Updated August 26, 2026. Quick answer: Wisconsin’s average nursing home daily rate, effective January 1, 2026, is $352.06. Divestment penalties are counted in days.
The figure Wisconsin publishes
| What the state lists | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average nursing home daily rate | $352.06 |
| Effective | January 1, 2026 |
How the penalty period is calculated
- To figure the number of days in a divestment penalty period, divide the value of the income or assets divested by the current average nursing home daily rate.
- The divestment penalty period begins when the person first meets all other Medicaid eligibility requirements.
Once you have the figure above, the Medicaid penalty period calculator does the arithmetic. This page is the Wisconsin rate record; the calculator is the class parent.
What this page does not settle
- Wisconsin calls this divestment rather than a transfer penalty, and states the divisor per day rather than per month.
- The daily rate is updated annually.
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
Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Medicaid Divestment, P-10058 — retrieved and checked against the state text on August 26, 2026.
A transfer penalty is a separate test from the income standard that decides eligibility in the first place. For what Wisconsin uses as that standard, and the state document it comes from, see Medicaid nursing home income limit in Wisconsin ($2,982/Month).
Related: Wisconsin’s Medicaid home equity limit for a single applicant with no spouse or dependent child at home.
Related: Wisconsin’s Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance; the amount a nursing-facility resident keeps from their own income each month.