Extra Help 2026: Income Limits and How to Apply

If you have Medicare and prescription drug costs are squeezing your monthly budget, there is a federal program built specifically for you: Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS). Social Security estimates it is worth thousands of dollars a year to the average qualifying beneficiary — yet millions of eligible people have never applied. Here is what it does, who qualifies in 2026, and how to sign up.

What Extra Help actually does

Extra Help lowers nearly every cost in Medicare prescription drug coverage, whether you use a stand-alone Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage. In 2026, qualifying beneficiaries get:

• A $0 Part D premium for plans at or below your region's benchmark amount (nearly every region has at least one $0-premium plan for Extra Help enrollees; if you pick a pricier plan, you pay the difference).
• A $0 annual deductible — you never pay the standard deductible (up to $615 in 2026) before coverage kicks in.
• Capped copays: no more than $5.10 for each generic and $12.65 for each brand-name drug in 2026. Beneficiaries with full Medicaid benefits and income at or below the poverty level pay even less: $1.60 generic / $4.90 brand.
• No Part D late enrollment penalty while you keep Extra Help — normally the penalty adds up for every month you went without creditable drug coverage.

One important change: before 2024 there were two tiers of Extra Help (full and partial). The Inflation Reduction Act eliminated the partial subsidy starting January 1, 2024, so everyone who qualifies now gets the full benefit.

The 2026 income limits

You qualify if your countable income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. For the 48 contiguous states and DC in 2026:

• Individual: $23,940 per year
• Married couple living together: $32,460 per year

Alaska and Hawaii have higher limits (Alaska: $29,925 / $40,575; Hawaii: $27,540 / $37,335), and the limits rise for each additional person in the household. Social Security does not count every dollar the same way — certain exclusions and deductions apply, so being close to the line is not a reason to rule yourself out.

The 2026 resource (asset) limits

You also must be under the resource limits in 2026:

• Individual: $18,090
• Married couple living together: $36,100

The things most people worry about do not count: your home, one vehicle, household belongings, and up to $1,500 per person set aside for burial or funeral expenses (that burial allowance is already built into the published limits). Countable resources are things like bank accounts, stocks, bonds, and other investments. A common trap is assuming your car or house disqualifies you — they don't.

Who gets it automatically (no application needed)

CMS automatically enrolls you for Extra Help — no application — if you receive any one of these:

1. Full-benefit Medicaid coverage
2. Help paying your Part B premiums through a Medicare Savings Program (QMB, SLMB, or QI)
3. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments

If that is you, a notice arrives in the mail explaining what you will pay, and Medicare assigns you a drug plan if you don't already have one. You can switch to a different plan if the assigned one doesn't cover your drugs. If you're already on Extra Help and your circumstances haven't changed, you keep it into next year unless you receive a notice saying otherwise — open every letter from Medicare or Social Security this fall.

How to apply: 3 ways, any time of year

Everyone else applies through Social Security, and unlike most Medicare business, there is no enrollment period — you can apply any time:

1. Online at ssa.gov/extrahelp (the application is the Social Security "i1020").
2. By phone at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday–Friday.
3. In person at your local Social Security office.

Applying is always free — no agent or fee is involved, and anyone charging you is not legitimate. Gather before you start: recent income information (Social Security award letter, pension or wage stubs), bank and investment statements, and information on any life insurance policies and real estate you own. Social Security reviews the application and notifies you; if approved, your plan's costs drop for the remainder of the year.

Two tips that catch people out: first, enrollment in any Medicare Savings Program automatically qualifies you for Extra Help too, so ask your state Medicaid office about QMB/SLMB/QI if your income is low but you were denied LIS. Second, if you already have a Part D plan and get approved mid-year, your existing plan stays — Extra Help simply layers onto it.

Bottom line: In 2026, Extra Help pays your Part D premium, eliminates your deductible, and caps copays at $5.10/$12.65 for anyone with income under $23,940 (single) or $32,460 (couple) and limited resources — so apply through Social Security any time, because nobody is enrolled automatically except Medicaid, MSP, and SSI beneficiaries.