2021 Government Poverty Guidelines

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Produced by Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Reviewed Feb 1, 2021

Every year, the federal government establishes poverty guidelines to determine who is financially eligible for particular programs. The chart below tells you the yearly income cut-offs for 2021. These figures change every year in January and are available online at the US Department of Health and Human Services website.

Household
Size

100%
of Poverty

125%
of Poverty

200%
of Poverty

300%
of Poverty
1 $12,880 $16,100 $25,760 $38,640
2 $17,420 $21,775 $34,840 $52,260
3 $21,960 $27,450 $43,920 $65,880
4 $26,500 $33,125 $53,000 $79,500
5 $31,040 $38,800 $62,080 $93,120
6 $35,580 $44,475 $71,160 $106,740
7 $40,120 $50,150 $80,240 $120,360
8 $44,600 $55,750 $89,200 $133,800
each additional person $4,540 $5,675 $9,080 $13,620

 

from the US Department of Health and Human Services and The Federal Register Volume 86, Number 19 (Monday, February 1, 2021) pp. Pages 7732-7734

Produced by Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines, Federal Register 82 No. 19 (31 Jan 2017): p 8831and "State Median Income Estimates", USHHS, OCS, DEA, LIHEAP-IM-2017-03
Reviewed May 2019

Estimated state median income for a 4-person family

60 Percent of Estimated State Median Income*
1-Person Family 2-Person Family 3-Person Family 4-Person Family 5-Person Family 6-Person Family 7-Person Family
$35,510 46,437 57,363 68,289 79,215 90,141 92,190

Source: FY 2018 LIHEAP Income Eligibility and Benefit Level Chart
Learn more about Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

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