Does Your Child Qualify for Medi-Cal? 2026 Income Limits and Exceptions

Your child likely qualifies for Medi-Cal if your household earns at or below 266% of the federal poverty level — for a family of four in 2026, that’s $7,315 per month, or about $87,780 per year.¹ Children under 19 qualify regardless of immigration status, and savings, cars, or a home you own do not count against you.² For most families, coverage is free. Households earning slightly above the standard limit — up to roughly $106,000 a year for a family of four — can still get their kids covered through a related program with a small monthly fee.

2026 Income Limits by Household Size

Medi-Cal counts your Modified Adjusted Gross Income, which is essentially the income figure from your federal tax return before deductions. Your household usually includes you, your spouse, and any dependents under 19 living with you. Parents, stepparents, and siblings in the same home count toward the total.

Your child qualifies if monthly household income is at or below:¹

Household of 2: $4,799 per month ($57,563 per year)
Household of 3: $6,057 per month ($72,672 per year)
Household of 4: $7,315 per month ($87,780 per year)
Household of 5: $8,576 per month ($102,889 per year)
Household of 6: $9,835 per month ($117,998 per year)
Each additional person: add $1,261 per month ($15,109 per year)

These limits track the 2026 federal poverty guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.³

What Doesn’t Disqualify Your Child

Several things parents assume will block eligibility do not.

Savings and property. Since January 1, 2024, California has fully eliminated asset limits for Medi-Cal. Bank accounts, vehicles, and homes do not count. Only income matters.⁴

Immigration status. California provides full-scope Medi-Cal to all children ages 0 through 18 regardless of citizenship or immigration status.² Your child qualifies even if you as the parent do not. Applying is not considered a “public charge” factor and will not affect a parent’s immigration case.

Residency length. There is no minimum time you need to have lived in California.⁵ Current residency is enough.

Age. Your child qualifies through age 18. Coverage rules shift at 19, and different rules apply to adults.

Once enrolled, children on Medi-Cal receive comprehensive coverage: preventive care, doctor and hospital visits, dental, vision, hearing, mental health treatment, therapy services, prescriptions, and non-emergency medical transportation. For most families there is no premium, no deductible, and no copays.⁶

Ways to Qualify Above the Standard Income Limit

If your household income is over the threshold above, several pathways may still get your child covered.

C-CHIP for Families Up to 322% of FPL

The County Children’s Health Initiative Program covers children whose family income falls between 266% and 322% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four in 2026, that reaches up to about $106,000 per year.⁷ C-CHIP includes full medical, dental, vision, and mental health benefits. The cost is $13 per child per month, capped at $39 per family, with no copays for immunizations, preventive visits, or prescriptions.⁶

Foster Care and Former Foster Youth

Children in foster care receive Medi-Cal automatically, with no income or resource test. When a young person leaves foster care at 18 or older, coverage continues until their 26th birthday, again with no income requirement.⁸ The transition should be automatic, and this applies even if the young person was in foster care in another state and now lives in California.⁹

Children Receiving SSI

If your child receives Supplemental Security Income, they automatically get Medi-Cal at no cost. No separate application is needed, and eligibility continues as long as the child stays on SSI.

Children With Developmental Disabilities

A child with a qualifying developmental disability may be eligible through “institutional deeming.” The county looks at the child’s own income and resources rather than the family’s, as if the child were living in an institution. Because most children have little or no income of their own, this often produces free, full-scope Medi-Cal even when family income is well above the standard limit. Your regional center can connect you with the county’s waiver contact to begin the process.

How to Apply

You can apply four ways:¹⁰

Online at BenefitsCal.com or CoveredCA.com. A single Covered California application determines whether your family qualifies for Medi-Cal or for a subsidized marketplace plan.
By phone at (800) 300-1506.¹¹
In person at your local county human services office.
By mail to your county social services office.

Gather these before you start:

Proof of identity: birth certificates, driver’s license, or passport for each applicant
Proof of California residency: utility bills, rental agreement, or school records
Income documents: recent pay stubs, tax returns, or W-2s for household members (Schedule C or profit-and-loss if self-employed)
Social Security numbers for each applicant, if available
Information on any existing health coverage
Immigration documents, if applicable

Missing paperwork should not stop you. If you claim U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status but cannot immediately verify it, the state must give you a 90-day “reasonable opportunity period” to provide documentation, and your child is covered during that window.¹²

If Your Child Needs Care Before Approval

Two provisions matter here.

First, Children’s Presumptive Eligibility lets qualified healthcare providers grant temporary Medi-Cal on the spot. The provider screens your child’s household income, and if it appears to meet the standard, coverage activates immediately and stays active while your formal application is processed.¹³ You still need to submit the full application for permanent coverage.

Second, Medi-Cal can reimburse medical bills from the three months before you applied, as long as your child would have been eligible in that period.¹⁴ If your child was seen in an ER or doctor’s office and you paid out of pocket, save receipts and billing statements and request retroactive coverage once approved.

Processing, Renewals, and Denials

Standard applications are decided within 45 days; applications involving a disability determination can take up to 90 days.¹⁵ You’ll receive a Notice of Action explaining the outcome. Approved children get a Benefits Identification Card and instructions for choosing a health plan.

Once enrolled, your child has 12 months of continuous eligibility. Coverage stays in place for that full year even if your income rises or your household changes.¹⁶ At renewal, the county first tries to confirm eligibility automatically from tax records and other data. If it can, you’ll get a notice that coverage has been renewed and no action is needed. If it can’t, a pre-filled renewal form comes in the mail, and you have at least 30 days to return it.¹⁷ Keep your address current with the county. A renewal form sent to an old address is the single most common way families lose coverage. If that happens, returning the form within 90 days reinstates coverage.

If your child is denied, or coverage is later reduced or terminated, you have 90 days from the Notice of Action to request a state fair hearing.¹⁸ If your child already has coverage and you request the hearing before the reduction’s effective date, benefits continue during the appeal under “aid paid pending.”¹⁹

1
Covered California. Program Eligibility by Federal Poverty Level for 2026
2
Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Immigrant Eligibility FAQs
3
ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
4
Department of Health Care Services. Proposed Trailer Bill Legislation Reinstatement of the Medi-Cal Asset Limit Fact Sheet
5
Medicaid.gov. Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Basic Health Program Eligibility Levels
6
Covered California. What Does Medi-Cal for Children Cost?
7
DHCS. Income Eligibility Comparison Chart (2025)
8
Department of Health Care Services. Frequently Asked Questions for the Former Foster Youth Program
9
Department of Health Care Services. Foster Youth May Automatically Get Free Health Care Until Age 26
10
Department of Health Care Services. Apply for Medi-Cal
11
Covered California. How Do I Apply for Medi-Cal?
12
Medicaid.gov. Implementation Guide: Citizenship and Non-Citizen Eligibility
13
Medi-Cal Providers. Children’s Presumptive Eligibility (CPE)
14
Medicaid.gov. Eligibility Policy
15
Department of Health Care Services. How Do I Apply – Medi-Cal Comparison
16
Medicaid.gov. Continuous Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP Coverage
17
Medicaid.gov. Overview: Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Renewals
18
Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Fair Hearing
19
eCFR. 42 CFR Part 431 Subpart E – Fair Hearings for Applicants and Beneficiaries