Updated September 8, 2026. Quick answer: the Medicaid personal needs allowance is the slice of a nursing-facility resident’s own income the state lets them keep every month for things Medicaid does not cover; the rest of their income goes to the facility as the patient-pay amount. It is not one national number. Among the 39 states we have verified, the figure runs from California’s $35.00/Month to Arizona’s $149.10/Month, and every one of them sits above the $30/month federal floor set in 1988 and never raised since.
What the personal needs allowance is
Once a Medicaid nursing-home applicant is financially eligible, the state does a “post-eligibility” calculation: it takes the resident’s own income, subtracts a short list of protected deductions, and sends the remainder to the facility as the patient-pay amount (sometimes called the share of cost or the applied income). The personal needs allowance is the first and smallest of those protected deductions; it is money the state guarantees the resident keeps, for clothing, haircuts, phone service, snacks and the like, not money that reduces what Medicaid pays the facility.
It is a different figure from the community spouse’s own monthly income allowance or resource allowance, which protect a spouse still living at home. The personal needs allowance belongs to the resident in the facility.
Every state we have verified
| State | Personal needs allowance |
|---|---|
| Arizona | In Arizona, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $149.10/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| California | In California, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $35.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Connecticut | In Connecticut, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $75.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Delaware | In Delaware, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $75.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| District of Columbia | In District of Columbia, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $109.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Georgia | In Georgia, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $70.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Idaho | In Idaho, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $40.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Illinois | In Illinois, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $60.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Iowa | In Iowa, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $55.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Kansas | In Kansas, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $62.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Kentucky | In Kentucky, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $60.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Louisiana | In Louisiana, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $50.00/Month (statutory floor); the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Maryland | In Maryland, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $106.00/Month (individual); $212.00/Month (couple); the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Michigan | In Michigan, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance (the state uses different terminology; see below) is $60.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Minnesota | In Minnesota, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance (the state uses different terminology; see below) is $132.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Mississippi | In Mississippi, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $44.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Missouri | In Missouri, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $50.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Montana | In Montana, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $50.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Nebraska | In Nebraska, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $75.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| New Mexico | In New Mexico, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $94.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| New York | In New York, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $50.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| North Carolina | In North Carolina, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $70.00/Month (individual); $140.00/Month (married couple); the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| North Dakota | In North Dakota, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance (the state uses different terminology; see below) is $115.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Ohio | In Ohio, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $75.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Oklahoma | In Oklahoma, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance (the state uses different terminology; see below) is $75.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Oregon | In Oregon, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $81.28/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Pennsylvania | In Pennsylvania, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $60.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Rhode Island | In Rhode Island, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $50.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| South Carolina | In South Carolina, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $60.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| South Dakota | In South Dakota, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $100.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Tennessee | In Tennessee, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $70.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Texas | In Texas, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $75.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Utah | In Utah, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $45.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Vermont | In Vermont, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance (the state uses different terminology; see below) is $79.93/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Virginia | In Virginia, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $40.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Washington | In Washington, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $108.74/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| West Virginia | In West Virginia, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $50.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Wisconsin | In Wisconsin, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $55.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
| Wyoming | In Wyoming, a Medicaid nursing-facility resident’s Personal Needs Allowance is $50.00/Month; the amount of their own income they keep for personal use each month, with the rest going to the facility as the patient-pay amount toward the cost of care. |
Coverage, stated honestly: 39 of 51 states and the District of Columbia researched this way so far. The remaining 12 are not yet on file below rather than guessed at.
States not yet on file
We have not yet independently verified a current personal needs allowance figure for the following states:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
If your state is on this list, your own facility’s business office or your state Medicaid manual (search “personal needs allowance” plus your state’s Medicaid program name) will have the current figure; it is federal law that some allowance above $30/month exists, so ask for the number rather than assuming there is none.
What to do with this
Confirm the figure on your own state’s own leaf page above; each one is cited to that state’s own Medicaid manual, regulation or agency schedule, read at source. General information, not legal or financial advice. The allowance is set administratively in most states and can change; an elder-law attorney or the facility’s own business office is the right source to confirm the current figure before relying on it for a household budget.
Related: the overview · the resource allowance · the community spouse’s income allowance · the spend-down calculator.
Every figure above is cited to that state’s own Medicaid manual, regulation or agency schedule, read at source on that state’s own leaf page. General information, not legal or financial advice. We sell nothing on this page and do not refer you anywhere for a fee.