Updated October 23, 2026. Quick answer: Washington divides uncompensated transfers by the statewide average daily private cost for nursing facilities, $485 a day effective October 1, 2026. The result is rounded DOWN to a whole number of days.
The figure Washington publishes
| What the state lists | Figure |
|---|---|
| Daily private nursing facility rate, effective Oct. 1, 2026 | $485 |
| Monthly private nursing facility rate, effective Oct. 1, 2026 | $14,759 |
| Monthly state nursing facility rate, effective Oct. 1, 2026 (what the state pays, not the divisor) | $12,020 |
How the penalty period is calculated
- Add together the uncompensated value of all transfers, then divide by the statewide average daily private cost for nursing facilities at the time of application or the date of transfer, whichever is later.
- The result is the length of the penalty in days, rounded down to the nearest whole day.
- There is a monthly floor: if the total of all asset transfers in a month does not exceed that same daily figure, no period of ineligibility is applied for it at all.
- A penalty applied to one spouse is not applied to the other unless both have attained institutional status, in which case it is divided equally between them.
Once you have the figure above, the Medicaid penalty period calculator does the arithmetic. This page is the Washington rate record; the calculator is the class parent.
Get a second opinion before money or property moves
Transfers are the part of this system that is hardest to undo, so it is worth having someone look at the timing and at what else the household holds before a gift, a sale or a deed is made final.
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What this page does not settle
- The standards chart is the October 1, 2026 edition (HCA 19-0096 (10/26)), and the three nursing facility rates on it are each dated 10/1/26, which is the effective date shown here. A later edition of the chart supersedes these figures.
- The monthly state rate is a different figure from the monthly private rate and is not the divisor. It is reproduced above only so the two are not confused.
- The rule fixes the divisor at application or transfer, whichever is later, so an older transfer does not lock in an older rate.
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.
Figures verified against the Washington State Health Care Authority Apple Health Income and Resource Standards (HCA 19-0096 (10/26)) and WAC 182-513-1363 on October 23, 2026.
Sources
- Washington State Health Care Authority, Apple Health Income and Resource Standards, HCA 19-0096 (10/26), institutional standards (the figure)
- WAC 182-513-1363, Evaluating an asset transfer for clients applying for or receiving long-term care services (the method)
Each source above was retrieved and read against the state text on October 23, 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against those bytes.
A transfer penalty is a separate test from the income standard that decides eligibility in the first place. For what Washington uses as that standard, and the state document it comes from, see Medicaid nursing home income limit in Washington ($2,982/Month).
Related: Washington’s Medicaid home equity limit for a single applicant with no spouse or dependent child at home.
Related: Washington’s Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance; the amount a nursing-facility resident keeps from their own income each month.
Related: use the Medicaid spend-down calculator to estimate how much you would need to spend down to qualify for long-term-care Medicaid in your state.