid runs on a higher income standard than the parent/caretaker category, so a parent can be over the limit while the child still qualifies.
Does income alone determine Medicaid eligibility?
No. Age, pregnancy, disability, Medicare status, household circumstances, citizenship or immigration status, resources, and medical need can all factor in, depending on the program.
How do I apply for Healthy Connections?
Apply through SCDHHS, contact a local eligibility office, or get help through SC Thrive. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, apply anyway — SCDHHS would rather you find out than assume.
Conclusion
Every one of these numbers exists for a reason, and none of them is “the” South Carolina Medicaid income limit — because that single number doesn’t exist. What matters is landing on the right category for your situation, not the first figure that shows up in a search result.
If you’re close to a limit, or think you’re over one, don’t let that be the end of the conversation. Apply, ask questions, and let SCDHHS make the call — that’s what the process is there for.
Official Resources
- Check Your Eligibility — SCDHHS Healthy Connections
- Apply for Medicaid Online — SC Medicaid
- Find Local Application Help — SC Thrive
- Verify Federal Poverty Guidelines — HHS.gov
Disclaimer: This article is for general instructional guidance and is not an eligibility consideration or legal help. Medicaid information and income guidelines can change. Always verify current needs directly with SCDHHS before applying or making coverage decisions.
About Naseer
Naseer has 10+ years of experience creating informative content and researching medicare topics. He focuses on simplifying Medicaid and benefits details to support readers find clear, reliable, and easy-to-understand guidance.