Medi-Cal Asset Limit Screener: 2026 Rules

California’s Medi-Cal asset limit as of January 1, 2026 is $130,000 for a single applicant and $195,000 for a married couple applying together, and whether your household is likely under, near, or over that line depends on how much you count, how your assets are titled, and whether a spouse who isn’t applying is in the picture. This screener sorts your situation into one of those three bands in about a minute. Medi-Cal counts what’s titled in your name today, not what your plan says it will be tomorrow, which is the rule of thumb behind almost every result below.

It is a screening estimate, not an eligibility determination. It does not model income rules or share of cost, which are separate parts of the Medi-Cal test and matter just as much as assets. Verify your specific numbers with DHCS or a benefits worker, and get an attorney review before making any decisions about gifts, transfers, or trust funding based on what it tells you.

What counts as an asset for Medi-Cal in California?

Countable assets are cash, bank and investment accounts, additional real estate, and most property that isn’t specifically exempt. The home you live in is exempt from the test itself (W&I Code § 14006), which is why the screener asks about it separately. As of January 1, 2026, the reinstated limit is $130,000 individual, $195,000 couple, plus $65,000 per additional household member up to ten (AB 116, Stats. 2025, ch. 21, § 59, adding W&I Code § 14005.62; DHCS ACWDL 25-14).

What if only one spouse needs long-term care?

The applying spouse’s own test is still the $130,000 individual limit. The other spouse keeps a separate protection, the Community Spouse Resource Allowance, $162,660 for 2026 (DHCS ACWDL 26-02). A rough combined reference sometimes used in planning, about $292,660, is just $130,000 plus that CSRA. Treat it as a shorthand, not the real spousal-impoverishment formula: the actual allocation is a specific calculation worth getting right before you apply.

Does my home count against the limit?

Not while you’re living in it. The home is exempt for eligibility (W&I Code § 14006), so it doesn’t count against the figures above. Exempt for eligibility is a different question from protected from estate recovery. Recovery is limited to the probate estate (SB 833, Stats. 2016, ch. 30, § 22; W&I Code § 14009.5(f)(3)), so a home that passes outside probate through a properly funded living trust is generally outside the state’s reach after death. A home reaching beneficiaries only through probate is exactly where recovery can attach. See how Medi-Cal estate recovery actually works for the full picture, including protections for a surviving spouse or disabled child.

What if I made gifts or transfers recently?

California’s look-back for nursing-facility transfers is 30 months, not the federal 60-month rule sometimes cited for other states. Transfers before January 1, 2026 aren’t penalized under this look-back at all. Transfers on or after that date can affect eligibility if you apply for nursing-facility Medi-Cal within the following 30 months. If that kind of care is a realistic possibility soon, review the timing of any gift before it happens, not after.

Is the $130,000 limit staying this way?

Only through June 30, 2027. The limit was reinstated January 1, 2026 after years without one, but a further drop is already enacted for July 1, 2027: $21,000 for one person, $31,000 for two, $1,550 per additional person (Stats. 2026, ch. 27, §§ 68-69). That’s current law, not a projection, so it belongs in the planning conversation regardless of where your assets sit today.

California Medi-Cal asset figures at a glance

Medi-Cal Asset Screener FAQs

What’s the one thing to remember about the Medi-Cal asset test?

Medi-Cal counts what’s titled in your name today, not what your plan says it will be tomorrow. A trust that was signed but never funded, or a transfer that hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t change what counts on the day you apply.

Does this screener tell me if I qualify for Medi-Cal?

No. It sorts your countable assets into one of three bands relative to the 2026 asset limit. It doesn’t model income rules or share of cost, and it isn’t a substitute for a DHCS determination or an attorney’s review of your actual numbers.

What should I do if my result is near the limit or over it?

Bring your actual numbers to a consultation before you apply. Spend-down on exempt assets, trust structuring, Medi-Cal-compliant annuities, and, for one-applying couples, a formal spousal resource allocation are real options that work better planned in advance than after an application is pending.

If your numbers are near the line, or nursing-facility care may be coming, it’s worth a conversation before you file anything. I work with families across Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties on this planning, including reviewing trusts other attorneys drafted. See also the full Medi-Cal asset limit guide and incapacity planning in California for what happens if a diagnosis arrives before the paperwork does.

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