North Dakota's $3,000 individual and $6,000 couple resource framework, client-share path, and spousal protections.
Last updated: August 21, 2026Jurisdiction: North Dakota
North Dakota's basic resource figures
HHS states that a person seeking North Dakota long-term-care coverage must have less than $3,000 in specified countable assets when single, or less than $6,000 for a couple. Its public eligibility page gives checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, and other assets as examples of countable property. The agency separately says that a home, one car, home furnishings, irrevocable burial plans, and other personal items are not counted in the ordinary asset-limit description, but a particular asset can still require a title, availability, or equity review (North Dakota HHS eligibility).
The administrative code likewise sets the medically needy aged, blind, and disabled resource limit at $3,000 for a one-person unit and $6,000 for a two-person unit, with $25 for each additional member. This is a resource test, not a direction to give property away. A transfer without fair market value can create a separate long-term-care penalty, so spending down needs documentation and a review of transfer rules (North Dakota Administrative Code chapter 75-02-02.1; ND Medicaid transfer fact sheet).
North Dakota uses client share instead of a simple hard income cap
North Dakota has a medically needy pathway. HHS says people with income too high for Medicaid but medical bills exceeding their client share may qualify, and it describes client share as a monthly deductible. The January 2026 recipient-liability policy says the amount is based on the difference between net income and Medicaid income limits after permitted deductions. The available HHS material does not identify a Qualified Income Trust as the ordinary North Dakota response to excess long-term-care income, so a family should not import QIT advice from an income-cap state (North Dakota HHS eligibility; ND Medicaid recipient-liability policy).
Marriage changes the asset analysis
For a qualifying married couple, North Dakota law requires a Community Spouse Resource Allowance equal to the federal maximum under 42 U.S.C. 1396r-5(f)(2). The administrative code describes the community spouse's share as one-half of countable assets, subject to the federally adjusted minimum and maximum, and permits the institutionalized or HCBS spouse $3,000. CMS sets the 2026 federal maximum at $162,660; because the state statute adopts the federal maximum, HHS should apply the then-current federal standard to the individual case (North Dakota Century Code section 50-24.1-02.2; CMS 2026 spousal standards; North Dakota Administrative Code).
The accessible North Dakota materials confirm that home treatment has a separate analysis but do not provide one clearly current 2026 home-equity amount suitable for reliance. The administrative-code search result reflects a $500,000 rule, while HHS's public eligibility page does not list a live amount. Confirm the current equity rule directly with HHS before a home transaction (North Dakota Administrative Code; North Dakota HHS eligibility).
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