B Customer and Spouse Calculation Example

Programs Manual Section MSP MA612

The customer lives with his wife and their 15-year-old daughter. He has Medicare Part A and Part B and applies for Medicare Savings Program benefits for himself in April 2026.

The customer gets $2,000.00 in Social Security Retirement income per month. His wife works and receives $800.00 in April 2026. The customer’s daughter has no income of her own.

The customer’s eligibility is calculated using the net income test as follows:

Step Action 1 Calculate net unearned income: $2,000.00 (customer’s total counted unearned income [$2,000.00] plus the spouse’s counted unearned income [$0.00]) - $ 0.00 (1/3 child support deduction is not applicable) = $2,000.00 (subtotal) - $20.00 (general income deduction) = $1,980.00 (subtotal) + $0.00 (there is no income based on need) = $1,980.00 (net unearned income) 2 Calculate net earned income: $800.00 (customer’s total counted earned income [$0.00] plus the spouse’s counted earned income [$800.00]) - $0.00 (unused portion of the $20.00 general income deduction) - $65.00 ($65.00 work expense deduction) - $0.00 (IRWE deduction is not applicable) = $735.00 (subtotal of earned income) - $367.50 (1/2 subtotal of earned income) - $0.00 (blind work expense deduction is not applicable) = $367.50 (net earned income) 3 Calculate total net income: $1,980.00 (net unearned income from Step 1 above) + $367.50 (net earned income from Step 2 above) = $2,347.50 (subtotal of net income) - $497.00 (2026 child allocation of $497.00 - $0.00 income = $497.00) = $1,850.50 (total net income) 4 Compare the result in Step 3 to the MSP Standards for a couple: Because $1,850.50 is between $1,804.01 – $2,164.00 (2026 SLMB FPL Standard for a couple), the customer is income eligible for SLMB.