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Current Policy Effective Date: February 1, 2021
Date Last Reviewed: March 25, 2022
Previous Policy: September 1, 2016
POL M901: COUNTING INCOME
1. Applicants Must Report Total Available Gross Income
Applicants must report each source of available gross income.
An applicant’s income is considered available when it meets any of the following criteria:
Income is accessible to applicant. Income is received by applicant. Income is credited to applicant’s account. Income is set aside for applicant’s use.
2. Income Must Be Categorized
Income must be categorized as earned, unearned, exempt or nonexempt. Refer to Medicaid Table 2 for information on how to count income.
3. Income Carried Into Next Month Must Be Counted As A Resource
Income must not be counted as a resource in the same month it is counted as income.
4. Garnished Income Must Be Counted
Garnished income is defined as income involuntarily assigned to pay a debt.
5. Income From SSI Benefits Must Not Be Counted
Income from SSI benefits must not be counted as income for any Medicaid program.
6. Self-Employment Income Must Be Pro-Rated
Income meeting any of the following conditions must be pro-rated or averaged:
Income from self-employment. Income from employment on a contractual basis. Income received intermittently on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis during the time period covered by the income.
Refer to Section M902 for information on the treatment of self-employment income.
7. Income Available To Any Member Of Assistance Unit Must Be Counted
Applicants must take all necessary steps to obtain and report income available to any member of the assistance unit. Income from employment, annuities, pensions, retirement, and disability benefits must be included, unless good cause can be shown for not doing so.
These requirements may be waived if an applicant can show good cause for not reporting on these sources of income.
Refer to Medicaid Table 2 to determine how different types of income are counted.
8. Family And Children's Programs Countable Income Is Based On Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)
9. Income Of Spouse Is Available To Other Spouse For Family And Children’s Programs
10. Parent’s Income May Be Available To Children For Family And Children’s Programs
Income available to the parent of applicants must be counted to determine whether children are eligible for benefits.
Parent’s income must not be counted if any of the following conditions are met:
Child is in DFS custody. Child is married.
11. Children’s Income May Be Available To Parents For Family And Children’s Programs
12. Non-Relative’s Income Must Not Be Counted
Income of non-relatives living in the household must not be counted for Family and Children’s, SSI, or Aged, Blind, or Disabled Programs.
13. Income Of Spouse May Be Available To Other Spouse For SSI Or Aged, Blind And Disabled Programs
Spousal income is available to the other spouse when they live in the same household for the following programs:
QMB. SLMB #1 and #2. SSI – Related Programs.
Spousal income is unavailable to the other spouse for the following programs:
LSC. Long Term Care or Developmentally Disabled HCBS waiver. Hospice. Employed Individuals with Disabilities. IHC.
14. Parent’s Income May Be Available To Children For SSI Or Aged, Blind Or Disabled Programs
Parent’s income is available to a child(ren) for first month of institutionalization when either of the following conditions are met:
Parent and child lived in the same household before entering an institution. Child is applying for IHC, Hospice, LSC or SSI-related programs.
Parent’s income is not available to a child(ren) when either of the following conditions are met:
Child is disabled and receives SSI benefits while in an institution. Child is eligible for assistance under the DD HCBS waiver program. Child is eligible for assistance under the Children's Mental Health Waiver. Child is eligible for assistance under the Employed Individuals with Disabilities program.
15. Children’s Income May Impact Parents For SSI And Aged, Blind Or Disabled Programs
Income of an ineligible child(ren) is not available to parents. However, the dependent deduction must be reduced if the child(ren) has income. Refer to Medicaid Table 1A for dependent deductions.
16. Support Payments May Not Be Counted For SSI And Aged, Blind Or Disabled Programs
Income of an ineligible spouse, an ineligible parent, or an ineligible child used to make support payments must be excluded from countable income when:
Under a court order. OR Enforced in compliance with a State agreement under Title IV-D.