Updated August 26, 2026. Quick answer: Arizona uses two private pay rates. From 10/01/2025 through 09/30/2026 it is $8,666.72 a month in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties and $8,132.22 a month in every other county.
The figure Arizona publishes
| What the state lists | Figure |
|---|---|
| Maricopa, Pima, Pinal counties | $8,666.72 per month |
| All other counties | $8,132.22 per month |
| Period these rates cover | 10/01/2025 to 9/30/2026 |
How the penalty period is calculated
- Divide the uncompensated value of the transfer by the private pay rate for the geographic area where the person lived when first approved for ALTCS.
- Multiply any fraction left over from that division by 30 to get the partial penalty month, then drop any fraction of a day.
Once you have the figure above, the Medicaid penalty period calculator does the arithmetic. This page is the Arizona rate record; the calculator is the class parent.
What this page does not settle
- Which county group applies is fixed by where the person lived at first ALTCS approval, not by where they live now.
- Arizona updates these rates once a year in October and may update them sooner.
Eligibility is decided by the state agency on the whole file, not by this one number. Nothing here is legal advice, and no one should transfer, retitle or give away property on the strength of a worksheet.
Source
AHCCCS Eligibility Policy Manual, Chapter 900, section 905, Transfer Penalty Period — retrieved and checked against the state text on August 26, 2026.
Related: Arizona’s Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance; the amount a nursing-facility resident keeps from their own income each month.
Related: Arizona’s Medicaid home equity limit for a single applicant with no spouse or dependent child at home.
More Medicaid & Estate Recovery guides: see the full 335-page index.