The income cap: $2,982/month in 2026
Florida is an income-cap state. Gross monthly income above 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate disqualifies an applicant outright — there is no spend-down the way many other states allow. That cap is $2,982/month for an individual in 2026 (couple: $5,964/month), based on the 2026 SSI Federal Benefit Rate of $994 (DCF Appendix A-9; SSA, SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026). Applicants over the cap generally qualify by routing the excess through a Qualified Income Trust — a trust cannot be funded retroactively, so this has to happen before the income is received (DCF Appendix A-22.1).
Watch the date, not just the number: Florida's income cap moved from $2,901/month (2025) to $2,982/month (2026) on January 1. Confirm the current DCF Appendix A-9 figure before relying on any published number — secondary sources lag.
Married couples: protecting the spouse who stays home
When one spouse is institutionalized and the other remains in the community, the at-home ("community") spouse can keep a protected share of the couple's countable assets — the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) — up to $162,660 in 2026 (DCF Appendix A-9). Florida applies this CSRA as a single fixed ceiling rather than splitting the couple's assets in half first, which elder-law practitioners describe as a "100% state" approach (DCF ESS Manual Ch. 1600, §1640.0205).
The community spouse may also be entitled to a portion of the institutionalized spouse's income if their own income falls short of the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA) — $2,705/month effective July 1, 2026, plus an excess shelter allowance of $812/month, capped at a maximum monthly allowance of $4,067 (DCF Appendix A-9).
What doesn't count against you
- The homestead — excluded entirely as a countable asset if it's the applicant's principal residence, regardless of value, subject to the home-equity limit below (DCF ESS Manual Ch. 1600, §1640.0534).
- One vehicle — fully excluded, and DCF applies the exclusion to whichever car benefits the applicant most (§1640.0591).
- Burial funds — up to $2,500 per person, set aside separately (§1640.0514), plus burial spaces and irrevocable prepaid funeral contracts.
Florida's quirk: the home-equity limit
Even though the homestead itself is excluded, Florida applicants filing for ICP, HCBS, or institutional Hospice with home equity above $752,000 (2026) are ineligible for nursing-facility or other long-term care services — unless a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child lives in the home. DCF is explicit that "home equity is not an asset test" — it's a separate eligibility gate layered on top of the asset exclusion (DCF ESS Manual Ch. 1600, §1640.0307.04). A hardship waiver is available with physician documentation.
Not mutually exclusive. Most families combine two or three funding pillars — this one rarely stands alone.
The
Journey Assessment ranks all ten pillars against your specific situation and
recommends the top three.
